The present invention provides a human proline-rich acidic protein (PRAP) and polynucleotides which identify and encode PRAP. In addition, the invention provides expression vectors and host cells, agonists, antibodies, or antagonists. This invention also provides methods for preventing or treating disorders associated with the expression of PRAP.

Adhesion is crucial in the regulation of immune response and epithelial cell differentiation, morphogenesis, and function. Three classes of proteins are identified to be important in adhesion: cadherins, selectins, and immunoglobulins. To detect antigenic exposure in tissues, extravasation by lymphocytes requires successive formation and breaking of cell-cell contacts between leukocytes in the blood and endothelial cells. Exposure to pro-inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines, lipopolysaccaride endotoxin and tumor necrosis factor, increases the adhesion of lymphocytes to endothelial cells, and consequently, the expression levels of intracellular and vascular adhesion proteins (Pinola, M. et al. (1992) Scand. J. Immunol. 36:671-679). Loss of expression of cadherins and related molecules is associated with loss of the control of epithelial cell proliferation (Field, J. K. (1992) Eur. J. Cancer (B) 28B: 67-76).
Adhesion is achieved through tight junctions, adherens junctions, spot desmosomes, hemidesmosomes, or gap junctions. Particularly, adherens junctions participate in cell-cell interactions through their association with a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK)-mediated signaling pathway. Two such kinases, c-Yes and c-Src, are highly enriched in the adherens junctions of hepatocytes, kidney epithelial cells and keratinocytes (Tsukita, S. et al. (1991) J. Cell Biol. 113:876-879). Expression of the oncogenic v-Src in epithelial cells results in high levels of tyrosine phosphorylation, breakdown of adherens junctions and loss of cell-cell adhesion (Volberg, T. et al. (1991) Cell Regul. 2:105-120).
PTKs regulate a variety of signal transduction pathways crucial for cell differentiation and function. The regulation is achieved through a cascade of protein-protein interactions involving PTKs and proteins containing PTK-binding elements. Src-homology-2 (SH2), Src-homology-3 (SH3), and pleckstrin homology (PH) domains are all PTK-binding elements which in turn bind short phosphotyrosine-containing peptides, proline-rich domains (PRDs), and phospholipids, respectively.
A SH3-binding PRD generally contains 7 to 10 amino acid residues and a consensus sequence of X-P-X-X-P, where X is usually an aliphatic residue. Upon SH3 binding, the PRD forms a pseudo-symmetrical class I or class II left-handed poly-proline helix. Specificity is conferred by the interactions between non-proline residues in the PRD and two variable SH3 loops flanking the main hydrophobic binding surface (Pawson, T. (1995) Nature 373:573-580).
Recently, a mouse T cell surface glycoprotein CD6 was reported to contain two SH3-binding PRDs, nine casein kinase II phosphorylation site motifs, and a serine/threonine-rich motif which is repeated three times (Robinson, W. H. et al. (1995) J. Immunol. 155:4739-4748). A mouse acidic casein family protein induced by pregnancy was found to be proline-rich (GI 899433). Other examples of PRDs involving PTK signaling include kinases Btk and Itk (Yang, W. et al. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270: 20832-20840), the human potassium channel protein Kv1.5 (Holmes, T. C. et al. (1996) Science 274:2089-2091), and the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex (Kumar, K. N. et al. (1991) Nature 354:70-73).
The discovery of proteins related to a human proline-rich acidic protein and the oligonucleotides encoding them satisfies a need in the art by providing new compositions which are useful in diagnosing, preventing, and treating inflammation and disorders associated with abnormal cell proliferation.


A method and a device for using excess heat of flue gas that is not required for operating a flue gas desulfurization device of a power plant is presented. Before being introduced into the flue gas desulfurization device. The flue gas is guided through preheaters for heating the combustion air and an electrostatic filter. The combustion air preheating step is achieved with two air preheaters, one arranged upstream of the electrostatic filter and one arranged downstream of the electrostatic filter. A partial flue gas stream is branched off at least before the first air preheater arranged upstream of the electrostatic filter. The partial flue gas stream is used to generate steam.

The present invention relates to a method for using excess heat of flue gas that is not required for operating a flue gas desulfurization device, the flue gas being introduced into an air preheater and an electrostatic filter before entering the desulfurization device.
The present invention further relates to a device for using excess heat of flue gas not required for operating the flue gas desulfurization device, the device having an air preheater and an electrostatic filter upstream of the desulfurization device.
In known power plants provided with a flue gas desulfurization device the combustion air which is introduced into the steam generator is first guided through an air preheater in order to improve the degree of efficiency of the power plant, whereby the air preheater is heated by the flue gas exiting from the steam generator. The thus cooled flue gas is usually scrubbed by an electrostatic filter before being introduced into the flue gas desulfurization device. The desulfurized flue gas is then released into the atmosphere via a flue gas smoke stack or a cooling tower. The release of the scrubbed flue gas via a cooling tower is advantageous because the flue gas which has been cooled during the scrubbing process within the desulfurization device and has been laden with moisture may be released into the atmosphere without requiring a directed reheating of the flue gas.
In power plants with steam generators that are primarily fueled with fossil fuels a great flue gas volume relative to the volume of combustion air is produced. With brown coal power plants this ratio is approximately 1.6 to 1. Since for the prevention of corrosion a certain difference between the exhaust gas temperature and the acid due point must be observed, the flue gas temperature after leaving the electrostatic filter is approximately 170.degree. C. for such power plants.
Since on the other hand the required temperature for the flue gas desulfurization process is approximately 110.degree. C., in known power plants the temperature of flue gas before entering the flue gas desulfurization device is reduced from 170.degree. C. to approximately 110.degree. C. by injecting water. However, this results in a loss of efficiency of approximately 3% occurs. For a brown coal power plant with an electric power output of 800 MW, i.e., a thermal power output of approximately 2400 MW, the aforementioned loss of efficiency due to reduction of the excess heat by injecting water into the flue gas is thus approximately 80 MW of thermal efficiency, i.e., approximately 3% of the total efficiency of the brown coal power plant.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device of the aforementioned kind with which the excess heat not needed for the operation of the flue gas desulfurization device may be utilized.

Method and device for using excess heat not required for operating a desulfurization device


The present disclosure generally refers to a transmission comprising a transmission housing and at least one transmission stage arranged in the transmission housing. The transmission stage may include, coaxially with respect to an axis, a sun gear, a planet carrier with at least two planet gears rotatably mounted on the planet carrier; and an internal gear as transmission parts. At least one stop means may be provided for limiting the axial movement of two transmission parts which are movable relative to one another. The stop means may comprise a ball pair with a first ball assigned to a first transmission part and a second ball assigned to a second transmission part. The two balls may be arranged so as to be rotatable about their ball center on the axis.

In transmissions having at least one transmission stage formed by a planetary gear set, it might be conventional for stop means to be inserted between mutually adjacent transmission parts which move relative to one another at different rotational speeds, which stop means limit the axial mobility of the two transmission parts rotating differently from one another.
In particular, in the case of planetary gear sets, the drive input pinion is often not axially fixed and must therefore be limited axially in terms of its mobility by stop means. Axial forces are generated in a planet stage of a planetary gear set, and friction is generated as a result of the combination of rotational speed difference and axial forces. The stop means may serve simultaneously to protect the sun gear or sun pinion, and, perhaps, it is conventional in the prior art for hardened stop discs, hardened spherical thrust pieces, axial bearing discs, deep-groove ball bearings or thrust pieces and stop discs composed of brass or bronze to be used as stop means. In transmissions for drive systems of construction machines and mining machines, use is normally made of spherical thrust pieces, axial bearing discs and/or thrust pieces composed of brass or bronze.
A generic transmission having a plurality of transmission stages and stop discs between the sun gear and further transmission parts is known for example from DE 10 2008 050 187 A1. In the generic transmission, the stop discs can be composed of different materials such as metal, metal alloy, plastic or Teflon™ and they are produced as punched parts which extend substantially over the entire surface of the face side of the planet carrier.
The applicant has, since 1995, marketed a transmission for drive systems for underground mining applications as the "CST drive system", which is described, for example, in DE 4316 798 Al. In said transmission, which is provided with a wet-running overload clutch, use is made, as stop means, either of thrust pieces arranged on the axis on both transmission parts and with a hardened spherical contact surface, or of annular hardened stop discs with Rockwell hardnesses of 58 to 62 HRC. The spherical thrust pieces and/or the stop discs are held in the face sides for example of the sun gear and of the planet carrier by means of special receiving elements in order to be exchangeable if necessary during maintenance of the transmission. A special receiving device which must be custom-made for every transmission type is however required. In particular owing to the increasing installed levels of drive power, the stop means are subjected to increased wear, as a result of which the operating duration of a corresponding transmission can be shortened.
The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of prior systems.

Transmission, in particular for drive systems of construction machines and mining machines


An air conditioner includes a manual control panel for enabling a user to select from among a number of operating modes, including respective areas of a room to receive discharged air from the air conditioner. In accordance with the selected mode, there occurs an automatic adjustment of the orientation of air-directing vanes and the speed of an air discharge fan. The vanes can be adjusted to stationary positions, or can be oscillated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a discharged air current control apparatus of a room air conditioner and a method thereof by which the direction and speed of air discharged from the air conditioner are controlled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An air conditioner according to the prior art is formed, as illustrated in FIG. 1, with an indoor body 1 having a lower suction grille member 5 employing a plurality of suction inlets 3 for sucking in room air. At an upper front side of the body 1, there is formed a discharging outlet 7 for discharging indoors the heat-exchanged air (i.e., cool air or warm air).
Furthermore, the suction inlet 7 is provided with vertical and horizontal vanes 11 and 9, respectively, for controlling the flow direction of air discharged indoors via the discharge outlet 7. The body 1 is fixed to a cover member 13 for forming a pleasing external appearance of the indoor unit and for protecting its contents therein.
The cover member 13 is provided with a manipulating unit (control panel) 15 for controlling an operation mode (automatic, cooling, dehumidifying, air blowing, heating and the like), operation start/stop, and amount and direction of air discharged via the discharge outlet 7.
Furthermore, behind the suction grille member 5 there is arranged, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a filtering member 17 for filtering-out foreign objects such as dust and the like floating in the room air sucked via the suction inlet 3. The filtering member 17 is disposed upstream of a heat exchanger 19 for exchanging heat with the filtered room air according to an evaporation latent heat of refrigerant.
The heat exchanger 19 is equipped at an upper part thereof with an indoor fan 23 which is rotated according to a drive of an indoor motor 21 so as to suck the room air via the suction inlet 3 and simultaneously to discharge indoors the heat-exchanged air via the discharge outlet 7.
The indoor fan 23 is encased within a duct member 25 for guiding the flow of the air to the discharge outlet 7.
In the air conditioner thus constructed, when a user manipulates a remote controller or the manipulating unit 15 to select a desired operation mode and to turn on an operation key, the indoor fan 23 is rotated by the indoor fan motor 21 to cause the room air to be sucked into the body 1 through the suction inlet 3.
Foreign objects such as dust and the like floating in the room air sucked into the suction inlet 3 are removed while they are passing through the filtering member 17, and the filtered room air is heat-exchanged by the evaporative latent heat of the refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger 19 while it passes through the heat exchanger 19.
The air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 19 is guided upward by the duct member 25 to thereafter be discharged indoors via the discharge outlet 7, and the direction of air discharged through the discharge outlet 7 is adjusted to the left or to the right and up or down according to the angles of the vertical air direction vanes 11 and the horizontal air direction vanes 9.
At this time, whenever an operation key disposed at the manipulating unit 15 for controlling the position of the vanes 9 is turned on, the vanes 9 are rotated vertically, and whenever the key is turned off, the rotation of the vanes 9 is stopped.
Furthermore, when an operation key at the manipulating unit 15 for controlling the position of the vanes 11 is turned on, the vanes 11 are continuously swung horizontally, and when the key is turned on again, the swinging of the vanes 11 is stopped.
However, there is a problem in the conventional air conditioner thus constructed in that a user must visually ascertain positions of the vanes 9 and 11 and operate a key to seek a desired discharging air current pattern, causing an inconvenience to the user. Also, the air is discharged in a fixed direction according to the angles of the vanes 9 and 11 which means that the air current in the room is fixed, and areas not reached by the air current may not be adequately conditioned.
Thus, it would be necessary to make angle adjustments of the vanes 9 and 11 at predetermined intervals to air condition the entire room. Also, if an increased amount of air is needed for air conditioning a remote area of the room, the user must adjust not only the air current direction but also the air speed.

Discharged air current control apparatus of air conditioner and method thereof


A beverage cup holder to contain drinking fluids, collect condensation and spilled fluids, and direct them to a self contained reservoir. The holder has an upper rim that is taller than the container being held, ribs to support the entire height of the held container utilizing an upper funnel, and a device which stores spilled fluids and condensation within a self contained reservoir for spilled fluids formed by the holder from a centered vertical support column as well as creating an area to add attachments including weights, a magnet, or lighting to its open bottom end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beverage cup containers or holders. In particular, the invention relates to both portable and fixed holders beverage cups, which holders are adapted to collect spillage and any condensation from the beverage cup.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need for an improved cup holder has been magnified by the recent increase in the average number of cup holders per vehicle, golf cart, shopping cart, movie theater chair, wheelchair, etc. Current cup holders do not provide a means for effectively capturing spilled fluids or condensation from beverage cups and storing these fluids apart for disposal at a later time. The most widely known cup holders are those found in vehicle dashboards or consoles; but they do not have a separate area that contains the spills or condensation once they are created. This typically leaves the container sitting in the fluids, or fluids being trapped between the cup and the container and spilling onto the dash, console or driver. The art would certainly welcome a cup holder that would alleviate the above discussed problems.
Pertinent examples of related art cup holders are cited and identified in the accompanying IDS. However, none of the cited and identified relative art, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to disclose a holder for beverage cups as will subsequently be described and claimed in the the instant invention.


A communication system transmits and receives a plurality of spread-spectrum signals having differences in at least one diversity parameter. The signals are highly correlated when their diversity parameters are similar, and the signals are uncorrelated when at least one diversity parameter is different. Any combination of a transmitter, a receiver, and a communication channel may diversity-encode the signals to effect differences in their diversity parameters. A receiver diversity-decoder compensates for differences in a diversity-parameter of at least one received signal to make the signal highly correlated with at least one other received signal. A correlator combines at least two of the received signals to recover an embedded information signal. The communication system enables the use of true-noise signals for spreading information signals, provides simplified receiver designs, and enables antenna arrays to spatially process spread-spectrum signals.

In a spread-spectrum communication system, the transmitted signal bandwidth is much greater than the bandwidth or rate of information being sent. Also, some function other than the information being sent is employed to provide the resulting modulated radio-frequency (RF) bandwidth.
The desired signal is recovered by remapping the expanded-bandwidth signal into the original information bandwidth. In direct sequence CDMA (DS-CDMA) systems, removal or demodulation of the spectrum-spreading modulation is accomplished by multiplication with a local reference identical in structure and synchronized in time with the received signal. Correlation is a method of time-domain analysis that is particularly useful for detecting signals buried in noise, establishing coherence between random signals, and determining the sources of signals and their transmission times. In DS-CDMA systems, the prime purpose of a correlator is to match the local reference signal to a desired incoming signal and thereby reproduce the embedded information-bearing carrier as an output.
Frequency reuse is the process of using the same frequency in multiple separate geographic regions for a plurality of distinct communication links. Frequencies can be reused provided that the regions are attenuated or isolated from each other by a minimum value for signal rejection by user receivers in each region. U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307 describes the process of creating marginal isolation, which provides an increase in frequency reuse in DS-CDMA systems. In DS-CDMA, even small reductions in the overall power level of the system allow for increased system capacity. One particularly effective method for creating isolation and improving frequency reuse is spatial division multiple access (SDMA). SDMA applications to multiple access communication systems including adaptive array processing are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,353, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,490, U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,378, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,647. In addition to frequency reuse, antenna arrays also increase processing gain and improve interference rejection.
The advantage of using adaptive antenna arrays for DS-CDMA communications is that adaptive antenna arrays could provide significant improvements in range extension, interference reduction, and capacity increase. To identify a particular user, a DS-CDMA system demodulates Walsh codes after converting the received signal from RF to digital. Therefore, an adaptive antenna array requires information about the user codes from CDMA radio, or it needs to demodulate many different incoming RF signals to track mobile users. These methods are complex processes and are more difficult to implement than tracking users in non-CDMA systems. Major changes in CDMA radio architecture are required to implement adaptive array processing. These changes may be the major obstacle for adaptive array deployment in the near future.
Phased-array antenna systems employ a plurality of individual antennas or subarrays of antennas that are separately excited to cumulatively produce a highly directional electromagnetic wave. The radiated energy from each antenna element or subarray has a different phase so that an equiphase beam front (the cumulative wave front of electromagnetic energy radiated from all of the antenna elements in the array) travels in a selected direction. The difference in phase or timing between the antenna's activating signals determines the direction in which the cumulative wave front from all of the individual antenna elements is transmitted. Similarly, phase analysis of received electromagnetic energy detected by the individual array elements enables determination of the direction from which received signals arrive.
Beamforming, which is the adjustment of the relative phase of the actuating signals for the individual antennas, can be accomplished by electronically shifting the phases of the actuating signals. Beamforming can also be performed by introducing a time delay in the different actuating signals to sequentially excite the antenna elements that generate the desired transmission direction. However, phase-based electronically controlled phased-array systems are relatively large, heavy, complex, and expensive. These electronic systems require a large number of microwave components (such as phase shifters, power splitters, and waveguides) to form the antenna control system. This arrangement results in a system that is relatively lossy, electromagnetically sensitive, hardware-intensive, and has a narrow tunable bandwidth.

Spread spectrum communication method and system using diversity correlation and multi-user detection


A distributed amplifier is provided that includes an input network that simulates an input signal transmission line, and having an output network that simulates an output signal transmission line, and also having multiple unit cells with amplifying characteristics that are connected in parallel to one another between the input network and the output network, that amplify a signal propagating through the input network and feed it into the output network with a predetermined phase relationship to a signal propagating through the output network. The distributed amplifier is characterized in that each unit cell has a multiplier with an input amplifier and an output amplifier, a control connection of the input amplifier is connected to the input network, a current connection of the input amplifier is connected to a control connection of the output amplifier and is connected through a diode to a current connection of the output amplifier, and current outputs of the input amplifier and of the output amplifier are connected to one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distributed amplifier having an input network that simulates an input signal transmission line, and having an output network that simulates an output signal transmission line, and also having multiple unit cells with amplifying characteristics that are connected in parallel to one another between the input network and the output network, that amplify a signal propagating through the input network and feed it into the output network with a predetermined phase relationship to a signal propagating through the output network.
2. Description of the Background Art
Amplifier structures, which are known as "distributed amplifiers" or "traveling wave amplifiers," are known, for example from the publication, "A Novel HBT Distributed Amplifier Design Topology Based on Attenuation Compensation Techniques," IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. 42, No. 12, December 1994. The input networks and output networks are also known as "artificial transmission lines" or "synthetic transmission lines." Their task is to absorb parasitic elements of the unit cells. In this context, absorption is understood to mean that the phase-shifting action of parasitic elements, for example that of input and output capacitances of the unit cells, is altered by phase-shifting components matched thereto in the aforementioned networks such that the input signals amplified by the active cells are fed into the output network with identical phase to a signal propagating in the output network, thus amplifying the signal.
Individual transistors or circuits with multiple transistors are known as unit cells. Thus, for example, the aforementioned publication shows unit cells identified there as "gain cell topologies" with a "conventional bipolar transistor," an "emitter follower/common emitter," or an "emitter follower/cascode with negative feedback." According to this publication, an improvement in the gain-bandwidth product of 200% as compared to conventional common-emitter distributed amplifier configurations is achieved with the structures introduced there.
The goal for distributed amplifiers in general is the largest possible product of large bandwidth and gain. In this regard, this product is limited by the effects of parasitic capacitances, especially by the input capacitances ci of the unit cells, by a signal attenuation occurring in the input network, and by a signal attenuation occurring in the output network.
Thus, the cutoff frequency fci resulting from the input capacitances obeys the relationship:
            f      ci        =          1              π                                                    C                              i                                                                                n                                                                L                              i                                                                                n                                                          ,where Lin represents the inductive component of the input network, which is to say of the artificial input transmission line.
The signal attenuation occurring in the input network and that occurring in the output network limit, in particular, the number of unit cells that can usefully be connected in parallel for an increase in the output power and a maximum gain bandwidth product.
A similar relationship applies to the cutoff frequency of the output network. Since the capacitances acting at the input of the unit cells are generally larger than the capacitances acting at the output, the cutoff frequency and thus the bandwidth of the distributed amplifier is generally dominated by effects on the input side.
In an ideal case of loss-less input and output networks, the gain follows the relationship
      G    =                            n          2                                  g          m          2                                  Z          0          2                    4        ,where Z0 indicates the characteristic impedance of the input network and/or output network, gm indicates the transconductance of a unit cell, and n indicates the number of unit cells. In the ideal case, the gain G can be increased by increasing the number of unit cells. In reality, however, the number of unit cells that can usefully be employed is limited by the aforementioned losses in the input and output networks.

Distributed amplifier topologies with improved gain bandwidth product


In a variable phased valve lifter of an internal combustion engine, two or more roller lifter are allowed to move along constraining faces of a constraining mechanism in a first direction, and the constraining mechanism is allowed to move freely in a second direction. As the roller lifters move through their parallel arcuate paths, the engaging surface(s) of the roller lifters will engage with the constraining face(s) of the constraining mechanism, and each roller lifter will prevent the other from rotating about its longitudinal axis. The roller lifter is thus prevented from rotating about its longitudinal axis as it moves in arcuate fashion in cooperation with the constraining mechanism.

A description of a phasing system for roller lifter followers on a camshaft is given by Riley in U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,216, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that is taught and disclosed therein. A description of means to maintain orientation of a roller lifter used in conjunction with a variable phase lifter is given by Riley in U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,041, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all that is taught and disclosed therein.
As the rotatable element, such as an eccentric sleeve, is rotated to phase the roller lifter follower (hereinafter simply "roller lifter"), the roller lifter orientation must be controlled to allow the roller to follow the cam lobe on the camshaft. In fixed timing systems a simple pin or plate is usually sufficient to prevent the roller lifter from rotating around its longitudinal axis during operation. The arcuate path of the phased roller lifter requires an extra degree of freedom of movement. Therefore additional measures must be taken in order to maintain controlled orientation of the roller lifter.

Apparatus and method for maintaining controlled orientation of a roller lifter follower used in conjunction with a variable phased lifter


A protecting member comprises a pair of right-and-left brackets extending obliquely downward and forward from front portions of a pair of right-and-left side frames and a stiffener extending in a vehicle width direction below a bumper beam and attached to front ends of the brackets. The stiffener has a closed cross section extending in the vehicle width direction, and an upper face of its central portion in the vehicle width direction has a concaved portion. A lower face of the stiffener extends horizontally substantially straightly. It is preferable that the closed cross section of the central portion of the stiffener be configured such that its vertical distance is relatively small and its longitudinal width is relatively large, compared with the other part of the stiffener.

The present invention relates to a front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle.
An automotive vehicle as vehicles comprises a pair of right-and-left side frames extending longitudinally at a front portion of a vehicle body and a bumper beam extending in a vehicle width direction and attached to front ends of the pair of right-and-left side frames. Further, the automotive vehicle comprises a protecting member including a stiffener (which may be called a lower bumper beam) which extends in the vehicle width direction below the bumper beam in order that when the vehicle collides with an obstacle, particularly a leg portion of a pedestrian, the obstacle (pedestrian's leg portion) is restrained from coming in below a vehicle-body front portion.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-063096 discloses a stiffener which is configured such that its central portion in the vehicle width direction is stepwise partially low so as to ensure a large opening area of a radiator opening formed at a vehicle's front end. This stiffener is configured in an elevational view to comprise a central horizontal portion horizontally extending substantially straightly at a low level, a pair of vertical portions rising upward substantially vertically from both-side ends of the central horizontal portion, and an end-portion horizontal portion horizontally extending substantially straightly outward in the vehicle width direction from each upper end of the vertical portions.
A shape of the stiffener of the above-described patent document is preferable in ensuring the large opening area of the radiator opening. However, since this stiffener has plural step portions which bend substantially at a right angle in the elevational view, it may be necessary to make its plate thickness considerably large (i.e., thick) to ensure a sufficient strength of the step portions, so that the weight of the stiffener may become unavoidably heavy. Accordingly, some countermeasures have been desired in this regard.


A first tool set holds a wire covered with an insulation film at a bending point of the wire to protrude the wire from the first tool set. A second tool set holds the protruded portion of the wire. The second tool set is rotated about the first tool set to bend the wire along a wall of the first tool set and to form a boundary corner in the wire at the same radius of curvature as the wall. The wire is released from the second tool set and is moved to place the first tool set at another bending point while protruding from the first tool set. The second tool set is placed at the protruded portion of the wire. When the wire is bent at a predetermined number of bending points and is rounded, a stator coil formed in a corrugated shape is manufactured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for manufacturing a stator coil of a stator of an electric rotating machine, and more particularly to the method for manufacturing the stator coil extending along the circumferential direction of the stator in a corrugated shape so as to insert slot accommodated portions of the coil into slots of a stator core and to protrude coil end portions of the coil from the slots.
2. Description of Related Art
Weight reduction in vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles is strongly required to improve fuel economy of the vehicles. High power motors (e.g., traction motors) generating electric power in electric and hybrid vehicles are very heavy. Therefore, to reduce the weight of vehicles having these high power motors, it is required to increase the output power (kW/kgw) per unit weight in the motor.
It is well known that the output power per unit weight of the motor increases with a slot occupying ratio in a stator of the motor. This stator has a stator core and a stator coil inserted into slots of the core. Each slot extends along the axial direction of the core and has a predetermined sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction. This slot occupying ratio is defined as the ratio of the sectional area occupied by the coil in one slot to the sectional area of the slot. In the conventional stator, many circular thin wires have been inserted into each slot. In this case, the slot occupying ratio is, for example, 40%. In contrast, if a square-shaped wire having a large sectional area can be used as a stator coil, the slot occupying ratio can be considerably increased.
Although circular thin wires can be wound on stator cores by using a general coil winding unit, large square-shaped wires cannot be wound on stator cores by using this winding unit. Further, it is difficult to bend the large square-shaped wire into the shape of a stator coil. To manufacture a stator while using a plurality of large square-shaped wires, each wire is bent in advance in a shape required to produce a stator coil, these bent wires are inserted into slots of a stator core, and the inserted wires are again bent to manufacture a stator with a stator coil. This method for manufacturing a stator from large square-shaped wires is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3894004.
In this Patent Specification, a plurality of conductive segments covered with insulation films are prepared, and a plurality of portions of each segment are simultaneously bent by using a die unit to form a U-shaped coil end portion in the segment. Then, each segment is inserted into two slots of a stator core. Then, the inserted segments are connected with one another while bending portions of the segments protruded from the slots. Therefore, a stator coil formed of the bent segments is manufactured. Each segment has two slot accommodated portions placed into the slots and two coil end portions protruded from respective axial ends of the core.
However, each wire is placed between male and female dies and is pressed with one stroke to form two boundary corners in the wire. Therefore, a tensile stress and a compression stress are inevitably applied on the portions of the wire. Further, these stresses are increased with the sectional area of the wire. Therefore, the withstand voltage of the insulation film at the bent portions is sometimes lowered. Especially, each segment has boundary corners each of which is placed between one slot accommodated portion and one coil end portion of the segment. Each boundary corner is curved approximately at a right angle. Therefore, it is difficult to prevent the insulating film of the coil from being damaged or broken, and there is a high probability that the withstand voltage of the insulation film is considerably lowered at the boundary corners of the coil.
Further, a large number at die units having different sizes are required to form the coil end portions of the segments. Therefore, the initial cost for manufacturing stator coils is considerably increased. More specifically, the coil end portion of each segment extends in the circumferential direction of the stator at one axial end side of the stator. The circumferential-directional length of the coil end portion placed at an outer side in the radial direction of the stator is larger than the length of the coil end portion placed at an inner side in the radial direction. Therefore, it is required to form the coil end portions of the segments at various lengths for each stator coil. To form the coil end portions having various lengths, a large number of die units having different shapes are required.
Moreover, when the size of the stator is changed in response to preparing the stator for a different model of vehicle, it is required to prepare other die units having different shapes. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the stator coil is increased. Further, each time one segment is bent by using a die unit, the male and female dies collide with each other. Therefore, when the die unit is used for a long time, the die unit is easily worn. In this case, it is required to change the worn die unit with a new die unit, so that the manufacturing cost of the stator coil is further increased.

Method for manufacturing a stator coil formed in a corrugated shape


A curing station wherein a fixed frame and a slide traveling on the fixed frame, support respective portions of a curing device for an annular forming mold of a green tire. The mold is gripped axially between the two portions of the curing device and is in contact with axial heating plates on the aforementioned portions. The curing station presents a heating jacket defined by two semicylindrical heating plates which are movable to and from a closed position contacting the lateral surface of the mold.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a road vehicle tire curing station.
2. Background Information
Co-pending U.S. patent application filed concurrently herewith, corresponding to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/966,977, filed Oct. 27, 1992, to which full reference is made herein in the interest of full disclosure, relates to a road vehicle tire manufacturing process whereby a green tire is assembled inside an annular forming mold consisting of an outer annular body; two inner annular supports, each fitted to a respective bead portion of the tire; and two lateral annular plates connecting the two inner annular supports and the outer annular body.
According to the above process, the tire so formed is kept inside the forming mold until after curing.


The present invention relates to a method and system for optimizing the output of at least two electron guns in a cathode ray tube for aging the cathode ray tube during manufacture. The system comprises at least two electron guns located in the cathode ray tube and a memory configured to store an offset value that is representative of a difference between a maximum output level and a detected output level for each of the electron guns. The system further comprises a processor coupled to the memory. The processor generates a first scaled signal by adding a first signal representative of an input voltage corresponding to the detected output level of the first electron gun and an offset signal representative of the offset value, and a second scaled signal by adding a second signal representative of an input voltage corresponding to the detected output level of the second electron gun and the offset signal. A first summing circuit is coupled between the processor and the first electron gun, which combines a first control signal and the first scaled signal to provide a first aging signal to the first electron gun. A second summing circuit is coupled between the processor and the second electron gun, which combines a second control signal and the second scaled signal to provide a second aging signal to the second electron gun. The optimizing technique may also be applied to a third electron gun.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to monitors, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing cathode output scaling so as to provide optimization of the cathode output.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cathode ray tubes ("CRT") are typically employed in electronic display systems, such as a television receiver or a display apparatus including a CRT numerical display. Each color CRT consists of three electron guns (a red, a green and a blue electron gun) and a phosphor screen that is located inside an evacuated glass envelope. Each electron gun generates a beam of electrons that is accelerated towards the screen by a positive anode voltage.
In CRTs, temperature drifts within the evaluated glass envelope result in image luminance distortion or the alteration of the white balance. Luminance indicates the amount of light intensity which is perceived by the eye as brightness, while the control of luminance is termed "white balance" since white light may be considered and provided as a mixture of the red, green, and blue primary colors in the proper proportions.
To reduce temperature drift, the CRTs are typically subjected to a process known as "aging" during manufacture. This process involves the warming up of cathode ray tubes ("CRT") to facilitate testing of circuitry and adjustment of various display parameters such as color convergence and picture geometry. Conventional aging techniques typically involve applying a single input voltage to each of the three electron guns to cause each electron gun to generate the corresponding luminance. However, since each electron gun generates a different color, each of the electron guns also operates to provide an optimum output at a different input voltage. This input voltage varies from one electron gun to another. Thus, although one of the three electron guns may be operating at a maximum level, the remaining two electron guns are not.
Accordingly, there is a need in the technology for a method and apparatus for providing suitable input voltages to each cathode in a cathode ray tube so as to provide optimization of the cathode output for each electron gun in a cathode ray tube for the aging process during manufacture.

Method and system for optimizing cathode output for aging a cathode ray tube during manufacture


The present invention relates to an apparatus for the surveillance of an electronic security element in an interrogation zone. The essential elements are a transmitting device, a receiving device and a computing/control unit. The transmitting device emits at least one interrogation signal into the interrogation zone. This signal causes the security element to emit a characteristic signal. The receiving device receives the characteristic signal and generates a signal which is an indication of the characteristic signal. The computing/control unit evaluates the signals received from the receiving device and produces an alarm when the presence of the security element is established. The evaluation comprises detecting spikes from the signals received from the receiving device, creating a corresponding signal shape from the spikes in a self-learning process, and removing the determined spikes from the signals received from the receiving device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the surveillance of an electronic security element in an interrogation zone. The apparatus has a transmitting device emitting at least one cyclic interrogation signal into the interrogation zone, with the interrogation signal causing the security element to deliver a characteristic signal, a receiving device having at least one receiver channel and receiving the characteristic signal, and a computing/control unit evaluating the signals received from the receiving device and producing an alarm when the presence of the security element is established.
2. Prior Art
To detect the presence of electromagnetic security elements in an interrogation zone, it is proposed in European Patent, EP 123 586 B to emit into the interrogation zone, in addition to two interrogation fields with the frequencies F1 and F2 in the kilohertz range, a field with a low frequency F3 in the hertz range. The two interrogation fields with the frequencies F1 and F2 cause a security element present in the interrogation zone to emit a characteristic signal with the intermodulation frequencies n.multidot.F1.+-.m.multidot.F2 (where n, m=0,1,2, . . . ). The low-frequency interrogation field causes the security element to be driven from saturation in one direction into saturation in the other direction at the clock rate of this particular field. As a result, the characteristic signal occurs cyclically at the frequency of the low-frequency field.
As an alternative solution, it has further become known to use only one interrogation field in the kilohertz range for excitation of the security element, with the characteristic signal of the security element occurring again at the clock rate of a low-frequency field cycling the soft magnetic, non-linear material between the two states of saturation.
Spikes, that is, high-frequency signals of a bandwidth greater than that of the characteristic signal of a security element, are produced by various interference sources. To name some examples, such spikes may be produced by motors, television monitors or passing streetcars. These spikes cause a lower detection performance and a higher risk of false alarm in an electronic surveillance system. Such false alarms are, of course, highly undesirable, since they are apt to confuse or irritate both staff and customers. To avoid a false alarm caused by spikes, it has only been known hitherto to provide the computing/control unit with predetermined spike templates. In practice, this means that while a spike having the shape of a known spike can be removed from the received signals, this does not apply to a spike differing in shape. This latter spike continues to be a problem in that it results in a poor detection rate and a false alarm of a surveillance system. The same applies in cases where the filtering of the receiving device is not accurately adjusted, or the inductivity or the Q factor of the receiving coils is outside of a predetermined tolerance.

Apparatus for the surveillance of an electronic security element in an interrogation zone


A thermal transfer print head is disclosed. The print head includes a housing configured and dimensioned to be installable within the printer, a plurality of resistive heating elements positioned on an external surface of the housing and in thermal contact with a printable media, the resistive heating elements receive electrical energy from the printer and have adjustable thermal output, and a print head memory positioned within the housing and accessible by the thermal printer, the print head memory including a first and second memory regions, the first memory region configured to store a printing profile pertaining to operating parameters of the resistive heating elements and the second memory configured to store usage data pertaining to operation of the print head.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to thermal transfer printing, more specifically, to a system and method for print head profiling in a thermal transfer printer and storing usage data pertaining to the print head therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, there are a variety of printing techniques to transfer ink or toner to a sheet of paper, such as liquid and solid ink printing, toner laser printing, dye-sublimation printing and thermal transfer printing. In the case of thermal printing, a thermal print head provides thermal energy to specific locations of thermal-reactive printing media such as a thermal transfer ribbon. Generally, a thermal print head has a plurality of independently controllable resistive heating elements, when activated, heat a transfer ribbon and transfer thermally reactive inks or dyes from the ribbon to the paper. During this process, the heating elements cause the ink in discrete regions of the ribbon to sublimate into a gaseous state for a brief period. The amount of ink transferred to the paper, and hence, the ink saturation or tone depends on the temperature of the heating elements.
Print heads are designed for use in specific printer models and are generally not interchangeable with print heads from other printers. This lack of interchangeability is due to printer design and operating parameters, which allow for print heads to be specifically tailored to a particular printer. Thus, all individual print heads of a particular model are designed to reliably and repeatedly produce equivalent print output when installed in the corresponding printer. However, imperfections during manufacture actually produce print heads that do not have identical characteristics and as a result have varying thermal responses. More specifically, the resistive heating elements produce varying amount of heat due to varying resistance. Thus, the individual print heads produce print output quality that is not exactly the same and only falls within an acceptable certain range.
To minimize the discrepancies exhibited by print heads, it is possible to tailor the thermal response of each print head to the printer to produce consistent high quality prints. This requires characterizing a print head and providing an individual profile tailored for the print head. This is beyond the expertise level of most end users. In addition, it requires a significant amount of time to create such a profile. Therefore, there is a need for a system which would provide a built-in profile of the characteristics of the individual print head allowing for a printer to compensate for the variations and provide a more uniform output.

System and method for thermal transfer print head profiling


An input/output control apparatus includes: a request acceptance unit configured to accept a switch request for requesting to change an operating system occupying any one of the input device and the output device; a control information generator unit configured to generate control information including any one of input destination information and output enable information in response to the switch request; and a control information output unit configured to output any one of the input destination information and the output enable information. The input destination information includes at least information for specifying an input destination operating system to which information inputted from the input device is inputted; and the output enable information includes at least information for specifying whether or not each of the plurality of operating systems can output information to the output device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input/output control apparatus, an input/output control system, and an input/output control method, which control shared use of input/output devices by more than one operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS").
2. Description of the Related Art
In a computer on which a single OS operates, software for controlling input/output devices (hereinafter referred to as "device drivers") allows the OS itself and a program operating on the OS to access the input/output devices provided to the computer, and the device driver is the one installed into the OS as appropriate.
Here, the computer is provided with at least an input device (such as a keyboard) and an output device (such as a display device). The input device is used when inputting information into the OS from the outside of the computer. The output device is used when the OS outputs information from the computer to the outside of the computer.
The device driver registers, to the OS, information on the device to be controlled by the device driver itself, when the device driver is installed into the OS. An interrupt number for the device can be cited as an example of the information on such a device.
When information is inputted to the computer from the outside of the computer, firstly, an interrupt controller sends, to a CPU, an interrupt signal and an interrupt number.
Secondly, upon receipt of the interrupt signal, the CPU stops a process being performed at the time, and then calls a device driver corresponding to the interrupt number.
Thirdly, the device driver accesses the corresponding device, and then passes, to the OS, the information inputted through the device.
Furthermore, when outputting specific information, the OS specifies an appropriate output device in accordance with the content of the specific information.
Thereafter, the OS calls a device driver which has been registered in advance and which corresponds to the output device, and then causes the specific information to be outputted from the output device.
As described above, in a case where a single OS operates on a computer, by managing use of input/output devices, the OS can prevents an occurrence of a conflict situation in which programs operating on the OS access one of the input/output devices at the same time.
On the other hand, in recent years, an environment where multiple OSs can be simultaneously executed on a computer has been becoming prevalent.
As shown in FIG. 12, such an environment can be realized by a host system termed as a "virtual machine monitor (hereinafter referred to as a VMM)". The VMM configures guest systems termed as "virtual machines (hereinafter referred to as VMs)". Then, the VMM operates an OS on each of the VMs (for example, refer to the Patent document 1, the Non-patent document 1 and the Non-patent document 2).
One of conceivable examples of use of such an environment is that a "real-time OS (hereinafter referred to as an RTOS)" specialized in real-time processing, and a "general purpose OS (hereinafter referred to as a GPOS)" used for general purposes are simultaneously operated on a single computer.
Moreover, another example thereof is that each of multiple OSs provides a service specialized in the OS to a client by causing the multiple OSs to be operated on a single sever.
Under such an environment, limited hardware resources including input/output devices have to be shared by multiple OSs.
One of the roles of the VMM is to statically or dynamically allocate hardware resources to each of the OSs.
For example, the VMM dynamically passes the control right of the CPU to each of the OSs, and logically divides and allocates a main memory to each of the OSs, statically. Thereby, the VMM realizes a simultaneous execution of multiple OSs.
Furthermore, among VMMs, there is the one that realizes data communications between the multiple OSs being executed at the same time. In a typical method for executing the data communications, provided is a shared memory to which the multiple OSs can refer.
The VMM performs processes of managing the shared memory, or giving, to the OSs, the notification of writing to or reading from the shared memory.
Such a communications function between OSs is utilized not only when simple data communications are performed between the OSs, but also when hardware resources are shared by the multiple OSs.
For example, consider a case where multiple OSs on a computer provided with only one network interface communicate with the outside of the computer.
In this case, it is hardly conceivable to use a configuration in which each of the OSs independently includes a device driver of a network interface. This is because it is impossible to previously make a judgment on which one of the device drivers of the respective OSs is to be called for a hardware interrupt which occurs when receiving data.
Accordingly, it is necessary that a certain OS becomes only one holder of the device driver, and thereby that the OS being the holder of the device driver be in charge of transferring and receiving data, and assigning the data to each of the OSs.
When hardware resources are shared and utilized as in the case described above, the aforementioned communications function between the OSs becomes a requirement.
Here, consider a device which is to be exclusively occupied by a specific OS at an arbitrary time under a multiple OSs environment realized by a VMM.
As an example of such a device, a human interface device (hereinafter referred to as an "HID") can be cited. As examples of the HID, a keyboard as an input device, a display device as an output device and the like can be cited.
These devices need to be exclusively occupied by the OS, which is being used by a user.
For example, while the user is using a certain program, the result of an input by the user from a keyboard needs to be basically inputted to the certain program, and the result of an output from the certain program needs to be displayed on the display device. For this purpose, the result of the input from the keyboard has to be passed to the OS on which the certain program operates. Likewise, the result of the output from the OS needs to be displayed on the display device.
Moreover, the fact that a user is using a certain OS does not necessary mean that the OS being used by the user also controls the CPU.
Even though the OS is being used by the user, the VMM may switch contexts between OSs. Then, the VMM may assign the CPU to another OS, or execute a process for the VMM itself.
The VMM can grasp which OS controls the CPU at an arbitrary time since the VMM manages the assignment of the CPU. The VMM, however, cannot grasp which OS is being used by the user at an arbitrary time.
Accordingly, for example, in a case where an input of data from the keyboard causes an interrupt, the VMM cannot recognize which OS the interrupt is caused for.
For example, when a network interface is shared by OSs, received data can be assigned after a certain OS receives the data. This can be possible because an IP address, a port number or the like is added to the received data for identifying which OS the data is inputted for.
It is, however, difficult to perform the same processing on data which is inputted from a keyboard.
Likewise, a problem occurs when data is outputted to the display device.
If all of the OSs individually hold the respective display drivers, and output data at their own choices, a conflict for the display device occurs, as a matter of course.
Moreover, even in a case where data to be outputted to a certain OS is aggregated, the correct output result cannot be displayed for the user without recognizing which OS is to output the data at the time.
In the case of the multiple OSs environment described in the Patent document 1, any specific function is not provided in order to solve the problems described above.
This is because the Patent document 1 assumes a simultaneous execution environment of an RTOS and a GPOS. That is, an assumption is made that the GPOS always occupies an HID.
On the other hand, in the multiple OSs environment described in the Non-patent document 1 or the Non-Patent document 2, as shown in FIG. 13, the sharing of an HID is achieved by providing one host OS to the environment, and then by causing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) server of the host OS to process inputs and outputs to the HID for all the other guest OSs.
To be more precise, only the host OS holds the device driver (HID DD) of the HID, and the device driver is allowed to process only the inputs and outputs from the GUI server of the host OS.
The GUI server of the host OS generates a window for each of the guest OSs other than the host OS, and outputs, on the window, the result of output which is received from a GUI server of the guest OS through communications between OS by using the VMM.
Furthermore, in a case where the window is active, the result of an input from the input device is passed to the GUI server of the corresponding guest OS through the communications between the OSs.
There are, however, problems in such a solution by means of GUI servers.
The first problem is that contexts need to be switched between OSs very often since all of the GUI client applications of the respective OSs perform input and output processing separately.
Under the multiple OSs environment, it takes a long time to perform processes for saving and restoring contexts when the contexts are switched between the OSs. In particular, context switching becomes a large bottleneck in output processing to a display device since a processing speed is important in the output processing.
Moreover, in an environment where a power saving processing is absolutely required as in the case of a mobile terminal, context switching also becomes a large factor causing an increase of electricity consumption.
The second problem is that the solution largely depends on platforms or applications of each of the OSs.
In order to realize such inputs and outputs between the GUI servers, both of the GUI servers of the host OS and each guest OS need to support functions for the inputs and outputs therebetween.
Moreover, particularly in a case where environments, in each of which a GUI server operates, are significantly different from one another, communications between the GUI servers require conversion of data in the application level.
The third problem is a security risk associated with the fact that all of the inputs and outputs processing are handled by the GUI servers.
Since a GUI server is an "unprivileged process (user authorization)", its tamper resistance is weak in comparison with an OS which is a "privileged process (kernel authorization)".
In a case where the GUI server is tampered with, the input and output of the OS may be inappropriately processed. This may causes an event in which an input result is passed to a wrong input destination, or in which an output result of the OS which is not supposed to be displayed is displayed.
Furthermore, in the switching of an OS occupying the HID to another, for the purpose of improving usability, various switching patterns need to be considered.
Moreover, as to each of the switching patterns, it is necessary to consider provision of switching methods, prevention of an unauthorized switching and an unauthorized occupation of the HID and the like.
The following cases are conceivable as examples of the switching patterns.                In the case where a specific program is started on a specific OS;        In the case where a switching button provided to a keyboard or the like is pressed;        In the case where an abnormality occurs on the OS which occupies the HID; and        In the case where a specific program is forcibly started from the outside of the computer for the purpose of debugging or the like.
Moreover, the following matters are conceivable as examples of matters to be considered at the time of switching OSs.                Prevention of an unauthorized occupation of the HID by a specific OS or a specific program;        Prevention of repeated switching which may reduce usability; and        Prevention of switching in a case where a program with a high priority is used.<Patent document 1> US 2004/0205755<Non-Patent document 1> "Xen and the Art of Virtualization" In Proc. of Symposium on operating systems Principles (SOSP) 2003 (http://www.Cl.cam.ac.uk/Res earch/SRG/netos/papers/2003-xensosp.pdf)<Non-patent document 2> "A 600MIPS 120 mW 70 μA Leakage Triple-CPU Mobile Application Processor Chip" In Proc. of IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2005

Input/output control apparatus, input/output control system, and input/output control method


The present invention involves padding the bit sequence in the first interleaver. The present method adds to an end of the bit sequence a sufficient number of padding bits L to permit modulus 16 operation of the bit sequence. After performing the interleaving, L bits are removed from an end of the interleaved sequence. This allows the interleaving to be performed in 16-bit segments simultaneously.

The present invention relates generally to communication systems of coded data and, more specifically, to an improvement in the first interleaver of a two interleaver transmitter.
Although the present invention will be described with respect to code division multiple access (CDMA) system, the same method can be used on other interleavers in other systems. General and specific references will also be made to the CDMA standard 3GPP TS 25.212: "Multiplexing and channel coding (FDD)".
Interleaving is an important function specific to the most digital communication protocols. It provides the means to undermine the burst noise that frequently affects the quality of reception in the digital communication systems as discussed by K. S. Andrews, C. Heegard, and D. Kozen in A Theory of Interleavers, Technical Report TR97-1634, Department of Computer Science, June 1997; and Chris Heegard and Stephen B. Wicker in Turbo Coding, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000.
Bit wise block interleavers represent a tremendous challenge for programmable micro-computing machines. An efficient software implementation for the interleavers offers multiple advantages, such as re-programmability, power and computation efficiency, fast development time, and eliminating the need for dedicated hardware block.
Specific to CDMA communication protocol, the first block interleaver function deals with block sizes containing a variable number of bits depending on the propagation conditions. Although padding bits in the second interleaver followed by pruning is common, there is no discussion of padding bits in the first interleaver.
The present invention involves padding the bit sequence in the first interleaver. The present method adds to an end of the bit sequence a sufficient number of padded bits L to permit modulus 16 operation of the bit sequence. After performing the interleaving, L bits are removed from an end of the interleaved sequence. This allows the interleaving to be performed in 16-bit segments simultaneously.
The adding can include adding randomly alternating zero and one bits. The number of L bits is determined by:L=16−Mod16(Xi)where, Mod16 represent modulus sixteen operation, and Xi is the input bit sequence.
The method applies to any block size and executes 16 bits or multiples of 16 bits interleaving at once. The interleaving is performed in software and without forming a matrix of the bit sequence. The toll paid is a small number of errors introduced by this method. The errors are corrected at the receiver by the forward error correcting (FEC) function.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, when considered in conjunction with accompanying drawings.

Method of first interleaving of a two interleaver transmitter


The method to produce ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) incorporates tungsten-doped titania (TiO2/W) nanofiller during the ethylene polymerization process. The UHMWPE possesses improved mechanical and thermal properties. The process for producing the UHMWPE includes contacting ethylene under polymerization conditions with a polymerization catalyst (a vanadium (III) complex bearing bidentate salicylaldiminato ligands) in the presence of TiO2/W nanofiller and a co-catalyst in a reactor. The reactor is charged with solvent (e.g., toluene) and heated to a temperature suitable for polymerization, e.g., about 30° C. Following heating, the ethylene monomer is fed into the reactor and allowed to saturate for at least 10 minutes, and a methyl aluminum dichloride co-catalyst (MADC) is added to initiate polymerization of ethylene. Polymerization is quenched by adding methanol containing HCl incorporated with titania-tungsten nanofillers, which is then washed and dried to yield UHMWPE.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polymers, and particularly to a method to produce ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) using a tungsten-doped titania (TiO2/W) nanofiller.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is an exceptional polymer with unique mechanical and physical properties such as chemical resistance, impact resistance, abrasion resistance, lubricity and thermal stability. These properties are directly related to the molecular and super molecular structure of the polyethylene polymer. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene is obtained by polymerizing ethylene at low pressure using Zeigler-Natta catalyst supported by fixing TiCl4 or VOCl3 onto amorphous SiO2. Recently methyl aluminum dichloride (MADC) was found to be a potential cocatalyst in the polymerization/oligomerization process.
It is common in the plastics industry to blend various additives with a matrix polymer for the purpose of improving one or more polymer physical properties. Such compositions that contain nanofillers dispersed in a polymer matrix are referred to as nanocomposites. Polyolefin nanocomposites are of great interest in industry because they possess exceptional mechanical properties, flammability, gas barrier properties and thermal stability depending on their shape, loading, particles size, dispersion of the fillers and bonding. Polymer composites have been made by (a) solution mixing, (b) melt compounding and (3) in situ polymerization. Among these methods, in-situ polymerization is considered to be more promising since it leads to a homogeneous dispersion of filler in the polymer matrix.
In recent years, highly effective nanoparticle fillers have been developed and used as additives in polymer matrices. For example, various inorganic nanoparticles have been used as nanofillers such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminum trioxide (Al2O3) and zinc dioxide (ZrO2) to improve polymer properties. Polymer-based TiO2 composites have been extensively studied in the literature to improve mechanical and thermal properties of the polymer. Although TiO2-filled polymers are known, the properties of such composite materials are fixed.
It would be desirable to provide a method for producing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with tungsten doped titania nanofiller material (TiO2/W) that permits control over and variation of the overall polymeric properties, such as molecular weight and the associated thermal properties.
Thus, a method to produce ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Method to produce ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS


An integrated circuit may have a memory bit corruption detection circuit. The memory bit corruption detection circuit may monitor a circuit that stores multiple data bits using a current sensing circuit and a fault detection circuit. When a bit of the data bits gets corrupted, a current may flow through a predetermined node in the monitored circuit which may be sensed by the current sensing circuit. The current may have a particular current profile that may be distinguishable from current flows that occur during normal operation of the monitored circuit. The fault detection circuit may recognize the particular current profile that is indicative of a corrupted memory bit in the monitored circuit and generate a fault signal to indicate that memory bit corruption has occurred in the monitored circuit.

This invention relates to memory bit corruption and, more particularly, to detecting memory bit corruption in integrated circuits.
Integrated circuits often contain memory elements. Typical memory elements are based on cross-coupled inverters (latches) and are used to store data. Each memory element can store a single bit of data.
Memory elements are often used to store configuration data in integrated circuits. For example, memory elements may be used to store configuration data in programmable logic device integrated circuits. Programmable logic devices are a type of integrated circuit that can be customized in relatively small batches to implement a desired logic design. In a typical scenario, a programmable logic device manufacturer designs and manufactures un-customized programmable logic device integrated circuits in advance. Later, a logic designer uses a logic design system to design a custom logic circuit.
The logic design system uses information on the hardware capabilities of the manufacturer's programmable logic devices to help the designer implement the logic circuit using the resources available on a given programmable logic device.
The logic design system creates configuration data based on the logic designer's custom design. When the configuration data is loaded into the memory elements of one of the programmable logic devices, it programs the logic of that programmable logic device so that the programmable logic device implements the designer's logic circuit.
Integrated circuits such as programmable logic devices are subject to a phenomenon known as single event upset (SEU). A single event upset is a change of state caused by ions or electro-magnetic radiation. Cosmic rays or radioactive impurities embedded in integrated circuits and their packages may be responsible for generating such ions or electro-magnetic radiation.
When ions or electro-magnetic radiation strike the silicon substrate on which the integrated circuit is implemented, electron-hole pairs are generated. The electron-hole pairs create a conduction path that can cause a charged node for example a memory element to discharge. Thus, a single event upset may cause a logic "1" in the memory element to chance to a logic "0".
Upset events in sequential elements (e.g., memory elements, latches, or registers) can have serious repercussions and various error detection techniques have been examined and implemented in modern integrated circuits to address this issue. Typically, error detection techniques involve comparing the state of the sequential elements to their original state, and restoring them to the original state if a memory bit has been corrupted. However, such error detection techniques may not be applied instantaneously, and therefore there may be a risk that an integrated circuit operates with corrupted memory bits for at least some duration of time.

Methods and apparatus for detecting memory bit corruption on an integrated circuit


The junction field effect transistors (JFETs) of this invention have improved breakdown voltage capability, reduced on-resistance and improved overdrive capability. The JFET on-resistance is decreased by ion-implanting an insulating layer covering a layer that contains the source and gate regions of the unipolar transistor. The charge of the implanted ions is the same as the charge polarity of the gate regions. To improve the overdrive capability of a JFET a region of conductivity opposite to the conductivity of the gate region is formed in the gate region of the transistor. This region of opposite conductivity creates another junction within the gate region i.e., the junction between the region of opposite conductivity and the gate region, and the junction between the gate region and the layer containing the gate region. The second junction in the gate region of this invention prevents the gate-to-source junction from becoming forward biased until higher gate voltages are applied and thereby provides increased overdrive capability in comparison to prior art JFETs. A new method is used to form a guard ring surrounding the active area of a JFET. The JFET formed using this method has a guard ring of a second conductivity type extending a first distance D1 into a layer having a first conductivity type and a gate region of the second conductivity type extending a second distance D2 into the layer. The method of this invention allows selection of the first and second distances D1, D2 to optimize the breakdown voltage and performance of the JFET of this invention.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to junction field effect transistors (JFETs) and in particular to a new process for forming a high power high frequency JFET that has an improved breakdown voltage control, reduced on-resistance, and overdrive capability.
2. Prior Art
One goal common to most microwave semiconductor manufacturers is to continually increase the maximum continuous wave (CW) power available from singularly packaged transistors. Recently, as a response to this demand for high performance power transistors, device designers and application engineers have directed their attention away from bipolar power transistors to field effect transistors (FETs). As a consequence, while bipolar transistors have experienced incremental performance gains, FETs, both in MOS and junction gate configurations, have made large steps forward in electrical performance, reliability levels, and cost competitiveness.
For very high radio frequency (RF)/microwave power generation and amplification, the use of a high power supply voltage is highly desirable. As higher power supply voltages are used, the current decreases and the transistor's specific impedance level increases, which in turn reduces the matching, combining, and power splitting circuitry loss and complexity. The higher impedance level makes wide operating frequency bandwidth achievable without significant trade offs in gain.
The power supply voltage for CW power transistors is limited by the transistor breakdown voltage. One technique used to permit higher power supply voltages to use a short channel JFET. One embodiment of a prior art short channel JFET 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1.
The drain of short channel junction field effect transistor (JFET) 100 is a heavily doped region 101 of conductivity type N++. Drain 101 is overlain by a lightly doped epitaxial layer 102 of conductivity type N-. As is known to those skilled in the art, a portion of region 102 functions as the channel of JFET 100.
Two pockets 103, 104 of conductivity type P+, with their centers separated by a distance "a" (the device pitch), extend into epitaxial region 102. Approximately centered between pockets 103, 104 in epitaxial region 102 is a doped source region 105 of conductivity type N+ or N++. An insulating layer 106 (in FIG. 1, a letter is used after reference numeral 106 to identify the different regions of the insulating layer that are visible in the cross-sectional view) overlies surface 102A and has contact openings over pockets 103, 104 and a contact opening over source 105.
Metal gate electrodes 110, 112 electrically contact pockets 103 and 104 respectively and overlie insulating layer 106 so that portions of electrodes 110 and 112 which are not in electrical contact with pockets 103 and 104 are electrically insulated from region 102. Source electrode 111 electrically contacts source 105 and also overlies insulating layer 106 so that portions of electrodes 111 which are not in electrical contact with source 105 are electrically insulated from region 102. A passivation layer 113 overlies electrodes 110, 111, 112 and insulating layer 106.
Short channel JFET 100 has non-saturated current voltage (I-V) characteristics which are similar to those of a vacuum tube triode. FIG. 2 is a graph of the I-V characteristics for short channel JFET 100. The ordinate of the graph is the drain-to-source current in amps (I.sub.DS [A]) the abscissa is the drain-to-source voltage in volts (V.sub.DS [V]). Curves 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205 are for gate-to-source voltages (V.sub.GS [V]) of 0, -2, -4, -6, and -8 volts respectively.
The drain current of JFET 100 (FIG. 1) is controlled by the (negative) gate potential, as well as the (positive) drain potential. The drain current decreases as the magnitude of the (negative) gate voltage increases. Moreover, the drain current increases with a rise in the drain voltage, a "short channel"-like behavior. Conditions under which semiconductor devices exhibit triode-like I-V characteristics are well-known to those skilled-in-the-art. For example see, G. F. Neumark, E. S. Rittner, "Transition from pentode- to triode-like characteristics in FETs", SSE, V10, pp. 299-304, 1967. Other references that define the prior art include: W. Shockley, "Transistorelectronics: imperfections, unipolar and analog transistors", PIRE. V40, pp. 1289-1313, November 1952; R. Zuleeg, "Multi-channel FET theory and experiment", SSE, V10, pp. 559-576, 1967; J. R. Houser, "Characteristics of JFET devices with small channel-to-width ratios", SSE, V10, pp. 577-587, 1967; C. Kim, E. Yang, "Carrier accumulation and space-charge-limited current flow in FETs", SSE, V13, pp. 1577-1589, 1970; J. Nishizawa, T. Terasaki, J. Shibata, "FET versus Analog Transistor (Static Induction Transistor)"; A. S. Wang C. J. Dell'Oca, "A compatible bipolar and JFET Process" IEDM Proc., pp. 45-47, December 1976; J. Nishizawa, "Semiconductor technology in Japan", North Holland, Publisher, N.Y., 1982; M. G. Kane, R. Frey, "The PSIFET emerges as a new contender", MSN, pp. 46-58, September 1984; A. Cogan, R. Blanchard, "Progress toward the ultimate semiconductor switch", Powertechniques Magazine, pp. 35-39, September 1986; J. Browne, "Solid State Triodes boost high voltages at broad bandwidths", Microwaves & RRF, pp. 211-224, May, 1989; B. J. Baliga, "Bipolar operation of power JFETs", EI.Letters, V10, No. 2, February 1980.
Short channel JFET 100 is a majority carrier device with high internal electric fields that exhibits a large number of favorable electrical and radio frequency characteristics (TABLE I). Only majority carriers (electrons) flow in the short channel of JFET 100 (FIG. 1). Hence, JFET 100 operates at high frequencies because no minority carrier effects are present to slow its operation.
TABLE I ______________________________________ Characteristics of Prior Art Short Channel JFET 100. ______________________________________ Blocking voltage > 120 V. Voltage Gain .gtoreq. 25 @V.sub.DS = 40 V, I.sub.DS = 1 A. Transconductance .gtoreq. 400 mS at V.sub.DS = 50 V, I.sub.DS = 1 A. C.sub.GD .ltoreq. 0.3 pF/W @ V.sub.GD = 50 volts. C.sub.GS .ltoreq. 0.4 pF/W @ V.sub.DS = 15 volts. C.sub.DS .ltoreq. 0.1 pF/W @ V.sub.DS = 50 volts. Saturated CW power .gtoreq. 150 W @ 250 MHz. F.sub.mag .gtoreq. 4GHz. Power gain .gtoreq. 10db @ 250 MHz. Power (drain) Efficiency .gtoreq. 65% @ 500 MHz ______________________________________
While prior art short channel JFET 100 provides enhanced performance over equivalent bipolar and MOS transistors, short channel JFET 100 is limited by the on-resistance, power overdrive capability, and process limitations that affect breakdown voltage. Techniques for enhancing each of these characteristics are known, but the techniques are generally not applicable to high frequency high power short channel JFET 100. Specifically, the techniques degrade either or both of the power and frequency capability of JFET 100. Therefore, applications of JFET 100 are limited to those applications were the on-resistance, power overdrive and breakdown voltage limitations are not of concern. Unfortunately, in most high power high frequency applications, all of these factors are of concern.


An adjustable bed including a stationary frame is supported with legs above a floor. An articulated deck comprising head, seat, leg and foot deck boards hingedly joined together is spaced above the frame with connectors. The connectors include generally inverted U-shaped foot and seat tubes pivotally secured to the frame and secured to the seat and foot deck boards. A motorized drive assembly is operatively coupled to the head deck board and includes arms with are pivotally secured to the frame. Activation of the motorized drive assembly moves the deck boards.

A well known type of bedding product comprises a motorized adjustable bed in which an articulated frame supports a mattress. These motorized adjustable beds have traditionally been used in hospitals but more and more are being installed and used in residential homes. Motorized articulated beds have conventionally had an upper body support movable between an inclined position in which it supports the patient in a sitting position and a prone position in which the patient lies down in a generally horizontal position. In addition, a leg support is movable between positions and may be adjusted to a desired degree of inclination. An actuating mechanism, commonly two or more electric motors, raises and lowers the head and leg supports of the articulated bed frame. U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,730 discloses such an articulated bed. Disadvantages of adjustable beds incorporating two electric motors over adjustable beds having only one electric motor include 1) the odds of at least one of the motors malfunctioning increases and 2) increased manufacturing costs.
In order to reduce the manufacturing costs of an adjustable bed, adjustable beds have been made with a single motor. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,385,410 and 4,559,655 discloses such adjustable beds powered by a single motor. Known adjustable beds powered by a single motor require a great deal of power to raise and lower the bed sections to their desired positions due to the weight of the person lying on the bed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,499,162 and 6,640,365 disclose adjustable beds comprising a plurality of bedplates pivotally secured together for supporting a mattress. Connecting elements or links pivotally connect a base to the bed plates. Activation of a power source such as an electric motor causes movement of the bed plates. One disadvantage with the adjustable beds is that the bedplate above the seat of the user does not lower. Consequently, the weight of the person using the bed is not used to move the bedplates.
Therefore, there is a need for an articulated bed powered by a single motor which utilizes a person's weight to activate the bed.


The present application provides an automatic knife stop device and a system for fibula cutting, a computer equipment, and a medium. The device includes: an acquisition module; a threshold module; and a judgment module. The present application can avoid the destruction of blood vessels during shaping and greatly improve the success rate of surgery, while greatly improve the robustness of the control system by increasing the strength of the force feedback signal.

In the reconstruction of a vascularized fibular flap, since the accompanying blood vessels of the fibula are located on the inner side of the fibula and are about 3-5 mm away from the fibula, when the fibular flap is incised, the knife must be stopped immediately to avoid the blade contacting the vessels and ensure that the vessels are not damaged. Due to the characteristics of precision and stability, surgical robots have become one of the means to assist doctors in completing vascularized fibular flap shaping. The surgical robot precisely locates the preoperatively planned position and cuts the fibula. Most of traditional surgical robots use an optical navigation locator to control the position in the osteotomy process, where the surgical accuracies (the error between the length of the cut fibula segment and the corresponding fibula segment designed by surgical planning) are 3.7±2.0 mm and 1.36±0.4 mm. From the perspective of positioning accuracy, the surgical robot guided by the optical positioning system has the risk of damaging the blood vessels. Moreover, there is almost no research related to automatic stop of robotic osteotomy at present.

Automatic knife stop device and system for fibula cutting, computer equipment, and medium

SHANGHAI NINTH PEOPLE'S HOSPITAL, SHANGHAI JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE


A communication device including a ground element and an antenna element is provided. The antenna element is adjacent to an edge of the ground element. The antenna element has a projection on the edge of the ground element. The antenna element includes a radiation element, a feeding element, and a shorting element. The radiation element has a first end and a second end, and the second end is open. The radiation element has plural bends such that the second end is adjacent to the first end. One end of the feeding element is coupled through a capacitive element to a connection point on the radiation element, and the connection point is adjacent to or at the first end. Another end of the feeding element is coupled to a signal source. The feeding element includes a first segment which is substantially parallel to the edge of the ground element.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to a communication device, and more particularly, relates to a communication device and a small-size multi-band inverted-F antenna element therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid development of wireless communication technologies, a variety of wireless communication products are continuously being promoted and innovated. To satisfy user demand for multimedia applications, mobile communication devices require higher data-transmission speeds and larger amounts of data transfer. However, since the design of current mobile communication devices has being becoming lighter and thinner, the clearance region of antenna elements is relatively limited. Therefore, it is a critical challenge for antenna designers to design a planar, multi-band, and small-size antenna element.

Communication device and antenna element therein


The invention relates to a device for monitoring the absence of motionless bodies in a swimming pool. Two cameras (1) provide for the permanent imaging of the bottom of the swimming pool. These images are first digitized and then processed by a computer. The superimposition of the two information permits analysis of substantially the entire the surface of the swimming pool in order to determine if a portion is masked by an obstacle. When such obstacle is detected, the duration of the presence of each masked pixel is analyzed. After a certain time delay, and for a minimum number of neighboring pixels, an alarm is generated.

The present invention relates to a non-constraining device for monitoring the absence of endangered bodies in a swimming pool. There is a presumption and triggering of an alert when monitoring this absence is disturbed.
When a person suffers from an indisposition in a swimming pool as a result of a major problem such as hydrocution, a heart attack, exhaustion etc., the natural reflex of the rachidian bulb causes him to swallow a volume of water the effect of which is to accelerate the body's movement down to the bottom of the swimming pool. Such events can happen when a swimming pool attendant is on duty but could be momentainly absent or simply unable to see the person in difficulty because of reflections of the sun's rays on the surface of the water, or because of an unfavorable angle of vision or simply due to inattention. Likewise, other bathers may be in the proximity without being aware of the problem.
The reaction time is important and each few seconds before an alert is given can be decisive for the person in danger.
Several solutions have already been proposed to resolve this problem. However, the different known equipments are based essentially on the use of sonar or radio waves or even laser beams and are relatively ill-adapted to use in public swimming pools due to difficulties related principally to the properties of the water or reflective effects against the walls.
FIG. 2 presents the coefficients of absorption of electromagnetic waves measured in pure water. On the abscissa, is the wavelength wherein the zone of visibility is in the region of 0.35 to 0.8 micrometers. On the ordinate is the attenuation per centimeter of water traversed. By way of indication, the attenuation over 10 m of water at a wavelength of 0.8 microns, at the border of visible infra red, is 0.000043. Moreover, low attenuation coefficients corresponding to the blue-violet zone are substantially altered by the water's turbidity when many bathers are swimming. By way of example, when a swimming pool is observed through portholes while the pool is densely occupied, it may be difficult or even impossible to distinguish a bather located at 25 or 30 m.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,705 is written in very general terms and is based on the measurement of the distance between the detector and a possible obstacle to ascertain its presence. It mentions various components including a sonar adequately adapted to detect a body placed between the sonar and a wall, but which would encounter enormous difficulties to detect a body situated very close to a wall, the latter creating numerous reflections. The same applies to detection by radio frequency due to problematic propagation in water. This patent also mentions lasers without however specifying the mode of operation. Moreover, it enumerates general methods of eliminating noise because its aim is the identification of the immobile object.

Alarm and monitoring device for the presumption of bodies in danger in a swimming pool