An ultrasonic inspection reference standard for composite materials includes a prism that is manufactured from a polymer resin. The ultrasonic inspection reference standard may be a rectangular prism and may be a polymer resin step-wedge reference standard that has similar acoustic properties as prior art fiber-reinforced composite step-wedge reference standards at significantly lower manufacturing cost. A photo-polymer resin reference standard may be created using a stereo lithography process. The polymer resin reference standard may replace a currently used expensive fiber-reinforced composite reference standard. The ultrasonic inspection reference standard manufactured from a polymer resin may be used, for example, for ultrasonic inspection of fiber-reinforced composite parts. The polymer resin reference standard may be used, for example, in the aircraft airframe industry, both commercial and defense.

The present invention generally relates to reference standards and ultrasonic inspection methods and, more particularly, to an ultrasonic inspection reference standard for composite materials and to an ultrasonic inspection process using a polymer resin reference standard.
The use of fiber-reinforced composite materials over metals and their alloys has increased significantly over the past years because of the weight savings and the improvement in fatigue life and corrosion control. Fiber-reinforced composite materials contain a strong and stiff fiber, such as a carbon fiber, embedded in a softer matrix material, such as a resin. The resin is used as a binding agent to hold the fibers together while the fibers provide the strength. The fibers can take on several forms including, for example, tape, fabric, and may be woven in either two dimensions or three dimensions. Laminated composite materials generally exhibit an initial stiffness that is used in the design of structures. Laminated composites are constructed of many layers of fiber-reinforced materials. Fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites, such as graphite/epoxy and carbon/cyanate ester are now the materials of choice for spacecraft and launch vehicle structures and subsystems such as optical benches, instruments, and antennas. Furthermore, fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites are widely used, for example, in commercial and military aircraft, sports equipment, and industrial and medical equipment.
The laminated composite materials undergo non-destructive testing procedures, such as ultrasonic and radiographic inspection, during aircraft manufacturing, maintenance, and repair. Common aircraft applications include thickness testing, delamination detection, and porosity evaluation of aircraft structures. Ultrasonic testing introduces high frequency sound waves into the test material to detect subsurface discontinuities. Transducers are used both to transmit and receive sound energy into and from test material. In the process, high frequency sound in the order of 500 KHz (kilohertz) to 10.0 MHz is sent, for example, into a composite laminate and echoes from the laminate are then measured in the time domain and the amplitude domain to determine the materials quality. Through-transmission and pulse-echo techniques are most commonly used in the aircraft airframe industry, both commercial and defense. The through-transmission technique uses a sending transducer that introduces the ultrasonic energy into the test part and a receiving transducer that measures the amount of energy that exits the part at the opposite side. The amount of energy absorbed is then evaluated. The pulse-echo technique uses only one transducer that introduces short bursts of ultrasonic energy into the test part at regular intervals and that also measures the amount of energy that is reflected from an internal flaw or structural discontinuities as well as the time delay between transmission of the initial pulse and the arrival of the echo. The amount of energy reflected is a function of the size of the flaw in relation to the size of the incident beam. Some advantages of the ultrasonic testing method include high penetrating capability, high sensitivity and resolution, portability, single surface accessibility, and the immediate interpretation of test results. Reference standards are required to calibrate the test equipment to ensure the successful operation of the test equipment.
Composite reference standards are employed when performing ultrasonic inspection to establish the bulk attenuation properties for a pristine material. Typical composite standards are manufactured using fiber-reinforced resins identical to the materials used in the final product and, therefore, in the parts to be tested. The cost of building a composite reference standard include, for example, the cost to design, material cost, labor cost to lay-up the material, autoclave usage cost, post-cure machining cost and the standard qualification cost. For example, the preparation of photomicrographs, image analysis, and acid digestion, a process of dissolving material in an acid matrix that may be used for laboratory analysis, may be reflected in the standard qualification cost. Furthermore, some resin systems also require an additional cure process whereby the material returns to the oven or autoclave after its initial cure to advance the cure state of the resin. Therefore, composite reference standards are undesirable due to the cost to design, manufacture, and qualify. A typical step-wedge standard that is commonly used, for example, during the ultrasonic inspection of airframes, costs between about $2,000 and about $4,000.
As can be seen, there is a need for an alternative approach to building composite reference standards to reduce the cost of design, manufacturing, and qualification. Furthermore, there is a need for a method that enables the mass production of reference standards that can be used for ultrasonic inspection of composite materials due to the growing industrial application of composite materials and, therefore, an increased volume of composite parts to be inspected using ultrasonic inspection techniques.
There has, therefore, arisen a need to provide a reference standard that can be used in ultrasonic inspection processes for composite materials, that is inexpensive, that may be produced in high quantities, and that can replace existing expensive composite standards. There has further arisen a need to manufacture a standard for ultrasonic inspection of composite materials that has acoustic properties that are comparable to currently existing composite standards but can be manufactured at a lower cost and with a reduced machining time.

Ultrasonic inspection reference standard for composite Materials


A method and apparatus (10) for irrigating a plant, the method including the step of placing an end of a fibrous wick (50) in communication with a source of water (21) with the wick (50) delivering the water to a moisture zone proximal to a subterranean root structure of the plant. The deliver of this water is controlled by constricting the wick (50) to a predetermined degree by means of a constriction member (30) in order that the irrigation of the plant is substantially self regulating.

Effective large scale irrigation of commercial crops is desirable in order to provide appropriate supply of water to these crops in a manner that requires minimal maintenance. Additionally, the precise supply of water to these crops whereby the crops receive an adequate amount of water sufficient for growth without receiving an over supply of water is desirable from an economic view point in environments where the supply of water is limited.
Furthermore, a very popular way of home gardening in today's world is through the use of potted plants. Pots provide the ability for people to enjoy gardening without having an actual garden. A problem that is faced by people when they leave their home for holidays and business is the care of their pot plants. Pot plants required regular watering or the plant will perish.
Ideally, the supply of water to a plant is controlled in order that the water is supplied at the same rate that it is consumed by the plant. Furthermore, the water should be ideally supplied at a rate that compensates for the non-uniform consumption of water by the plant over the course of a day and indeed over differing seasons. Additionally, different soil types have different flow characteristics. As such, the supply of water to plants located in different soil type should, ideally, be supplied in a manner that compensates for these flow characteristics in order to achieve an ideal supply of water to the plant.
If a plant is supplied with water in excess of the plants requirements, the plant may be subject to disease and, for larger trees, the excessive moisture in the ground may result in an instability possibly causing the tree to fall. Furthermore, over supply of water is inefficient and, in areas of drought and the like, potentially expensive.
If a plant is supplied with an inadequate level of water, growth is obviously inhibited. Furthermore, if the supply of water cycles between over supply and inadequate supply, the optimal growth of the tree is inhibited.
Various devices have been provided in the art to facilitate the supply of water to plants.
GB 2315396 describes a device for watering a plant having a refillable water reservoir and a pipe in liquid communication with the water reservoir. The pipe has perforations that facilitate the flow of water from the pipe to soil surrounding the pipe. Unfortunately, the perforations in this device are susceptible to being clogged with dirt particles. Thus, the perforations may, over time, become completely sealed and hence ineffective at facilitating liquid flow from the pipe to the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,628 describes an irrigation and percolation apparatus having a liquid-filled wall of flexible elongated tubing, the tubing optionally having perforations. The tubing is used as a reservoir wall around the base of a plant and water passes through the perforations to keep the soil moist at the base of the plant. Again, the perforations in this device are susceptible to being clogged with dirt particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,883 describes a drip irrigator having a flexible hose, a fill neck and at least one percolation opening in the bottom of the flexible hose to transmit the water from the hose to the roots of a tree. Yet again, the percolation openings can potentially become sealed with particles of dirt.
FR 2,576,177 describes a device for watering a potted plant having a flexible reservoir for containing water and a plurality of rigid porous members protruding downwardly from the reservoir and in liquid communication with the water in the reservoir. The rigid porous members are constructed from a ceramic material. The device is inconvenient to install as a hole needs to be dug for each rigid porous member. Further, rigid porous members are susceptible to breakage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,631 describes a watering device having a formable container arranged in and conforming to a lower part of a pot, an elongated substantially vertically extending tubular neck and a wick extending from the container.
WO 90/00347 discloses an apparatus for irrigation comprising a tubular reservoir, an inlet pipe and one or more water soaking feet. The soaking feet optionally contain wicks for soaking and transmitting water from the tube to earth above the soaking feet. The tubular reservoir forming a closed loop and the wicks only soaking water above the tube resulting in inefficient flow of liquid. Additionally, the wicks are inserted into pre-manufactured hole and hence the wicks may only be fitted to the tube at these pre-manufactured hole locations.
AU 61006/69 discloses an apparatus for conveying water to a plant having a pipe, a means for connection to a water supply and a plurality of apertures in the pipe. Each aperture has a length of cord tightly fitted therein for conducting water from within the pipe and along the length of the cord to the roots. The cord passes through one aperture to within the pipe and exits out through a second aperture diametrically opposite the first aperture. As the diametrically opposite apertures are positioned halfway up the pipe there may be a situation where the cord within the pipe is not in contact with water and hence not able to effectively disperse water to the soil surrounding the pipe. Furthermore, the apparatus disclosed in AU 61006/69 provides for an uncontrolled dispersion of water to the soil.
A second embodiment is disclosed in AU 61006/69 wherein a circular container is positioned around a plant. The circular container contains liquid and has apertures in the bottom through which lengths of cord are fitted to feed the roots of the plant. The plant grows through a central tube in the container. Hence, the plant is not able to be moved if it grows too large for the central tube.
The above prior art irrigation apparatus are deficient in that they provided an uncontrolled supply of water to plants. This uncontrolled supply of water generally leads to cycling whereby the plant cyclically receives an over supply of water and an undersupply of water.


The vehicle includes a horizontally placed compartment for one or several batteries lying parallel to each other, a robot includes a transport plane that can be extended and withdrawn in one direction, and displaced along two mutually perpendicular directions relative to the one direction. The vehicle takes up a predetermined location relative to the robot close to the cover, the robot determines via an optical element the position of the battery in the compartment, and displaces the transport plane to a predetermined position relative to the battery. A withdrawal member attaches to the battery and withdraws it from the compartment to the transport plane. The robot transports the battery to a charging station, and transports a charged battery from a store of charged batteries to the transport plane. A displacement element inserts the battery at a predetermined position into the compartment, and the cover is closed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for exchanging batteries in battery-powered vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
A system for the exchange of electrical batteries for cars is already known. The system operates from beneath and it involves, after the car has been driven up onto a ramp, similar to those that are available for lubrication pits, an arrangement coming forward, lifting down the battery from underneath the car and replacing it with a fully charged battery that is brought to the car from underneath and upwards. This solution requires that the battery-exchange arrangement be installed in an excavated pit, which is a considerable disadvantage. In addition, the environment underneath a vehicle is not suitable for managing the exchange of batteries, since the lower surface of a car is exposed to dirt and the battery may be damaged when a vehicle drives over an object in a carriage-way.
There are thus several disadvantages with the described prior-art system.

Method for exchanging batteries in battery-powered vehicles


A method for selectively removing oxidized organometallic residues, oxidized organosilicon residues, native oxides, and damaged oxides created in plasma-etching through emersion of plasma-etched silicon wafers in a solution of anhydrous ammonium fluoride and a polyhydric alcohol, which is substantially free of hydrogen fluoride and water.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for removal of organometallic and organosilicon residues and damaged oxides created in processing of semiconductor wafers, and more particularly to a method for selective removal of such residues and damaged oxides using anhydrous ammonium fluoride in a polyhydric alcohol solution.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Hydrogen fluoride has been widely used in etching processes for patterning films on semiconductor wafers. Hydrogen fluoride has very high etching rates, and therefore a number of alternatives to hydrogen fluoride have been developed. Kinsbron et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,677, discuss film patterning and disclose an etching solution which uses buffered ammonium fluoride/hydrofluoric acid in a molar ratio of about ten to one, mixed with a suitable solvent such as ethylene glycol. Gajda, U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,523, discloses an etchant comprised of a solution of hydrogen fluoride dissolved in organic solvents such as glycerine or another polyhydric alcohol. The etchant is used for etching silicon dioxide while not attacking silicon. Gajda requires that the solution be free of unbound water and ammonium fluoride. Maeda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,241, teach an etching liquid with ammonium fluoride or an alkali fluoride dissolved in a polyhydric alcohol, such as ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, and glycerine. The etching solution is used for selectively etching silicon dioxide or silicon nitride on a semiconductor wafer.

Method for selective removal of organometallic and organosilicon residues and damaged oxides using anhydrous ammonium fluoride solution

Advanced Chemical Systems International Incorporated


A video signal gradation corrector used in a television receiver or the like for preventing the destruction of the gradation of the black side and the floating of the luminance level of the black side and/or an excessive increase of the luminance level of the white side. The corrector can be realized with a small circuit scale. A histogram operating circuit includes an average luminance level detecting circuit. A constant is subtracted from an output signal of the average luminance level detecting circuit by a subtracter. The result of subtraction is multiplied by a constant by a constant-multiplication circuit. A lower-limit limiter circuit limits an output signal of the constant-multiplication circuit to a signal having a value not smaller than 0. An output signal of the lower-limit limiter circuit is provided as an accumulation start luminance level, thereby enabling a gradation correction in which the floating of the luminance level of the black side and the destruction of the gradation of the black side are prevented.

The present invention relates to a gradation corrector used in correcting the gradation of a video signal in a television receiver, a video tape recorder, a video camera, a video disk or the like.
In recent years, great importance has been attached to gradation correctors in order to provide a more clear image, which is required with the increase in size of color television receivers and the improvement in image quality thereof, and more especially, in order to expand the dynamic range of an image on a CRT by passing a video signal through a non-linear amplifier to correct the gradation of the video signal.
U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 838,844 entitled "Gradation corrector" was filed on Feb. 21, 1992 (on basis of Japanese application No. 3-32792 filed on Feb. 2, 1991). U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 846,143 entitled "video signal gradation corrector" was filed on Mar. 5, 1992 (on basis of Japanese patent application Ser. No. 3-58657 filed on Mar. 22, 1991). A new U.S. Pat. application entitled "Gradation corrector" is filed on basis of Japanese patent application Ser. No. 3-123646 filed on May 28, 1991. These three patent applications have been assigned to the same assignee with the present application.
Explanation will now be made of the conventional gradation corrector.
FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a gradation corrector proposed precedent to the present application. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 designates an A/D conversion circuit for converting an input luminance signal into a digital value. Numeral 2 designates a histogram memory for extracting a luminance histogram of the input luminance signal. In general, the luminance level is entered as an address of the memory 2 and the frequency is entered as data thereof. Numeral 3 designates a histogram operating circuit for determining the average value, the mode value, the minimum value, the maximum value, the deviation coefficient, the white area, the black area, etc. of the input luminance signal from the data of histogram memory 2 and calculates control values inclusive of a limiter level, the value of addition, a constant value of addition, an accumulation start luminance level, an accumulation stop luminance level, the maximum luminance level and so on from the determined values to output the control values to a limiter/adder circuit 5, an accumulation control register circuit 6 and a normalization control register 7. The limiter/adder circuit 5 is provided for processing the data of the histogram memory 2. Namely, on the basis of data transferred from the histogram operating circuit 3, the limiter/adder circuit 5 imposes a limitation on the frequency of the histogram so that it does not exceed a certain level and performs the operation of addition of a certain value. Generally, in a period of time when the luminance histogram is extracted (or in a period of time when the sampling is made), the data processing performed by the limiter/ adder circuit 5 is completed during a time when the address is accessed once. The accumulation start and stop levels, at which the accumulation is to be started and stopped in determining a cumulative histogram, are supplied from the histogram operating circuit 3 to the accumulation control register 6 which in turn controls a histogram accumulation adding circuit 8.
The histogram accumulation adding circuit 8 makes the accumulation of processed data from the histogram memory 2 on the basis of a control signal from the accumulation control register circuit 6. Numeral 9 designates a cumulative histogram memory for storing therein the result of accumulation by the histogram accumulation adding circuit 8. In general, the luminance level enters an address of the memory 9 and the frequency enters as data thereof. In normalizing data of the cumulative histogram to produce a look-up table, the maximum luminance level for an output luminance signal after normalization is supplied from the histogram operating circuit 3 to the normalization control register circuit 7 and the normalization control register circuit 7 controls a normalization coefficient used by a look-up table operating circuit 10 in accordance with the value of the maximum luminance level. The look-up table operating circuit 10 normalizes each data of the cumulative histogram memory 9 on the basis of an output signal of the normalization control register circuit 7. Numeral 11 designates a look-up table memory for storing therein the data normalized by the look-up table operating circuit 10. In general, the luminance level is entered as an address of the memory 11 and the frequency is entered as data thereof. Numeral 12 designates a timing control circuit 12 which makes or controls the sequence of various operations, the control for the memories, and so on. Numeral 13 designates a D/A conversion circuit by which a digital output signal corrected by use of the look-up table is converted into an analog signal.
Next, explanation will be made of the operation of the gradation corrector having the above construction. FIGS. 6A to 6F show operating waveforms of various parts.
First, an input luminance signal a is inputted to the A/D conversion circuit 1 and is converted thereby into a digital signal which is in turn outputted as a converted input luminance signal b. The converted input luminance signal b is taken as an address of the histogram memory 2 and data at that address is processed by the limiter/adder circuit 5. By performing this operation during one vertical scanning period, it is possible to extract a luminance histogram of the input luminance signal a. This situation is shown in FIG. 6A.
Next, data of the histogram memory 2 including the luminance histogram is read by the histogram operating circuit 3 which in turn calculates the average value, the mode value, the minimum value, the maximum value, the deviation coefficient, the white area, the black area, etc. of the input luminance signal a. The histogram operating circuit 3 determines control values inclusive of a limiter level, a constant value of addition, an accumulation calculation start luminance level, an accumulation calculation stop luminance level, the maximum luminance level after normalization and so on from the result of the above calculation and transfers these control signals e to the limiter/adder circuit 5, the accumulation control register circuit 6 and the normalization control register circuit 7.
Thereafter, the limiter/adder circuit 5 reads data from the histogram memory 2 to make a limiter (see FIG. 6B) and the operation of addition of a constant value (see FIG. 6C) or the like for each read data on the basis of each control signal transferred from the histogram operating circuit 3 and outputs the result to the histogram accumulation adding circuit 8 as corrected histogram data c. A curve obtained by the cumulative addition becomes closer to a linear profile as the constant value of addition is increased and approaches to a histogram flatting process as the constant value of addition is decreased (see FIG. 6D).
On the basis of the accumulation start luminance level and the accumulation stop luminance level supplied from the accumulation control register circuit 6, the histogram accumulation adding circuit 8 calculates cumulative histogram data f of the corrected histogram data c in a range between accumulation start and stop luminance levels and causes the cumulative histogram memory 9 to store the result of calculation. This situation is shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D.
Next, the look-up table operating circuit 10 reads the cumulative histogram data from the cumulative histogram memory 9 to determine a normalization coefficient so that the maximum value of the cumulative histogram data becomes the maximum output luminance level h supplied from the normalization control register circuit 7. The look-up table operating circuit 10 performs an operation on each data g of the cumulative histogram on the basis of the determined normalization coefficient and causes the look-up table memory 11 to store the result i. If the maximum output luminance level h is controlled, an operation such as an automatic contrast control (ACL) or an automatic brightness control (ABL) is possible. Such an operation is shown in FIG. 6E.
Thereafter, data in the look-up table memory 11 is read with the converted input luminance signal b being used as an address and the read data is outputted as a corrected output luminance signal j. FIG. 6F shows a histogram of the corrected output luminance signal. The D/A conversion circuit 13 outputs the corrected output luminance signal j after conversion thereof into an analog signal k.
The timing control circuit 12 controls the operations of various circuits so that the operations of the respective parts are performed at such a sequence as mentioned above. [For example, refer to Japanese Patent Application No. (Hei)1-265393, entitled "Gradation Corrector", filed on Oct. 12, 1989 (JP-A-3-126377 dated May 29, 1991)].
However, in the above construction of the precedent corrector, since the accumulation start luminance level and the accumulation stop luminance level, which are to be controlled in determining the cumulative histogram, are not controlled in accordance with an average luminance level of an input video signal, there is a first problem that by hot depending on the average luminance level of the input video signal, the gradation of the black side is destroyed, the luminance level of the black side floats or the luminance level of the white side becomes too high so that a beam current of a CRT increases, thereby causing the blooming of the CRT.
Also, the construction of the preceding corrector has a second problem that the capacity of the look-up table memory (or the number of bits required for one address) becomes large.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Apparatus and methods for setting wakeup times in a communication device are disclosed where setting the wakeup times includes estimating the lock on time of a frequency synthesizer in order to minimize the wakeup time and extend sleep times for maximal energy savings. A disclosed apparatus includes an estimator to receive a current lock on time of a frequency synthesizer, which is the time taken by the frequency synthesizer to lock on to particular frequency after a wakeup signal has been issued to turn on the synthesizer after a sleep period. The estimator calculates a latest estimated lock on time based at least on the current lock on time of the frequency synthesizer and determines an enable signal timing information based on the estimated lock on time. The apparatus also includes a timer configured to receive the enable signal timing information and issue at least one enable signal to turn on other circuitry in the transceiver after the synthesizer lock on period based thereon. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.

1. Field
The present application relates to apparatus and methods for setting wakeup times of a communication device that has been put to sleep, and more particularly to minimizing particular settings of wakeup times during a sleep mode cycle by dynamically estimating the settling time of a frequency synthesizer.
2. Background
In certain wireless devices, such as portable wireless devices, it is desirable to utilize battery energy very efficiently in order to provide long service between recharges. In particular wireless devices that operate using burst transmissions, such as in some modes of the code division multiple access (CDMA) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) systems, given the burst nature of such systems, circuitry can be turned on for a short period of time when the device is actively receiving or transmitting, (i.e., during burst transmission periods) and at least some of the energy consuming circuitry turned off during sleep cycle (i.e., during an idle period). It is desirable to minimize the time that such devices are turned on, including trying to minimize the warm-up time of some components after they are turned on following a sleep period.
It is known that some components, in particular, have disproportionately long wakeup times. One such device is a frequency synthesizer, which may include a phase locked loop (PLL) and other similar devices. The settling or "lock on" time, during which the frequency synthesizer locks on the specified frequency, can take up to several milliseconds. This lock on time is difficult to estimate accurately in advance, because it varies with changing environmental conditions, such as temperature, interference, noise, etc. Notwithstanding, the lock on time needs to be predicted in advance in order for the device to wake up at a precisely specified time coincident with the beginning of a transmission burst. In order to ensure that the frequency synthesizer is locked on prior to receiving a transmission burst, it is known to set a time with an excessive safety margin (e.g., a worst case scenario) within the device's wakeup time-line to account for the somewhat uncertain settling time. Typically, the worst case scenario settling time is set containing the excessive safety margin, which is hard-coded either in software or hardware and used repetitively during consecutive wakeup cycles. By defaulting to the worst case scenario, wakeup times may not be optimized.

Apparatus and method for setting wakeup times in a communication device based on estimated lock on time of frequency synthesizer


The invention is related to a washing machine (1) comprising: a washing tub (5) comprising a rotatable drum (6) adapted for receiving the laundry (7) to be washed; a logic unit (12) adapted to control the electric and/or electronic components of the washing machine (1) so as to make the latter to perform a washing cycle comprising one or more phases; a user interface (13) adapted for setting a washing program to which corresponds a washing cycle to be performed, and for presenting user information; a weighing device adapted to detect the weight of the laundry (7) loaded into the rotatable drum (6). The logic unit (12) is configured for displaying via the user interface (13), during the loading of the laundry (7) into the rotatable drum (6), information related to the duration and/or the number of repetition of one or more phases of the washing cycle corresponding to a set washing program and adapted to the weight of the loaded laundry (7) detected by the weighing device.

The present invention relates to an improved laundry washing machine.
It is underlined that in the present application the expression "washing machine" may as well indicate a "simple" washing machine (i.e. a washing machine which can only wash and rinse the laundry) and a washing-drying machine (i.e. a washing machine which can also dry the laundry), both of the front-loading type and of the top-loading type.
Nowadays washing machines generally comprise an external casing provided with a loading/unloading door which allows the access to a washing tub containing a rotatable washing drum in which the laundry to be washed can be loaded.
These known washing machines are adapted to perform washing cycles comprising one or more phases, for example a soaking phase, a main wash phase (comprising, for example, the adduction into the washing tub of water mixed with detergent and the rotation of the drum, so as to apply a mechanical action on the laundry), a steam supplying phase, a rinsing phase, a spinning phase, etc.
These known washing machines comprise also a user interface adapted for allowing a user to set a washing programme to which corresponds a washing cycle to be performed; depending on the specific washing programme set by the user, during a same washing cycle the above mentioned phases of the washing cycle (and/or other phases which have not been mentioned) may be not performed, or performed only once, or also performed two or more times (for example the rinsing phase is typically performed two or more times during a same washing cycle).
Some known washing machines are also provided with a weight sensing device adapted to sense the weight of the laundry which is loaded in the washing drum.
For example GB 2225030 discloses a domestic washing machine comprising a tub suspended resiliently relatively to a mounting frame by a suspension spring. A toroidal coil is connected, via a suspension, to the frame of the washing machine; this coil surrounds concentrically the suspension spring. A coil core is rigidly secured to the tub, inside the suspension spring or surrounding it concentrically; therefore, as the loading of the washing (i.e. the laundry to be washed) increases, the coil core can move downwards with the tub, vertically in the magnetic field of the energized coil, in accordance with the characteristic of the suspension spring. As a result of the change in the position of the magnetizable coil core inside the energized toroidal coil, the magnetic flux is altered considerably. This change in the magnetic flux is converted into signals through electronics, and indicates the weight of the washing introduced into the drum at an indicator window via a plurality of light-emitting diodes or directly via a digital display.
After knowing the weight of the laundry loaded into the washing machine, the user may select the washing program and the quantity of detergent which best fits this quantity of laundry.
This known washing machine, however, isn't adapted to automatically modify the duration of the washing cycle according to the weight of the loaded laundry; for example this known washing machine isn't adapted to automatically reduce the number of rinses in a washing cycle if it detects that the quantity of loaded laundry is small (in which case it would be sufficient a reduced washing/rinsing duration). This fact leads to wastage of energy and time if the quantity of laundry to be washed is small.
Another example of known washing machine provided with a device for detecting the weight of the laundry loaded into the washing drum is shown in EP 0051491 which discloses a washing machine having its drum/drive mechanism and the tub assembly mounted upon transducers which provide an indication of the weight of the mechanism and assembly, and of the weight of articles loaded into the drum for washing. The transducers input to a microprocessor which determines the weight of the clothes and also the weight of water required to wash that weight of clothes under program conditions, some at least of which are selected by the user. The microprocessor may also control a display which indicates the amount of detergent required. In one embodiment of the invention, the control system of the washing machine is adapted to indicate to the user when the weight of articles loaded into the machine exceeds the maximum weight appropriate to a selected program. It is also disclosed that where a small load of articles is to be dealt with, the control system may be adapted to reduce the number of rinse stages.
However this known washing machine modifies at most the number of rinses if the quantity of laundry is small, but it doesn't modify the number of repetition nor the duration of the other phases of the washing cycle (for example the warming of washing water, the soaking phase, the stirring phase, etc.), and therefore there is the risk, for example, that the duration of one or more of such other phases would be too long for the loaded quantity of laundry, and/or that one or more phases would be repeated too many times, which would lead to wastage of energy and of time.
Moreover this known washing machine may modify the number of rinses, and therefore the duration of the overall washing cycle, but it isn't adapted to inform the user of this modified duration.
A known washing machine comprising the feature of calculating the duration of the washing cycle as a function of the sensed weight of the loaded laundry, and of informing a user about this duration is illustrated for example in EP 1029964; this document discloses a washing machine, in particular a domestic washing machine, having a control panel in which are disposed a programme selection device for setting a wash programme which is dependent upon the washing type. The washing machine is provided with a display device for presenting user information. The washing machine comprises a rotatable drum for receiving washing (i.e. the laundry to be washed), and a sensor for detecting the weight of the washing situated in the drum. The washing machine comprises also a microprocessor control which calculates state variables and user information dependent upon the weight detected by the sensor, and which actuates the display device with these variables and information. The washing machine comprises a first memory, which is integrated into the microprocessor control, for storing first memory values in the form of permissible maximum weights which are associated with each wash programme or respectively with the washing type associated with the wash program. This washing machine comprises a second memory for storing second memory values in the form of detergent desired quantities, and also a third memory for storing values in the form of programme running times. The second and third memory values are associated respectively with a wash programme or respectively with the washing type associated with the wash programme and with a washing weight. The washing machine comprises an evaluation circuit, which is integrated into the microprocessor control, for retrieving the first, second, and third memory values dependent upon the weight of the washing detected by the sensor and upon the weight of the washing detected by the sensor and upon the set wash programme and for calculating first, second and third display values from the respective memory values. The washing machine comprises a display device having a first display part and a second display part. In the first display part the filing level of the drum as first display value, the detergent desired quantity as second display value, and the programme running time as a third display value, are presented in succession. In the second display part, the type of respective display value of the microprocessor control is presented. In particular this document discloses a loading procedure wherein, during the loading of the laundry into the drum, the weight of the laundry is detected and is shown in the display; when the door is closed, and therefore the loading procedure is terminated, the display ends showing the weight of the laundry, and starts showing the detergent quantity which is needed for a selected kind of laundry and for the sensed weight of the laundry. By operation of a start button the wash program starts, and the display starts showing the remaining time (i.e. the time required until the end of the washing cycle); the indicated remaining time becomes down-counted in the course of the wash program.
Also this known solution has however a drawback; in fact the user may know the time remaining to the end of the washing cycle only after finishing loading the laundry and closing the door; if the duration of the washing cycle indicated in the display after the closure of the door is different (for example higher) from the duration desired by the user (for example because the user needs removing the laundry from the washing machine by a certain time), in order to modify this duration the user has firstly to open the door, then to modify the amount of laundry loaded into the drum, successively to close again the door, and finally to verify once more the remaining time indicated in the display. The user has to repeat this procedure until reaching the desired value of the remaining time. It is clear that this procedure may be unpleasant, and it also increases the time required to load the washing machine before starting the washing cycle.
DE 199 46 245 C2 discloses a method for controlling a washing program of a washing machine with an outer tub pivotally suspended or supported on springs, in which an inner drum for accommodating laundry is rotatably mounted and can be actuated by a motor; the washing program is controlled with respect to washing parameters such as water consumption, wash duration, number of rinsing cycles and/or the spinning speed profile and/or with respect to user information which can be displayed by display elements of the washing machine. The control is executed subject to a measured laundry weight value determined by a weight sensor on the basis of the weight-related lowering of the outer tub before water is added to the outer tub. The method described in this document comprises the following methodological steps: —the program control system determines a subsequent measured value that depends on the type and the weight of the laundry located in the drum; —computation of the actual weight of the laundry on the basis of the measured laundry weight value and the subsequent measured value by a correction circuit integrated in the program control system; —the program control system proceeds with the wash program using washing parameters dependent upon the actual weight of the laundry. In one embodiment of the method, the subsequent measured value is determined by the program control system on the basis of the suction response after the water has flowed into the outer tub.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,085 discloses an automatic vertical axis washer designed to detect a charged quantity of material of washing, and to carry out the respective steps of washing (including rinsing and dehydration) only for a length of time corresponding to the detected quantity. The automatic washer comprises drive means for rotating a stirring blade member or a dehydration tub, and control means connected to the drive means to carry out the respective operation steps of the washer for lengths of time determined by a signal denoting a charged quantity of material which is issued during a washing cycle in accordance with the rotation characteristic of the drive means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,413 discloses a vertical axis washing machine adapted to detect the washing load size in terms of instantaneous variations in such values as the rpm of the agitator and motor current by making use of the fact that the motor load acts discontinuously and instantaneously owing to the movement of the washing load in the washing machine toward and away from the agitator, the size of the resulting detection signal being utilized to control the washing process, making it possible to properly set the washing bath ratio, detergent concentration, washing time, and agitator drive period.
FR 2 577 949 A1 discloses a machine for washing and for spin-drying laundry comprising a means for automatically making the spin-drying duration, in the course of the rinsing phase and/or in the course of the final spin-drying, dependent on at least one of the following parameters: the amount of laundry introduced into the drum, the type of this laundry, and the rotational speed of the drum. In order to determine the load of laundry, i.e. the percentage of the volume of the drum that is occupied by the laundry, a means is provided for measuring the moment of inertia of the laundry relative to the axis of rotation of the drum; for this measurement, the drive torque of the drum at constant acceleration of the drum is determined. Thus, before being filled with water, the drum, filled with dry laundry, is made to rotate at constant known acceleration and the (drum drive) motor torque, which is proportional, to within one constant, to the moment of inertia, is measured. It is disclosed that if a universal motor is used to make the drum rotate and if this motor is powered at constant voltage, it is sufficient to measure the intensity of the current passing through the motor—which is a linear function of the motor torque—in order to obtain a linear representation of the moment of inertia.

ELECTROLUX HOME PRODUCTS CORPORATION N.V.


A method of mounting an art sheet, such as picture or painting, includes the steps of placing the art sheet on a transparent base plate having a surface area larger than that of the art sheet; positioning said transparent base plate with the art sheet thereon between a transparent diaphragm and a oil paper; and pressing said transparent diaphragm and said transparent base plate together so as to seal up the art sheet between the transparent diaphragm and the transparent base plate. Such mounting method has an inexpensive cost as cheap as the low cost of regular laminating process and provides a high quality protection and nature to the picture or painting similar to the effect of framing, Furthermore, the mounting method also enables a picture or painting having an ultimate effect similar to be mounted within a frosted glass.

Two of the most usual and convenient ways to protect and preserve an art sheet such as picture or painting for long time are either to laminate the art sheet by means of a laminating machine or to frame the art sheet through a framing process. The conventional laminating process for picture includes the steps of positioning a picture between two transparent plastic sheets, applying heat and pressure to integrally affix the picture therebetween. Even though the laminated art sheet such as a picture can last long time, the quality and the nature of the picture comparatively decays. The conventional framing process for painting, or enlarged picture usually can obtain higher quality than the laminating process but it consumes much more framing time which increases the operating cost relatively.
The applicant experiences years of knowledge in the relating field of laminating and framing and provides a novel method of mounting an art sheet after many trials. The mounting method of the present invention enables a picture or painting having an ultimate effect similar to be mounted within a frosted glass.


The invention includes a design for device design-for-test and a burn-in-board that reduce the number of external components per device on the board. Inputs to the I/Os of a device from input means are inverted between pairs of output pins. A single resister is coupled between an output that is true (e.g., not inverted) and an output that is inverted. Thus, instead of using one or more resistors per I/O from the DUT, a single resister can be coupled between inverted and non-inverted outputs.

After the manufacturing of integrated circuits (ICs), such as a computer processors, multiple IC devices are placed onto a burn-in-board ("BIB") and tested at stressed conditions at elevated temperatures for a specific time period in a "burn-in" test. A burn-in test will reveal infant mortality failures of an IC by thermally and electrically stressing each device with accompanying functional testing to measure output signals from the device-under-test ("DUT"). In fabrication and manufacturing of an IC device, the processes can introduce flaws in any one of several physical mechanisms of the device, which can lead to ultimate failure. Such a flaw can be directly affected by a burn-in program so as to fail prematurely. The ICs that fail a result of fabrication errors, and ICs that fail early in the test procedure indicate a much earlier expected failure than if the IC was used under actual operating conditions. Burn-in tests also expose ICs that do not have apparent manufacturing flaws but would nevertheless fail during the expected life of the device.
DUTs are loaded onto a BIB, which is a test board that are typically larger than a common computer add-on board. The BIB is placed into a Burn-In oven or a chamber that subjects the devices to increased temperature and voltage conditions. The devices are then exercised under a variety of stresses while verifying that the correct stimuli is applied by monitoring one output pin of each DUT without removing them from the BIB. The DUTs are electrically stressed by connected terminals on the devices to signal supply pins of a test system, where increased voltage and elevated current are supplied to the devices. The test system drives the test patterns into all of the DUTs mounted on the BIB. The electrical stress tests can be performed on each input/output (I/O) of the devices. Devices that fail to operate normally during the burn-in test are declared defective and are discarded based on results of subsequent testing. Further, a burn-in test can determine under what temperature ranges different devices can be expected to reliably operate.
Most conventional BIBs have electronics and wiring to connect signal drivers and signal receivers to the DUTs. The system may have a driver board outside the oven that is operably connected to the BIB through a backplane board. The driver board contains components including traces for power, ground, and control signals to and from the BIB.
The BIB is used to stress the devices after the devices are tested on a load board. ICs that pass the burn-in test go back to a load board for further tests. The ICs that pass the final tests will be sold. For the burn-in test, typically multiple devices are placed on each BIB, and the BIB is placed into an oven or chamber that is heated, for example heated up to 125° C. The devices are tested at a higher voltage than normal operating conditions. On every device, the burn-in tests exercise not only the core of the device but also the I/Os of the device by loading the device with resistors. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical conventional BIB. BIB 10 includes twenty-four burn-in sockets 12 that each receive a DUT (not shown) for testing. BIB also provides power conductors, signal conductors, and ground conductors (not shown) to couple the DUTs and the BIB to a test system through contacts 14. Each I/O terminal of a DUT is coupled to one or more resistors attached to a BIB.
The loading of the device I/Os is usually performed using one or two resistors on each output of a DUT. The two resistors can be a resistor to ground and a resistor to power. If the output goes high, the pull-down resistor will load it and the current will flow through it to ground. If the output goes low, the pull-up resistor will load it and drive the current to the output of the device. If a DUT has two hundred outputs, and each output has two resistors, then the BIB requires four hundred resisters attached to it in order to test each DUT. If a single BIB can hold fifty DUTs simultaneously, the BIB requires twenty thousand load resistors in addition to other components.
An inherent problem with convention methods for burn-in testing of ICs are the production costs. Burn-in test systems require ovens or chambers large enough to receive multiple BIBs, and each BIB costs thousands of dollars. A BIB should contain as many DUTs as possible in order to reduce production costs, but the way current devices and BIBs are designed there are too many external components required for each DUT, which increases costs. Further, because of size limitations of the system components, and the circuitry necessary to test the ICs, fewer devices can be placed onto a BIB for testing, which also increases production costs.

Device design-for-test and burn-in-board with minimal external components and increased testing capacity


A telephony system includes a packet-based data network that is coupled to various network elements. The network elements include interface devices that are coupled to corresponding stimulus devices. The stimulus devices may include stimulus telephones or a telephone exchange system. Each interface device receives a stimulus message from a corresponding stimulus device. The stimulus message is encapsulated by the interface device into a packet, such as an Internet Protocol (IP) packet. The packet is communicated across the data network to the target device, which may be another interface device. At the receiving end, the interface device receives the packet, decapsulates the packet to retrieve the stimulus message, and sends the stimulus message to a corresponding stimulus device.

The invention relates to transporting telephony signaling, such as stimulus messages for a digital telephone, over a data network.
Private telephony exchange systems may include private branch exchange (PBX) systems, key telephone systems, and Centrex systems (in which a central office exchange provides PBX-like switching for a special line group). Typically, a private telephone exchange system is characterized by a simplified number plan that identifies extensions by five or less digit numbers, depending upon the size of the exchange system. This is in contrast to a minimum of seven digits (or even ten) typically employed for a directory number serviced by a public central office exchange. Private telephone exchange systems may also offer other services, such as voice mail, intercom, message waiting indication, and other features.
A private telephone exchange system includes interface circuits (e.g., line cards of a PBX system) to communicate with various telephony devices, which may include digital telephones. Native stimulus messages may be exchanged between the telephones (which may also be referred to as "stimulus telephones") and the private telephone exchange system for performing calls. The types of stimulus messages that are exchanged between a stimulus telephone and the private telephone system includes the stimulus telephone reporting key press and hook state events to the switch system, and the switch system communicating commands to the stimulus telephone to cause activation of the telephone's ringer, control of the telephone's display, and activation and connection of the telephone's handset to the audio path. The stimulus telephones are connected to the exchange system over a number of corresponding lines. A feature offered by the private telephone exchange system is that the number of lines coupling the telephones may exceed the number of central office lines that the exchange system is coupled to. Thus, a first number of central office lines may be shared by a second number of telephones through the telephone exchange system, with the second number typically much larger than the first number.
Stimulus telephones rely on the telephone exchange system for performing various functions. As such, stimulus telephones are not provided with much intelligence. However, advantages of stimulus telephones are that they are relatively cheap to manufacture and are not complex.
One type of interface between a stimulus telephone and a private telephone exchange system employs a time compression multiplex (TCM) technique on a half-duplex transmission link, in which a burst mode or ping-pong approach is used. Typically, in the TCM link, the digital information signal to be transmitted is divided into discrete portions, with each portion time compressed to form a "burst" that occupies less than one half the time of the original portion. The transmitter at each terminal connected to the TCM link alternately transmits the burst onto the link, following which the associated receiver at each terminal can receive a corresponding burst from the other transmitter. On receipt, each burst is expanded to occupy its original time span. Externally, the system appears to be transmitting the two digital information streams continuously and simultaneously (full-duplex communication).
Other types of interfaces exist for carrying stimulus messages between a stimulus telephone and a private telephone exchange system. Such interfaces are typically proprietary and may differ depending on the manufacturer of the telephone exchange system and stimulus telephones.
One limitation of private telephone exchange systems is that they may be limited in geographical reach. Thus, typically, a private telephone exchange system is employed at a location in which telephone sets are relatively close to the telephone exchange system. As the size of a facility grows, additional private telephone exchange systems may be added to increase capacity and to provide service for different segments of the facility.
However, private telephone exchange systems usually do not reach remote sites (such as remote office location or a home office location) using conventional links between stimulus telephones and the private telephone exchange system. For such remote locations, different setups are typically provided. In the home office location, for example, the user may subscribe to a dedicated central office line for communicating over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). At a remote office location having a relatively low number of users, a separate exchange system such as a key telephone system may be employed to support those users. With either the dedicated central office line or separate telephone exchange system approach, however, users are not hooked into the one or more private telephone exchange systems at the main office location. This prevents convenient user access to various features offered by such private telephone exchange systems, such as voice mail, extension dialing using a reduced number of digits, and intercom features.
Another issue associated with private telephone exchange systems is that dedicated telephone lines are typically required to connect the stimulus telephones to the telephone exchange system. Such telephone lines are usually in addition to cables that are run for a local area network (LAN) to provide data services. A LAN is typically coupled to computers, servers, gateways, routers, and other devices to enable data communications over the LAN between the network elements. The presence of separate lines for telephony services and for data services may be associated with increased costs.
A need thus exists for an improved method and apparatus of coupling telephony devices such as stimulus telephones to a telephone exchange system.

Transporting telephony signaling over a data network


A compiler includes a location-assigning module to optimally allocate register locations in various memory blocks of a memory during compilation of a program code in accordance with code proximity of the program code in accessing the register locations and size of each of the memory blocks.

A computer system typically includes, among other things, a processor as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and a separate memory system (i.e., main memory) to store information processed by the CPU. One problem of this computer architecture is that the performance of the processor tends to be negatively impacted by the main memory. This is due to the fact that the processing speed of a typical main memory tends to be slower than that of a processor. This typically causes the processor to stall when attempting to access a location in the main memory.
In order to achieve higher performance for computer processors, a local memory (or cache) has been proposed to be included within the processor to boost the performance of the processor. The local memory is organized like high-speed registers. FIG. 1 shows the memory layout of one prior local memory 10. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the local memory 10 can be viewed as indexed register files. Any specific local memory entry (e.g., the entry 12) is selected based on the value in a base address register plus an offset. Because the local memory 10 is divided into several continuous blocks, the value of base address register is required to be aligned on block size. The local memory 10 can be read and written as fast as general registers, and supplies to the execution data-paths as source operands and receives results as destination operands.
Compilation is a process in which a compiler transforms source code into a processor-executable native or machine code. During compilation of a program, every variable used in the program must at some time be placed in a processor register for execution of some instruction. This is referred to as register allocation. However, a computer processor typically only has a limited number of registers that is usually much smaller than the number of variables in a program executing on the processor. This makes it impossible to simply assign a register to each variable.
To solve this problem, every variable is placed in a "symbolic register" by the compiler. The compiler then only places those symbolic registers needed for the current execution in the hardware registers and spills all other symbolic registers to another storage when there are some conflicts of hardware registers (usually the main memory) and reload them only when needed. This technique is referred to as "spilling". The inclusion of the local memory allows the compiler to use the faster local memory instead of main memory as the spilling home location, thus reducing the cost of reloading and storing.
One problem associated with the spilling-to-local-memory technique is that if the symbolic registers are not stored in proper locations within the local memory, it may cause a relatively large number of initialization operations to base address register when accessing the spilled registers. As is known, the initialization operation to base address register is a relatively expensive operation (e.g., 3 cycles delay between the write to the base address register and the value changed on IXP). Thus, the relatively large number of initialization operation typically negatively impacts the runtime performance of the compiled program. FIG. 2 illustrates this problem.
As shown in FIG. 2 for the purpose of illustration, a local memory block is assumed to only contain two entries and three spilling home locations for symbolic registers A, B and C that need to be spilled to the local memory. The spilling order of these spilling home locations is also shown in FIG. 2. The spilling home locations A and B are in the memory entries 21 and 22 of one memory block while the spilling home location C is in a different memory block that contain the memory entry 23 (the other memory entry of that memory block is not shown in FIG. 2). For this spilling order, the spilling home locations A and B can be accessed with the same base address while the home location C must be accessed with a different base address. FIG. 2 also shows the access order (i.e., A, B, A, C, A, C) of the home locations (either for spilling or reloading).
In this case and as can be seen from the pseudo code accessing sequence in FIG. 2, four initialization operations to base address register are needed for the spilling order and access order as shown in FIG. 2. It is also assumed here that each instruction can access only one register spilling location with constant address, which is always true for each spilling and reloading. But if the spilling order of these home locations could be rearranged in another way (e.g., putting the home locations A and C into the same local memory block), then only three initialization operations to base address register may be needed.
Thus, there exists a need for a method and system of optimally allocating register locations in a memory during compilation of a program code in order to increase runtime performance of the compiled code.

Method and system for allocating register locations in a memory during compilation


An interface for transmitting messages between two bus systems includes a receiver device for receiving a message from the first bus system, a classification device for classifying the message received from the first receiver device according to one of several predetermined classes, a translation device for translating the message based on a predetermined rule for each class into a message for transmission on the second bus system, and a transmitter device for transmitting the translated message on the second bus system.

The invention relates to an interface for transmitting messages between two bus systems.
The technological task often arises of making available messages transferred in one bus system using a certain mechanism of information distribution for devices connected to a second bus system using a differently designed information distribution mechanism. Previous solutions to this problem have essentially used the approach of "packaging" messages from the first bus system at an interface to the second bus system into messages of a type suitable for the second bus system. The connected devices "unpack" the transmitted data to recreate the message in its original format of the first bus system and interpret it appropriately. This solution does not ensure satisfactory interoperability between bus systems. For example, it is not possible to develop the devices connected to the second bus system without taking into account the parameters of the first bus system since these devices must be able to interpret the "unpacked" messages in the format of the first bus system. In addition, the information distribution mechanisms and transmission capacities of the two bus systems may be so different that a translation of every message received from the first system into a packaged message distributed on the second system does not provide useful functionality of the systems.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an interface for the transmission of messages from one bus system to a second bus system as well as a method for transmitting these messages which permits complete interoperability of the bus systems and which allows development of devices connected to the second bus system without consideration of the parameters of the first bus system, or to address devices already existing for a given task and compatible with the second bus system with messages derived from the first bus system.

System for transmitting data between two bus systems

Harman Becker Automotive Systems (Becker Division) GmbH


Substantially constant boiling compositions of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and dimethyl ether and its use as a refrigerant, aerosol propellant and polymer foam blowing agent are disclosed.

This invention relates to mixtures of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a) and dimethyl ether (DME). Such mixtures are useful as refrigerants, heat transfer media, gaseous dielectrics, foam expansion agents, aerosol propellants and power cycle working fluids. These mixtures are potentially environmentally safe substitutes for dichlorodifluoromethane (CFC-12), which is a large volume commercial refrigerant.
Closed-cell polyurethane foams are widely used for insulation purposes in building construction and in the manufacture of energy efficient electrical appliances. In the construction industry, polyurethane (polyisocyanurate) board stock is used in roofing and siding for its insulation and load-carrying capabilities. Poured and sprayed polyurethane foams are widely used for insulating large structures such as storage tanks, etc. Pour-in-place polyurethane foams are used, for example, in appliances such as refrigerators and freezers plus they are used in making refrigerated trucks and railcars.
All of these various types of polyurethane foams require expansion agents (blowing agents) for their manufacture. Insulating foams depend on the use of halocarbon blowing agents, not only to foam the polymer, but primarily for their low vapor thermal conductivity, a very important characteristics for insulation value. Historically, polyurethane foams are made with CFC-11 (CFCl.sub.3) as the primary blowing agent.
A second important type of insulating foam is phenolic foam. These foams, which have very attractive flammability characteristics, are generally made with CFC-11 and CFC-113 (1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane) blowing agents.
A third type of insulating foam is thermoplastic foam, primarily polystyrene foam. Polyolefin foams (polyethylene and polypropylene) are widely used in packaging. These thermoplastic foams are generally made with CFC-12.
Many refrigeration applications, e.g., refrigerators and auto air conditioners, presently use CFC-12 as the refrigerant. HFC-134a is a fluorocarbon compound identified as a potential replacement for CFC-12, having properties near those of CFC-12, and being nonflammable with a zero ozone depletion potential. However, HFC-134a has a lower refrigeration coefficient of performance than that of CFC-12, which can result in increased energy consumption for refrigeration applications if HFC-134a is substituted for CFC-12.
Many products designed for household, personal or industrial use are available as aerosol products. Typical examples of such products and ones in which the propellant system of the present invention can be used included personal products such as hair sprays, deodorants and colognes; household products such as waxes, polishes, pan sprays, room fresheners and household insecticides; industrial products such as cleaners, lubricants and mold release agents; and automotive products such as cleaners and polishers. All such products utilize the pressure of a propellant gas or a mixture of propellant gases (i.e., a propellant gas system) to expel the active ingredients from the container. For this purpose, most aerosols employ liquified gases which vaporize and provide the pressure to propel the active ingredients when the valve on the aerosol container is pressed open.
An important physical property associated with the dispensing of aerosol products is the vapor pressure of the propellant. Vapor pressure from the viewpoint of this invention is the pressure exerted when a liquified propellant gas is in equilibrium with its vapor in a closed container, such as an aerosol can. Vapor pressure can be measured by connecting a pressure gauge to the valve on an aerosol can or gas cylinder containing the vapor/liquid mixture. A standard of measurement of vapor pressure in the U.S. aerosol industry is pounds per square inch gauge (psig) with the gas/liquid mixture at constant temperature, most commonly at 70.degree. F. (21.degree. C.). The vapor pressure of liquified gases most widely employed as aerosol propellants will vary over the range of about 20 to 90 psig (138 to 621 kPa) at 70.degree. F. (21.degree. C.). The propellant systems of the present invention have vapor pressures in this range.
In the early 1970s, concern began to be expressed that the stratospheric ozone layer (which provides protection against penetration of the earth's atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation) was being depleted by chlorine atoms introduced to the atmosphere from the release of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons. These chlorofluorocarbons are used as propellants in aerosols, as blowing agents for foams, as refrigerants and as cleaning/drying solvent systems. Because of the great chemical stability of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons, according to the ozone depletion theory, these compounds do not decompose the earth's atmosphere but reach the stratosphere where they slowly degrade liberating chlorine atoms which in turn react with the ozone.
Concern reached such a level that in 1978 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) placed a ban on nonessential uses of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons as aerosol propellants. This ban resulted in a dramatic shift in the U.S. away from chlorofluorocarbon propellants (except for exempted uses) to primarily hydrocarbon propellants. However, since the rest of the world did not join the U.S. in this aerosol ban, the net result has been to shift the uses of chlorofluorocarbons in aerosols out of the U.S., but not to permanently reduce the world-wide total chlorofluorocarbon production, as sought. In fact, in the last few years the total amount of chlorofluorocarbons manufactured worldwide has exceeded the level produced in 1978 (before the U.S. ban).
During the period of 1978-1987, much research was conducted to study the ozone depletion theory. Because of the complexity of atmospheric chemistry, many questions relating to this theory remain unanswered. However, assuming the theory to be valid, the health risks which would result from depletion of the ozone layer are significant. This, coupled with the fact that world-wide production of chlorofluorocarbons has increased, has resulted in international efforts to reduce chlorofluorocarbon use. Particularly, in September, 1987, the United Nations through its Environment Programme (UNEP) issued a tentative proposal calling for a 50 percent reduction in world-wide production of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons by the year 1998. This proposal was ratified Jan. 1, 1989 and became effective on Jul. 1, 1989.
Because of this proposed reduction in availability of fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons such as CFC-11, CFC 12 and CFC-113, alternatively more environmentally acceptable products are urgently needed.
As early as the 1970s with the initial emergence of the ozone depletion theory, it was known that the introduction of hydrogen into previously fully halogenated chlorofluorocarbons markedly reduced the chemical stability of these compounds. Hence, these now destabilized compounds would be expected to degrade in the atmosphere and not reach the stratosphere and the ozone layer. The following Table I lists the ozone depletion potential for a variety of fully and partially halogenated halocarbons. Halocarbon Global Warming Potential data (potential for reflecting infrared radiation (heat) back to earth and thereby raising the earth's surface temperature) are also shown.
TABLE I ______________________________________ Ozone Depletion and Halocarbon Global Warming Potentials Ozone Halocarbon Depletion Global Warming Blowing Agent Potential Potential ______________________________________ CFC-11 (CFCl.sub.3) 1.0 1.0 CFC-12 (CF.sub.2 Cl.sub.2) 1.0 2.8 HCFC-22 (CHF.sub.2 Cl) 0.05 0.3 HCFC-123 (CF.sub.3 CHCl.sub.2) 0.02 0.02 HCFC-124 (CF.sub.3 CHFCl) 0.02 0.09 HCFC-134a (CF.sub.3 CH.sub.2 F) 0 0.3 HCFC-141b (CFCl.sub.2 CH.sub.3) 0.1 0.09 HCFC-142b (CF.sub.2 ClCH.sub.3) 0.06 0.3 HCFC-152a (CHF.sub.2 CH.sub.3) 0 0.03 CFC-113 (CF.sub.2 Cl--CFCl.sub.2) 0.08-0.9 1.4 ______________________________________
Halocarbons such as HFC-134a hace zero ozone depletion potential. Dimethyl ether, having no halogen content, is also a zero ozone depleter.
Although 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane has utility as a refrigerant, aerosol propellant or foam blowing agent, an azeotrope offers the possibility of producing more economical nonfractionating systems with improved properties such as polymer and refrigerant oil solubility.
Unfortunately, as recognized in the art, it is not possible to predict the formation of azeotropes.
This fact obviously complicates the search for new azeotropes which have application in the field. Nevertheless, there is a constant effort in the art to discover new azeotropic compositions, which have desirable characteristics.

Substantially constant boiling compositions of 1,1,1,2-tetra-fluoroethane and dimethyl ether


The present invention allows an originating media gateway to advertise available resources so that one or more media gateway controllers can interact with a terminating media gateway to determine the best communication scheme to use when establishing a communication session between the originating and terminating media gateways. The communication scheme is selected based on the capabilities of the terminating media gateway in light of the resources advertised by the originating media gateway. The communication scheme for any given call is selected dynamically on a call-by-call basis.

Many initial deployments of packet-based telephony networks are using ATM as the core packet technology. The preferred architecture for packet telephony uses media gateways that interface to existing telephony equipment like telephones or TDM-based trunk or access lines and perform the necessary adaptation to a packet format. Media gateways are controlled by media gateway controllers that perform call processing and service processing and control the setup and teardown of connections between media gateways. Connections are established over a generic packet core network that can be used to provide a variety of services relating to data, video and voice.
Currently, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks are favored to support voice communications, as these packet networks are sufficiently mature to meet the stringent Quality of Service (QoS) requirements associated with telephony communications. However, the extensive acceptance of the Internet Protocol for most other applications is indicative of the fact that voice communications may ultimately be carried using the Internet Protocol. Many network operators deploying ATM-based telephony solutions have expressed the desire to evolve their ATM-based investment toward IP. Although many evolution and transition paths are possible, none so far have been able to preserve the investment made in ATM equipment or to provide a smooth migration from ATM to IP while keeping the telephony services operational. For example, media gateways have traditionally only supported either voice over IP (VoIP) or voice over ATM (VoATM). With the rigidity of current architectures, the transition from one format to another requires replacing one network with another, with little opportunity for a gradual transition. Accordingly, there is a need for a way to transition from one network technology to another in a reliable and cost effective manner. Further, there is a need to transition from a VoATM format to VoIP in a reliable and efficient manner.


A syntactic foam product having a desired configuration is set forth. The product comprises a plurality of rigid gas filled bubbles arranged in the desired configuration. The bubbles are defined by respective individual and discrete substantially spherical shells preferably formed of a biodegradable shell material. The shells abut one another. They define open spaces where they are not abutting. Attaching material attaches the abutting shells to one another. The open spaces between the shells are not filled by the attaching material. The attaching material is environmentally degradable. It releases the bubbles under ambient conditions after a selected time interval. The shells are in contact with their surroundings and can relatively rapidly biodegrade.

Foam products are employed for a wide variety of commercial applications. Low-cost disposable foams are used for thermal insulation such as insulated cups, trays and clam-shell food holders. Longer lived products such as insulation for thermoses, refrigerators, and freezers and insulated water pipe covers are common products. Rigid foams are now utilized for combined sound and thermal insulation on various residential and commercial dwellings for quick installation. Two part liquid foams are available to fill complex geometries and then solidify. Since some closed-cell foams are very light weight, generally being less than 10 lbs/cubic foot, they serve as long-term life preservers and floatation devices not requiring inflation of air. Some rigid foams exhibit high strength, specifically for cases when strength to weight ratio is critical. The light weight and flexibility characteristics of semi-rigid foams make them ideal for packing materials commonplace in the shipping industry.
One of the major advantages of plastic and plastic foams is its life expectancy. Plastics are durable and do not break down in the environment. Whereas metals are oxidized if not painted and loose their structural characteristics, plastics do not. Metals are reasonably heavy compared to plastics and, in many cases where strength to weight ratio is critical, metals are inferior to structural plastic foams. On the other hand, these long-life and durability properties of plastic have created environmental problems. The United States alone disposes of billions of pounds of plastic annually; plastic foam products constitute a large percentage of this volume. The actual life in the disposal environment is estimated to be in centuries.
Curtailment of this growing landfill problem could be achieved by recycling and/or producing biodegradable materials. However plastic recycling simply has not worked. One reason is the extreme difficulty in separating the various commercial plastics whose number seems to grow weekly. The other factor is the reluctance of the public to participate. Biodegradable plastics are still in the development stage, and to date only poly(hydroxybutyrate)/poly(hydroxyvalerate) [PHB/PHV] has been shown to degrade.
Many people have recognized the need for biodegradable products. Perhaps the first of these was the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1980, USDA started work on a starch additive for polymer films to initiate biodegradation. It was hypothesized that the additive would alter the structure to permit biodegradation. The starch additive actually improved some physical properties, but according to Krupp & Jewell, Krupp, L. R. & Jewell, W. J. "Biodegradability of Modified Plastic Films in Controlled Biologic Environments" Environ Sci Tech 26 (1992): 193-198, although the starch additive degraded the biodegradability of the plastic was unaltered.
Other approaches have been presented and patented. There are basically two approaches that have received the most attention. These are 1) photodegradable polymers and 2) production of naturally degradable biopolymers. Active research in these areas was initiated by governments, states, and private industry and individuals. Today commercial plastics incorporating one of these features are available. However, Krupp and Jewell found that only the additives were degraded. The polymer remained unchanged although in some cases it fragmented. Thus the authors concluded that only the organic additives were degraded by the digestive process leaving the polymer intact. There was one exception, the polymer poly(hydroxybutyrate)/poly(hydroxyvalerate). This polymer met all the requirements and was substantially biodegraded by the end of the experiment. Their conclusion was that the addition of organic additives make the plastic film dispersible, not biodegradable.
Recently Tokiwa and Iwamoto patented a biodisintegratable thermoplastic resin foam (Tokiwa Y., et al (May 5, 1992) "Biodegradable Thermoplastic Resin Foam and a Process for Producing Same" U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,838). These inventors produced a foam from a mixed resin consisting in part of a biodegradable resin using the melt kneading process, i.e., bubbles are produced in the bulk plastic with a foaming agent while under temperature and pressure. Upon reduction of pressure and temperature, the bubbles expand to form a foam of specific apparent density. This mixture can be extruded or molded to produce the preferred configuration. The foam would certainly be disintegratable; however, the total material is not biodegradable. Thus the environmental problem has not been solved by this invention, only ameliorated.
Perkins N. B. May 26, (1992) "Method of Making Biodegradable Free Fill Foam Packing Material" U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,550 teaches that biodegradable free fill polyurethane foam can be produced by blending liquid starch or sugars with the polyurethane. This approach is similar to other polyurethane foaming processes in that two components are brought together and chemically reacted thus forming a rigid foam. This product is essentially the same as a standard polyurethane foam except that it does contain biodegradable components. Therefore it is disintegratable.
Miller and Miller, "Plastic Foam Aggregate Matrix Made from Recycled Paper and Fiber Products" U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,880, Apr. 21, 1992) disclose an aggregate plastic foam prepared from a cellulose starch and recycled cellulose fiber material for the purpose of fabricating molded foam products for the shipping industry. The approach uses cellulose starch as a binder to entrap bubbles produced by a gas generating agent within the cellulose filler material. Small aggregates made from cellulose fibers, cellulose starch and bubbles are first formed, presumably to permit drying. The patent does not teach the methodology for producing such a foam. These aggregates are then brought together within a mold with similar materials to form a final foam structure which is both biodegradable and biodistintegratable. This patent is not concerned with syntactic foams.
Syntactic foams have been known for some time. Shannon, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,341 discloses a syntactic foam formulated of vitreous or argillaceous spheres bonded together by partial melting with the spaces between the spheres being void or preferably filled with a binder. The Shannon syntactic foam is not readily environmentally dispersible.
Dyksterhouse, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,769 discloses a syntactic foam which comprises microbubbles defined by glass, ceramic or plastic shells and which are formulated by a method which would appear to leave intersticial spaces between the bubbles other than where they contact one another. The microbubbles are bound to one another by appropriate binders. However, nothing is disclosed about choosing binders which are environmentally degradable so as to make the syntactic foam dispersible.
Cattanach, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,055 discloses a syntactic foam which comprises microspheres having glass shells which are adhered to one another using a polymeric material (polyetheretherketone). Nothing is disclosed about choosing binders which are environmentally degradable so as to make the syntactic foam dispersible.
Alternative materials which would environmentally disperse and which would very preferably biodegrade in a relatively short period of time would be a significant advance in the state of the art. It would also be desirable if the material could be formed into desired structures without the use of environmentally destructive blowing agents. This invention provides, inter alia, just such materials.

Environmentall dispersible syntactic foam


Improved data pipelines are provided. A request to activate a first pipeline based on a first pipeline definition is received. The first pipeline is generated based on the first pipeline definition, wherein generating the first pipeline includes generating a reusable processing module at a first position within the first pipeline, and generating a downstream processing module at a second position within the first pipeline, where the downstream processing module selectively sends output data to the reusable processing module, such that data processed by the first data pipeline will be processed by the identified reusable processing module at least twice. The first pipeline is activated.

The present disclosure relates to data pipelines, and more specifically, to reusing processor modules in data pipelines.
Data pipelines are used in a wide variety of computing environments, including in extract, transform, and load (ETL) systems. A data pipeline can be used to define a sequential process divided into a number of tasks or operations, each of which can be completed by a separate processing module or data transformer (DT). Typically, data pipelines are defined based on the operations to be performed by each processing module, along with the links or pipes between the modules. When data is to be processed by a data pipeline, it proceeds sequentially through each processing module where it is operated on before continuing through the pipe to the next processing module in a linear manner. In this way, data pipelines are extensible and flexible. However, existing methodologies are often inefficient and wasteful of resources because data flows sequentially and linearly, at times resulting in unnecessary duplication of processing modules.

Establishing data pipelines with inclusion of iterative sub-pipelines

International Business Machine Corporation


A device includes a die comprising a sensor. The device also includes a substrate that is coupled to the die via the electrical coupling. The device further includes a packaging container. The packaging container and the substrate form a housing for the die. The packaging container comprises an opening that exposes at least a portion of the die to an environment external to the housing. The exposed surfaces of the die, interior of the housing, the electrical coupling, and the substrate to the environment external to the housing through the opening are coated with a conformal film. The conformal film prevents liquid, e.g., water, gas, etc., contact to the exposed surfaces of the die, the electrical coupling and the substrate.

Many electronic devices are used in various conditions and are exposed to different external environments. For example, many electronic devices such as sensors may come in contact with the external environment such as water, gas, etc., that may be damaging to the sensing device. Conventionally, the package cavity of the electronic device is increased and filled with gel. The gel protects the electronic device from being damaged. Unfortunately, increasing the package cavity to fill it with gel increases the package size, which increases the cost. Furthermore, increasing the package size cuts against the goal of miniaturizing the electronic devices to achieve a smaller footprint and formfactor.
Filling the package cavity with gel also impacts the performance of many electronic devices, such as sensors due to aging over time. Additionally, filling the package cavity with gel may impact the performance of the electronic device, such as a sensor, by adding more mass and making the electronic device susceptible to damage during mounting.

Environmentally protected sensing device


An object of the invention is to provide a liquid crystal composition intended to be applied to the surface of a base material to form a phase difference layer, the liquid crystal composition being capable of forming a phase difference layer well indicating homeotropic orientation without the presence of an oriented film, even if the liquid crystal composition is directly applied to the base material surface, as well as a phase difference layer formed by the liquid crystal composition, a color filter and a liquid crystal display apparatus using the phase difference layer, and further a method of forming the phase difference layer. To a liquid crystal composition containing one kind or two or more kinds of crosslinking liquid crystal compounds is further added at least an amino-based silane coupling agent to prepare a liquid crystal composition. The liquid crystal composition is directly applied to the surface of a base material to orient the crosslinking liquid crystal compound on the base material surface in a direction perpendicular to the base material surface, and then the resulting material is crosslinking polymerized to form a phase difference layer.

Recently, liquid crystal display apparatuses have the large advantages of thin-type, small weights and low consumption of electric power, and thus are actively used for display apparatuses of personal computers, cellular phones, electronic organizers and the like. The liquid crystal display apparatuses utilize the birefringence of driving liquid crystals to perform switching of light. Thus, the liquid display apparatus has the problem of view angle dependency attributable to the birefringence of driving liquid crystals. For the resolution of the problem, a variety of phase difference layer forming films have been developed. The phase difference forming film is normally fabricated by stretching of film made of polyacrylate, polycarbonate, triacetyl cellulose and the like, and is placed outside a liquid crystal cell.
The phase difference layer forming film is normally stuck to a substrate by means of an adhesive and used. A refractive index of the adhesive applied to the substrate differs from that of a phase difference layer forming film, thereby posing a problem in that the former film causes irregular refraction on the surface of a display. In particular, when the phase difference forming film is stuck to the outside of a substrate, the exposed film absorbs humidity and expands. Furthermore, when the phase difference layer forming film is used, there is a problem of being incapable of carrying out patterning for a phase difference layer fit to the pixel size of a display, or a problem of a change of optical properties by time lapse shrinkage due to low heat resistance, or the like.
On the contrary, recently, a method is proposed in which a phase difference layer is placed inside a liquid crystal cell by use of a liquid crystal material such as a crosslinking liquid crystal or macromolecule liquid crystal. When a phase difference layer placed in the inside is formed, a method is adopted that entails forming an oriented film in advance on the surface of a base material on which the phase difference layer is to be formed by a rubbing method, light orientation method, ion beam method or the like and then applying a liquid crystal material on the base material to form a phase difference layer. In this manner, the formation of an oriented film in advance makes it possible to control the orientation of a liquid crystal material to be applied later (see Patent Literature No. 1). Additionally, in a phase difference layer produced by orienting a crosslinking liquid crystal compound perpendicular to a base material (homeotropic orientation), a variety of orientation methods are studied in order to stabilize the orientation of the crosslinking liquid crystal compound (see Patent Literature No. 2). On the other hand, for the purposes of making a display apparatus thin and reducing the number of production steps, a crosslinking liquid crystal compound composition in which homeotropic orientation is obtained without use of an oriented film is also studied (see Patent Literature No. 3).    Patent Literature No. 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. (JP-A) 10-319408    Patent Literature No. 2: JP-A 11-240890    Patent Literature No. 3: JP-A 2004-524385

Liquid crystal composition, color filter and liquid crystal display apparatus, and method of forming phase difference layer