A control system for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine has an exhaust gas recirculation device which includes an exhaust gas recirculation passage for recirculating exhaust gases from the engine to an intake system of the engine, and an exhaust gas recirculation control valve provided in the exhaust gas recirculation passage, for controlling a flow rate of the exhaust gases. An air-fuel ratio control amount is calculated based on an output of the air-fuel ratio sensor provided in the exhaust system of the engine. The air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine is controlled with the air-fuel ratio control amount. A failure of the exhaust gas recirculation device is determined based on a changing component of the air-fuel ratio control amount when changing an opening of the exhaust gas recirculation control valve in a predetermined cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for an internal combustion engine provided with an exhaust gas recirculation device for recirculating exhaust gases to an intake system, and particularly to a control system which determines a failure of the exhaust gas recirculation device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A control system, which determines a failure of the exhaust gas recirculation device based on an output of an air-fuel ratio sensor provided in an exhaust system of the engine, is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 4-101055. In this system, an integrated value ION of the air-fuel ratio sensor output when executing the exhaust gas recirculation, and an integrated value IOFF of the air-fuel ratio sensor output when not executing the exhaust gas recirculation, are calculated. If the difference (IOFF-ION) between the integrated values is equal to or less than a determination value Δ I, it is determined that the exhaust gas recirculation device fails.
In the above-described conventional system, the integrated value obtained by simply integrating the air-fuel ratio sensor output is used for the determination. Therefore, the determination accuracy can be improved.

Control system for internal combustion engine


A system and method for producing polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (DMMn) using an aqueous formaldehyde solution as the initial reaction material. The process system has a polymerization reaction unit, an acetalation unit, a product separation unit, and a catalyst regeneration unit. Both polymerization and acetalation reaction are conducted in the presence of an ionic liquid as a catalyst, which can achieve the effect that two different reactions may be catalyzed by the same ionic liquid. The present invention employs a simple catalyst system, and achieves the efficient separation of the catalyst, the byproduct water, the product and the reaction materials in a separation manner combining the extraction and the rectification.

The middle part of polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (CH3O(CH2O)nCH3, DMMn, n=2-8) is formaldehyde oligomer, while the both ends thereof are terminated with methyl. The DMMn with n≦5 has excellent solubilizing power and great permeating ability. It is miscible with water and many organic solvents, and may be widely used as industry solvents, pigment dispersant, and so on. DMMn is also an oxygen-containing blending component for diesel oil with great potential, which have very high cetane number (DMM2: 63, DMM3: 78, DMM4: 90, DMM5: 100) and oxygen content (42%-49%). When added to the diesel oil at 10%-20 v/v %, it is possible to significantly improve the combustion characteristic of the diesel oil, effectively increase the thermal efficiency, and greatly reduce the emission of NO and soot. U.S. Pat. No. 7,235,113 discloses that when 15 v/v % of DMM3-6 is added into the diesel oil, the emission of NOx, particles, and hydrocarbon of the exhaust achieves Euro V standard.
The traditional synthesis process of DMMn is the production through the acetalation reaction between a compound providing formaldehyde oligomer and a compound providing methyl for terminating in the presence of an acidic catalyst. Since 2001, Snamprogetti S.P.A. (EP 1505049 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,685), BASF (WO 2006/045506 A1, CA 2581502 A1, U.S. Patent Application Publication 20070260094 A1) and other companies disclose processes for continuously producing DMMn from polyformaldehyde or trioxymethylene and methanol by employing liquid acid such as H2SO4 or CF3SO3H as the catalyst. After the reaction is completed, the catalyst and the byproduct water are removed from the reaction liquid through the absorption with a silica gel or a resin. The unreacted reaction materials, the light component (DMM1-2), the product (DMM3-5) and the heavy component (DMM≧5) are separated by employing a two-stage rectification process. The reaction materials, the light component and the heavy component are recycled to the reactor for reuse. The above reaction solution separation process employs large amount of absorbents, thereby resulting in a large energy consumption of the treatment, and the catalyst cannot be reused via recycling. Furthermore, the above process use trioxymethylene as reaction material and thus is costly.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 20080207954 A1 by BASF Corporation discloses a process of producing DMM1-5 through the reaction of methanol and formaldehyde in an aqueous solution catalyzed by a liquid acid or a solid acid, wherein a reaction rectification technique is employed and then via a multi-stage rectification process to separate the light components (DMM1-2 and unreacted raw materials), the product DMM3-4 (containing water) and the heavy components DMM>4 from the rectification column top reaction liquid (DMM1-5, unreacted raw materials, and water). The crude products from which DMM3-4, the light components, and the heavy components are separated by phase separation technology are recycled to the reaction unit for reuse. But in the actual operation of the process, it is difficult to separate methanol, water, and DMMn due to azeotrope, Meanwhile, the good miscibility of methanol, water and DMM3-4 causes phase separation more difficult.
Recently, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/154,359 and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20110288343 A1 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/164,677 and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20110313202 A1, discloses a method of synthesizing DMMn through the reaction of trioxymethylene and methanol catalyzed by an ionic liquid, wherein the reaction solution is sequentially subjected to flash evaporation, film separation, and phase separation, to separate the light components (DMM1-2, a part of water, unreacted raw material), crude products DMM3-8, and catalyst. In order to achieve the purification of the products DMM3-8, small amount of water and catalyst contained in the crude products need to be removed by absorbed with silica gel or anion exchange resins, thus, the recovery rate of catalyst of the process is relatively low.

System and method for continuously producing polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers

Lanzhou Institute of Chemicals Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences


A data transmission device includes first and second lines, and a transmitter configured to convert received binary data into ternary data and output the ternary data onto the first and second lines by toggling only one of the first and second lines during each of a plurality of consecutive 2-bit data transmission time intervals. A receiver is also provided, which is configured to receive the ternary data from the first and second lines and convert the received ternary data into binary data. The transmitter is configured to output the ternary data onto the first and second lines using return-to-zero toggling during each of the 2-bit data transmission time intervals.

The present disclosure relates to data transmission devices, including integrated circuit memory devices, and methods of operating same.
In general, a semiconductor memory device, which has been widely used in a high-performance electronic system, is increasing in capacity and speed. As an example of a semiconductor memory device, a dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) is a volatile memory and determines data based on charged stored in a capacitor.

Data transmission devices with efficient ternary-based data transmission capability and methods of operating same


A combination binding and perforation assembly, which includes a base portion, binding rings, perforating rods, guiding plates, a wall portion, a perforation slot, and a lever. The binding rings protrude from the base portion. Each perforating rod is coupled with a respective binding ring via a respective connector. The perforation slot is defined by a gap between the guiding plates and wall portion, which is disposed at an edge of the base portion. The lever is coupled with the binding rings, and can be manually raised and lowered. When the lever is raised, the binding rings open and the perforating rods advance toward the perforation slot to perforate at least one paper sheet inserted in the perforation slot. When the lever is lowered, the binding rings close and the perforating rods retract from the perforation slot. The perforated sheet can then be inserted into the binding rings through the perforations.

A binder is used to hold together a collection of loose sheets of paper, such as office documents and files, for organized storage. A binder is generally composed of a folder or cover and a binding mechanism that binds the collected pages and facilitates the addition and removal of the pages. Binding mechanisms may include: clips, lever clips, compression bars, latches, binding rings, lever arches, and clamps. Clips and lever clips operate by applying spring pressure on the collected pages, where the pages need not be modified or adapted in any way to enable their binding. Opening the clip to release the applied pressure allows for appending new pages or the removal of existing pages. Other types of binding mechanisms require the pages to be perforated beforehand, most notably with binding rings, in which the rings pass through the holes in the pages to bind them together. Binding rings are found in ring binders, such as the common three-ring binder which is widely used in North America. Binders come in many forms, shapes and sizes. Binders may be adapted to collect only certain types or sizes of paper (e.g., Letter size, Legal size, A4, and the like), and may include a variable number of binding elements (e.g., two-ring binders, three-ring binders, and the like). Many binders may also include additional features or accessories, such as pockets or cases for holding various writing utensils and other office supplies.
A perforator, also known as a hole puncher or a paper puncher, is a device used to perforate or form holes in a sheet of paper, to enable the paper to be collected into a binder. A perforator usually includes some type of lever that is maneuvered to force at least one bladed cylinder through at least one sheet of paper. The perforator may also include guides that are utilized to align the paper prior to its perforation, to ensure that the holes are set at the desired locations (i.e., to define the margin and separation distances). The perforator may also include some type of container for collecting the perforations (i.e., the punched paper fragments). Perforators also come in many forms, shapes and sizes. Similarly, perforators may be adapted to perforate only certain types or sizes of paper, may be adapted to perforate through a limited number of pages simultaneously (e.g., up to 20 pages, up to 40 pages, and the like), and may include variable number of perforating elements (e.g., two-hole punchers, three-hole punchers, and the like).
Various assemblies known in the art are adapted to combine the functionality of a binder with the functionality of a perforator. One such example can be found in French Patent No. 462,887 to Demignot, entitled: "Perfectionment à la commande des poinçons de perforateurs pouvant s'adapter à toutes les mécaniques de classeurs àlevier". Another example is disclosed by German Patent No. 1,129,455 to Seyffer, entitled "Aufreihvorrichtung für Briefordner mit einer Lochvorrichtung".
U.S. Pat. No. 1,623,824 to Bondeson et al., entitled: "Combined Punch and File", discloses a device adapted to form holes in index cars and also file the index cards. The device includes a base, vertical pins, inverted U-shaped members, a pair of dies, and a pair of hollow posts. The vertical pins are arranged on the base to form a file. The dies are mounted in recesses at the rear of the base, behind respective vertical pins, and the posts are arranged directly over respective dies. The inverted U-shaped member extends from a vertical pin at one end and through a hollow post at the other end. The lower end of the U-shaped member arm, together with the respective die below, forms a punch, operative to punch hole in index cards placed directly over the dies, by pressing down on the U-shaped member. An arm of the U-shaped member may be disengaged from the upper end of the respective pin, enabling the punched cards to be placed onto the pins for filing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,793 to Wyant, entitled "Binder with Hole Punch", is directed to a binder for receiving and retaining loose papers. The binder includes a cover, a binding mechanism, and a hole punch mechanism. The binding mechanism is coupled to the inner surface of the cover at the center, and the hole punch mechanism is coupled to the inner surface of the cover at an outer edge. The binding mechanism may include three openable binding rings evenly spaced apart. The hole punch mechanism includes a movable handle having a set of protrusions on a lower surface, and a base having a set of recesses aligned with the protrusions on an upper surface. A paper is placed between the base and opened handle, and then the handle is closed so that the protrusions meet the respective recesses, thereby punching a set of holes in the paper. The protrusions and recesses are arranged so that the spacing of the holes corresponds to the spacing of the binding rings. The binder may further include a receptacle with a lid at an opposite outer edge of the inner surface of the cover, for holding loose items.
G.B. Patent No. 07491 to Witte et al, entitled "Improvements in Loose-leaf Binders", is directed to a loose-leaf binder combined with a perforator and with yokes associated with file pins. The yokes and the perforator are simultaneously movable by means of a lever. The yokes are fixed to short vertical rods terminating in punches. The rods are connected to each other by a plate that is bent to form a channel. The lever is pivoted to a vertical supporting plate, and includes at one end a roller bevelled to fit the channel. The punches are movable along sockets in the supporting plate. When the lever is raised, the yokes are opened and the punches are retracted away from the plate. When the lever is lowered, the yokes are closed and the punches are depressed against the plate to perforate a document.
European Patent No. 1,985,422 to MAPED, entitled "Paper punch with centering device", discloses a punch that has two piercers movably mounted relative to a base, and a pallet shaped activation lever for simultaneously displacing the piercers relative to the base. Symmetrical notches are provided at a longitudinal rear edge of the base for positioning the base relative to rings of a binder, such that the base is applied through exterior in a predetermined position against the rings. A center distance of the rings corresponds to a predetermined center distance of the piercers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,907 to Hymmen, entitled "Paper Punch", is directed to a hand-operated paper punch formed with molded parts which interfit for easy and rapid assembly and disassembly. A handle hooks under a wall of the base. Depressing the handle forces downward a transverse bar recessed to accept the upper ends of the male punch elements, which are spring-biased to travel with the transverse bar. The punch elements reciprocate within a die bar detachably connected to the base. The die bar is formed with a throat for insertion of papers to be punched. The front edge of the base is formed with a transverse groove to accept a male binder element during assembly of a book comprised of the punched paper.
PCT International Application Publication No. WO 2007/129103 to Kaushal, entitled "File", discloses a file for storage of paper, comprising a front face and a rear face connected along a spine edge, a retention means for paper sheets upstanding from the rear face, and a flap attached to a free edge of the front face opposed to the spine edge. The inner faces of the flap and the front face have cooperative means, such as a pair of opposed rigid plates, defining a hole punch for paper sheets.

Combination Binding and Perforating Assembly


A compressed digital audio signal is transmitted from an audio source along a connection wire to an audio receiver. The digital audio signal can encode digital audio data having different sampling frequencies, frames sizes, and other information. The audio receiver that receives the digital audio signal can decode and convert the compressed digital audio signal into multiple synchronized analog signals, which are used to drive multiple speakers. The audio receiver may also synchronize the audio data with associated video data so that the audio playback and video playback are “in sync”, despite delay introduced by the audio signal decoding at the audio receiver.

The audio capabilities of personal computing systems are rapidly growing in sophistication. For example, computing systems are being equipped with CD and DVD players and digital multimedia software that make them attractive as personal multimedia systems, like personal stereos and video players. As such, the audio components and software of personal computing systems are adapting to satisfy the more demanding requirements of higher end audio systems. In addition, multimedia players are being equipped with audio components traditionally associated with personal computing systems, such as mixing features and title, artist, and lyric displays. As such, personal computing technology and digital audio technology are converging.
One relevant component in such audio systems is the interface between a digital audio source (e.g., DVD player or a sound card in a personal computer) and an audio receiver that drives the speakers. Traditionally, digital audio sources convert the digital audio into multiple analog signals before transmitting the audio signals to one or more speakers. In this configuration, multi-channel audio transmission is accomplished from the audio source over a set of analog connection wires to multiple speakers. One category of multi-channel audio is termed "6-channel audio", which transmits audio signals over 6 analog connection wires between the source and the audio receiver. The 6 channels are devoted to two front speaker channels, two back speaker channels, one subwoofer channel, and one center channel. Another category of multi-channel audio, termed "8-channel audio" adds two side speaker channels.
Newer audio technologies, such as Dolby Digital and DTS, provide a compressed digital audio signal over a digital wired connection directly from the digital audio source to the audio receiver, thereby eliminating the need to provide 6/8 wire connections between the source and the audio receiver. The audio receiver then decodes the digital audio data and converts it to analog signals for the appropriate number of audio channels.
However, these technologies have been unable to fully exploit the advantages available in personal computing systems and newer digital audio equipment. For example, existing approaches do not adequately support adjustable compression levels, multiple sampling frequencies, or metadata.


In a radio frequency communication system (100), infrastructure transceivers operate in a configuration mode (301-306) and an active mode (307). When in the configuration mode, a given infrastructure transceiver (106-109) derives information regarding RF operating circumstances proximal to the infrastructure transceiver. The information regarding the RF operating circumstances, information regarding the infrastructure transceiver itself, and optionally information regarding present location of the infrastructure transceiver, is transmitted to a communication system configuration server (105). In response, information regarding operation of the infrastructure transceiver is received by the infrastructure transceiver. When in the given infrastructure transceiver is in the active mode, the information regarding operation of the infrastructure transceiver is used to support communications in the RF communication system. With each infrastructure transceiver operating in this manner, the radio frequency communication system can be automatically configured.

Cell-based radio frequency (RF) communication systems are well-known in the art. In such systems, a cell typically comprises a limited coverage area throughout which communications are provided using predetermined RF carrier frequencies. An overall coverage area comprising all of the limited coverage areas is created by strategically locating a plurality of cells adjacent one another. By networking operations of the plurality of cells through a central network controller, seamless communications are provided throughout the overall coverage area. With such a configuration, it is inevitable, and often desired, that there will be areas of overlapping coverage area between adjacent or nearly adjacent cells. In such an overlap area, communications can be achieved using the RF carrier frequencies of any of the cells contributing to the overlap area.
In order to maintain even coverage throughout the overall coverage area, the RF carrier frequencies, and their respective transmit powers, within each cell must be carefully selected so as not to interfere with communications in overlapping cells. This problem is made even more difficult when the effects of topographical limitations (e.g., the terrain and structures within the overall coverage area) are factored into the determination of cell placement. Currently, system design is typically determined using a two step process: extensive simulations followed by exhaustive field measurements. That is, computer programs are used to simulate the expected interactions between cells given baseline assumptions about cell placement, frequency usage, transmit power levels and a variety of other factors. When acceptable results are predicted through simulation, empirical measurements are made in the actual system, set up in accordance with the simulation. The empirical measurements assist the system designers in determining the sufficiency of coverage of the system. If necessary, the simulation is revised based on the empirical measurements, and the whole process is continuously iterated until satisfactory results are achieved.
While the above-described method for system design works, it is expensive both in terms of cost and time. Furthermore, with the advent of so-called micro-cells systems, an area previously provided RF coverage by a single cell may now be provided coverage with dozens of cells. This multiplication of cells greatly increases the complexity, and therefore the cost and time spent, in determining a satisfactory system design. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide equipment for use in an RF communication system capable of automatically facilitating satisfactory system configuration.

Infrastructure transceiver and method for configuration based on location information


An inkjet printhead is provided having a plurality of ink ejection nozzles. Each nozzle has a displaceable actuator arm, a paddle for ejecting ink through an aperture defined in a roof of the nozzle, and a motion-transmitting structure interconnecting the actuator arm and the paddle, the motion-transmitting structure comprising a lever arm formation interposed between effort and load formations.

As set out in the above referenced applications/patents, the Applicant has spent a substantial amount of time and effort in developing printheads that incorporate micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS)—based components to achieve the ejection of ink necessary for printing.
As a result of the Applicant's research and development, the Applicant has been able to develop printheads having one or more printhead chips that together incorporate up to 84 000 nozzle arrangements. The Applicant has also developed suitable processor technology that is capable of controlling operation of such printheads. In particular, the processor technology and the printheads are capable of cooperating to generate resolutions of 1600 dpi and higher in some cases. Examples of suitable processor technology are provided in the above referenced patent applications/patents.
Common to most of the printhead chips that the Applicant has developed is a component that moves with respect to a substrate to eject ink from a nozzle chamber. This component can be in the form of an ink-ejecting member that is displaceable in a nozzle chamber to eject the ink from the nozzle chamber.
A particular difficulty that the Applicant has been faced with is to achieve a suitable interface between a prime mover in the form of an actuator and the moving component. This interface is required to permit the moving component to be displaced in the nozzle chamber and to inhibit leakage of ink from the nozzle chamber.
As set out in the above referenced patents/patent applications, the printhead chip is manufactured using integrated circuit fabrication techniques. This is the usual manner in which MEMS-based devices are fabricated. Such forms of fabrication are subject to constraints since they involve successive deposition and etching techniques. It follows that MEMS-based devices are usually formed in layers and that components having relatively complex shapes are difficult and expensive to fabricate.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 generally indicates part of a nozzle arrangement of a printhead chip. The part 10 shown illustrates an actuator 12 and an ink-ejecting member 14. The actuator 12 includes an elongate actuator arm 16 that extends from an anchor 18. The actuator arm 16 is configured so that, when it receives a drive signal, the actuator arm 16 bends towards a substrate 20 as indicated by an arrow 22. A connecting formation 24 is interposed between the actuator arm 16 and the ink-ejecting member 14. Thus, when the actuator arm 16 is bent towards the substrate 20, the ink-ejecting member 14 is displaced in the direction of an arrow 26 to eject ink from the nozzle chamber.
It would be intuitive simply to use the arrangement 10 together with a suitable sealing structure to achieve effective ink ejection and sealing. The reason for this is that it would appear that the actuator arm 16, the connecting formation 24 and the ink-ejecting member 14 could be in the form of a unitary structure. However, the Applicant has found that it is not possible to achieve a working configuration as shown by using MEMS-based fabrication techniques. In particular, it has been found by the Applicant that such a unitary structure does not lend itself to such fabrication techniques.
It follows that the Applicant has been led to conceive the present invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Inkjet printhead having paddled inkjet nozzles


The present invention provides an azo compound represented by the following Formula (I). In Formula (I), R1 and R2 respectively independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 21 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 2 to 21 carbon atoms, an aryl group having 6 to 21 carbon atoms or an aralkyl group having 7 to 21 carbon atoms, were R1 and R2 may form a hetero ring in combination with a nitrogen atom combined therewith. R3 represents a halogen atom, a trihalomethyl group, an alkoxy group having 1 to 21 carbon atoms, a nitro group or an amino group. R4 represents a halogen atom or a —SO3M group, where M represents a cation of a metal atom or a cation made of a nitrogen-containing compound. m denotes an integer from 0 to 5. n denotes an integer from 0 to 4

In the fields of dyes, development of compounds having high fastness, in both light resistance and heat resistance, has been desired and earnest investigations have been carried out. Particularly, in the fields of dyes soluble in solvents and water, development of compounds having both light resistance and heat resistance has been desired.
As dyes superior in both light resistance and heat resistance, phthalocyanine compounds and Cr complexes of azo dyes are known. However, these phthalocyanine compounds are unsuitable for the absorption of visible light having wavelengths in the range from 400 to 500 nm and are therefore not useful for yellow or magenta dyes. Moreover, phthalocyanine compounds exhibit high light resistance due to their molecular association and therefore problems concerning storage stability occur, for example precipitation of the dyes from the dissolved state of these dyes in water or a solvent.
Also, it has been pointed out that because the Cr complexes of azo dyes contain Cr atoms, they are harmful to humans, organisms and the environment and improvement in this regard is highly desired. Also, azo dyes are useful dyes that have a high color value and can exhibit absorption at various wavelengths. However, non-metal complex dyes that satisfy both high light resistance and high heat resistance at the same time have not yet been found.
Among these azo dyes, compounds having a γ acid as a coupling component (for example, Acid Red 57) and compounds having pyrazolone (for example, Acid Yellow 29) have been known as azo dyes having relatively high light resistance. However, compounds that can satisfy heat resistance at the same time have not yet been found (see, for example, Patent documents 1 to 4).
Also, there is the problem that heat resistance and light resistance deterioration of these dyes becomes significant depending on the conditions of use. There is also the problem that one or both of the heat resistance and the light resistance deteriorate according to the kind of fiber to be dyed, or when they coexist with, for example, other dye compounds, photopolymerization initiators, polymerizable compounds and/or an oxidant/reducing agent, or when they are in an environment where ozone or singlet oxygen is generated.
Moreover, many dyes exhibiting high light resistance and heat resistance tend to be reduced in solubility in water or a solvent, giving rise to many problems in industrial utilization.
Patent document 1: Specification of P.L. Patent No. 101484
Patent document 2: Specification of D.T. Patent No. 2714204
Patent document 3: Specification of F.R. Patent No. 2303839
Patent document 4: Publication of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-152240


A system is provided for managing error reporting in a network. The system comprises a buffer for storing traps, a timer that measures a time period and a buffer manager that compares incoming traps to traps already stored in the buffer. An incoming trap is stored in the buffer if it is determined that the incoming trap is not similar to traps already stored in the buffer. The buffer is cleared after the time period measured by the timer has elapsed.

In recent years it has become common to connect computers and other devices via a network. The network facilitates communication of information and sharing of resources. For example, networks include, but are not limited to, Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN) and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). Conventionally networks are managed by a Network Management System (NMS), which may be provided on a server. In a typical arrangement when a network element experiences a fault it sends a 'trap' reporting the problem to the NMS. The NMS unpacks and processes the received traps and logs each of them as an event. The NMS analyses the events and generates alarms in respect of the events which it deems critical. The alarms are notified to the network administrator, e.g. via a display on the NMS or sending a notification to the network administrator's computer.
As networks become larger and contain an ever increasing number of network elements (computers and other devices connected to the network), the number of traps sent to the NMS increase.

System and method for error reporting in a network

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for fabricating a MIM capacitor in a semiconductor die includes a step of depositing a first interconnect metal layer. The method further includes depositing a high-k dielectric layer comprising AlNX (aluminum nitride) on the first interconnect layer. The method further includes depositing a layer of MIM capacitor metal on the high-k dielectric layer. The method further includes etching the layer of MIM capacitor metal to form an upper electrode of the MIM capacitor. According to this exemplary embodiment, the first interconnect metal layer, the high-k dielectric layer, and the layer of MIM capacitor metal can be deposited in a PVD process chamber. The method further includes etching the high-k dielectric layer to form a MIM capacitor dielectric segment and etching the first interconnect metal layer to form a lower electrode of the MIM capacitor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of semiconductor fabrication. More specifically, the invention is in the field of fabrication of capacitors in semiconductor dies.
2. Background Art
High performance mixed signal and RF circuits require high-density integrated capacitors. Metal-insulator-metal ("MIM") capacitors can be considered for use in the fabrication of integrated mixed signal and RF circuits on semiconductor dies. However, typical MIM capacitors have low capacitance density and since RF and mixed signal applications require high capacitance values, the die area consumed by typical MIM capacitors is too large, resulting in increased die cost to the manufacturer.
In a conventional MIM capacitor, a MIM capacitor dielectric is situated between bottom and top metal plates, which form the electrodes of the MIM capacitor. Currently, silicon nitride (SiN) is widely utilized as a MIM capacitor dielectric in the conventional MIM capacitor. In order to increase the capacitance density in a conventional MIM capacitor, the thickness of the MIM capacitor dielectric can be reduced. However, in a conventional MIM capacitor utilizing silicon nitride as the MIM capacitor dielectric, undesirable leakage current can occur if the silicon nitride becomes too thin.
Alternatively, a high dielectric constant (high-k) dielectric having a higher dielectric constant than silicon nitride can be utilized to increase the capacitance density of the MIM capacitor. However, some high-k dielectrics, such as silicon carbide, are difficult to etch and process, while others, such as tantalum oxide, are not ready available.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a cost effective, high-k MIM capacitor dielectric that is easy to manufacture and readily available.

MIM capacitor high-k dielectric for increased capacitance density


A method and apparatus are disclosed for supplying power in electronic equipment. Thus the apparatus comprises at least one electronic component and a power supply unit that provides power to the electronic component. The power supply unit incorporates a detector that is responsive to the power output level from the power supply unit increasing beyond a predetermined limit. If this limit is breached, the power supply unit outputs a delay signal to the electronic component. This delay signal then causes the electronic component to reduce its power consumption (such as by performing dummy operations), thereby avoiding an overload on the power supply unit.

FIG. 1 provides a schematic representation of the power supply arrangement in a typical computing device 10. The system receives AC power supply from the mains or other appropriate source. The AC supply is fed into an AC/DC converter 101, which outputs a DC power supply at some intermediate voltage (e.g. 12 Volts). This output is then supplied directly to some of the components within system 10, as illustrated schematically by load 103A in FIG. 1. Typically load 103A comprises various electromechanical devices, such as disk drives, fans, and so on.
System 10 further includes components, depicted schematically in FIG. 1 as load 103B, which require a lower DC voltage than load 103A. Accordingly, system 10 also incorporates a DC/DC converter 102 that converts the 12 Volt output from AC/DC converter 101 to a relatively low voltage DC supply (e.g. 3 Volts). Typically DC/DC converter 102 is located on the motherboard of system 10, and supplies its low voltage output to various digital electronic components on the motherboard, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM).
It will be appreciated that there are many other known configurations for the power supply within a computing system apart from that shown in FIG. 1. For example, there may be several DC/DC converters 102 in order to provide different voltages for various devices (or alternatively a single converter may support multiple outputs at a range of voltages).
One problem in the design of power supplies for computers is that there can be significant fluctuations in the amount of power that such devices require. This is particularly a problem in relation to digital electronic components. Consider, for example, the operation of RAM. As is well-known, data access to RAM is generally slow compared to the normal processing speed of the CPU, and so most systems are provided with one or more cache units (either inside or adjacent to the CPU). A cache unit contains a subset of the data from RAM, and allows the processor fast access to this subset of data in order to improve performance.
With good hardware and software design, the majority of processor memory accesses are generally satisfied from the cache. In normal operations therefore, perhaps only 10% (for example) of memory accesses from the CPU are cache misses, and so need to be supplied from RAM itself. However, there can be times when the cache hit rate is significantly reduced, such as when a new application is being started up, often with its own initialisation data, or when an unusual data or code structure leads to low cache hit rate. Assuming that in these circumstances the cache hit rate falls to zero, every memory access now goes to RAM. Consequently, the access rate into RAM has increased by a factor of ten compared to the 10% cache miss rate above. This will generally cause the power consumption of the RAM to increase by approximately a corresponding factor of ten.
The system power supply unit, such as DC/DC converter 102 in FIG. 1, therefore needs to be able to accommodate such significant variations in power usage. In particular, the power supply must be able to handle sudden, temporary peaks of demand, where there is a large increase in power consumption compared to the usual requirements. Consequently, power supplies in computer systems typically have a maximum output capacity that significantly exceeds their normal expected operating level. It will be appreciated that this adds considerably to the cost of the power supply.
Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to accurately predict or model the peak power usage of certain digital electronic devices. Thus while the maximum power usage for RAM is expected to occur at zero cache hit rate, for other components the situation is far less clear. One example is a floating-point unit (FPU), which may be integrated into a CPU or provided as a separate add-on chip. Typically the power consumption of the FPU is highly dependent upon the data being processed, but this dependency is very complex and difficult to predict at design time. Accordingly, there is a general tendency to over-specify the power supply requirements for an FPU and analogous devices, in order to provide a safety margin in case the predicted (estimated) power consumption is too low. Again, this over-specification increases costs for the power supply.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to be absolutely confident that the margins provided are indeed adequate, in which case the FPU or other device may be vulnerable to some obscure (pathological) data sequence that causes the power supply to be over-stressed. Typically the power supply will then cut out as a safety precaution (rather than burning out), leading at least to the need for a system reboot, and the possible loss of data as well.
Note that if such a pathological data sequence does exist, but does not become known until after a system has shipped, then it is extremely difficult to protect against it in the field. This is because the offending data sequence would generally appear as a set of standard data processing operations, and so would be very hard to detect specifically in either software or hardware. Furthermore, even if the probability of such a data sequence being used by accident were extremely small, there is the risk that it may be used deliberately, such as by a hacker or terrorist, as part of a malicious attack on the system.
Another concern is that computer systems are typically available in a very wide range of configurations. For example, models in a given product range may vary in terms of processor speed, memory capacity, storage capacity, and so on. Moreover, a model range may evolve over time, as new components (e.g. higher speed processors) become available. Furthermore, customers frequently perform upgrades to installed systems as well, such as by supplementing or replacing existing components with new and more powerful components that were not necessarily available when the system was originally designed and purchased.
As a result, any given system is typically available in, or may be modified to, a very wide range of configurations. It is difficult for a manufacturer to rigorously test every single potential configuration. Instead, particular components (e.g. RAM units) are generally designed to be compatible (i.e. interchangeable) with one another, so that a modification or upgrade of such a component should not take a system outside its proper operating regime, including in terms of the power supply requirements. Nevertheless, there may be some subtle and unexpected differences in the way that slightly different versions of a component perform or interact with other components that do impact power consumption. This in turn might adversely affect system operation and reliability for certain particular configurations.
In summary therefore, existing computer systems tend to have power supplies that are conservatively engineered, and so are rather expensive compared to the demand that is placed on them for normal system operations. Even so, despite the significant safety margins provided, it is difficult to be absolutely certain that there is no pathological combination of operations or potential system reconfiguration that will not overload the power supply, and so lead to a system failure.

Method and apparatus for supplying power in electronic equipment


A network switching device, and corresponding method and computer program, comprising an ingress module adapted to receive frames of data from a channel, wherein each frame of data has one of a plurality of classes of service, and to store the data in one or more buffers; and an egress module adapted to exercise flow control on the channel for each of the classes of service when the number of the buffers storing frames of data received from the channel and having the class of service but not yet transmitted from the network switching device exceeds a predetermined threshold for the class of service.

The present invention relates generally to data communications, and particularly to network switches implementing flow control for data having multiple classes of service.
The rapidly increasing popularity of networks such as the Internet has spurred the development of network services such as streaming audio and streaming video. These new services have different latency requirements than conventional network services such as electronic mail and file transfer. New quality of service (QoS) standards require that network devices, such as network switches, address these latency requirements. For example, the IEEE 802.1 standard divides network traffic into several classes of service based on sensitivity to transfer latency, and prioritizes these classes of service. The highest class of service is recommended for network control traffic, such as switch-to-switch configuration messages. The remaining classes are recommended for user traffic. The two highest user traffic classes of service are generally reserved for streaming audio and streaming video. Because the ear is more sensitive to missing data than the eye, the highest of the user traffic classes of service is used for streaming audio. The remaining lower classes of service are used for traffic that is less sensitive to transfer latency, such as electronic mail and file transfers.
Another desirable switch feature, referred to as "flow control," prevents the switch from discarding or "dropping" frames. One flow control technique is defined by the IEEE 802.3 standard. When a switch implementing the standard becomes congested, it can exercise flow control by sending a "pause" frame to one or more link partners. In response, the link partners stop sending frames to the switch until the switch sends a "pause release" frame, or until an interval specified by the "pause" frame elapses. Thus flow control allows a switch to regulate the flow of inbound data.
However, the IEEE 802.3 flow control standard has no provision for quality of service. Therefore, when flow control is exercised on a channel under IEEE 802.3, it applies to all classes of service. High-priority traffic is delayed as long as low-priority traffic. Thus when flow control under IEEE 802.3 is imposed, quality of service cannot be achieved.

Network switch with quality of service flow control


A cleaner includes a first cleaning module including a left spin mop and a right spin mop that come into contact with a floor while rotating in a clockwise direction or in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from an upper side, a second cleaning module that comes into contact with the floor at a position spaced apart from the left spin mop and the right spin mop in a forward-and-backward direction, a body supported by the first cleaning module and the second cleaning module, and a water supply module that supplies water to the first cleaning module. A water tank is disposed inside the body. Water supplied by the water supply module reaches the first cleaning module before reaching the floor.

A cleaner is a device that performs cleaning by suctioning dirt such as dust from the floor or mopping dirt on the floor. Recently, a cleaner capable of performing mopping has been developed. In addition, a robot cleaner is a device that performs cleaning autonomously via self-driving.
There has been known a robot cleaner capable of moving using a mop surface as the prior art (Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1602790).


In a file system in which data is distributively stored on a plurality of volumes in compliance with file storage requests from business applications, the present invention calculates reliability requirements or performance requirements which represent storage requirements for the storage of individual files requested for storage, selects an actual file storage destination volume in accordance with the reliability characteristics or performance characteristics of each volume, and stores file data on the selected storage destination volume. Since the storage requirements are calculated to select a storage destination volume for each file, data storage destination optimization can be achieved on an individual file basis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data storage system, and more particularly to file storage destination volume selection control that is exercised when files used by a number of business applications are to be stored on volumes in a NAS (Network Attached Storage) system or other file system for distributively storing data on a plurality of volumes.
2. Description of Related Art
It is demanded that storage volumes offer an increased storage capacity in order to handle an increasing amount of data. Further, the important factors for storage devices are reliability characteristics and performance characteristics. The reliability characteristics are determined according, for instance, to the frequency of device failure and the capability for protecting stored data from damage in the event of a failure. The performance characteristics affect the read/write speed for the stored data or the data to be stored. It can be said that these characteristics determine the properties of storage volumes.
Meanwhile, the data to be stored on storage volumes occasionally vary in properties. It is therefore important that a storage volume having optimum reliability characteristics and performance characteristics be selected in accordance with the requirements for the data to be stored. For example, customer data and other mission-critical data should be stored on a highly fault-tolerant volume such as a RAID5 or RAID1 type. Video data, on the other hand, should be stored on a high-speed sequential access volume for effectiveness enhancement purposes.
In the following description, the expression "data storage destination optimization" is used to indicate the act of storing data on a storage volume having optimum reliability characteristics and performance characteristics in accordance with the requirements for the data to be stored.
Conventional data storage destination optimization was basically achieved by an administrator who manually managed the reliability characteristics, performance characteristics, and mount point directory of each volume.
Some large-size disk devices and virtualization products developed in recent years have a data migration function. This function works so that data previously allocated to a certain volume can be later moved to another volume, which differs in reliability characteristics and performance characteristics from the first one. Typical examples of this functionality are the data migration function of a storage subsystem product manufactured by Hitachi, Ltd. and the data migration function of a virtualization product manufactured by Data Core Software Corporation in the U.S.


A method for sealing a bore formed in a cover film is disclosed. An ink inlet hole formed in an ink cartridge is covered at a hole covering area of the cover film. The method includes formation of a recess outside the hole covering area by removing a portion of the cover film, mounting a seal film on the cover film in such a manner that the seal film covers the bore, and sealing the bore with the seal film by heating the seal film with the seal film mounted on the cover film and thereby melting a side of the seal film opposed to the cover film.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fluid container containing fluid, a remanufacturing method of a fluid container by refilling a used fluid contained with fluid, and a sealing method of a fluid container.
2. Related Art
As a liquid container, an ink cartridge removably mounted in an inkjet printer (hereinafter, referred to as a printer), which is a type of liquid ejection apparatus, for example, is known. The ink cartridge has a container body with a substantially flat box-like shape. An ink chamber is defined in the container body to receive ink, which is liquid. An ink inlet hole is formed in a lower surface of the container body to allow initial filling of the ink into the ink chamber. An ink supply hole is also provided in the lower surface of the container body to receive an ink supply needle with the ink cartridge secured to the printer. To suppress leakage of the ink from the ink inlet hole and the ink supply hole, a cover film is bonded to the lower surface of the container body in such a manner as to seal the ink inlet hole and the ink supply hole.
After the ink cartridge is mounted in the printer, the printer consumes the ink through printing. This reduces the amount of the ink retained in the ink chamber until the ink cartridge becomes completely empty. The used ink cartridge is replaced by a new ink cartridge. The container body of the used ink cartridge is still usable for multiple cycles after the ink cartridge is removed from the printer. As disclosed in Japanese Registered Utility Model No. 3118670, a used ink cartridge may be remanufactured as a reusable ink cartridge by refilling the container body of the ink cartridge with ink. Such technique addresses to efficient use of resources and preservation of environments.
According to the technique of the above utility model, a bore is formed in the cover film at a position corresponding to the ink inlet hole using a piercing jig, before the used ink cartridge is refilled with ink. Then, a syringe, for example, is inserted into the ink inlet hole through the bore in the cover film to introduce the ink refill into the container body. Another film (a seal film) is then mounted on the cover film to close the bore and heated to be bonded to the cover film having the bore. In this manner, the bore is sealed and the ink is prevented from leaking from the bore.
A typical cover film is a laminated film formed by a thermally meltable bonding layer film and a surface layer film. The melting temperature of the surface layer film is higher than the melting temperature of the bonding layer film and has an enhanced heat resistance compared to the bonding layer film. The bonding layer film is mounted on the container body while held in contact with the container body and heated in this state. This bonds the bonding layer film to the container body. To remanufacture the used ink cartridge, the ink refill is introduced into the container body through the bore formed in the cover film. Afterwards, the seal film is mounted on the cover film. Like the cover film, the seal film is a laminated film formed by a thermally meltable bonding layer film and a surface layer film, which melts at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the bonding layer film and has higher heat resistance than the bonding layer film. The bonding layer film of the seal film is placed on the surface layer film of the cover film while held in contact with the surface layer film of the cover film. In this state, the seal film is heated.
However, such heating of the seal film melts the bonding layer film of the seal film but does not melt the surface layer film of the cover film, which is maintained in contact with the bonding layer film of the seal film. It is thus likely that the seal film is not firmly bonded to the cover film. If bonding between the cover film and the seal film is insecure, a gap may be formed between the cover film and the seal film. The gap may allow leakage of the ink from the interior of the ink cartridge through the bore of the cover film.

Fluid container, remanufacturing method of fluid container, and sealing method of fluid container


A mounting apparatus includes a connector for engagingly receiving a bottom portion of an expansion card, and a latching member. The latching member includes a main body and a latching portion connected to the main body for engaging an end of the expansion card. The main body is formed by a metal wire and includes two arms. A foot extends from each of the arms and is pivotably connected to the connector adjacent the end of the expansion card.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to mounting apparatuses and, more particularly, to a mounting apparatus for an expansion card.
2. Description of Related Art
An expansion card such as a memory card, is installed in an electronic device, such as a computer or a server with a mounting apparatus. The mounting apparatus includes two opposite fixing plates for clamping two opposite ends of the expansion card. However, the fixing plates may block airflow to the expansion card. In a chassis having a plurality of expansion cards fixed in parallel, heat produced by the expansion cards can only be dissipated through the narrow spaces between the cards, which is inefficient.


A computer-implemented method for protecting deduplicated data may include (1) identifying a deduplicated data system, (2) identifying a tiered storage system for storing deduplicated objects of the deduplicated data system, (3) assigning a level of priority to at least one deduplicated object within the deduplicated data system based on at least one property of the deduplicated object, (4) selecting a storage tier within the tiered storage system for storing the deduplicated object based on the level of priority, and then (5) storing the deduplicated object within the selected storage tier. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Deduplicated data systems are often able to reduce the amount of space required to store files by recognizing redundant data patterns. For example, a deduplicated data system may reduce the amount of space required to store similar files by dividing the files into data segments and storing only unique data segments. In this example, each deduplicated file may simply consist of a list of data segments that make up the file.
Unfortunately, while conventional deduplicated data systems may reduce the space required to store files, these deduplicated data systems may also reduce storage reliability. For example, if one hundred files each reference a single unique data segment, the loss and/or corruption of the single data segment within the deduplicated data system may result in the loss and/or corruption of all one hundred files.
Traditional approaches for protecting data loss may include duplicating the data to be protected. However, duplicating all of the data within a deduplicated data system may contravene the primary purpose of the deduplicated data system. Accordingly, the instant disclosure addresses a need for additional and improved systems for protecting deduplicated data.

Systems and methods for protecting deduplicated data


A system for facilitating radio communication using targeting devices is disclosed. In one embodiment, the targeting device includes a wireless microphone. The wireless microphone is wirelessly connected to a communication device. Further, the targeting device includes an activation button to activate the communication device. In this embodiment, the wireless microphone transmits an audio signal to the communication device upon activating the communication device.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radio communication and more particularly to facilitating radio communication using targeting devices.
Brief Description of Related Art
Typically, a targeting device is operated using two hands of an operator. Exemplary targeting device includes a laser targeting device, a weapon and the like. During a mission, while operating the targeting device, the operator may have to communicate with a command base and/or a weapons platform. Traditionally, this communication occurs via a two-way radio communication device. When the operator need. to communicate, the operator manually keys his radio communication device using an activation button provided on the two-way radio communication device and then relays an audio message. Consequently, the operator has to juggle the targeting device with one hand, during the mission, while keying the radio communication device. Also, the operator may lose sight of the target while keying the radio communication device.

Facilitating radio communication using targeting devices

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


An image forming apparatus includes data conversion, charging, exposure, developer supply, image density calculation, determination and voltage change mechanisms. The data conversion mechanism converts image data into printing data. The charging mechanism charges an image carrier. The exposure mechanism forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier based on the printing data. The developer supply mechanism supplies a developer to the image carrier having the electrostatic latent image with an electrostatic force. The image density calculation mechanism calculates an image density of an image having a predetermined number of lines in the printing data. The determination mechanism determines whether a voltage to be applied to the developer supply mechanism is changed based on a calculation result by the image density calculation mechanism. The voltage change mechanism changes the voltage to be applied to the developer supply mechanism based on a determination result by the determination mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic printer.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic printer generally executes a series of operations in image forming processes such as charging, exposing, developing, transferring and fixing.
According to the image forming processes, a photoconductive insulation layer on a surface of a photosensitive drum is uniformly charged in the charging process. Subsequently, the photoconductive insulation layer on the surface of the photosensitive drum is exposed, so that an electric charge on the exposed area is extinguished, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image thereon in the exposing process. In the development process, the electrostatic latent image is developed by adhesion of toner having a color agent thereto by using a development roller, a toner conveyance roller and the like. The toner image is transferred onto a transfer medium such as a recording sheet in the transfer process. The toner image on the transfer member is fixed by heat, pressure or an appropriate fixing manner in the fixing process.
Such an image forming apparatus of prior art needs to precisely control an amount of the toner to be adhered to the transfer medium so as to reproduce the image correctly. The toner amount is determined by controlling a process condition. For example, density of a patch pattern or the like formed on a sheet conveyance belt such as a transfer belt is frequently measured to control the process condition based on the measured data.
Japanese Un-examined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-029681 discloses a method of controlling a process condition that a printer controller changes a potential difference between an electric potential to be applied to a development roller serving as a developer carrier and an electric potential to be applied to a toner conveyance roller serving as a developer supply carrier based on a dot number per A4-sized sheet of image data before the development process.
However, such a prior art method of controlling the process condition causes a blurring image due to inadequate image density. For example, when an image with a high toner density such as an image density of 100 percent (e.g., solid image) is printed, an adequate toner amount is adhered to a leading end of the image on the recording sheet during the beginning of the printing. However, a supply shortage of the toner to the development roller occurs during the end of the printing to print a tailing end of the image. Consequently, the printed result cannot obtain an adequate image density, and there raises a problem that so called phenomenon of "blur" may occur. Since the printer controller determines the voltage to be applied to the development roller and the toner conveyance roller before the development process, the determined voltage cannot be changed during the development process, thereby causing the blurring image.

Image forming apparatus having a voltage change determiner


A computer-implemented method for locating lost devices may include (1) receiving a report of a lost device that specifies a hardware address that uniquely identifies the lost device, (2) collecting information from a helper device that has been connected to a local area network that indicates that a device with the hardware address of the lost device was observed as being connected to the local area network, (3) receiving location data from the helper device that specifies a location of the helper device, and (4) providing the location of the helper device as a location of the lost device in response to the report. Various other methods and systems are also disclosed.

Computing devices have become a ubiquitous part of everyday life. For example, millions of people carry and use mobile computing devices (e.g., cellular telephones, tablets, MP3 players, laptops, etc.) throughout their daily activities. However, such computing devices (especially relatively small, mobile computing devices) may be easily misplaced by users and/or stolen by thieves.
Some traditional techniques for locating a lost device may rely upon installation of a locating application on the device itself. In many instances, this may mean that a locating application must be installed before a device is lost. Furthermore, these traditional techniques may require that a locating application remain installed in order for a lost device to be located.
Unfortunately, it is common practice for mobile device thieves to quickly wipe stolen devices (e.g., by resetting stolen mobile devices to factory defaults), especially before permitting stolen mobile devices to acquire a network connection. By wiping stolen mobile devices, thieves may thereby remove locating applications. Alternatively, some mobile device thieves may uninstall locating applications and/or other security software on mobile devices. By the time the owner realizes that the mobile device is stolen, a thief may have already compromised the mobile device. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for locating lost devices.

Systems and methods for locating lost devices


A method of controlling an oxygen generation device of the kind including a ceramic membrane through which an electrical current is passed whilst ambient air is supplied to one side of the membrane, the membrane allowing oxygen in the supplied air to diffuse therethrough by ionic transport when the membrane is at or above an operating temperature, at a rate dependant upon the electrical current, there being a plenum or the like to recover the oxygen at a second side of the membrane, the method comprising regulating the electrical current passing through the membrane by switching the electrical current on and off and varying the proportion of current-on time in a given time interval (t) in dependence upon a feedback signal.

This invention relates to a method of controlling an oxygen generating device and to an oxygen generating device.
In order for passengers or aircrew in an aircraft to breath when exposed to ambient atmospheric pressure at elevated altitudes, it is necessary to provide a supply of breathing gas enriched with oxygen.
One means of achieving this is to carry within the airframe a supply of compressed oxygen gas, but particularly in a small aircraft, where space is at a premium, and/or in an aircraft where the added weight of the gas bottle containing the compressed oxygen gas is significant, this is not acceptable.
To reduce weight and space requirements another means is to carry within the airframe liquid oxygen. Liquid oxygen systems give rise to space and weight penalties and also a requirement for liquid oxygen to be available for replenishment of the liquid oxygen supply at a ground station.
More recently oxygen-enriched gas has been produced on-board of the aircraft by a so-called on-board oxygen generating system (OBOGS) based on pressure swing technology using a zeolite molecular sieve material to separate oxygen from air. This requires at least two zeolite beds which have to be sequentially cycled through on-stream/generating and off-stream/purge cycles. A limitation of such systems is that theoretically the maximum oxygen concentration obtainable in the product gas is 95% unless additional means are provided for the removal of argon and other trace gases from the supply air which is normally bleed air from a compressor stage of an engine powering the aircraft.
Increasing attention is now being given to ceramic membrane technology in provision of a system which will generate substantially 100% oxygen product gas or highly oxygen-enriched product gas of breathable quality for use in aerospace and other breathing applications. Such gas will hereinafter be referred to as being "oxygen rich", and the residual gas, will be referred to as being "oxygen depleted".
Certain ceramic materials (for example Yttria doped Zirconia or Gaddia doped Ceria), which are so-called ionic conductors of oxygen, become electrically conductive at elevated temperatures due to the mobility of oxygen ions within the crystal lattice. Since these materials are only conductive to oxygen ions in the presence of an electrical current, an external electric circuit is needed. It is necessary to control the electrical current supply in order to regulate the production of oxygen required.
Such an oxygen generation device comprises a membrane of such material to one side of which is supplied ambient air. Oxygen diffuses through the membrane by ionic transport and is recoverable from a second, other, side of the membrane for use. Oxygen production rate is dependent on the electrical current supply to the membrane.

422
FSC 7
FSC 204
FSC 205
FSC 96
FSC 55
FSC 128
FSC 95


A dual actuation mechanism for controlling resistance applied to a rotating member includes a lever, a first actuator and a second actuator. The first actuator and second actuator are both operably coupled to the lever, wherein the first actuator and the second actuator move the lever independent of the other. For example, the lever may have a first slot for receiving the first actuator and a second slot for receiving the second actuator, wherein the first slot and second slot are sized such that when one actuator moves the lever, the other actuator is undisturbed because the respective slot moves with respect to the non-moving actuator. The dual actuation mechanism may be incorporated in an exercise cycle in which one of the actuators controls a level of resistance applied to a flywheel, and the other of the actuators selectively applies a stopping force to the flywheel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a mechanism for applying resistance to a rotating member. A practical application of the mechanism of the present invention is in an exercise cycle, wherein the mechanism provides resistance as well as a brake for stopping rotation of a wheel of the exercise cycle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Exercise cycles typically include a system for applying resistance to rotation of a wheel, such as a flywheel, so that the user can adjust the intensity level of a workout as desired. In some exercise cycles, the resistance is applied manually. For example, the user may turn a knob having a threaded shaft that in turn applies resistance to the flywheel. Other exercise cycles may apply resistance using an electronically controlled device such as a motor. These types of exercise cycles may also include a manually operated brake, which is a completely separate system in and of itself.
There is thus a need for a mechanism that can be incorporated into exercise equipment, such as an exercise cycle, that provides both a manually operated brake and an actuator that allows the user to vary the level of resistance depending upon a desired workout intensity level. There is a further need for such a mechanism in which the manually operated brake and the actuator are components in a single assembly yet operate independently of each other. In other words, application of resistance by one of the components does not disturb or disrupt the functioning of the other component.

Dual actuation mechanism for braking and stopping rotation of a rotating member


A door closer system is provided that includes a motor, a spring, a reduction gear set, and a rack and a pinion mechanism. The spring and pinion may be coupled to the rack, and the pinion may be selectively coupled to the gear set. The motor may be selectively mechanically coupled to the gear set. The pinion may rotate in a first direction via the rack as the spring is compressed in a second direction opposite the first direction as the spring is expanded. The motor is operable to rotate and act upon the pinion through the gear set, thereby rotating the pinion in the second direction and assist the spring in closing the door.

Alleviating difficulties found in operating door closers remains an area of interest. Present door closers suffer from a variety of limitations and disadvantages relative to certain applications. Door closers are utilized in many applications where a door must be shut after opening. This allows the user to pass through the doorway without manually closing the door. Door closers may utilize a spring assembly to close the door and a damper to ensure that the door does not slam closed. In order for the spring to properly shut the door, the door closer may be configured such that the spring is compressed upon opening the door and allowed to expand in order to close the door.
Government regulations may require that the door be capable of opening with a limit on the force required for opening. As an example, the United States Americans with Disabilities Act requires a door be capable of opening with a limit of 5 pounds force at 34 inches from the door hinge line. Utilizing a spring that allows a door to open within these limits may not be strong enough to close the door. Such conditions that would prevent the door from closing with a weak spring may include, for example, a pressure differential across the doorway, a heavy door, high friction within the door system, or a combination thereof. In order to stay within the above-described limits, some door closers have incorporated a motor to assist in opening and closing the door that requires a source of external power. While there have been various attempts at improving door closing technology, there is a need for further contributions to this technology.


A wireless LAN communications system with high transmission efficiency is provided. When a first wireless terminal normally receives a Data1 signal from an access point, the wireless terminal transmits an ACK signal. In the case where the wireless terminal has transmission data, the client transmits a Data2 signal to the access point after an SIFS interval. Meanwhile, when the access point or a second wireless terminal receives the ACK signal from the first wireless terminal, the second client waits a (DIFS+random number) interval, in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard. As a result, the first wireless terminal is able to transmit the Data2 signal with priority, without interference from signals from other devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless terminals for conducting wireless communications in a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), access points for communicating wirelessly to these wireless terminals, as well as wireless communication systems and methods provided therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, wireless LANs have become widespread as one type of computer communications network, and are now used with great popularity in offices, homes, and public places (for example, train stations, airports, and fast food restaurants). As is commonly known to those skilled in the art, wireless communication in such a wireless LAN is conducted between an access point (hereinafter, AP) and wireless terminals.
In this wireless LAN, a plurality of wireless terminals and APs communicate in a single shared space. Two or more devices among the plurality of wireless terminals and APs cannot send wireless signals simultaneously. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust transmitting timing for the wireless signals.
A method for adjusting the transmitting timing for wireless signals is stipulated in detail in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard ["Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications" ANSI/IEEE Std 802.11, 1999 Edition.] in the non-patent document below.
In the IEEE 802.11 standard, a method referred to as the DCF (Distributed Coordination Function) is stipulated as a method for adjusting the transmitting timing for wireless signals.
This DCF method will now be simply described with reference to FIG. 20. The following description takes as an example the case wherein wireless communication between one AP and two wireless terminals is conducted using a single space. In addition, for the sake of brevity in the following description, transmission signals, including, for example, data signals and encoded voice signals, will be collectively referred to as data.
First, an AP transmits a Data1 signal addressed to a wireless terminal A (A101). Upon receiving a Data1 signal normally, the wireless terminal A waits a minimum period known as the SIFS (Short Inter Frame Space), and returns an ACK signal addressed to the AP (TA101). When the communication of the above ACK signal is completed, each device, in order to obtain next transmission rights, waits respective DIFS (Distributed Inter Frame Space, DIFS>SIFS)+random number (positive or zero) intervals (A102, TA102, TB101). In addition, during these respective intervals, each device respectively confirms that a wireless signal from other devices is not present.
For the purposes of this example, it is supposed that the random number of the wireless terminal A is the smallest, and therefore the wireless terminal A completes its waiting time first and obtains transmission rights. In so doing, the wireless terminal A transmits a Data2 signal addressed to the AP (TA103). Since the above-described random numbers of the AP and the wireless terminal B, respectively, were larger than that of the wireless terminal A, the wireless signal from the wireless terminal A is received by the AP and the wireless terminal B before their respective waiting time end. At this point, the AP and the wireless terminal B immediately halt waiting time receive said wireless signal, and each device subsequently determines, respectively, whether or not the wireless signal is addressed to itself.
The AP, upon receiving a Data2 signal normally, confirms that the signal is addressed to itself, and after subsequently waiting an SIFS interval as per the above-described, returns an ACK signal addressed to the wireless terminal A (A103), and notifies that a Data2 signal was received normally (S105). In a manner equivalent to the above-described case, when the transmission of this ACK signal is completed, the AP and the wireless terminals A and B again respectively wait (DIFS+random number) intervals (A104, TA104, TB102), and detect whether or not a receiving wireless signal is present during the waiting time. The device whose waiting time ends first, obtains transmission rights for the next transmission and transmits data.
Supposing hypothetically that the random numbers for the wireless terminal A accords with that for the wireless terminal B by chance, the wireless terminals A and B will respectively transmit a Data3 signal and a Data4 signal addressed to the AP simultaneously (TA105, TB103). As a result, these wireless signals will interfere with each other, and the AP will be unable to receive either wireless signal.
In order to avoid such interference, the IEEE 802.11 standard stipulates that a parameter known as the duration time, which reserves the transmission time for the data transmitted by wireless from the current time, is to be included in the IP packet header of the transmitted data.
A specific method for avoiding the above-described interference by utilizing this duration time is described in patent document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-166114).
The method described in the above patent publication will now be simply described with reference to FIG. 21. For the sake of simplicity the following description also takes as an example the case wherein wireless communication is conducted between an AP and wireless terminals A and B using a single space.
First, the wireless terminal B transmits a Data1 signal addressed to the AP (TB111). The AP, upon receiving a Data1 signal normally, waits an SIFS interval, and subsequently returns an ACK signal (A111). The IEEE 802.11 standard at this time, after the ACK signal return, stipulates that the duration time included in the ACK signal should be set to 0 so as not to reserve transmission time for the next wireless signal, so that both the AP and the wireless terminals can equally transmit the wireless signal. By contrast, in the method described in patent document 1 (JP-A-2006-166114), this duration time is to be set to a value corresponding to, for example, the transmission time for the expected transmission of a subsequent Data2 signal and the transmission time for the ACK signal in response thereto. In other words, the AP reserves the transmission of the next wireless signal.
Upon receiving an ACK signal having a non-zero duration time, the wireless terminal A, in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, configures the above-described non-zero duration time in its built-in clock (referred to hereinafter as NAV). Until the NAV value, which decreases with passing time, reaches zero, the wireless terminal A will not transmit data. However, the wireless terminal B to which the ACK is addressed, in accordance with the IEEE 802.11 standard, does not configure its NAV with the above-described duration time. Consequently, only the AP and the wireless terminal B become able to transmit, and after the waiting time, one of the two devices obtains transmission rights. Then, the general-purpose wireless terminal B waits a (DIFS+random number) interval (TB112), while the AP waits, for example, a DIFS interval. For this reason, the probability that the AP will obtain transmission rights is increased. It is supposed at this point that the AP obtains transmission rights and subsequently transmits a Data2 signal addressed to the wireless terminal-A (A112).
The wireless terminal A, upon receiving a Data2 signal normally, waits an SIFS interval, and subsequently returns an ACK signal and notifies the AP that a Data2 signal was received normally (TA111). When the transmission of this ACK is completed, the AP and the wireless terminals A and B, in accordance with a normal transmission rights acquisition method, respectively wait (DIFS+random number) intervals (A113, TA112, TB113.)
The case wherein the AP obtains the rights for the next transmission, and furthermore wherein the AP grants priority transmission rights to the wireless terminal B, will now be described. The AP transmits invalid data (hereinafter referred to as null data) addressed to the wireless terminal B (S118). This null data may include a duration time corresponding to the transmission time for the wireless terminal B to transmit the next expected ACK signal and a Data3 signal, or a duration time corresponding to the above transmission time plus the transmission time for the AP to return the corresponding Data3 signal with an ACK signal.
The terminals other than the wireless terminal B, such as the wireless terminal A, respectively configure their NAVs with a duration time like the above-described, and do not transmit data until the NAV value reaches zero. If the AP itself also configures its NAV with the above-described duration time, in the same way the AP do not transmit data until its NAV reaches zero.
On the other hand, the wireless terminal B, upon receiving Null data like the above-described, waits an SIFS interval, and subsequently returns an ACK signal notifying the AP that Null data was received normally (S118). Additionally, in the case where the wireless terminal B has transmission data, the wireless terminal B waits a (DIFS+random number) interval, and no wireless signals are received from other devices, transmits a Data3 signal (S119). In this case, since the other devices, such as the wireless terminal A and the AP, do not transmit data during the duration time, the possibility that the wireless terminal B will be able to transmit the next signal is high. In other words, as a result of the control process wherein the AP transmits null data including a non-zero duration time, the general purpose wireless terminal B gains priority transmission rights and interference is prevented.    Non-patent document 1: "Wireless LAN Medium Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications" ANSI/IEEE Std 802.11, 1999 Edition    Patent document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-166114

Wireless terminal, access point, system provided with the same, and wireless communication method


Reflection holograms to be viewed through the front side of a transparent and preferably flexible substrate, and which are insensitive to moisture in liquid and in vapor form, are produced by attaching a layer of holographic recording material to the back side of a transparent substrate, attaching a layer of moisture barrier resin to the back side of the recording material in sufficient thickness to render the hologram insensitive to moisture, and attaching a layer of opaque material to the back side of the moisture barrier layer. Further protection against moisture may be achieved by attaching a solvent deposited layer of transparent moisture barrier resin to the front side of the substrate and/or attaching a layer of moisture barrier sheet to the back side of the opaque layer.

This invention relates to holograms, and more particularly to a moisture insensitive reflection holographic article made of a material whose image is normally degraded by moisture.
Dichromated gelatin (DCG) is the best material presently available for reflection hologram display, but exposure to moisture causes loss of its image. For protection, it is usually sealed between two layers of glass with light curing epoxy. This light curing epoxy is expensive. The process is messy, and it is difficult not to trap bubbles in the epoxy layer. But because of DCG's high quality, hundreds of thousands of dichromated gelatin holograms on glass are made in the U.S.A. each year. Obtaining an easier protection from moisture would be advantageous.
It would also be advantageous to put the hologram onto a plastic substrate. A flexible plastic substrate would allow wider application such as mail, wallet, and book use. Long strips of holograms on plastic could be belt processed for a lower production cost. Because of the moisture sensitivity problem, commercial attempts in 1980 to apply DCG to plastic substrates by Dichromate Inc. of Emeryville, Calif. were abandoned. Their experiments with dip coating the holograms in common urethane sealers failed.
Because of this moisture problem, several patents have been issued to leading researchers from major corporations attempting to make DCG, or DCG-like holographic photopolymers, insensitive to ambient moisture. All four patents are different from the polymer moisture barriers discussed in this patent application.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,091 describes a chemical method to crosslink the gelatin and make it less sensitive to water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,970 describes a technique for depositing a moisture barrier glass layer onto the preholographic substrate by electron or plasma beam deposition in a vacuum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,604 discloses a moisture barrier technique similar to the previous patent in which Si3Ni4 is applied to the pre-hologram substrate instead of glass.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,041 discloses a technique of applying zirconium acetate and a fatty acid to a holographic photopolymer to prevent moisture from being able to penetrate the photopolymer.
None of these patents provides an inexpensive means of making a DCG hologram sufficiently insensitive to moisture, as is evidenced by the failure of DCG companies to give up the limited glass and epoxy packaging.

Moisture-insensitive holograms and method for making the same


A process for preparing a polydiene, the process comprising the steps of: polymerizing conjugated diene monomer with a metallocene complex catalyst system within a polymerization mixture that includes less than 20% by weight of solvent based on the total weight of the polymerization mixture, where the metallocene complex catalyst system includes the combination or reaction product of: (a) metallocene complex, (b) an alkylating agent, and optionally (c) a non-coordinating anion.

Lanthanide-based catalyst systems that comprise a lanthanide compound, an alkylating agent, and a halogen source are known to be useful for producing conjugated diene polymers having high cis-1,4-linkage contents. Nevertheless, when applied to bulk polymerization of conjugated dienes, lanthanide-based catalyst systems generally provide cis-1,4-polydienes.
Polydienes may be produced by solution polymerization, wherein conjugated diene monomer is polymerized in an inert solvent or diluent. The solvent serves to solubilize the reactants and products, to act as a carrier for the reactants and product, to aid in the transfer of the heat of polymerization, and to help in moderating the polymerization rate. The solvent also allows easier stirring and transferring of the polymerization mixture (also called cement), since the viscosity of the cement is decreased by the presence of the solvent.
For example, conjugated diene monomer has been polymerized in solution using metallocene complexes and/or half-metallocene complexes based upon lanthanoid elements, scandium and yttrium. These catalyst complexes have been used in conjunction with aluminoxanes, organic aluminum compounds and ionic compounds to produce polydienes having a high cis-1,4-content.
Nevertheless, the presence of solvent presents a number of difficulties. The solvent must be separated from the polymer and then recycled for reuse or otherwise disposed of as waste. The cost of recovering and recycling the solvent adds greatly to the cost of the polymer being produced, and there is always the risk that the recycled solvent after purification may still retain some impurities that will poison the polymerization catalyst. In addition, some solvents such as aromatic hydrocarbons can raise environmental concerns. Further, the purity of the polymer product may be affected if there are difficulties in removing the solvent.
Polydienes may also be produced by bulk polymerization (also called mass polymerization), wherein conjugated diene monomer is polymerized in the absence or substantial absence of any solvent, and, in effect, the monomer itself acts as a diluent. Since bulk polymerization is essentially solventless, there is less contamination risk, and the product separation is simplified. Bulk polymerization offers a number of economic advantages including lower capital cost for new plant capacity, lower energy cost to operate, and fewer people to operate. The solventless feature also provides environmental advantages, with emissions and waste water pollution being reduced.
Catalyst technology, particularly as it pertains to the polymer synthesis, can often be unpredictable, and the transfer of technology from one system to another, or the altering of certain variables, can offer technological difficulties. Thus, while bulk polymerization systems offer a number of advantages, the transfer of known solution technology to bulk systems can be unpredictable and filled with technological challenges.

Bulk polymerization process for producing polydienes


A pre-amplifier circuit, which may be used in a variety of data recovery circuits to accurately recover data transmissions, includes an input regulatory circuit, a feedback circuit, and an amplifier. The input regulatory circuit regulates the magnitude of the data signal provided to the amplifier based on feedback signals from a feedback circuit. For low level data signals, the input regulatory circuit provides a full, or almost full, representation of the data signal to the amplifier for amplification. But, when the data signal levels increase, the input regulatory circuit attenuates, based on the feedback signals, the data signals more and more before providing them to the amplifier, such that the output of the amplifier stays within a certain range.

Transmission of data from one device to another can be done using a variety of transmission mediums; including, but not limited to, infrared, coaxial cable, twisted pair, and radio frequency (RF). Each of these transmission mediums has certain advantages and disadvantages. For example, coaxial cable and twisted pair transmission mediums provide highly reliable and private long transmission paths (i.e., low error rate), but require the devices exchanging the data to be physically coupled together. RF and infrared transmission mediums remove the need for physical coupling, but are not private, don't have the transmission range of wireline, and require recovery circuits to have a wide dynamic range.
Because of the convenience of wireless connections (i.e., RP and infrared) many conventional wireline connections (coaxial cable and twisted pair) are being replaced with wireless connections. For example, coupling of a printer to a personal computer has traditionally been accomplished using a coaxial cable, but, because of new developments in infrared technology, such coupling is now being done using an infrared transmission path. One relatively new infrared technology making wireless connection practical is Pulse Position Modulation (PPM). In essence, PPM works by dividing 500 nSec time slots into four sections and providing a light pulse in one of the sections. If the light pulse occurs in the first section, the data being transmitted is representative of digital data 00; in the second section: digital data 01; in the third section: digital data 10; and in the forth section: digital data 11. Thus, PPM provides up to 4 Mbps of data transfer capability, which is more than adequate to support many traditional wireline connections.
While PPM provides sufficient data transmission rates, it requires data recovery circuits to have a wide dynamic range and to be of high fidelity. One such data recovery circuit is a limiting circuit. The limiting circuit includes an amplifier having its gain limited such that when the input signal exceeds a certain threshold, the output of the amplifier is limited to a certain value. The limiting circuit works well (i.e., is of high fidelity) when the magnitude of the received pulse is small but, when the magnitude is large, the output of the amplifier, because of the limiting, distorts the pulse width of the received pulse. Thus, for many applications, the limiting circuit is not acceptable.
Another type of data recovery circuit is a multi-stage automatic gain control (AGC) circuit. The AGC circuit includes at least two AGC stages, an AC coupling element, and an amplifier. While the AGC circuit provides the needed dynamic range and improves the fidelity, in comparison with the limiting circuit, it adds a number of additional components which increases noise. Depending on the noise requirements of a new data recovery circuit design, the AGC may not provide sufficient performance. In addition, because of the additional components, the AGC increases the cost and power of a circuit employing it as well as taking up more real estate. Two critical factors to minimize in the design of integrated circuits (IC).
Therefore, a need exists for a circuit that provides the needed fidelity and dynamic range to recover digital data without the drawbacks of the limiting circuit and the AGC circuit.

Data detection circuit having a pre-amplifier circuit


A punch unit includes a punch driver having a punch connected to it. A guide bushing receives the punch for guiding its axial displacement. A compression spring urges the punch driver rearwardly, away from the guide bushing. An intermediate member located between the guide bushing and the compression spring includes a collar, a holding member positioned concentrically inside the collar and releasable retaining means. The collar is rotatable relative to the holding member such that rotation in a first direction moves the retaining means into a locked position in which the guide bushing is prevented from moving longitudinally out of said holding member and rotation of the collar in a second direction opposite to the first direction moves the retaining means into an unlocked position in which the guide bushing is removable from the holding member. An indexing pin, also located in the intermediate member, releasably engages selected detent seats in the guide bushing to establish the rotational position of the guide bushing and hence also the punch length.

In general, a punch unit includes a punch driver connected with a punch. The punch driver has a punch head at its back end and means for preventing relative rotation of the punch and the punch driver during a stroke of the punch. The back end of the punch is usually screw threaded into a bore at the front end of the punch driver. A pre-loaded compression means such a compression spring is provided between the punch head and a guide bushing which receives the punch to return the punch and punch driver to their rearward position. Typically, the guide bushing is connected to the remainder of the punch unit in such a manner that disassembly for removal or exchange of the punch is cumbersome. Procedures for punch length adjustment are also generally cumbersome.
Accordingly, the need exists to provide an improved punch unit having a simplified means for removing the guide bushing. A need also exists for a simplified means for effecting punch length adjustment.