A sensor system for detecting gear modes of an automobile transmission is disposed about a detent lever internally within the transmission case. The system includes an encoder capable of generating a magnetic field disposed on or about a detent lever, and at least one sensor, such as a Hall-effect sensor, disposed opposite the encoder. The encoder is a magnetic strip having at least one track encoded thereon, wherein the sensor is juxtaposed with the encoded track such that it produces a digital signal representative of the position of the encoder means and the corresponding gear mode.

To engage an automatic transmission into a specific gear mode, i.e., park (P), reverse (R), neutral (N), drive (D or 4), and low drives (1, 2 and 3), a manual valve must be moved into proper position so that hydraulic pressure can be directed to appropriate transmission components. Likewise, a parking rod must be positioned for proper engagement when in (P). The manual valve and parking rod are linked to the transmission selector lever (located in the passenger compartment) via a detent lever, within the transmission case. Conventional mode switches, which are designed to provide an electrical signal based on the gear selected, are connected to this linkage and are located outside the transmission case.
With conventional mode switches, an electrical signal is generated by sliding contacts. As a linkage rotates, electrical contacts slide along a uniquely designed pad to produce electrical signals. Such electrical signals can be used in transmission control algorithms and with electronic gear-selection displays.
Some of the more prevalent problems with this type of external, mechanical switch are: (1) positional adjustment is required during installation; (2) poor accuracy results from the tolerance stack-up of the many components involved (i.e., the output of the switch may indicate a gear mode that has not been selected); (3) sealing from the environment is required; and (4) the sliding contacts of these mechanical switches are prone to corrosion and wear, which results in poor electrical contact.
Magnetic field sensors have been proposed to replace conventional mode switches to indicate a selected gear of an automatic transmission. Such sensors would detect binary control signals generated when a code slide with a pattern or protuberances is moved across a magnetic field. However, these proposed magnetic field devices relate to sensors disposed outside the transmission housing and indicate the position of a shift lever, not the gear mode of the transmission itself. For those reasons, such devices solve few of the listed problems associated with external mechanical switches.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present sensors to detect a selected gear of an automatic transmission. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Digital position sensor system for detecting automatic transmission gear modes


A method for producing metallic semifinished products such as strip or wire rom metallic work materials which have a high melting point and are difficult to shape, comprising the steps of a) first, alloying at least one element for lowering the melting point with a material that has a high melting point and is difficult to shape; b) then, producing the semifinished product from the alloy with the reduced melting point in the form of strip or wire directly from the melt by quick solidification; and c) finally extracting the elements alloyed with the material in method step a) from the semifinished product by heat treatment in a reactive atmosphere.

a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of metallurgic materials processing and is directed to a method for the manufacture of semifinished metal products such as strip or wire from metal materials which have a high melting point and are difficult to shape. The method is applicable, for instance, for the production of soft-magnetic strip from FeSi alloys, for the production of strip from FeCo base alloys, and for the production of cobalt strip or cobalt wire.
b) Description of the Related Art
Some metals and many alloys with desirable technical properties can only be brought to the desired semifinished form, if at all, by means of costly shaping. For example, it is difficult to produce wire from highly pure cobalt by means of shaping. Problems also arise in the shaping of FeSi alloys with more than 4% silicon to form semifinished product used as soft-magnetic materials. In general, those alloys which are difficult to shape are formed chiefly by transition metals, especially alloys having ordered lattice structures.
It is also known to produce metal semifinished products in the form of strip or wire directly from the melt by one of the quick solidification processes. However, this method is difficult to use when the material to be processed has a high melting point (roughly greater than 1400.degree. C.), since the equipment for quick solidification in this case must be produced from work materials which are very expensive and difficult to work with and/or which are prone to rapid wear. This results in high manufacturing costs.

Method of making semi-finished metal products

Institut fuer Festkoerper-und Werkstofforschung Dresden e.V.


A motor-driven decorative spinner rotatably supported by a housing configured for mounting on a vehicle.

There is an increasing demand for accessories useful in customizing automobiles and other motor vehicles. For example, there is now available a wide variety of high-style vehicle wheels which replace standard wheels with more decorative designs. Some of these custom designs include wheel-driven and freely rotatable spinners, and examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,722,958 and 6,554,370.
This invention relates to a relatively small electric-motor-driven decorative spinner which is well suited for central mounting in a vehicle radiator grill, but can be supported on other parts of a vehicle body. The motor can be operable by the vehicle battery whenever the ignition is actuated, or can be controlled by a separate switch accessible to the driver. A variety of different decorative designs can be used for the spinner, and are easily mounted on the drive-motor assembly.

Motor-driven decorative spinner for vehicles


This power module substrate with a heat sink includes a power module substrate having a circuit layer disposed on one surface of an insulating layer, and a heat sink bonded to the other surface of this power module substrate, wherein the bonding surface of the heat sink and the bonding surface of the power module substrate are each composed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, a bonding layer (50) having a Mg-containing compound (52) (excluding MgO) which contains Mg dispersed in an Al—Si eutectic composition is formed at the bonding interface between the heat sink and the power module substrate, and the thickness t of this bonding layer (50) is within a range from 5 μm to 80 μm.

Examples of the power module substrate with a heat sink mentioned above include those proposed in Patent Documents 1 to 3.
In the power module substrates with heat sinks disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a power module substrate prepared by bonding metal sheets (a circuit layer and a metal layer) of Al (aluminum) to both surfaces of a ceramic substrate composed of MN (aluminum nitride), and a heat sink formed from aluminum are bonded together by brazing using an Al—Si-based brazing material.
Further, in a cooling device for a semiconductor module described in Patent Document 3, a structure is proposed in which a semiconductor module, which is prepared by bonding metal sheets (an upper electrode and a lower electrode) of Al (aluminum) to both surfaces of an insulating substrate composed of a ceramic material and also includes a semiconductor element bonded to the upper electrode, and a top plate of a cooling unit formed from aluminum are bonded together by brazing using a flux.
This brazing using a flux is a technique mainly used for bonding aluminum members together, and is a technique in which, for example, an Al—Si-based brazing material foil and a flux are positioned between the aluminum members, and the flux removes the oxide films formed on the surfaces of the aluminum members and promotes the melting of the brazing material, thereby achieving bonding.

Power module substrate with heat sink, and method for producing power module substrate with heat sink


Imidazolidyl rapamycin derivatives of the general structural Formula I: ##STR1## have been prepared from suitable precursors by alkylation and/or arylation at C-42 and/or C-31. These compounds are useful in a mammalian host for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and diseases of inflammation, infectious diseases, the prevention of rejection of foreign organ transplants and the treatment of solid tumors.

Rapamycin characterized by Findlay and co-workers in 1978 is a 35-membered macrolide isolated from S. hygroscopicus (Can. J. Chem., 1978, 56, 2491, J. Antibiotics, 1975, 28, 721, U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,992, issued Dec. 30, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,749, issued Nov. 23, 1975. Rapamycin has been found to have antifungal activity, particularly against Candida albicans, both in vitro and in vivo (J. Antibiotics, 1978, 31, 539).
Rapamycin alone (U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,171) or in combination with picibanil (U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,653) has been shown to have antitumor activity. R. Martel et al. (Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol, 55, 48 (1977) disclosed that rapamycin is effective in an experimental allergic encephalomyelitis model, a model for multiple sclerosis; in an adjuvant arthritis model, a model for rheumatoid arthritis; and effectively inhibited the formation of IgE-like antibodies.
The immunosuppressive effects of rapamycin have been disclosed (FASEB 3, 3411 (1989); Med. Sci. Res., 1989, 17, 877). Cyclosporin A and FK-506, other macrocyclic molecules, also have been shown to be effective as immunosuppressive agents, therefore useful in preventing transplant rejection (FASEB 3, 3411 (1989); FASEB 3, 5256 (1989); and Lancet 1183 (1978)).
Fujisawa United States patents (U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,611, issued May 29, 1990 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,352, issued Sep. 11, 1990) disclose the use of FK-506-type compounds in treating resistance to transplantation. A Sandoz European patent application (EPO Publication No. 0,315,978) discloses the use of FR-900506 and related compounds in the topical treatment of inflammatory and hyperproliferative skin diseases and of cutaneous manifestations of immunologically-mediated illness. A Fisons World patent application (PCT Publication WO 90/14826) discloses the use of FR-900506 and related compounds in the treatment of reversible obstructive airways disease, particularly asthma. A Fujisawa European patent application (EPO Publication No. 0,423,714) discloses the use of FK-506 and derivatives as hair revitalizing agents. Various studies have suggested the efficacy of FK-506 in the treatment of a number of ailments, including rheumatoid arthitis (C. Arita, et al., Clincial exp. Immunol., 1990, 82, 456-461; N. Inamura, et al., Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol. 1988, 46, 82-90), recent-onset diabetes (N. Murase, et al., Diabetes, 1990, 39, 1584-86; N. Murase, et al., Lancet, 1990, 336, 373-74), posterior uveitis (H. Kawashima, Invest. Ophthalmul. Vis. Sci., 1988, 29, 1265-71), hepatic injury associated with ischemia (M. Sakr, et al., Life Sci., 1990, 47, 687-91) allergic encephalomyelitis (K, Deguchi, et al., Brain Nerve, 1990, 42, 391-97), glomerulonephritis (J. McCauley, et al., Lancet, 1990, 335, 674), systemic lupus erythematosus (K. Takabayashi, et al., Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol., 1989, 51, 110-117), multidrug resistance (M. Naito, et al., Cancer Chemoether. Pharmacol., 1992, 29, 195-200), inflammation of mucosa and blood vessels (PCT Publication WO 91/17754), cytomegalovirus infection (UK Publication GB 2,247,620A), and idiopathic thrombocytophenic purpura and Basedow's disease (PCT Publication WO 91/19495).
Mono- and diacylated derivatives of rapamycin (esterified at the 31 and 42 positions) have been shown to be useful as antifungal agents (U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,885) and have been used as water soluble prodrugs of rapamycin (U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,803 and PCT Patent Publication WO 92/21341). Reduction products of rapamycin have been prepared (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,102,876 and 5,138,051). Derivatives of rapamycin at the 31 and 42 positions which have been disclosed include: carboxylic acid esters (PCT Patent Publication WO92/05179); carbamates (U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,678); amide esters (U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,677); fluorinated esters (U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,883); acetals (U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,413); and silyl ethers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,842). In addition, bicyclic derivatives of rapamycin connected via the 31, 42 positions (U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,725) and rapamycin dimers connected via the 42 position (U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,727) have been disclosed. Various aryl(lower alkyl) and heteroaryl derivatives of FK-506 type compounds have also been disclosed (UK Patent Publication No. GB 2,245,891A). O-Aryl, O-alkyl, O-alkenyl and O-alkynyl derivatives of FK-506 type compounds have been disclosed (EPO Patent Publication No. 0,515,071).


A new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant named ‘Tanya Rendall’, characterized by its outwardly spreading, trailing and mounded plant habit; brown-colored foliage; freely and uniformly flowering habit; long flowering period; purple violet-colored flowers; and excellent garden performance.

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Geranium plant, botanically known as Geranium hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Tanya Rendall.
The new Geranium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Kirkwall Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom. The objective of the breeding program was to create new freely flowering Geranium cultivars that have a long flowering period and are suitable for hanging basket and garden use.
The new Geranium originated from a cross-pollination in 1998 of the Geranium hybrida cultivar Black Ice, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unnamed selection of Geranium oxonianum hybrid, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Geranium was discovered and selected by the Inventor in 2000 as a single flowering plant from within the resultant progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Kirkwall Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by divisions in Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, United Kingdom since 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Geranium are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A positive characteristic thermistor, in which the outer periphery of a first electrode including a metal other than silver as its main component is positioned on the inside of the outer periphery of the main body of this thermistor, and is made to coincide with the outer periphery of a second electrode which includes silver as its main component and formed on the first electrode or to be placed on the inside of the periphery of the second electrode.

An oxide semiconductor made of BaTiO.sub.3 added with 0.1-0.3 at % of Y, Nd or the like, which has a large positive temperature coefficient, is known as "PTC thermistor".
The PTC thermistor, which can adjust its temperature range having large positive temperature coefficient by adding Sr, Pb or the like thereto, has been increasingly indispensable in various fields including temperature measurement, excess current prevention, motor start, a circuit element for demagnetization in a color television, and a constant temperature heater.
Such a thermistor comprises, as shown as an example in FIG. 5(a), a thermistor main body 11 of a thin cylindrical shape made by sintering an oxide, carbonate, nitrate or chloride of metals such as Ba, Ti, Nd or the like, first electrode layers 12a and 12b as Ni plated layers formed on upper and lower surfaces of thermistor main body, and second electrode layers 13a and 13b including silver as their main component and formed on the first electrode layers respectively.
Meanwhile, such a positive characteristic thermistor is usually used by applying a voltage across the second electrode layers 13a and 13b, in which case a so-called migration phenomenon takes place, that is, the silver contained in the second electrode layers is separated and moved toward a direction of the electric field. In particular, in the case where the outer periphery of the second electrode layers are formed to reach the outer periphery of the main body 1 of the positive characteristic thermistor, the silver element is separated and moved toward the direction of the electric field on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 1 of the positive characteristic thermistor, which eventually results in an undesirable short-circuit.
In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed a positive characteristic thermistor in which, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the outer diameter of the second electrode layers is smaller than that of the first electrode layers.
This structure, however, has had a problem that, since the contour of the second electrode layers is smaller than that of the first electrode layers, those parts of the first electrode layers not covered with the second electrode layers are exposed directly to atmosphere, which results in that those parts of the first electrode layers are liable to be oxidized and a contact resistance gradually increases.
Further, since the silver migration is a phenomenon in which the silver is separated and moved along the direction of the electric field, even when the second electrode layers alone are provided inside of the outer periphery as in the prior art, the silver is still diffused into the first electrode layers, though the quantity of the silver diffusion is very small. In this way, it has been impossible to completely prevent the above short-circuit problem, though it could be weakened.
Furthermore, since the electrode formation of the prior art positive characteristic thermistor is carried out by a known plating method, this method involves, during the Ni plating process of the electrodes, immersion of plating solution into the interior of the sintered body, thus resulting in that the characteristic of the sintered body is undesirably changed, e.g., its resistance value is decreased. This result may appear immediately after the electrode formation in the form of variations in the characteristic or may appear gradually with passage of time. As already mentioned earlier, thermistor applications require highly accurate control of its resistance value in all the fields including measurement, control and compensation of temperatures, gain adjustment, power measurement, overcurrent prevention, motor start, and demagnetization in a color television, that is, requires a range of R.+-..alpha. %. Accordingly, this problem of variations in the resistance value caused by the immersion of plating solution becomes serious.
Meanwhile, for the purpose of avoiding such a plating-solution immersion problem, there has been suggested to form an electrode of a metal having a low melting point such as aluminum by a metal spraying method.
However, this method also involves a problem that cracks occur in the thermistor body itself or electrodes themselves since the temperature abruptly changes during the electrode formation.
In this way, with the prior art structure having the second electrode layers formed to be smaller in the outer diameter than that of the first electrode layers, since those parts of the first electrode layers not covered with the second electrode layers are exposed directly to atmosphere, there has been a problem that those parts are liable to be oxidized and the contact resistance increases with time.
Further, in the prior art positive characteristic thermistor, the electrode formation is carried out by the plating method, which causes the immersion of plating solution into the sintered body during the Ni plating operation with the result of an undesirable change in the characteristic of the sintered body, e.g., its resistance value is decreased.
Furthermore, in case where such Ni plated layer is formed somewhat inside of the outer periphery of the thermistor main body, it is required to make a mask pattern of a resist or the like, immerse the main body into the Ni plating solution for Ni plating and then remove the mask pattern. In this case, the surface of the thermistor main body is liable to be polluted by metallic ions due to the contamination by the Ni plating solution and the stripping solution of the mask pattern, which might lead to the cause of variations in the resistance values or the cause of inducing the migration.
In this way, the prior art electrode formation methods using the Ni plating have had a problem that it is impossible to maintain favorable characteristics including a highly reliable resistance characteristic.
In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been made to provide a thermistor having stable characteristics.

Positive temperature characteristic thermistor and manufacturing method therefor


A virtual sensor based monitoring and fault detection/classification system (10) for semiconductor processing equipment (12) is provided. A plurality of equipment sensors (14) are each operable to measure a process condition and provide a signal representing the measured process condition. A plurality of filtering process units (16) are each operable to receive at least one signal from the plurality of equipment sensors (14) and to reduce data represented by the at least one signal and provide filtered data. A plurality of virtual sensors (24) are each operable to receive the filtered data. The plurality of virtual sensors (24) model states of the processing equipment (12) and a work piece in the processing equipment (12). Each virtual sensor is operable to provide an output signal representing an estimated value for the modeled state. A rule based logic system (26) is operable to receive and process the signals provided by the plurality of equipment sensors (14) and the output signals provided by the virtual sensors (24) to monitor processing equipment (12) or to detect and classify faults within the processing equipment (12).

Future industry needs may include application specific integrated circuits whose manufacture will require flexible fabrication and processing equipment. The flexibility of this equipment will enable meeting the specifications of differing integrated circuit designs. Substantial improvements in sensor and process control development will be important to the realization of such flexible semiconductor manufacturing systems. The characterization of functional relationships involved in the deposition, photo-resist, patterning, and etching processes used to fabricate integrated circuit devices is an essential part of developing flexible and cost-effective manufacturing processes for advanced integrated circuit devices. For example, the plasma chemistry of etching systems involves complex nonlinear behavior with numerous chemical reactions interacting with electrical and physical affects. Accurate characterization and monitoring of this behavior is important. However, as a result of the complexity, characterization and monitoring of the process operating space can be extremely difficult.
Equipment sensors such as RFM, OES, and other added sensors, as well as built-in sensors, are a double edged sword. Sensors provide information used to characterize functional relationships, but the quantity of information can be prohibitive. Processing multiple real time sensor information is complex, and beyond the capability of conventional systems.
Conventional process control strategies often are developed only through expensive and time consuming trial and error methods and are unlikely to provide either the flexibility or cost efficiency necessary to implement a competitive production process for future integrated circuit devices. In these conventional systems, relationships between process and control parameters are developed through trial and error to generate process recipes. These recipes can be inflexible and not adaptive to conditions within the processing equipment as the conditions change with repeated use. For example, in a plasma etch reactor, a conventional recipe may not compensate for thin film buildup on reactor walls.
Conventional approaches to processing equipment fault detection and classification have relied solely on directly measurable sensor feedback. Obvious faults such as an equipment sensor failure are detectable, and periodic recalibrations are necessary to bring drifting sensors back to defined norms. However, conventional monitoring and fault detection systems and methods do not address adequately the problem of sensor failure detection, sensor bias, and sensor drift meet current and future industry needs.
Specifically with respect to plasma etch systems, conventional processing equipment monitors the process state (plasma condition) in the form of end-point detection using mono-chromatic spectral line detectors to determine when the etch process has completed. A number of conventional systems also use multi-chromatic spectral analysis of plasma in order to determine some of the physical phenomena of plasma etching including detection and measurement of interacting chemical species within the plasma during various stages of etch.

Virtual sensor based monitoring and fault detection/classification system and method for semiconductor processing equipment


A broadcast video image recording apparatus for recording broadcast video image data has a first storage unit for storing broadcast video image data, a second storage unit for storing video image data to be played back, and a control unit for searching the first storage unit for video image data which has been indicated, and storing the indicated video image data in the second storage unit. Broadcast video images are stored in the first storage unit at all times, and video images stored in the first storage unit are read and stored in the second storage unit at a time indicated for recording. Therefore, video images that have been broadcast in the past can be recorded.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcast video image recording apparatus for recording television video image data to be broadcast in a recording unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Attempts are being made to digitize television video images in view of recent tendencies to combine television and computer technologies and employ much more channels in digital broadcasting services than analog broadcasting services. It is possible to transmit 4 to 8 channels in digital broadcasting services using the bandwidth of one analog broadcasting channel. Such digital television video image transmission results in a reduction in the cost and an increase in the image quality. In addition, it is possible to obtain digital video image information from various information sources including satellite broadcasting services, ground wave broadcasting services, cable television broadcasting services, the Internet, etc. As a result, systems for recording video images are required to have diversified functions in order to record digital video image information from those various information sources.
FIG. 15 of the accompanying drawings shows an operation sequence of a conventional system for recording digital video images.
There has been proposed a system, combined with broadcasting station services, for recording digital video images. For example, the Science & Technical Research Laboratories of NHK (NIHON HOSO KYOKAI) have proposed ISTV (Integrated Services TV) based on the home server technology. The ISTV allows a TV receiver to automatically select and record various items of information indicated by the user, including news, weather forecasts, programs, program guides, etc. that are delivered from broadcasting stations. The recorded video images can be viewed anytime whenever the user wants.
The ISTV services offer various functions as described below. The first function automatically receives news, television newspapers, programs, etc. altogether for the user to see at any desired times.
The second function automatically updates news, weather forecasts, etc. that are broadcast at certain times at certain intervals.
According to the third function, if a genre, a theme, or a character which is of interest to the user is designated in advance, then programs and other broadcast information are automatically filtered on the basis of index data attached thereto, and selectively stored.
The operation sequence of the conventional system for recording digital video images will be described below with reference to FIG. 15. Numerals each with a prefix S represent step numbers.
(S1) First, the user manually indicates a program to be recorded.
(S2) Broadcast video images are inputted.
(S3) The program to be recorded is selected from the inputted broadcast video images based on the indicated details entered in step S1. If the program is to be recorded, then control proceeds to step S4. If the program is not to be recorded, then control goes back to step S2.
(S4) The indicated program is recorded.
(S5) The user indicates whether the recorded program is to be played back or not. If not to be played back, then control goes back to step S2.
(S6) The recorded program is played back. The user can now view the recorded program.
The conventional system is capable of recording programs that have been indicated.
However, the conventional system is unable to record any programs that have been broadcast in the past. For example, when a program has already started to be broadcast beyond the proper timing to record the program, or when the user wants to view a program once again after viewing the program as it is broadcast, the conventional system cannot record those programs.

Broadcast video image recording apparatus


A relational database warehouse system with query optimization capabilities is described that allows for speedy identification of sets of records of interest from amongst tens of millions of records. The records of interest may include complex derived attributes, generated, at least in part, by aggregating data from a plurality of records in base data tables. In various embodiments, the query optimization capabilities allow the database warehouse system to identify conditions under which normal query execution may be replaced by one or more optimized execution methods, including, for example, eliminating unnecessary inner join operations on base data tables specified by a query, re-ordering the execution of group-by operations and left-outer join operations to greatly reduce the size of join tables produced while processing a query, and/or consolidating a set of segmentation queries for execution in one pass over the records of the database.

Databases have evolved from simple file systems to massive collections of data serving a variety of users and numerous distinct applications. Online database systems may be configured to receive an ongoing stream of new and updated information, to update their records accordingly, and to allow for relatively small queries of the up-to-date data in real-time. A database warehouse is typically a storage facility for large amounts of data that allows for a more in-depth analysis of the data, using derived and/or aggregated information based on the data to identify groups of records within the database that share common characteristics, for example.
Some database warehouses are used for basic data that is relatively static over time. In such data warehouses, explicitly calculating additional data values that are derived and/or aggregated from the basic data, and dedicating disk space for the storage of the additional data values, may be justified if the data values are frequently used for responding to queries, and especially if the amount of data overall is not very large. However, when a data warehouse stores data that is frequently updated, and when queries to the data warehouse demand very up-to-date information, it is not always feasible to pre-calculate and store the derived and aggregated data. Instead, virtual tables, known as views, may be used to store formulas and instructions for calculating derived and aggregated data values from the basic data. When a query comes in, the view may be calculated on the fly in volatile memory using up-to-date data, and the view's data values may then be made available for responding to the query.
Although the use of views and other types of virtual tables reduces the need for disk storage space and allows for frequent updating of the data, when the data warehouse is used for storing massive amounts of data, calculating and using the views, which will also be huge, can be very taxing of the system's memory and processing resources. Furthermore, accessing and manipulating the massive views in memory in response to a query can take a prohibitively long amount of time.
These deficiencies are especially relevant for views that provide a comprehensive offering of basic and derived data from a massive data warehouse because such views are often generated, at least in part, by the execution of "join" operations between tables, either actual or virtual, that individually provide access to smaller portions of the data. Join operations are very expensive with respect to system memory and processing resources. In addition, the resulting view is typically much larger than either of the tables being joined, since it represents the Cartesian product of the original tables. Because of this, attempts have been made to design database optimization engines that automatically eliminate join operations when possible. However, improper elimination of "inner join" operations may produce incomplete or incorrect results. For any type of join, when the tables being joined comprise tens of millions of records, each of which may comprise thousands of attributes, managing temporary storage in memory, access, and manipulation of the data becomes extremely cumbersome. Complex queries submitted to the system may take many hours, or even more than a full day, to be completed, tying up system resources for the duration. Furthermore, once such a view is generated, reading the records of the view represents a significant processing operation.

Systems and methods for optimizing database queries


An ultrasonic flowmeter includes a meter body including a flow passage having wetted surfaces through which fluid flow is to be measured. The flowmeter includes a non-stick coating adhered to the wetted surfaces of the meter body. The flowmeter includes a first transducer and at least a second transducer arranged around the flow passage to transmit and receive ultrasonic energy. The flowmeter includes an electronic unit designed to generate and receive electronic signals from the transducers and to process the signals in order to compute information related to the fluid flow rate through the passage. A method for measuring fluid flow with an ultrasonic flowmeter. A method of making an ultrasonic flowmeter.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention. The following discussion is intended to provide information to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that statements in the following discussion are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Transit time ultrasonic flowmeters function by measuring the time it takes for ultrasonic signals to propagate between transducers placed at different locations around or inside a meter body through which the fluid is conveyed. The cross-sectional area of the flow passage through the meter body, the path lengths separating pairs of transducers, and the angle to the flow axis formed between pairs of transducers all play a part in the relationship between the measured times and the rate of flow.
The relationship between the measured transit times and the meter geometry is normally derived from the principle of operation. Calculation of the flow rate then depends on numerical inputs that characterize the geometry of the meter body. These inputs may be derived from design information or based on physical measurement of the meter body, and in the case of high-accuracy ultrasonic meters will normally include calibration parameters that act to correct errors arising from assumptions and/or geometric uncertainties.
In applications where the process fluid may contain contaminants or where the meter body may be prone to erosion or corrosion, the effective geometry of the meter body can be altered. If a change in geometry occurs and is not corrected by calibration or some other means, then this may result in a flow measurement error. For example, if the cross-sectional area of the flow passage is reduced, then the flow velocity may increase. And if the computation of flow rate does not account for the reduced area, the flow rate may be over-registered.
It is known in the field of ultrasonic flow metering that alteration of the internal condition of an ultrasonic meter may affect the accuracy of the meter in the manner described above. See, for example, John Lansing, Dirty vs. Clean Ultrasonic Gas Flow Meter Performance, AGA Operations Conference, Chicago, Ill. 2002. Work has also been carried out with the aim of proving self-diagnosing capability for ultrasonic meters in such situations see for example, John Lansing, How Today's USM diagnostics solve metering problems, North Sea Flow Measurement Workshop, 2005, Tonsberg, Norway.
In oil pipelines various potential contaminants exist, for example, in the form of paraffin wax, asphaltines and inorganic scale. In gas pipelines black powder contamination is well known. The nature of black powder contamination is varied and uncertain but may be from mill scale or corrosion products mechanically mixed or chemically combined with any number of contaminants such as water, liquid hydrocarbons, salts, chlorides, sand, or dirt. Chemical analyses of black powder contamination have revealed that it typically consists mainly of a mixture of iron oxides and iron sulphides. Furthermore, pipelines may also contain water, including salt water, which can lead to corrosion of the internal parts of ultrasonic flowmeter bodies.
Therefore, it is desirable that the internal surfaces of ultrasonic meters be resistant to corrosion and the deposition of contaminants.

Ultrasonic flowmeter with internal surface coating and method


The present invention relates to an emulsion type adhesive applicable for over-laminating films, the preparation and the use thereof. The emulsion type adhesive comprises: (a) 60 to 99.5 parts per hundred of monomers of one or more alkyl acrylates containing 4-12 carbon atoms on the alkyl group; (b) 0.5 to 40 parts per hundred of monomers of an alkyl acrylate containing 1-3 carbon atoms in the alkyl group or an alkyl methacrylate containing 1-6 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; (c) 0.1 to 5 parts per hundred of monomers of dicarboxylic acids; (d) 1 to 5 parts per hundred of a reactive surfactant; (e) 0.1 to 15 parts per hundred of an organic acid vinyl ester; and (f) 100 parts per hundred of soft water, (a) and (b) are 100 parts by hundred, while (c), (d), (e) and (f) are calculated based on the total weight of (a)+(b). The products of this invention have excellent properties.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an adhesive. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pressure-sensitive emulsion adhesive for over-laminating films, the fabrication method and the use thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, the over-laminating film tapes can be applied to protect the prints of hot transfer printing, ink-jet printing, planography, gravure printing or letterpress from the damages of sun and moist. There are two types of over-laminating film tapes. For the first type of the over-laminating tapes, the structure of the tape includes a stacked structure of a substrate (generally biaxially oriented polypropylene film), an adhesive and a mold-release paper. During application, the tape is adhered to the object after peeling off the mold-release paper. The second type of over-laminating tapes has a three-layered structure of a substrate, an adhesive and a mold-release agent, which is directly applied and adhered to the object.
For the first type of the over-laminating tapes, the adhesion between the adhesive and the mold-release paper should be weak so as to be peeled easily. Generally, for the fabrication of the tape, the mold-release paper is coated with the adhesive, oven-dried and then attached to the substrate (coating transfer method). For this type of the over-laminating tapes, the mold-release paper has to be peeled off before the tape is adhered to the target object, which increase the production costs and is environmental unfriendly due to the disposal of the mold-release papers.
For the second type of the over-laminating tapes, one side of the substrate is coated with the mold-release agent (mold-release layer) and the other side of the substrate is coated with the adhesive, without using the mold-release paper. The adhesion of the mold-release layer relative to that of the adhesive layer should be carefully controlled, so that no white lines (peeling marks) are present if applied. When the mold-release agent is a silicon series mold-release agent, incomplete bridging may occurs and the mold-release agent is transferred to the surface of the glue, thus deteriorating the physical properties or transparency. Moreover, the silicone series mold-release agent is expensive. If the mold-release agent is a non-silicon series mold-release agent, problems of non-uniformity exist and unstable adhesion may result in the mold-release agent being transferred to the surface of the glue.
On the other hand, if the adhesive is directly coated to the surface of the substrate to form the over-laminating tapes without using the mold-release agent, the adhesion is stable and no white lines are present when applied, thus obtaining the over-laminating tapes of low costs and high quality.
The adhesives used for such over-laminating tapes includes emulsion type rubber series adhesives, emulsion type acrylic series adhesives, solvent type acrylic series adhesives and non-solvent type adhesives. The acrylic series adhesives are widely adopted for having good weather durability, adhesion, stability over time, and transparency. Compared with the acceptance of the emulsion type acrylic series adhesives in recent days, the solvent type acrylic adhesives are more expensive and may cause impacts to the ecology for containing organic solvents.
However, the conventional emulsion type acrylic series adhesives also have the disadvantages of poor waterproofness, easily turning yellow, higher occurrence of white lines and less adhesion in involution. Thus, for wider application, these problems need to be solved.

Pressure sensitive emulsion adhesive for over-laminating films, manufacturing method thereof and use thereof


There is provided a high efficiency base synthesis process for shape selective production of pyridine and picoline products from ammonia and C.sub.1-5 carbonyl compounds. The process includes reacting ammonia and at least one C.sub.1-5 carbonyl reactant under suitable reaction conditions of temperature, pressure, and space velocity in the presence of a catalyst comprising a molecular sieve to produce a primary product comprising pyridine or picoline products and polyalkylpyridines or other higher molecular weight aromatic species, separating and collecting the pyridine or picoline products from the polyalkylpyridines or other higher molecular weight aromatic species, and circulating the polyalkylpyridines or other higher molecular weight aromatic species to the same or another catalyst under conversion conditions to yield additional pyridine or picoline products with substantially reduced amounts of polyalkylpyridines or other higher molecular weight aromatic species.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to improvements in processes for shape selective preparation of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. More specifically, the invention relates to improvements in processes for preparing nitrogen-containing aromatic hydrocarbons such as pyridines and picolines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pyridine is a six-membered heterocyclic aromatic compound with one nitrogen atom in the ring structure. It is an important chemical in the manufacture of agricultural chemicals, e.g., herbicides and pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, and is also useful as a solvent in the polymer and textile industries. Important derivatives of pyridine include, for example, nicotinic acid and nicotinamide (vitamins essential for human health), chlorpheniramine (an antihistamine), cetylpyridinium (a germicide and antiseptic), isoniazid (an important antitubercular drug), and Paraquat.RTM. (a herbicide).
Pyridine itself is a simple ring structure, and has only hydrogen atoms bonded to the structure. Pyridines having one methyl group attached to the ring structure are called methylpyridines or picolines, and they include 2- or .alpha.-picoline, 3- or .beta.-picoline, and 4- or .gamma.-picoline. Dimethylpyridines are called lutidines, and the 2,6- and 3,5-lutidines are readily obtainable. Trimethylpyridines are called collidines, with the 2,4,6-collidine or sym-collidine being the most common. See "Pyridine and Pyridine Derivatives," Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Vol. 19, 3rd. Ed. (1982).
Pyridine and picolines can be obtained as by-products of the coal tar industry or coke manufacture. However, pyridine is found in only small amounts in coal tar, and a preferred method of obtaining pyridine is by chemical synthesis. Chemical synthesis typically relies on a catalytic gaseous reaction (condensation) between ammonia (or amines) and carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes or ketones. However, these chemical synthesis methods have historically suffered from disadvantages of low yields and poor selectivity, and short operation cycle and catalyst lifetime.
The term "base synthesis" is known and used in the field of pyridine chemistry to identify synthetic processes by which bases of pyridine and its alkylated derivatives are prepared by reacting aldehydes and/or ketones with ammonia in the gas phase using a heterogeneous catalyst. For example, the reaction of acetaldehyde with ammonia in the presence of heterogenous catalysts at about 350.degree. C. to about 550.degree. C. yields 2- and 4-methylpyridines (.beta.- and .gamma.-picolines). As another example, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, can be reacted with ammonia to yield pyridine and 3-methylpyridine. Such pyridine synthesis methods are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,410 to Feitler and U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,783 to Chang et al. which are each herein incorporated by reference.
Reaction of acetaldehyde or certain other low molecular weight aldehydes and ammonia either in the absence or presence of methanol and/or formaldehyde to yield pyridine and alkyl derivatives thereof has been carried out in the presence of amorphous silica-alumina composites containing various promoters. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,807,618 and 3,946,020. The yields of desired products using the latter catalysts have been poor. Alkylpyridines have also been synthesized, as reported in Advances in Catalysis, 18:344 (1968), by passing gaseous acetaldehyde and ammonia over the crystalline aluminosilicates NaX and H-mordenite. While initial conversion utilizing these materials as catalysts was high, catalyst deactivation by coking was rapid, providing a commercially unattractive system, characterized by poor catalytic stability.
Amorphous aluminosilicate catalysts provide a reasonable yield of pyridine at the beginning of the process; however, after repeated operation cycles some limitations appear which make these catalysts unacceptable from a commercial standpoint.
Synthetic crystalline zeolites having an intermediate pore size as measured by the Constraint Index of the zeolite being between 1 and 12, e.g., ZSM-5, have been found to provide commercially useful yields and product selectivities. U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,783 was pioneer in this discovery, teaching synthesis of pyridine and alkylpyridines by reacting ammonia and a carbonyl reactant which is an aldehyde containing 2 to 4 carbon atoms, a ketone containing 3 to 5 carbon atoms or mixtures of said aldehydes and/or ketones under effective conditions in the presence of a catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite having been ion exchanged with cadmium and having a silica to alumina ratio of at least about 12, and a Constraint Index within the approximate range of 1 to 12.
Use of a ZSM-5 catalyst component in a fluidized or otherwise movable bed reactor is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,410. U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,179 teaches synthesis of pyridine by reaction of ammonia and a carbonyl compound, preferably with added hydrogen, over catalyst comprising a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite which has been ion exchanged with a Group VIII metal of the Periodic Table. The crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite has a silica to alumina mole ratio of at least 15, preferably 30 to 200, a Constraint Index of from 4 to 12, e.g., ZSM-5, and the process provides a high and selective yield of pyridine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,843 teaches addition of a third aldehyde or ketone to a binary mixture of aldehydes and/or ketones used in preparing mixtures of pyridine and alkyl-substituted pyridines in large scale continuous processes. In a preferred system, propionaldehyde is added to a binary mixture of acetaldehyde and formaldehyde to produce beta-pyridine and pyridine. The catalyst for this process is a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite in the acidic form having a Constraint Index of from 1 to 12, e.g., ZSM-5.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,122 to Goe et al. relates to a process for base synthesis over a modified catalyst containing tungsten, zinc, or tin, and a constraint index of about 1 to 12.
These crystalline catalysts have been provided in an attempt to improve the performance of amorphous catalysts. However, the yield of pyridine, and selectivity operation life, and restorability of the catalyst after regeneration still have not been satisfactory. Specifically, the yield of pyridine is low, the ratio of pyridine to picolines is not suitable, and the yield of the desired pyridine product decreases sharply after several reaction/regeneration cycles.
In view of the above considerations, it is clear that existing processes for synthesis of pyridines, picolines, and related compounds is encumbered by disadvantages that render the processes unacceptable from a commercial perspective. Specifically, (1) large amounts of carbonaceous deposits form which reduce the activity of the catalyst to below acceptable levels; (2) the selectivity of the reaction for the desired pyridine and alkylpyridine becomes very poor; (3) the catalysts become thermally unstable; and (4) the activity of the used catalyst is difficult to restore completely by regeneration.
Accordingly, it is one of the purposes of this invention to overcome the above limitations in pyridine and picoline synthetic processes, by providing a process by which high yields and high purities of desirable products can be achieved in a cost- and time-efficient manner. It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a pyridine synthesis process that can be readily adapted and scaled to commercial application.


A pesticidal composition to noxious organisms which comprises a diarylalkane and an active component effective for killing or repelling noxious organisms and the diarylalkane is at least one member selected from the group consisting of butyl diphenylmethane, butyl-1,1-diphenylethane and butyl-1,2-diphenylethane. The used diarylalkane has a high dissolving power to the effective component, a high boiling point and a high flash point with low unpleasant smell and does not deteriorate the effective component in the pesticidal composition.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pesticidal compositions such as insecticide, germicide, repellents and herbicide which are used for repelling or killing noxious organisms. In other words, the term "pesticidal composition" includes the composition that keeps noxious organisms away or kills them to prevent their attack.
(2) Description of Prior Art
The pesticidal composition to noxious organisms such as agricultural chemicals are used in various forms of preparations. The forms of compositions are exemplified by solid forms such as powder, powdery granules, granules, hydrated preparations and pills; liquid forms such as solutions, emulsions, oily preparations and flowable preparations; and aerosols, coating compositions, gaseous agents, smoking agents and microcapsules. In a microcapsule-type preparation, an effective component is encapsulated with a high polymer membrane or thin sheets of effective component are sandwiched between layers of polymer.
More particularly, the powdery composition is prepared through a process such that an effective component is mixed with powder of clay mineral such as talc or bentonite, and the mixture is then pulverized into fine powder of about 10 .mu.m in average diameter. This can be used intact by spreading with a sprayer. The DL powder in which the drifting is minimized by removing very fine powder having a particle size smaller than a certain value and flow dust (FD) composition for use in gardening fall under the above-mentioned category. The powdery granules are prepared by using clay powder which has a particle size larger than that of the above powdery composition. The granular composition is a solid preparation of medium-sized particles of a value between those of the above powdery composition and the powdery granules.
The hydrated composition is prepared by adding a clay mineral, surface active agent and diluent to an effective component which is hardly soluble to water, thereby forming a powdery solid. When this composition is used, a suitable quantity of water is added to prepare a suspension and the prepared suspension is sprayed. Further-more, exemplified as the compositions belonging to this category are the hydrated tablets (dry flowable pills) having a larger particle size and a water soluble composition which is prepared by adding an auxiliary component to a water soluble effective component.
The liquid composition is a concentrated solution of an effective component which is prepared by dissolving the effective component into a suitable volatile solvent. The liquid composition is also exemplified by an emulsion and an oily composition. The emulsion is prepared by emulsifying an effective component in water or in an organic solvent with a surface active agent. The oily composition is prepared by dissolving an effective component into an organic solvent. Both of them can be used by diluting with water or with an organic solvent and then spraying or spreading.
The constituents of the above compositions are generally classified into three groups of effective components (chemical agents for killing or repelling noxious organisms), diluents and auxiliary agents. The effective components are the so-called agricultural chemicals. The diluent facilitates the preparation of the pesticidal composition by diluting the effective component properly. The diluents are exemplified by solid diluents (carriers) and liquid diluents. The auxiliary agents are used for imparting several properties such as emulsifiability, dispersibility, spreadability and solubility relative to the effective component, for preventing the effective component from decomposition during storage or after spraying, or for improving the sticking of effective component to farm products. Even when the auxiliary agent itself has no pesticidal effect, those which can enhance the effect of the composition when used together are also included in the category of auxiliary agent. By the way, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the above-mentioned diluents from the auxiliary agents.
The preparation of pesticidal composition using the liquid diluent or auxiliary agent will be described further.
In the preparation of an oily composition, they are employed as an organic solvent to dissolve the effective component. In the preparation of emulsified composition, a solution of effective component is formed and the solution is emulsified with water. In the case of powder composition and granular composition, an effective component is dissolved in a solvent and carrier particles are coated with the solution or the carrier is kneaded or impregnated with the solution so as to form powder or granular composition.
The organic solvents used for preparing the oily composition and emulsified composition are exemplified by the hitherto used hydrocarbons such as alcohols, ketones, ethers and paraffins; and aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene and dodecylbenzene. Besides these solvents, there are proposed the use of phenyl xylylethane (Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 56-19841) and compounds having specific structure (Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 58-14401).
Furthermore, the uses in the preparation of solid compositions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,084; U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,766 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,656.
It is to be noted, however, that the spreading or spraying using phenyl xylylethane as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 56-19841 is not satisfactory in view of the safety to fire. In order to ensure the safety, the substance having a higher flash point and higher boiling point is desired.
Also concerning the smell, with giving consideration to worker's unpleasant feeling in the spreading or spraying operation, odorless composition having no nasty smell is required. When the pesticidal composition in any form is used to noxious organisms, it is spread or sprayed in large quantities over fields, farms, fruit farms, forests, lumber, houses and so forth. Therefore, it is necessary to use odorless composition in view of the prevention of environmental pollution.

Pesticidal composition to noxious organisms


A technique for performing an information search relate to parts included in a circuit diagram or a board diagram displayed on a display screen. Network connection destination information, which includes URL information for a predetermined server, a type of information to be transmitted to the server and a predetermined transmission method, are read from a local hard disk. When a predetermined manipulation is performed for a graphics primitive, the network connection destination information is referred to and menu information that enables selection of a predetermined server is generated and displayed. Further, when a predetermined server is selected on the menu information, a part corresponding to parts identification information designated for the selected graphics primitive is searched for, information therefor is obtained, a search request is issued to the predetermined server, and the search results are displayed on a display device.

Conventionally, many manufacturers, including electric appliance and automobile makers, produce a variety of products in which electric systems, such as electric or electronic circuits, are used. Further, provided in correlation with these products are service manuals that furnish detailed information for use as a reference for the inspection or the maintenance and repair of the products. Ordinarily, such service manuals are supplied as printed matter, but recently, digitized service manuals (electronic service manuals), which can be browsed using PCs (Personal computers), are increasingly being provided.
Multiple technical drawings, such as circuit diagrams and board diagrams, are inserted in the service manuals. Required for the technical drawings, which include circuit diagrams and board diagrams, are means for arbitrarily enlarging, reducing or moving them during browsing. Therefore, for the electronic service manuals, the use of a vector graphics data format is desired, and for this, the most common vector graphics data format, PDF (Portable Document Format), is employed.
While most electronic service manuals are those obtained by directly digitizing the printed matter for the service manuals, there are also electronic service manuals for which a hyperlink, for coupling data, is embedded at a predetermined location so that the display of a circuit diagram, for example, can be quickly changed to display the caption for the circuit diagram.
Furthermore, in patent document 1, disclosed below, is a parts search system wherein a server and a user terminal are connected across a network, and wherein when the server receives a product or parts search request issued by the user terminal, the server transmits to the user terminal information that is related to a requested product or part.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-99550
However, for an electronic service manual wherein a hyperlink is embedded for coupling data, an electronic service manual producer must designate in advance data to be coupled, and moreover, must embed a hyperlink for coupling the data. At present, where there are service manuals for a large variety of products and an extensive number of parts are included in the service manuals, an enormous amount of labor is required to embed hyperlinks in these parts, and the embedding process is very difficult.
Furthermore, this hyperlink is provided as a very fixed one. For example, especially for a PDF file, when URL information such as a search site is embedded using a hyperlink, the URL information can not be changed unless special software for PDF processing is employed. Further, since a keyword, for example, can not be transmitted even when a link is connected to a search site, it is impossible, by means of conventional hyperlink embedding, for information concerning each part to be searched for in a search site. That is, since it is impossible through the embedding of a hyperlink for information concerning each part to be searched for in a plurality of search sites and the site of a parts database, and since changes in a setup, by a user, is also limited, the usability of a conventional electronic service manual is very poor.
A part search system disclosed in patent document 1 is a system wherein images, based on a parts list or a service manual, are browsed by using a user terminal, and the location of a search requested part is narrowed down in accordance with an instruction given using a mouse, and wherein an enlarged image of a location designated by a user using the mouse and detailed information therefor are provided by a server, so that the search operation initiated by the user is supported. Therefore, in no way is an idea expressed that useful information for parts in a circuit or on a board can be obtained by employing a search site on the Internet or at the site of a parts database.

Electronic service manual for product constituted by electric or electronic circuit


Methods and systems are provided for purging condensate from a charge air cooler to an engine intake while reducing misfire events related to the water ingestion. During the purging, a spark timing is adjusted based on the amount of condensate purged per cycle. The spark timing is adjusted differently when the condensate is purged during a tip-in versus a pro-active clean-out routine.

Engines may increase output power by using boosting devices that compress intake air. Since charge compression increases air temperature, charge air coolers may be utilized downstream of a compressor to cool the compressed air, further increasing the potential power output of the engine. As intake air passes through the charge air cooler and is cooled below a dew point, condensation occurs. The condensate may be accumulated at a trap and delivered to the running engine subsequently, at a controlled rate. The introduction of water into the engine, however, can increase the likelihood of misfire events. Engine control systems may have to employ various knock and misfire control approaches to address the knock.
One example approach for addressing humidity induced combustion issues is shown by Sasaki et al. in US 2011/0303187. Therein, a knock-limit ignition timing is adjusted based on deviations in a fuel octane content from a basic fuel octane content as well deviations in ambient humidity from a basic ambient humidity. This allows misfire events arising due to a sudden change in fuel octane content and high ambient humidity to be reduced.
However the inventors herein have identified potential issues with such an approach. Even with the adjusted ignition timing, misfire events may occur. Specifically, condensate formation may involve various factors including, but not limited to, ambient humidity. Other factors that may affect condensate formation at the charge air cooler include, for example, mass air flow, ambient temperature, charge air cooler outlet temperature, ambient temperature, charge air cooler to ambient pressure ratio, EGR, etc. In addition, condensate formation and condensate purging may affect the intake manifold humidity. Thus, there may be conditions when ambient humidity is low but intake manifold humidity is high. If spark ignition timing is adjusted based on ambient humidity during those conditions, the ingested condensate can slow the burn rate of combustion and degrade combustion efficiency. Likewise, there may be conditions when ambient humidity is high but intake manifold humidity is low. If spark timing is adjusted based on ambient humidity during those conditions, combustion efficiency may again be reduced and a frequency of knock events may increase.
In one example, some of the above issues may be addressed by a method for a boosted engine comprising adjusting spark timing from an initial setting based on ambient humidity to a final setting, the adjusting based on a change in condensate level at a charge air cooler. In this way, knock and misfire can be reduced when condensate is stored or purged at the cooler.
As one example, during conditions when condensate is being stored at a charge air cooler, borderline knock limits and spark timing may be retarded. As such, due to condensate being stored at the charge air cooler, a resulting intake manifold humidity may be lower than the ambient humidity. The amount of spark retard applied may be based on a difference between the resulting intake manifold humidity and the ambient humidity. By applying the spark retard, the likelihood of knock occurring during the storing can be reduced and combustion stability can be improved. As another example, during conditions when condensate is being released from the charge air cooler to the engine intake, borderline knock limits and spark timing may be advanced (or retarded less). As such, due to condensate being released from the charge air cooler, a resulting intake manifold humidity may be higher than the ambient humidity. The amount of spark advance applied may be based on a difference between the resulting intake manifold humidity and the ambient humidity. By applying the spark advance, knock toleration is and combustion stability is improved during the purging. In comparison, during steady state conditions at the charge air cooler, when there is no substantial change in condensate levels, spark timing may be maintained.
In this way, spark adjustments may be performed based on changes to intake manifold humidity resulting from storage or release of condensate at or from a charge air cooler. By advancing borderline knock limits and spark timing when condensate is purged, the increased intake manifold humidity from the purging can be advantageously used to limit knock. By retarding borderline knock limits and spark timing when condensate is being stored, combustion stability can be improved. Overall, condensate management is accomplished without degrading engine performance.
It will be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description, which follows. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined by the claims that follow the detailed description. Further, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


A novel organosiloxane polymer is obtained by addition reaction of an organohydrogenpolysiloxane, an alkenyl-containing organopolysiloxane and an unsaturated compound of formula (3) or (4). Using the organosiloxane polymer, a photo-curable resin composition is prepared which can be exposed to radiation having a wide range of wavelength and developed to form a pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an organosiloxane polymer suitable for use as a base polymer in photo-curable resin compositions, a photo-curable resin composition comprising the same, a patterning process, and a substrate protective film made from the composition.
2. Background Art
Organosiloxane base photo-curable resin compositions are advantageously used as protective coatings, insulating coatings and release coatings and even as photoresists for fine-circuitry fabrication.
Among prior art organosiloxane base photo-curable resin compositions, those using photoacid generators are well known. For example, JP-A 55-105627 describes a resin composition comprising an epoxy radical-containing organosiloxane and a diaryl iodonium salt as the photoacid generator. JP-A 59-500522 describes a resin composition comprising a vinyl ether radical-containing organosiloxane and an onium salt as the photoacid generator. These resin compositions, however, suffer from the problems that only photoacid generators of selected type can be used because of the incompatibility between the resin and the photoacid generator, and only light sources in a limited range of wavelength can be utilized. If these resin compositions are used as resist materials for micro-fabrication, the resins are insufficiently photo-curable to achieve precise micro-patterning. Also, an organosiloxane base photo-curable resin composition using a linear hydroxyorganosiloxane is known in the art as disclosed in JP-A 11-335464, but its strength is not so high. As the resist material for fine-circuitry fabrication, resin compositions comprising a cresol novolac resin or polyhydroxystyrene resin, an alkoxymethylated amino resin and a photoacid generator are known as disclosed in JP-A 4-136860. These materials have the shortcoming that cured films after development are less elastic or less compliant so that when other resins are laminated thereon, delamination or cracking readily occurs due to differential stresses. Because of their essentially low transparency, thick films tend to lose sensitivity. Besides, when such compositions are used as a protective insulating material for substrates, there arises an essential problem: poor adhesion to substrates.
The recent outstanding progress of the information technology encourages the size and weight reduction of electronic parts used in low-profile information terminals as typified by mobile phones, digital cameras and portable audio equipment. To attain such purposes, the concept of wafer-level chip size package (W-CSP) was proposed for the manufacture of semiconductor devices and has been used in practice.
In a general process of the W-CSP, a thin-film seed layer of titanium/copper is disposed on a wafer which has completed a conventional LSI process, a pattern is formed using a thick film of photosensitive material, and copper plating is performed to form redistribution wiring. At this point, the photosensitive material is once removed. On the copper plated redistribution wiring and copper thin-film seed layer having a step therebetween, a pattern is formed using a thick film of photosensitive material again. Copper plating is performed again to form via posts.
As is well known in the art, the metal of copper tends to readily bond with air-borne oxygen to form an oxide film and also tends to allow copper atoms to gradually diffuse into an organic material disposed in close contact therewith, and is chemically highly active. Thus, when a photosensitive material is imagewise processed on the copper surface, difficulties often arise which are not encountered in the processing on films of other metals or oxides or nitrides thereof. In the above-described proposal, patterning on the copper surface is unstable, imposing difficulty in finding a compromise between resolution and close adhesion. This raises the problem that the coating of the composition separates away from the substrate during development or is left in unexposed areas even after development. It would be desirable to solve these problems.

Organosiloxane polymer, photo-curable resin composition, patterning process, and substrate protective film


A reversible drive device for bicycles, allowing a bicycle to go forward by a normal or reversed rotating force of a pedal without forcing a user to operate any lever, is disclosed. The drive device has a simple construction with a reduced number of parts and allows the rear wheel 10 to be rotatable in a reversed direction, thus allowing the bicycle to be moved backward. The drive device is integrated into a single assembly and is detachably attached to either the rear wheel hub shaft 11 or a pedal shaft 21, so the device allows a user to easily repair or change the drive device and improves work efficiency while producing the drive device. Two crescent stoppers 18 are formed on each end of the fixed shaft 17 so as to effectively prevent the shaft holding yoke of the rear wheel fork 1 from being unexpectedly opened.

As well known to those skilled in the art, typical bicycles, preferably used for leisure sport, short-distance locomotion, etc., individually comprise a pipe frame with both a saddle and a handlebar. In such a bicycle, front and rear wheels are rotatably held by two forks at the front and rear ends of the frame with shafts and bearings. The frame also holds a one-way drive device comprising two sprockets: a large-diameter drive sprocket and a small-diameter ratchet sprocket. The drive sprocket has a shaft, which is provided with two pedals at both ends and is rotatably fitted into the fixed bush of the frame. The ratchet sprocket is held by the frame at the center of the rear wheel and is connected to the drive sprocket through an endless chain. The ratchet sprocket is provided with a ratchet mechanism or a one-way clutch for exclusively transmitting the normal rotating force of the drive sprocket to the shaft of the rear wheel. That is, when a user, sitting on the saddle and gripping the handlebar with both hands, pedals to rotate the drive sprocket in a normal direction, the normal rotating force of the drive sprocket is transmitted to the ratchet sprocket through the chain prior to being transmitted to the rear wheel, thus rotating the rear wheel and making the bicycle go forward on the ground. However, when the drive sprocket is rotated in a reversed direction, the one-way clutch of the ratchet sprocket does not transmit the reversed rotating force of the drive sprocket to the rear wheel, but allows the ratchet sprocket to be run idle. In such a case, the bicycle inertially goes forward for a time.
However, such a one-way drive device for bicycles is problematic in that the drive sprocket has to be continuously rotated in the normal direction when the bicycle requires going forward. It is thus necessary for a user to continuously pedal the bicycle forward while riding on the bicycle. Therefore, in the case of a long-distance bicycle trip, both legs of the user suffer from tension, causing the user to feel stiff in the legs and preventing the leg muscles from being uniformly developed and reducing the muscular motion effect while riding on the bicycle. In addition, when the user dismounts from the bicycle and walks on the ground after a long-time pedaling, the leg muscles, which have tension due to the unidirectional pedaling, fail to directly adapt themselves to walking thus causing the user to stagger on the ground. In this regard, a user sometimes stops the pedalling of a bicycle or pedals the bicycle in a reversed direction. However, such a reversed rotating force of the drive sprocket is not transmitted to the rear wheel due to the one-way clutch and results in a consumption of user's pedalling force.
In an effort to overcome the above problems caused by such a one-way drive device for bicycles, Korean Patent Publication No. 95-13589 discloses a reversible drive device for bicycles, which is capable of making a bicycle to go forward on the ground by the reversed rotating force of a pedal shaft in addition to the normal rotating force. The above Korean reversible drive device effectively transmits the rotating force of a pedal shaft to the rear wheel regardless of the rotating direction of the shaft, thereby making the bicycle go forward when a user rotates the pedal shaft in either direction. The above reversible drive device comprises a frame, which is provided with a mount bracket for holding a drive sprocket on the frame. The drive device also has a drive power transmission unit a power conversion unit and a switch lever unit. The power transmission unit is used for transmitting the rotating force of a pedal shaft to the drive sprocket. The power conversion unit is selectively brought into detachable engagement with the power transmission unit, thus changing a reversed rotating force of the pedal shaft into a normal rotating force prior to transmitting the rotating force to the drive sprocket. The switch lever unit is selectively operated by a user to change the drive mode of the reversible drive device between two modes: a normal pedalling mode and a reversed pedalling mode. In the normal pedalling mode, the power transmission unit is free from the power conversion unit, so the power transmission unit transmits the normal rotating force of the pedal shaft to the drive sprocket. In the reversed pedalling mode, the power conversion unit engages with the power transmission unit, thus changing the reversed rotating force of the pedal shaft into a normal rotating force prior to transmitting the rotating force to the drive sprocket.
That is, when the switch lever unit is operated by a user to change the drive mode into the reversed pedalling mode, the power conversion unit is brought into engagement with the power transmission unit, so the reversed rotating force of the pedal shaft is changed into the normal rotating force, thus rotating the power transmission unit in a normal direction. Therefore, the above reversible drive device allows a bicycle to go forward regardless of the rotating direction of the pedal shaft.
However, the above reversible drive device for bicycles is problematic in that when a user wants to change the drive mode of the drive device between the two modes while riding on a bicycle, the user has to operate the switch lever unit. Therefore, the reversible drive device is inconvenient to the user.
The reversible drive device is also designed so that it reduces the speed ratio during the reversed pedalling mode where the rotating force of the pedal shaft is transmitted to the power transmission unit through the power conversion unit. Therefore, the reversible drive device reduces the speed of a bicycle during the reversed pedalling made in comparison with the normal pedalling mode. Another problem experienced in the above reversible drive device is that the power conversion unit and the power transmission unit individually have a complex construction and comprise a plurality of elements, thus complicating the process of producing bicycles. Therefore, the above reversible drive device reduces productivity and increases production cost of bicycles.

Unidirectional output from bi-directional inputs bicycle transmission


A process is described for preparing polyisobutene having a content of terminal vinylidene groups of at least 75 mol % by polymerizing isobutene or isobutenic hydrocarbon mixtures in the liquid phase in the presence of a boron trifluoride complex catalyst of the composition(BF3)a.L1b.L2c.L3dwhere L1 is water, a primary C1–C5-alkanol and/or a secondary C3–C5-alkanol, L2 is at least one aldehyde and/or one ketone, L3 is an ether having at least 5 carbon atoms, a secondary alkanol having at least 6 carbon atoms, a primary alkanol having at least 6 carbon atoms and/or a tertiary alkanol, the b:a ratio is in the range from 0.9 to 3.0, the c:a ratio is in the range from 0.01 to 0.5, and the d:a ratio is in the range from 0 to 1.0.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing polyisobutene having a content of terminal vinylidene groups of at least 75 mol %.
2. Description of the Background
For the purposes of the present application, terminal vinylidene groups or terminal double bonds are those double bonds whose position in the polyisobutene macromolecule is described by the general formula
where R is a polyisobutenyl radical. The type and the proportion of the double bonds present in the polyisobutene can be determined with the aid of 1H or 13C NMR spectroscopy.
Such highly reactive polyisobutenes are used as intermediates for preparing additives for fuels and lubricants, as described, for example, in DE-A 27 02 604. The highest reactivity is exhibited by the terminal vinylidene groups having 2-methyl substitution, whereas neopentyl substitution or double bonds disposed further toward the center of the macromolecule, depending on their position in the macromolecule, exhibit only slight reactivity, if any, in the customary functionalization reactions. The proportion of terminal vinylidene groups in the molecule is therefore the most important quality criterion for this type of polyisobutene.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,823 describes a process for preparing highly reactive polyisobutenes by cationic polymerization of isobutene in the presence of boron trifluoride and secondary alcohols having from 3 to 20 carbon atoms and/or ethers having from 2 to 20 carbon atoms.
WO 93/10063 discloses boron trifluoride etherate complexes in which the ether has at least one tertiary carbon atom bonded to the ether oxygen atom. The complexes serve to polymerize olefins, in particular isobutene, to polymers having a high content of vinylidene groups.
EP-A 1 026 175 describes the preparation of isobutene polymers having at least 80 mol % of molecules with terminal vinylidene structure using complex catalysts of boron trifluoride, ether and alcohol and/or water in certain amounts.


Systems and methods for detecting faults in RVDTs and LVDTs are described. In an exemplary embodiment, a sum of secondary voltages V1 and V2 from a transducer is obtained by adding the secondary voltages together, i.e.; V1+V2. This sum of secondary voltages theoretically should be constant for all LVDT/RVDT positions, since the total length of the secondary transformer is constant. An electrical fault in the primary or secondary windings generates a corresponding change in the sum of secondary voltages. By comparing this shifted value to a reference value which is representative of a no-fault condition, an error value is created which indicates the magnitude of the shift in the sum of the secondary values. Depending upon the magnitude of the error value, certain actions are taken.

The present invention relates generally to control systems for position sensing, and more specifically, to detecting faults in linear variable differential transformers and rotary variable differential transformers.
Position sensors are utilized in many different applications, including in gas turbine engines for aeronautical, marine, and industrial applications. Such engines often include, for example, rotary voltage differential transducers (RVDTs) and linear voltage differential transducers (LVDTs). The transducers are coupled to actuators, and provide a voltage signal proportional to a stroke position of the actuator.
To detect faults in RVDTs and LVDTs, a range test can be performed on the sum of secondary voltages from the transducers. A range test also can be performed on a sensed position to verify signal integrity. The range limits, however, must be set wide enough to account for all worse-case system variations. Otherwise, a properly operating transducer may be identified as having a fault. These wide range limits result, however, in detecting only extreme faults due to electrical open circuits or short circuits. Failures which cause only minor shifts in the sensed position value may not necessarily be detected, even though such failures can impact control system operation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Detection of faults in linear and rotary voltage transducers


In the primary invention of this application, an optical-fiber inspection device which detects the distance to a reflection point within the DUT and the amount of reflected light by dividing into two a laser beam which is possible to be frequency-swept, making one of the divided light beams incident to an optical detector via the reference light path, while making the other of the divided light beams incident to the DUT and making the light reflected within the DUT incident to the said optical detector, and analyzing the frequency of the interference signal for the two beams obtained by the optical detector, is configured so that the final reference light is obtained by providing an optical coupler in the reference light path and, after taking out a part of the reference light and making it pass through an optical frequency shifter, combining this again with the original reference light with the said optical coupler.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical-fiber inspection device and more particularly to an improvement in the extension of its measurable region and an enhancement of its resolution in measuring the distance to a fault point.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are two well-known optical-fiber inspection device thus far: the Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) and Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometer (OFDR). The present invention relates to an optical-fiber inspection device of an OFDR scheme which identifies a fault point in a section of optical fiber by frequency information obtained by detecting the reflected light from the fault point above.
FIG. 1 shows an exaniple of a theoretical configuration drawing of an OFDR using a fiber interferometer in the prior art. A laser beam emitted from laser diode (LD) module 1 is controlled by LD driver 2 to sweep its frequency. The laser beam is equally divided into two by optical coupler 3; one is propagated through a path 3a and incident to an optical detector, photo-diode (PD) 5. The other is incident to a section of optical fiber 4, a device under test (DUT), and reflected at a fault point 4a (e.g., fracture) in the optical fiber. This reflected light is propagated through a path 3b via optical coupler 3 and incident to PD 5. PD 5 detects interference between these two light beams (the interfering means is omitted).
The output of the PD is analyzed with spectrum analyzer 6 employing a method, e.g., Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and the frequency and intensity of the interference light. In addition, LD driver 2 gives a trigger to spectrum analyzer 6 for the timing of the measurement.
In this configuration, the oscillation frequency of LD 1 is swept linearly so that the sweeping is .DELTA.f per unit time (.DELTA.t). If a time difference tl exists between the light directly incident to PD 5 via the optical coupler and the light incident to PD 5 after being reflected in the DUT, the frequency difference between these two light beams fl is expressed as shown below. EQU f.sub.1 =(.DELTA.f/.DELTA.t).times.t.sub.1
This time difference is proportional to the distance from the light-incident end of the optical fiber to a fault (fault point 4a) where reflection occurs within the DUT and, for example, expressed in the next expression (the lengths of paths 3a and 3b must be the same). EQU t.sub.1 =2.times.L/V
where L is the distance up to a fault point. (As light advances and returns the same distance, 2.times.L is used).
V is the speed of light within the DUT. (Let the speed of light in a vacuum be c, and the refractive index of the DUT be n; then, V=c/n.) PA1 n is the refractive index of the medium PA1 .DELTA.v is the line width of the light source (frequency)
From the above equations, if the sweeping rate (.DELTA.f/.DELTA.t) of the oscillation frequency is kept constant (already known), the distance to the fault point (position of the fault point) in the DUT can be known from the frequency of the interference signal at the PD, and the reflected amount at the fault point can be known from the magnitude of the interference signal. This enables an inspection device for an optical fiber or the like to be configured.
In this case, the measurable distance is limited by the coherence length of the light source used. The coherence length Lc is given by the following equation in a simplified form: EQU Lc=(c/n).times.(1/.DELTA.v)
where c is the speed of light in a vacuum
For example, if an optical fiber where n=1.5 and an LD with a line width of 1 MHz are used, the coherence length Lc is 200 m, that is, up to a distance of 100 m or so can be measured for the one-way distance. To extend the measurable distance, a light source with a narrower line width is required. However, it is not easy to provide a light source whose light emitting frequency can be swept and whose line width is narrow.
As a method to increase the measuring distance, there is a method of extending the path of the reference light. As shown in FIG. 2, it is a method to connect an extended optical fiber 3c with a length h. This makes measurement of a fault point possible in a range from the forward and return length h within a DUT to the coherence length Lc. However, the following problems remain even in such a measuring distance extension.
Although the measuring distance can be extended by implementing measurement replacing the extension optical fiber 3c with longer ones, there are problems that such measurements require a provision of multiple numbers of long optical fibers and has the necessity of incorporating a manual means of replacement or a channel selector or the like for these optical fibers.
For example, to measure a forward distance of 1 km for a coherence length of 200 m, 9 sections of optical fiber with lengths of 200 m, 400 m . . . , 1400 m, 1600 m, and 1800 m respectively become necessary. Although it is possible to obtain a 600 m fiber by connecting two lengths of optical fiber 200 m and 400 m long, a slight reflection at the connection point may cause ghosting.
In addition, in the configuration in FIG. 3 showing another example of an OFDR, the following problem exists: a light beam (e.g., a laser beam) emitted from electro-optic converter 13 (hereafter abbreviated as E/O converter) corresponding to LD1 in FIG. 1 is driven by the output of sweep oscillator 11 given via distributor 12, and controlled so that the intensity-modulation frequency for the output light is swept. The output light is incident to DUT 4, the device under test, via optical coupler 3 and reflected at a fault point (e.g., fracture) in the DUT. The reflected light is incident to an opto-electrical converter 5 (hereafter called O/E converter) corresponding to the PD in FIG. 1, converted to an electrical signal, and input to mixer 14.
The output of the above sweep oscillator 11 is also connected to mixer 14 via distributor 12, and mixer 14 outputs a signal of the frequency difference between the two input signals. This signal is input to frequency analyzer 15 in which the frequency difference is analyzed.
Sweep oscillator 11 is swept linearly so that the frequency change of .DELTA.f per unit time (.DELTA.t) is obtained. The frequency difference between the two inputs of mixer 14 is proportional to the delay time difference. As the delay time difference is proportional to the distance to a fault point in DUT 4, the distance to the fault point can be known by making a frequency analysis and the reflected amount at the fault point, that is, the size of the fault point can be known from the magnitude of the signal.
However, the following problems still exist because a signal based on the reflected light from a fault point located near the light-incident end of the DUT has a lower frequency in the output of mixer 14.
(1) Much noise is contained in the low-frequency components, such as 1/f noise, and, thus, it is difficult to analyze lower-intensity, lower-frequency signals. PA0 (2) It is hard for a spectrum analyzer generally used as a frequency analyzer to analyze low-frequency signals.
In addition, a signal corresponding to the reflected light (the signal to be measured with a frequency analyzer) from a fault point located remote from the end of the DUT to which the incident light is applied may sometimes be difficult to be measured because its frequency becomes too high.
Further, if more than one fault point located close to each other within a DUT exists, and if an E/O converter having a highly coherent output (e.g., a laser beam) is used, there occurs a problem where light beams reflected from fault points located close to each other interfere with each other and generate noise components causing the fact that the fault points cannot be detected with a high resolution.
As seen above, it is difficult for conventional OFDR's to extend the measurable distance and also to perform fault point detection with a high resolution.
The purpose of the present invention is, considering the above discussed points, to realize an optical-fiber inspection device which can easily extend the measurable distance.
Another purpose of the present invention is to make available an optical-fiber inspection device which can detect fault points with a high resolution.