A condition sensing apparatus/method includes a sensor-fiber-grating that is subjected to a physical condition or measurand (strain/temperature/pressure) that is to be sensed. A broad-band light beam is directed into the core of the sensor grating, and the constructive-interference light beam that is reflected from this sensor grating is directed into a reference-fiber-grating. The reference grating is subjected to a servo-controlled elongation force or strain, and in this manner the length of the reference grating is varied until the reference grating operates to reflect a maximum intensity of its received light beam, and to transmit a minimum intensity of its received light beam. This maximum/minimum condition of the reference grating is sensed by detecting the minimum intensity of a light beam that is transmitted through the reference grating. The physical strain of the reference grating at which this condition occurs is used as a measure of the measurand to which the sensor grating is subjected. Sensing the mechanical resonant frequency of the reference grating provides an output that indicates the magnitude of the measurand currently at the sensor grating.

1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to the use of an optical fiber, such as a fiber Bragg grating, to sense a physical condition such as strain, temperature gradient, or pressure (sometimes called a measurand) to which the optical fiber is subjected.
2. Description of the Related Art:
This invention uses two well-known fiber gratings, one of which is called a sensor fiber grating herein, and the other of which is called a reference fiber grating herein, see fiber gratings 10 and 21 of FIG. 1.
A fiber grating of this type comprises a generally mid portion of an optical fiber that has a center and concentrically disposed light transmitting core, an intermediate cladding layer, and an outer buffer/jacket layer that operates to protect the optical fiber from physical damage. The fiber grating's core includes refractive index variations that are distributed along its length. These index changes, or variations, cause a portion of an input light beam to be reflected back out of the light entry end of the fiber grating's core. As is well known, at a critical wavelength, or frequency of the input light beam, all of the components of the reflected light, one component for each index change, interfere in a constructive manner, and a strong or high intensity reflected light beam is provided at this critical wavelength. This critical wavelength is called the Bragg wavelength.
As is known, this periodic index variation can be produced along the core of a single-mode optical fiber by illuminating the core with a periodically patterned Ultra Violet (UV) laser beam. Such an optical fiber, having periodic index variations along the length of its core, is known as an optical-fiber-grating, a fiber Bragg grating, or more simply a fiber-grating. Hereinafter, such an optical fiber will be called a fiber grating, or an optical fiber grating.
If one were to plot the amplitude of the refractive index within the fiber grating's core as a function of a distance that is measured along the core's length, the resultant curve would have a periodic variation, the core would have a nominal or average index of refraction, and the core's index of refraction would vary from this average value in a generally sinusoidal manner.
Mathematically, the Bragg wavelength "B" of a fiber grating is described as, B=2Pn.sub.o where P is the grating period P, and n.sub.o is the nominal or average refractive index of the core.
As shown by the above equation, the Bragg wavelength B of a fiber grating is shifted by a change in the grating period P, and/or by a change in the average refractive index no of the core. In general, the grating period and the average index of refraction change when the fiber grating is subjected to a change in strain (i.e., the fiber grating is stretched lengthwise), a change in length that is caused by a temperature change, or a change in length that is caused by pressure, all of which can be collectively defined as photoelastic and thermo-optic effects.
Both the peak reflectivity and the spectral bandwidth of a Bragg wavelength reflected light beam are functions of the fiber grating's length and the amount of refractive index variation that is present at each periodic index variation that exists along the fiber grating's core. While the two characteristics peak reflectivity and spectral bandwidth are related to the sensitivity of the construction and arrangement of the present invention, they have no effect on the basic function of the present invention.
As a result of the above properties of a well-known fiber grating, a fiber grating can be used as a strain sensor, and/or a temperature sensor, and/or a pressure sensor. In each case, the measurand strain/temperature/pressure is measured by measuring, or determining a shift in the fiber grating's Bragg wavelength from a calibration point, or by measuring the absolute value of the Bragg wavelength. In either event, knowledge of Bragg wavelength enables measurement of the measurand strain/temperature/pressure.
One known way to measure the Bragg wavelength of a fiber-grating is to use an optical spectrum analyzer that draws the wavelength spectrum of the fiber grating's reflected light beam or transmitted light beam. Using this instrument, the fiber grating's Bragg wavelength can be directly read as the center wavelength of the drawn wavelength spectrum. However, this use of an optical spectrum analyzer is expensive, slow, and requires the use of bulky equipment.
An interferometer, such as a fiber Fabry-Perot or a fiber Mach-Zehnder, can also be used to measure the shift of the fiber grating's Bragg wavelength, but this device is also expensive, and it is difficult to calibrate.
Conventionally, strain is also measured by means of an electrical resistance change, or perhaps by measuring an electrical capacitance change, of a device that is generally printed on a thin resin film. Generally, these sensors are designed for surface mounting only, and these sensors have a poor dynamic range due to the nonelastic nature of the films.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,915,468 and 5,208,877 are of general interest. Patent '468 describes photo induced reflective changes that are produced in a two-mode, elliptical-core, vibration-modal optical fiber strain sensor. Patent -877 describes a two-mode optical waveguide having a non-circular core, one embodiment of which is a strain gauge.
While the above-described apparatus/methods have been generally useful for their limited intended purposes, the need remains in the art of a strain sensing apparatus/method in which the magnitude of a strain-causing physical condition at the location of a sensor grating is detected by processing a beam output of the sensor grating by the use of a reference grating whose Bragg wavelength is controlled so as to be matched to the Bragg wavelength of the sensor grating.

Strain measuring apparatus/method having a sensor and a reference optical fiber grating


A method is provided for analyzing the color quality of a press pull as compared to a contract proof. The contract proof is scanned to create image data including color data representing a scanned proof image. The press pull is also scanned to create image data including color data representing a scanned press pull image. The scanned images are simultaneously displayed on a video monitor, and, the displayed images are searched for any significant differences in color.  A system is provided for analyzing the color quality of a press pull as compared to a contract proof comprising at least one scanner for scanning the contract proof and for scanning the press pull, an image comparator connected to the at least one scanner to receive the data for the scanned proof image and the scanned press pull image and a video monitor connected to the image comparator to receive the data for the scanned proof image and the scanned press pull image and to display the scanned images simultaneously.

In the field of commercial colour printing, the printed product should ideally conform as closely as possible to the design as created and visualized by the graphic designer. Because of the complexity of colour printing processes, there are myriad variables which can and will affect the colour and appearance of the printed product and thus, if not accounted for and carefully controlled, yield printed product which does not conform to the graphic designer's vision. Such variables may, for example in a flexography printing process, include:    a. ink properties, such as:            colour        viscosity        opacity/transparency        interaction of one ink with another (e.g. ink trap)        ink system used (i.e. the physical ingredients used in the ink emulsion selected according to the application—e.g. ingredients or additives to provide UV resistance)        which can all affect the spread and appearance of the ink on a print substrate (e.g. paper, cardboard, plastic, all of various types). Ink properties can change from supplier to supplier, from batch to batch, according to environmental conditions, or even with the passage of time.            b. substrate properties, such as:            colour        absorbency        porosity        surface finish        which can all affect the adherence and spread of ink, and thus its appearance, on the substrate.            c. printing plate properties, such as:            plate material (e.g. hardness, resilience, surface finish)        plate preparation processes, which can affect the properties of the plate material as well as process the plate to define the image to be printed (e.g. in flexography, by removal of plate material to define the relief portions defining the image)        plate backing or mounting material (e.g. the hardness and resilience of a particular "sticky back" mounting material to be used)        which can all affect adherence of ink to the printing plate and/or ink release from the plate and/or the ability to transfer ink to the substrate.            d. ink application system properties, such as:            analox roller selection (e.g. line screen and ink volume)        doctor blade selection and settings        which can all affect the amount of ink applied to the printing plate and thus the amount of ink ultimately transferred to the substrate.            e. printing processes, such as:            press speed (which affects ink drying time between the application of ink colours and contact time between plate and substrate thus affecting the amount of ink transferred)        printing plate pressure (which affects the amount of ink transferred to the substrate).
In addition to the above, errors of all types, including failure to maintain good housekeeping practices, may lead to unintended contamination of ink or substrate or improper application of ink to substrate.
The proper selection of materials, equipment and settings will result in a print run in which the ink on the finished printed product will have satisfactory properties, such as:                ink colour (i.e. satisfactory spectral measurement in either LAB or LCH)        colour density (i.e. satisfactory ink film thickness)        dot gain (i.e. satisfactory ink dot width after taking into account the percentage increase or decrease, i.e. "gain", of an ink dot from printing plate to final printed product) and        gray balance (i.e. satisfactory layering of ink film colours).
Provided that the print variables are carefully controlled for a particular printing press, it should be possible for a printing press to deliver consistent products over time, or from print run to print run or even from job to job. To assist in controlling press performance, it is known to require a press to print a calibration image under production conditions. When the printed calibration image is satisfactory, the values for all of the print variables are recorded in what is known as a press "fingerprint". In the event that a future print from the same press appears not to be satisfactory, the fingerprint will be available as a standard against which the values of the print variables at the time of the future print may be compared. In this way, a measured assessment may be made as to whether and which and by how much any print variables may have changed, so that appropriate corrective action may be taken.
The standard against which a particular printed product is assessed is a hard copy document known as a "contract proof". This document has been approved by both the customer and the commercial printer as representing the visual standard which the printed products must match as closely as possible. In current printing practice, contract proofs are prepared from electronic files of the artwork to be printed by a machine known as a dot proofer, for example as sold under the trademarks LATRAN PREDICTION or KODAK APPROVAL. A dot proofer prints the image to be printed on the press by simulating printed ink dots at an appropriate resolution on a carrier sheet and then applies this image to the relevant substrate. The result is a prototype document which the printing press should be able to match. The final version of the electronic file from which the contract proof was printed is sometimes known as an "electronic soft proof".
In current practice, printing plates are prepared by, or supplied to a commercial printer, along with the contract proof. The printer will set up its printing press in a manner which the printer believes will yield a printed product which will closely match the contract proof. Setting-up a printing press is an iterative process, wherein the printer will adjust at least some of the variables mentioned above to arrive at a printed product which the printer believes does match the contract proof.
Before proceeding with a print run, a printer will require the customer to authorize the print run to proceed. In this authorization process, the customer's representative will be supplied with a sample of the printed product printed by the printing press under production conditions. The customer visually compares this physical specimen, known as a "press pull", to the physical contract proof. If the press pull appears to match the contract proof in all significant respects, the customer's representative will approve the press run to proceed.
If the customer's representative believes that the press pull differs in significant respects from the contract proof, then the printer will be required to adjust the printing variables further and run another press pull. The process will be repeated until the customer's representative is satisfied.
Given the size and commercial value of commercial print runs, often producing tens of thousands or more printed products, it is crucial that these initial approval processes are to the satisfaction to all participants. Accordingly, the importance of the approval process cannot be overstated. As a result, it is common for a representative of a customer to attend at the premises of the printer for this approval process. As printers and customers alike may be located anywhere in the world, significant amounts of travel (with attendant costs, lost time performing other duties, inconvenience, risk, etc) can be involved in effectively concluding these necessary approval processes.
In addition, it will be appreciated that the visual assessment of a press pull as compared to a contract proof can involve an element of subjectivity. The individual responsible for making that subjective assessment thus faces a huge responsibility to ensure that his or her decision as to the satisfactory nature of the press pull is a sound one. Because of the need to be physically present for the approval process, only a limited number of customer representatives (often only one or two) are involved in the approval process—in spite of the fact that preferably more persons should be involved so as to reduce dependence on the subjective nature of the assessment.
A large print run can require a significant amount of time. In many cases, the customer's representative(s) will not stay on the premises of the printer for the entire print run, Over the course of a long print run, it is possible, if not likely, that one or more printing variables may change. It is not uncommon to find that the last printed product in a long print run looks significantly different from the original press pull and the contract proof. The slow degradation of the printing process as compared to the contract proof can be problematic. A printer itself may remove representative specimens as they are printed (i.e. take additional press pulls) and make comparisons to the contract proof. However, the printer's assessment of the printed product may not be as critical as the customer's assessment. Thus, failure to monitor printing processes throughout the print run can lead to disputes between a customer and a printer.
In an effort to address some of the above problems in a convenient if not entirely trustworthy or accurate manner, some persons will compare a press pull against the electronic soft proof displayed on a video monitor. The problem of course is that video monitors do not necessarily accurately or consistently display colour and such comparisons can be unreliable. Attempts have been made to make such a process more reliable by ensuring that the video monitor has been calibrated to an industry standard. Nevertheless, it can still be difficult to effectively compare a hard copy press pull against the electronic soft proof (which is not the actual defined standard) on a video screen.
The present invention provides a proofing system and method for analyzing the colour quality of a printed product as compared to a contract proof, which can be used by a printer to more conveniently yet reliably monitor the progress of a print run and by a customer to remotely yet reliably approve initiation of a print run and, if desired, monitor same on a regular or ongoing basis.

System and method for analyzing print quality


A one-piece fiber optic receptacle (10) with integrally-molded containment cells (18,19) for frictionally retaining one or more active optical devices (20) within the receptacle (10) during alignment.

Accurate optical data communication requires exact alignment of optical fiber(s) between transmitters and receivers. For this purpose, interconnection systems are used to establish and maintain the proper alignment.
The demand for precision is escalating, and this has been an impetus for numerous improvements to existing fiber optic interconnection systems. However, the insatiable desire for precision must be balanced with an equally important need for economy. Otherwise, commercially impractical product designs result.
It is also desirable to improve the quality and performance of conventional fiber optic products without unduly increasing the cost. Recent efforts have focussed on mechanical safeguards which insure the integrity of the assembly process. For instance, it is now recognized that the maintenance of an initially precise alignment throughout the assembly process is equally as important as the initial alignment. Hence, the overall transmission accuracy can be increased and signal losses can be reduced by a more stable connector.
Conventional connectors include fiber optic receptacles having an outer shell which defines a central chamber with an open end for receiving a mating plug or receptacle cover. At least one cavity (or cell) is formed proximate the opposite end of the shell for receiving an active optical device such as a transmitter or receiver. The receptacle may be a simplex receptacle which houses a single active device for alignment of a single optical fiber therewith. Alternatively, the receptacle may be a duplex receptacle which houses dual active devices for alignment of a duplex optical fiber. In either case, the receptacle is formed with the proper number of containment cavities in which a conventional active optical device (such as a photo-diode, photo-transistor, or the like) is seated.
Co-pending application Serial No. (to be assigned) (AMP Docket 15328) discloses an alignment cover for a conventional fiber optical receptacle The alignment cover performs its traditional function in keeping out dust and debris, yet it also serves to align the active optical device(s), and to keep the devices aligned in the receptacle throughout the assembly process.
There is considerable room for further improvement in this same tradition. One continuing problem lies in the need to hold the active optical devices in the containment cavities of the receptacle as alignment is being achieved. Traditionally, the active devices are glued or manually held in position, but these methods are inconvenient and error-prone.
Consequently, there exists a clear commercial need for an economical means to secure the active devices during alignment, and to maintain proper alignment thereafter.

Optical receptacle with frictional containment cells for active devices


A hub bearing assembly comprising a hub having a radially outwardly directed flange at one axial end for mounting the wheel of a vehicle, an outer ring having axially spaced raceways and a plurality of rolling elements arranged in two rows in the annular space between the outer ring and the hub, the diameter of the pitch circle of the outboard row of rolling elements adjacent said flange being greater than the diameter of the pitch circle of the rolling elements in the inboard row.

Hub units for vehicle wheels are not new per se. Typical of the prior are units are shown in patents such as the OSHIAKI, U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,371 for ROLLING BEARING UNIT FOR VEHICLE WHEEL issued Mar. 14, 2000 and the Evans, U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,695 for ROLLING BEARING issued Jan. 8, 1982. As shown in these patents, the hub units typically comprise a generally cylindrical hub having a radially outwardly directed flange for mounting to a wheel of a vehicle via a series of circumferentially spaced bolt holes accommodating lugs or studs for supporting the wheel. A pair of axially spaced rows of bearings support the wheel for rotation between an outer ring having internal raceways for the rolling elements. In the Yoshiaki '371 patent, the bearing support comprises a row of balls and a row of tapered rollers.
Even though these hub assemblies are generally satisfactory for the intended purpose, the present invention is an improvement in hub assemblies of this general type and is characterized by novel features of construction and arrangement providing functional advantages over the prior art such as a more balanced load distribution on the bearings and what is termed a "stiffer" hub reducing bending moments particularly beneficial in cornering maneuvers.


An autorotative enhancement system comprises a transmission having a driveshaft configured to couple to an engine. A mast is configured to couple to multiple rotor blades. An autorotative assist unit is configured to the transmission and is configured to store energy during normal operation and drive the rotor blades through the transmission to provide supplemental autorotative assistance upon loss of engine power.

In the event of engine failure, a helicopter can employ autorotation to execute a safe landing, wherein the main rotor system of the helicopter is turned by the action of air moving up through the rotor. This generates lift and drag to slow the descent of the helicopter. Autorotation can allow the helicopter to descend and land safely without the use of the main engine. Autorotation can be particularly useful for single engine helicopters.


A process for the manufacture of metal products includes the steps of providing a mold including a first portion made of an aggregate and a binder, delivering a molten metal into the mold, removing a first portion of the mold with a fluid and solidifying at least one targeted portion of the molten metal which will form the metal product with the fluid. A flow of fluid to the mold is stopped for a period of time. Subsequently, a remaining portion of the molten metal is solidified to form the metal product. The at least one targeted portion of the metal product has better mechanical properties than does a remaining portion of the metal product. A unitary, one-piece aluminum alloy component with differing mechanical properties is also disclosed.

In the traditional casting processes, a molten metal is poured into a mold and solidifies, or freezes, through a loss of heat to the mold. For relatively thermally insulating aggregate molds (such as those made from silica sand) this process is slow, significantly reducing the mechanical properties of the casting. While the rate can be increased by local metallic chill blocks placed in the mold, this is expensive and inconvenient on many molding lines. For this reason, the casting of Aluminum (Al—) and Magnesium (Mg—) based alloys is often carried out in a permanent metal mold, with significant benefits to properties. The direction of freezing is, however, not easily controlled in either aggregate or permanent molds, so that shrinkage porosity remains a common fault for both types of castings, although one type has less porosity than the other.
Furthermore, the rate of heat extraction from all such molds is limited by the presence of the so-called 'air gap'. This is the space that opens up between the cooling and contracting casting and the heating and expanding mold. The rate of transfer of heat from the casting is powerfully limited by this insulating layer of air. Regardless, these conventional casting processes extract or remove heat by way of surface cooling of the component, with the component being solidified either by the mold or by tooling.
When enough heat has been lost from the molten metal so that it has frozen, and cooled sufficiently to gain adequate strength so that it can support its own weight the resulting product, i.e., a casting, can then be removed from the mold. The separation of casting from mold can be somewhat energetic, often involving falling on to grids and/or tumbling for extracting the casting from greensand molds. For chemically bonded hard sands, mold removal usually requires a shake-out on a vibrating grid. Such processes are hot, dusty and noisy, involving the provision of clean and cool air for operators, significant dust extraction systems, and noise containment. For hard and strong castings of iron and steel such separation techniques are usually not damaging to the casting, but Al- and Mg-based alloys are relatively soft and easily damaged by such brutal mechanical techniques. These mechanical techniques can also cause distortion.
Following this initial separation, final cleaning, and possible removal of cores, still requires additional energetic processes such as shot blasting, or even significant energy in the form of heat treatment to burn out core residues.
Recently a novel approach to solve most of the above problems has been developed. It is called the ablation solidification process and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,216,691 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
"Ablation" is the term used in this application to refer to the removal of an aggregate mold by an erosion process in which the application of an ablating medium, such as a fluid causes the aggregate to disintegrate to grain size and the grains to be flushed away in the flow of the fluid. In this way, the surface of the solidifying metal component can be revealed, allowing direct contact between the ablating medium and the metal of the solidifying casting without the formation of any air gap. The direct contact maximizes heat flow from the metal, greatly increasing the rate of solidification and cooling of the metal. The timing of the application of the medium can be prior to complete freezing of the metal in the mold to maximize mechanical properties of the solidified metal, or can be delayed to minimize properties. An important specific example of ablation includes the use of an aggregate mold bonded with a soluble binder and the use of a solute, such as one containing water, as the ablating and cooling medium.
While the ablation process is a significant improvement over the known or conventional casting methods, it would be desirable to enhance the ablation process in order to provide higher productivity for metal products such as forgings, weldments and castings and enhance the properties of such products.
It would be particularly desirable to develop a process which would allow a single, unitary, ablated component or product formed from a molten metal (or perhaps even another type of material such as a plastic) to have different mechanical properties in various portions of the part. A component with one portion of the part having better mechanical properties or metallurgical properties than another portion of the same part has advantages in a variety of fields, including transportation, construction, manufacturing and the like.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A zoom lens system including, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens unit of positive optical power, and a second lens unit of negative optical power, followed by a lens component having a lens unit, wherein at least one of the first lens unit and the second lens unit moves during zooming. One of the lens units of the zoom lens system includes a layer made of a material that satisfies the following conditions:11<νIT<270.2<θIT<0.4.Wherein νIT is an Abbe number of the layer, and θIT is a partial dispersion ratio for the g-spectral line and f-spectral line of the layer. The layer has an optical power of a sign opposite to that of the lens unit including the layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a zoom lens system suitable, for example, as a photographic optical system for silver-halide film cameras, digital still cameras, video cameras, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the advancement of technologies for high resolution in digital still cameras, a zoom lens serving as a photographic optical system for high-resolution solid-state imaging devices requires not only a monochromatic aberration correction but also a sufficient correction in chromatic aberration. Especially, as a focal length of the zoom lens on the telephoto side becomes long with an increase in zoom ratio (an increase in variable magnification), chromatic aberration is required to be reduced in second-order spectrum as well as first-order achromatism.
Up to the present, there are a number of zoom lenses using extraordinary dispersion glass to correct the second-order spectrum of the axial chromatic aberration on the telephoto side. In addition, as an example of the zoom lens structure suitable for a high zoom ratio, there is a positive lead type zoom lens having a lens unit of positive refractive power disposed closest to the object side.
For example, zoom lenses having four lens units having positive, negative, positive and positive refractive powers, respectively, disposed in order from the object side and using extraordinary dispersion glass are disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3097399, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-62478 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,087), Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 8-248317, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-194590 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,561).
Moreover, zoom lenses using a diffractive optical element, which is more effective in chromatic aberration correction than the extraordinary dispersion glass, are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 9-211329 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,658).
In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-74901 (corresponding to European Patent Application EP 1065531 A2) discloses a technology for improving the efficiency of diffraction of a diffraction grating by using a replica material in which fine ITO (indium tin oxide) particles are mixed into a resin.
In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-21803 discloses a zoom lens having a first lens unit having an aspherical surface formed by a resinous layer to correct monochromatic aberration.
If a diffractive optical element is used in a zoom lens, a larger effect of chromatic aberration correction is obtained than if an extraordinary dispersion glass material is used. However, the diffraction efficiency of a diffraction grating changes depending on angles of incidence of light rays. Therefore, in cases where the diffractive optical element is used in a zoom lens in which a condition of incidence of light rays changes during zooming, the location of the diffractive optical element in the zoom lens may be limited, or the diffraction efficiency may deteriorate during zooming.
Moreover, in cases where an aspherical surface is formed of an ordinary resinous material disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-21803, the effect of correction of chromatic aberration cannot be obtained.


The combination washer/dryer with flow drum is an apparatus that directs the movement of fluids through the drum to improve the laundering of clothing. The apparatus comprises a tub, a drum, an air barrier, an actuator, a hot air duct, and an exhaust duct. The tub comprises a drain, a spout, and an inner space. The air barrier comprises a drum mount and a flow opening. The drum comprises a lateral wall, a first side, and a second side, each of which comprise a plurality of fluid directing blades and fluid openings. Additionally, the drum comprises a cavity. The configuration of these components and sub-components allows the apparatus to use the rotation of the fluid directing blades to direct the flow of fluids through the cavity of the drum during the washing cycle and drying cycle to providing more efficient laundering of the articles of clothing present within the drum.

Conventional domestic washing and drying machines provide users with a convenient way to launder their clothing in the comfort of their home. Traditionally washing and drying machines are setup as individual units. The washing machine units are typically top opening or front opening cabinet devices that house a rotating drum. The articles of clothing are deposited into the drum to be washed. Once the articles of clothing are washed, they are transferred to the drying machine. The drying machine unit is typically a front opening cabinet that also houses a rotating drum. While the intent of each unit is different both units include similar components that can be combined to form a single unit that saves space and time.
While it is well known in the art that a washing and drying machine can be combined within the same cabinet, these combination units carry several disadvantages when compared to traditional dual cabinet assemblies. One of the disadvantages observed with the combination units relates to their smaller load capacity in comparison to traditional dual cabinet units. Traditional stand alone washer and drying machine units can generally handle larger loads, due in part to their design being optimized for a singular use. Another disadvantage that is seen with current combination washer and drying machine combination units is that they take significantly longer to dry the same size loads. This disadvantage is caused by the condensation system typically employed by current washer and drying combination units. The condensation system is employed to dry the moisture found within the drum of the combination unit. For the dryer portion of the drying machine to dry the clothing, the unit must first spend time condensing the moisture found within the drum. Still another disadvantage associated with the combination washer and drying machines is that they are considered energy inefficient when compared to traditional stand alone washer and dryer units. Traditional stand alone units have the advantage of energy efficiency due to their well known design that allows manufactures to easily integrate various proven energy saving features.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a washing and drying machine that utilizes a rotating drum with a plurality of blades that can efficiently wash larger loads, takes less time drying the loads, and is more energy efficient than current combination washer and drying machines. The present invention accomplishes this by improving the flow of fluids within the drum which reduces the time required for the drum to dry, which reduces the total drying time for the articles of clothing. Furthermore, by reducing the drying time the combination unit saves energy. Additionally, the present invention has the benefit of being scaled to meet the demand of a large load size.


In some embodiments, a method includes: displaying, on a first client device, a plurality of tasks; identifying, by the first client device, a task from the plurality of tasks, the task transferrable to a second client device in communication with the first client device; and sending, by the first client device, metadata for the task to the second client device in response to input received by the first client device, the task including metadata to allowing the second client device to display the task in the same manner as the task was displayed by the first client device.

Various software applications and services allow tasks to be assigned to users. Over the course of a task's lifecycle, the task may be reassigned to different users, e.g., different users within the same company, enterprise, firm or other type of organization. For example, in project management software, a task (or "ticket") may be created by a project manager and initially assigned to a team leader, who in turn may in turn assign the task to a software engineer or developer. Once the developer has completed on the task, the developer may assign the task to a quality assurance (QA) engineer, and so on. Reassigning a task from one user to another is also referred to as "transferring" or "shifting" the task.


A magnetic head assembly of the present invention includes a head rail having a plurality of head element portions each including a MR element and sliding portions that come into contact with a magnetic tape, and a protective film on a magnetic tape sliding surface of the head element portions and the sliding portions, wherein the protective film is formed in a portion other than the vicinity of both ends of the head rail in a traveling direction, and an outermost surface of the protective film, on which a magnetic tape is capable of sliding, is formed flat. Thus, a magnetic head assembly used in a magnetic tape apparatus can be provided, in which an output does not decrease due to the abrasion deformation of the head element portions and the increase in spacing by the adhesion of stain.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head assembly used in a linear recording magnetic tape apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a magnetic head assembly using a magnetic resistance element of a magnetic resistance (MR) type, a giant magnetic resistance (GMR) type, a tunneling junction magnetic resistance (TMR) type, or the like. The present invention also relates to a magnetic tape apparatus using such a magnetic head assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of a magnetic tape for data backup, a magnetic tape having a recording capacity of 800 GB or more per volume has been commercialized along with the increase in capacity of a hard disk targeted for backup. Furthermore, a large-capacity future backup tape having a capacity exceeding 4 TB has been proposed, and the increase in capacity thereof is indispensable.
A recording/reproducing magnetic head assembly used in such a large-capacity magnetic tape apparatus includes an induction head element (recording element) capable of recording information on a magnetic tape and an MR induction complex head element (reproducing element) capable of reading information recorded on the magnetic tape. The induction head element is configured by forming a magnetic pole, a coil, a MR element layer, and the like on a base, using a thin film generation method. The MR induction complex head element can be formed of a MR head element. The magnetic head assembly is configured by placing a plurality of (for example, 8 to 16) induction head elements and MR induction complex head elements on a head rail that has an elongated shape in a direction orthogonal to a magnetic tape traveling direction. Generally, the magnetic head assembly has a configuration in which two head rails are arranged in parallel in the magnetic tape traveling direction. The number of head rails may be one or at least three.
In the magnetic head assembly with such a configuration, during traveling of a magnetic tape in a forward direction, a signal is recorded on the magnetic tape with magnetic heads mounted on a leading rail, and a signal recorded on the magnetic tape is reproduced with magnetic heads mounted on a trailing rail. Such an operation is performed for simultaneous recording and reproduction in a plurality of channels (8 to 16). Furthermore, during traveling in a reverse direction, an operation opposite to the above operation during traveling in a forward direction is performed. Herein, a magnetic head assembly, in which a rail without head chips is present, may be used.
Furthermore, in these magnetic head assemblies, a servo head (MR head chips for reproducing a servo signal) is provided at each end of a head rail with a plurality of recording elements and reproducing elements mounted thereon. The servo head can read a servo signal recorded on a magnetic tape. The magnetic tape apparatus controls the position of the magnetic head assembly in a tape width direction so that magnetic heads can trace a predetermined track, based on the servo signal read by the servo head. There also is a magnetic tape apparatus that reads a servo pattern, which has a plurality of concave portions for detecting an optical position and is formed on a backcoat side of a magnetic tape, with an optical sensor, thereby performing tracking servo.
FIG. 4A shows an example of a magnetic head assembly composed of four rails. FIG. 4B shows a cross-section taken along a Z-Z line in FIG. 4A. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in a magnetic head assembly 101, a pair of head chip groups 103a and 103b are placed in a part of four rails 102 on which a magnetic tape slides. As shown in a Y-portion (enlarged view of the head chip group) in FIG. 4A, one head chip group is composed of a data head 110 including 16 head chips capable of recording or reproducing a data signal with respect to a magnetic tape, and a servo head 111 placed at each end of the data head 110, capable of reading a servo signal recorded on the magnetic tape.
FIGS. 5A and 5B show a configuration of one magnetic head (a part of the data head 110) in the head chip group shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the magnetic head. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along an X-X line in FIG. 5A. The magnetic head includes a base 1, an insulating layer 2, a magnetic shield layer 3, a MR element 4, a magnetic shield layer 5, a magnetic pole layer 6, a gap portion 7, a magnetic pole layer 8, a conductive coil 9, and a base 11. Ahead element portion includes the magnetic shield layer 3, the MR element 4, the magnetic shield layer 5, the magnetic pole layer 6, the gap portion 7, the magnetic pole layer 8, and the conductive coil 9.
In FIG. 5B, a dimension d1 corresponds to an initial pole tip recession (PTR). Furthermore, the dimension d1 is a depth of a concave portion 13 (abrasion level difference) caused by the difference in abrasion characteristics between the bases (AlTiC) 1 and 11, and the insulating layer (alumina glass) 2 and the head element portion (various kinds of materials) in a final polishing step in the course of production of the magnetic head assembly.
In a conventional linear magnetic head assembly, as shown in FIG. 5B, the surface of the head rail 102 including the surfaces of the bases (sliding portions) 1, 11 and the head element portion, opposed to the magnetic tape, is not provided with a protective film or the like, and the magnetic tape slides directly on the surface of the head rail 102. Document 1 (JP 7-230615 A) discloses a configuration in which a protective film such as a silicon oxide film or a carbon film is formed by sputtering only in a level difference caused by a treatment, generated in the head element portion in a thin film magnetic head for a hard disk.
In a conventional thin film magnetic head, stain (brown stain) adheres to the sliding surface between the head element portion and the magnetic tape, particularly, under a condition that recording and reproduction are performed repeatedly with respect to the same magnetic tape in a low humidity environment (20° C., 10% RH), which increases spacing. When the spacing increases, there arises a problem in that a reproduction output decreases, and an error rate increases. The stain is caused when a surface layer component of a magnetic layer of a magnetic tape peels off during traveling of the magnetic tape and adheres to the surface of the head element portion. It is conceivable that the stain adheres to the surface of the head element portion due to the heat generation caused by a current applied to the magnetic head during recording and reproduction, and the thermoelectric chemical reaction in which a potential difference occurs between the base (AlTiC) and the head chip due to the friction during traveling of the magnetic tape. Regarding the relationship between the potential difference between the base and the head chip, and the stain, research as described in Document 2 (Center for Magnetic Recording Research (CMRR) Report, page 11, number 24, Summer 2005, University of California, San Diego) has been conducted.
In the case of the magnetic head for a magnetic disk as disclosed by Document 1, a minute magnetic head slider (magnetic head assembly) placed at the end of a gimbal opposed to a magnetic disk is kept in contact with the magnetic disk during the suspension of the rotation of the magnetic disk When the magnetic disk is rotated at a high speed, the magnetic head slider floats from the magnetic disk due to the air bearing effect caused by the relative movement between the head rail and the magnetic disk according to a contact start stop (CSS) system. In contrast, the magnetic head for a magnetic tape comes into contact with a magnetic tape even during traveling of the magnetic tape. Furthermore, the stiffness of a medium in the magnetic disk is very high, so that the difference in hardness between the magnetic disk and the magnetic head is not so large. The magnetic tape is very thin and has low stiffness, so that the difference in hardness between the magnetic tape and the magnetic head is large.
As described above, in the case of the magnetic head for a magnetic tape, the PTR during traveling of the magnetic tape proceeds due to the aggressive abrasion. On the other hand, in the case of the magnetic head for a magnetic disk, a magnetic head assembly portion including a head element portion floats from the magnetic disk, so that the magnetic head assembly portion is almost in no-contact with the magnetic disk, and hence, polishing powder is not generated, and aggressive abrasion does not occur. However, according to the configuration in which a magnetic tape is allowed to travel while the magnetic tape is in contact with the magnetic head as in the magnetic head for a magnetic tape, the difference in hardness between the material for the magnetic tape and the material for the magnetic head is large, so that aggressive abrasion occurs to allow the PTR to proceed. The "aggressive abrasion" refers to the abrasion caused by the contact among three bodies. For example, the aggressive abrasion refers to the abrasion caused by the contact among three bodies: a magnetic head, a magnetic tape, and polishing powder (dropped substances from the magnetic tape, the magnetic head, or the like).
Furthermore, Document 1 discloses that a protective film is provided only in a concave portion of a head element portion of a magnetic head for a magnetic disk. According to this procedure, a protective film is not formed in a base portion, so that potential difference is likely to be caused between the base portion and the head element portion. Consequently, the generation of the above-mentioned stain cannot be prevented sufficiently.

Magnetic head assembly and magnetic tape driving apparatus


A heat exchanger includes a block having a first group of passages arranged in a generally circular pattern, a second group of passages spaced radially outward from the first group of passages and multiple groups of channels extending generally normal to and fluidly coupling the first and second groups of passages for radial flow therebetween. Selected pairs of passages, each including one passage from each passage group, are adapted for coupling to a first circulation line. The other ones of the passages are adapted for coupling to a second circulation line so that fluid heat from one of the circulation lines can be transferred to fluid from the other one of the lines in the heat exchanger. With this dense flow configuration, a compact heat exchanger can be constructed which, for example, is especially advantageous when used in conjunction with nuclear thermal rocket engines where space is at a premium. The dense fluid flow pattern also reduces material requirements and, thus, advantageously reduces weight. In addition, the passages and channels are distributed to form an essentially uniform distribution of voids. This enhances the uniformity of the heat exchanger density and, thus, improves its efficiency as a gamma shield when used with nuclear systems.

The invention relates to heat exchangers. More particularly, the invention relates to a heat exchanger having a compact construction, which, for example, is especially suited for applications where space is at a premium, such as in nuclear thermal rocket engines.
Nuclear rockets generally use a solid-fuel element reactor to heat a single liquid propellant. Some of the propellant is first used to cool chamber walls and reflectors before injection into the reactor heating chamber. Gamma shields are generally provided to protect crew members from reactor fluence. However, gamma shields generally add to the weight of the engine which adversely affects launching capabilities. In addition, conventional heat exchangers used in these engines are generally massive and significantly increase the rocket's weight.

Nuclear rocket engine incorporating a heat exchange


Apparatus and methods are provided for increasing the sensitivity of detection of ionic species separated by capillary electrophoresis. The apparatus includes capillary electrophoretic separating means, suppressor means and detector means.

Capillary electrophoresis is a known technique involving electrophoresis in small bore capillaries. This approach provides methods for efficient analytical separations of ionic species including macromolecules. A typical capillary electrophoresis system is shown in FIG. 1. As can be seen, a capillary is positioned between two solvent reservoirs containing electrolyte. Electrodes present in each of the reservoirs and coupled to a power supply capable of delivering upwards to 30 kV per 100 cm of capillary provide a voltage gradient to drive charged species through the capillary bore. A detector is positioned at a point between the two high voltage electrodes to permit detection of various ionic species migrating in the capillary. A detector so positioned is sometimes referred to as an on-column detector.
A number of approaches have been developed to detect the solutes separated by capillary electrophoresis depending, in part, upon the nature of the solute detected. UV absorption and fluorescence have been the most commonly used detection modes. Mass spectrometric, radiometric and electrochemical methods of detection have also been utilized. With regard to electrochemical detection, amperometry and conductivity methods have been used.
Off-column amperometric detection utilizing a porous glass capillary to cover a crack in the capillary has also been reported. Wallingford, R. A., et al., Anal. Chem. (1987) 59, 1762-1766; Ewing, A. G., et al., Anal. Chem. (1989) 61, 292A-303A. End-column amperometry and conductivity detection have also been performed. Huang, et al., Anal. chem. (1991), 63, 189-192. A significant problem with on-column and end-column detection utilizing electrochemical techniques is the effect of the high voltage applied to the electrodes to generate the voltage gradient across the capillary. Small variations in this high voltage gradient (typically ranging from 20-30 kV) have significant impact upon the voltages used for amperometric detection and conductivity detection which generally utilizes less than 1 volt in such detection systems.
Even for off-column electrochemical detection, a significant signal to noise problem exists due to the presence of relatively high concentrations of the electrolyte needed in the eluent to generate the voltage gradient across the length of the capillary bore. This is especially problematic for detection utilizing conductivity since such measurements are more significantly affected by electrolyte concentration than amperometric detection which is based primarily upon the detection of redox reactions at the detection electrodes.
Although electrolyte suppression has been used primarily in ion exchange chromatography in conjunction with conductivity detection (see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,897,213 3, 3,920,397, 3,925,019, 3,956,559, 4,474,664, 4,751,004, 4,459,357 and 4,999,098), such suppressors have not been adapted for use with capillary electrophoresis.
The references discussed above are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application and nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventor is not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.

Method and apparatus for improved detection of ionic species by capillary electrophoresis


A dynamic rule classifier for mining a data stream includes at least one window for viewing data contained in the data stream and a set of rules for mining the data. Rules are added and the set of rules are updated by algorithms when an drift in a concept within the data occurs, causing unacceptable drops in classification accuracy. The dynamic rule classifier is also implemented as a method and a computer program product.

The advent of new computing technologies such as ubiquitous computing, e-commerce, and sensor networks has lead to intensive research on manipulation and use of data from data streams. Although a great deal of information may be gleaned from a data stream, making accurate predictions from the data stream is of particular interest to many users. Traditional methods for searching data streams for particular data (also referred to as "data mining") have involved the use of algorithms that are tailored to specific aspects of data within the data stream. Unfortunately, with the advancement of data complexity, complications have arisen when applying such traditional methods.
A pervasive challenge with mining a data stream involves the changeable nature of the data. That is, typically, a data stream changes over time exhibiting what is commonly referred to as "concept drift." Reference may be had to the publications "Mining time-changing data streams" Hulten, G., Spencer, L., and Domingos, P., SIGKDD, ACM Press, San Francisco, Calif., 2001, pp-97-106 and "Mining concept-drifting data streams using ensemble classifiers" Wang, H. SIGKDD, ACM Press, San Francisco, Calif., 2003.
If the nature of the data distribution is static, a subset of the data can be used to create (i.e., learn) a model and use it for all future data. Unfortunately, when the data distribution is constantly changing, the model is quickly outmoded. This means static models must constantly be revised to reflect the current data features. It is not difficult to see why model update incurs a major cost in terms of analyses and time, and typically require complex and comprehensive coding. Models for classifying data streams (referred to as "stream classifiers") that handle concept drifts can be roughly divided into two categories.
A first category of stream classifiers is known as "incrementally updated classifiers." One exemplary type of incremental classifier, referred to as using a "CVFDT" approach, uses a single decision tree to model streams with concept drifts. Reference may again be had to the publication "Mining time-changing data streams" Hulten, G., Spencer, L., and Domingos, P., SIGKDD, ACM Press, San Francisco, Calif., 2001, pp-97-106. However, in this approach, even a slight drift of the concept may trigger substantial changes in the tree (e.g., replacing old branches with new branches, re-growing or building alternative sub-trees), which severely compromises learning efficiency. Aside from this undesirable aspect, incremental methods are also hindered by their prediction accuracy. For example, incremental classifiers discard older examples (input data used for model building) at a fixed rate (without regard for any change of the concepts). Thus, the learned model is supported only by the data in a current window—a relatively small amount of data from the data stream. The inherent flaws in incremental classifiers cause large variances in data prediction. Reference may also be had to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 that depict aspects of challenges encountered when attempting to fit a model using incrementally updated classifiers to a data stream.
In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a data stream 100 that includes a series of records 101 is mined by a model using incremental classifiers. Relevant data 110 is defined by a line, depicting an optimum boundary. As can be seen, particularly with regard to FIG. 2, the definition of relevant data provided by the model can easily misclassify data.
A second category of stream classifiers is known as "ensemble classifiers." Instead of maintaining a single model, the ensemble approach divides the data stream into data chunks having a fixed size and learns a classifier from each of the chunks. Reference may again be had to the publication "Mining concept-drifting data streams using ensemble classifiers" Wang, H. SIGKDD, ACM Press, San Francisco, Calif., 2003. In order to use ensemble classifies to make a prediction, the model used must evaluate all of the classifiers in the ensemble, which is an expensive process. The ensemble approach has high model update cost as i) new models on new data are constantly being learned, whether or not the data contains concept drifts; and, ii) the accuracy of older models are constantly evaluated by applying each of them to new training data. Further, the classifiers are homogeneous and therefore discarded as a whole. This approach introduces a considerable cost in modeling of high-speed data streams. If timely updating of models is not completed because of the high update cost, prediction accuracy drops as a result. This causes problems in data predictions, particularly for applications that handle large volume streaming data at very high speeds. Aspects of data mining using the ensemble approach are depicted in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.
In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the data stream 100 is portioned into fixed size chunks of data 102. The chunks of data 102 are mined by a model using an ensemble of classifiers. Instances of relevant data 110 (identified by the shading in the depiction of the chunks of data 102) are collected. Classification error, depicted in FIG. 4, comes at a high cost to the data mining.
Current approaches for classifying stream data are adapted from algorithms designed for static data, for which monolithic models typically perform adequately. However, dynamic data streams present problems for developing meaningful predictions. For incrementally updated classifiers, the fact that even a small disturbance in the data may bring a complete change to the model indicates that monolithic models are not appropriate for data streams. The ensemble is not semantic-aware. That is, in the face of concept drifts, it is still very costly to tell which components are affected and hence must be replaced, and what new components must be brought in to represent the new concept. What is needed is a model for mining data streams that accounts for drifting concepts within the data and is a computationally low-cost model.
Typically, data mining involves a large volume of data produced at a high-speed. Multiple data streams may be involved, so classification plays an important role in filtering out irrelevant information. Data mining competes with other processing elements for resources (CPU, memory, etc, . . . ). Thus, flexible and efficient data mining systems are needed. New models for mining data streams are increasingly important as traditional classification methods work on static data, and usually require multiple scans of training data in order to build a model.

System and method of mining time-changing data streams using a dynamic rule classifier having low granularity

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention is directed to a movable body driving mechanism including a first frame and a second frame that is capable of moving relative to the first frame. The movable body driving mechanism includes a cam groove that is formed in the first frame, and a cam follower that is formed in the second frame and inserted movably in the cam groove. The cam groove includes a plurality of regions having different widths. The cam follower is formed to have a shape with a plurality of outer diameters, and different parts of the cam follower contact an inner lateral surface of the cam groove in each of the plurality of regions. With this configuration, the lateral surface of the cam follower can be made to contact the lateral surface of the cam groove constantly, thus achieving the cam driving without looseness. Also, since the biasing means or the like is not needed, it is possible both to simplify the configuration and to reduce the number of manufacturing steps.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a movable body driving mechanism. In particular, the present invention relates to a movable body driving mechanism capable of expanding and retracting a movable body by cam driving. This movable body driving mechanism is applicable to a lens barrel or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, a lens and a barrel mounted in an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera or a video camera can be moved along an optical axis direction by a cam mechanism formed in the barrel. In such an imaging apparatus, in order to obtain a high quality optical image, it is necessary to move the lens with high accuracy and restrict the lens position.
JP 5(1993)-29013 U discloses a configuration including a biasing means for biasing a cam follower toward a cam groove, in which a tip portion of the cam follower is made to contact an inclined surface of the cam groove constantly, thus avoiding the looseness of a lens frame.
However, since the configuration disclosed in JP 5(1993)-29013 U requires the biasing means, the number of manufacturing steps increases inevitably.


The invention is an improved belt tensioner for a belt drive system having a belt tensioner, a first belt tensioner pulley, a crankshaft pulley, an accessory pulley, and a power transmission belt trained about the first belt tensioner, crankshaft, and accessory pulleys. The belt tensioner is of the type that includes an attachment point adapted to be affixed to a stationary point relative to a cylinder block of an engine, a track, and a first carrier mounted in sliding relation with the track with two degrees freedom of movement. The first belt tensioner pulley is rotatably mounted upon the first carrier for engaging the power transmission belt. A resilient member biases the first carrier in longitudinal relation to the track. The improvement comprises the tensioner including a second carrier mounted in sliding relation with the track with two degrees freedom of movement. A second belt tensioner pulley is rotatably mounted upon the second carrier for engaging the power transmission belt. The second carrier is biased in longitudinal relation to the track.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a dual tensioner for tensioning a power transmission belt of a belt drive system. Particularly, it relates to a dual tensioner having a linear pulley movement. Specifically, this invention relates to a linear movement tensioner having two tensioner pulleys whose movement is mechanically damped with included applicability to power transmission belt drive systems having a unitary device performing both the engine starting function and the electrical power generation function, such as a motor/generator sometimes referred to as a Gen-Star.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Internal combustion engines, or power plants, commonly use power transmission belt drive systems to tap power from the engine's crankshaft and deliver it to one or more various engine auxiliaries or accessories. In automotive applications, these accessories include power steering pumps, water pumps, air conditioning compressors, fuel pumps, and alternators. Historically, such engines have had the main power takeoff point at the crankshaft protruding from the rear of the engine to which is attached the drive train for driving the wheels to move the automobile. The accessories are driven from a pulley attached to the front of the crankshaft. Each accessory is equipped with a pulley. All of the pulleys are in mechanical communication via one or more power transmission belts trained about them. Some method of tensioning each power transmission belt is provided. The power transmission belt, the pulleys, and devices accomplishing belt tensioning form the accessory belt drive system.
Earlier systems included multiple v-belts. Commonly, each belt was tensioned by manual adjustment and fixing of the position of one accessory or idler per belt. These are referred to as locked-center belt drives, because there is no provision for automatic movement of any of the pulleys to accommodate varying condition of the belt or of the drive as a whole. If the belt should stretch or otherwise lengthen, the tension upon the belt would lessen. Further, for proper operation of the belt drive system, the tension of the belt must be set high enough to accommodate the worst case condition. Such worst case conditions can be the result of extremes of temperature, engine operation, or accessory operation.
There has been interest in making the volume, of the engine compartments of automobiles, smaller. To accommodate the smaller compartments, various aspects of the engines have become smaller, including the accessory belt drive systems. This has been accomplished, at least in part, by reducing the number of belts employed. As each belt is removed, and the number of layers extending from the front of the engine is thereby removed, the total distance the belt drive system extends from the front of the engine is reduced. Ultimately, this has resulted in the use of a single serpentine belt for many applications. A serpentine belt is so named because of the way it snakes around the various pulleys in a series of bends, both forward and backward. A v-ribbed or Micro-V (a registered trademark of The Gates Rubber Company) belt is most suited to serpentine applications.
The limitations of the locked-center approach to belt tensioning are exacerbated in serpentine applications. Accordingly, most modem serpentine belt drives include an automatic tensioner whereby the changing conditions of the belt drive system can be better accommodated. In basic form, an automatic tensioner has a framework or attachment point, which attaches directly to the cylinder block of the engine, or indirectly to some point on the vehicle that is stationary with respect to the engine of the vehicle, and a pulley, which presses upon the belt in the plane of rotation of the belt drive system. A moveable member or connective portion extends between the framework and the pulley to provide pressure upon the belt, via the pulley. The pressure acts to lengthen the distance about which the belt is trained and thereby causes the belt to be in tension. Various techniques and geometries have been employed to provide the biasing force. Commonly, a resilient member, such as a steel spring acts to force the moveable member in rotating motion which results in the pulley tending to move in a direction toward a surface of the belt which, in turn, tends to increase tension upon the belt.
A tensioner with only these elements provides a somewhat constant force upon the surface of the belt when the system is in a resting state (i.e., the pulleys are not rotating). Dimensional instability, of the drive system caused by time, temperature, or manufacturing variation is accommodated fairly well through the action of the resilient member, at least to the limits of the resilient member and geometry of the tensioner. Thus, the tension upon the belt remains relatively constant, when the system is at rest, even though the belt may have stretched or the engine may be hot or cold. However, a tensioner with only these elements may not maintain appropriate tension upon the belt for all operating conditions of the system.
An operating power transmission belt drive system typically oscillates due to the influences of torsional vibration or other angular acceleration of the crankshaft or accessories, the influences of unbalanced conditions, or other influences. Torsional vibration of the crankshaft occurs, in part, as a result of the distinct impulses delivered to the crankshaft through the combustion cycles of each cylinder and piston combination. The oscillations lead to vibration of the belt. This, in turn, leads to vibration of the moveable portions of the tensioner. Momentum then builds in those moveable portions modifying the force the pulley exerts upon the belt surface and the tension upon the belt. The changing tension upon the belt can cause unacceptable performance for the belt drive system. In one instance, issues of short-term performance, such as where the belt of the belt drive system slips excessively limiting the system's efficiency or power transmission capability, or is excessively noisy due to slippage or otherwise, can arise. In another instance, the amount of tension necessarily applied to the belt, to have acceptable performance on the short-term, leads to long-term issues such as premature failure of one or more components of the system, including the belt, or one or more accessories.
To accommodate these issues and thus improve the performance of tensioners, damping devices have been included in tensioners. Early damped tensioners have included symmetrical damping where movement of the moveable portions of the tensioners are damped approximately equally whether the instantaneous movement is in the direction tending to increase tension upon the belt or in the direction tending to decrease tension upon the belt. Damping combines with the forces supplied by the resilient member to result in a modified biasing, at the pulley/belt interface.
Other tensioners have utilized asymmetrical damping. Commonly, such tensioners are damped such that the damping upon the moveable portion is minimal when the tensioner is moving in the belt tensioning direction and maximal when moving in the belt loosening direction. In one approach, a shoe is biased against a race at an angle different from normal to the surface of the race. As a result, the relative movement of the shoe and race in one direction tends to lift the shoe from the race. This reduces the pressure at their interface, reduces the friction that gives rise to the damping, and thereby reduces the damping. The other direction tends to wedge the shoe against the race and increase the damping. An example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,674, to Serkh et al. These have involved the use of tensioners having a single pulley biased against a surface of the belt, to supply tension. Further, the biasing against the belt has been solely relative to the engine block.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,647 to White, Jr. discloses the use of tensioners with two pulleys pressing upon the power transmission belt. The '647 patent states that the approach is useful for tensioning a system with a cyclic load such as an air conditioning compressor. One, of the pulleys, presses upon a span of the power transmission belt immediately upstream of the cyclic load. While, the other pulley presses upon the power transmission belt immediately downstream of the cyclic load. In one embodiment, the two pulleys are fixed relative to each other upon a angled member that can pivot about its apex. The assembly is pressed toward the power transmission belt to supply static tension in a locked-center fashion. The pivot is said to accommodate dynamic tension. Static tension is the result of the force applied to the power transmission belt by the tensioner in the belt tensioning direction with the effect of tending to lengthen the distance the power transmission belt is forced to travel about the pulleys of the system. If it were assumed that each of the pulleys of the system is allowed to rotate freely, tension on every span would be the same and at static tension. Dynamic tension is the tension over the length of the power transmission belt that is the result of static tension as altered by the influences of torque upon each of the pulleys and various imbalances of the system. As an additional result, each span tends to be under differing tension.
In another embodiment, each of the two pulleys is affixed to a separate arm that can move about the pivot, individually. The two arms are biases toward each other by a spring. The '647 patent indicates that either embodiment is damped by the interaction of the pulleys with the separate power transmission belt spans. There is no indication that friction or other damping is introduced at the pivot, whether movement of the pulleys is in relation to the engine or to each other.
Power transmission belt tensioners used in conjunction with accessory belt drive systems for internal combustion engines are known with pulley movements that are both arcuate and linear. Those of the above discussion have all used arcuate movements. Certain applications benefit from linear movement tensioners (i.e., those where the idler pulley contacting the power transmission belt moves in a substantially straight path). An example of a linear movement tensioner can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,408 to Foster. The '408 Patent discloses the construction of a relatively complex tensioner that incorporates a plurality of springs about a hydraulic damping mechanism. Further, the carrier, upon which the tensioning pulley is mounted, engages the track, that defines the carriers two degrees of freedom of movement, with a ball and track bearing structure. The inclusion of hydraulics creates the concern of leaking hydraulic fluid. The hydraulic mechanism disclosed is apparently not compact. Thus, the tensioner appears to be relatively large. The relatively large number of parts adds to cost and complexity of construction. Further, there is no provision for compensating for the parasitic torque across the carrier that supports the idler pulley, that tends to twist that carrier, other than the effectiveness of the ball and track bearing structure.
Traditionally, an electric starter motor is provided to spin the crankshaft of the engine so that combustion may be initiated and the engine will begin to run. The starter motor is located near the rear of the engine and is adapted to intermittently engage the rear portion of the crankshaft through a gear train.
Currently, there is increasing pressure to reduce emissions and increase fuel economy by lowering the weight of the automobile and reducing the number of under-the-hood components. An approach taken toward these goals involves combining the function of the starter motor and the function of the alternator into a single device, a motor/generator or a Gen-Star. Also toward the goal of increasing fuel economy, the Gen-Star promotes the use of a feature called "stop-in-idle". This feature is where the engine is allowed to die when it would ordinarily idle, then be restarted when the automobile is expected to resume motion. This feature substantially increases the demands placed upon accessory belt drives. In application, the motor/generator is placed in mechanical communication with the crankshaft via the accessory belt drive. The motor/generator and associated accessory belt drive system tends to be placed at the front of the engine. However, placing these systems at other locations, including the rear of the engine is envisioned.
The advent of Gen-Star systems causes the designer, of power transmission belt drive systems, to face substantial new challenges, above mere oscillatory loads. A significant challenge, among these, has been to develop a tensioning system that results in acceptable performance, by an accessory belt drive that includes this new device, which not only offers substantial load and rotational inertia, but also adds large driving torque into the accessory belt drive. Further, it provides this large driving torque on an intermittent basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,208 to Bartos et al., discloses the use of two arms with arcuate movements, each carrying a pulley. The arms are mounted with pivot points that correspond with the shaft of a Gen-Star. The two arms are biased toward each other by a spring. The tensioner also includes having the Gen-Star mounted in a limited rotatable fashion such that the housing is allowed to rotate a few degrees in reaction to whether the Gen-Star mode is of operating as a starter or an alternator. This reactive movement operates a pair of latches, which alternatingly lock one or the other of the two arms against movement, depending upon mode. In this manner, the arm associated with the power transmission belt span terminating at the Gen-Star pulley with the greatest tension, as a result of the Gen-Star mode, is locked in place. The free arm then supplies tension to the power transmission belt system. This tensioner is apparently complex, requires special mounting of the Gen-Start having moving parts subject to wear, and is not flexible in its application. Further, the '208 patent does not disclose the contemplation of adding damping to the movement of either pulley to enhance system performance.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a linear movement tensioner that is simple, compact, durable and devoid of hydraulics and provides the benefit of two pulley operation for those applications that can benefit therefrom. An accessory power transmission belt drive system having a Gen-Star is such an application.
Further, there remains the need for a tensioner and system, for use in conjunction with a Gen-Star that provides, at once, adequate short-term performance, adequate long-term performance, optimizes the width of the belt that may be used for any given application, contains cost and complexity, is flexible according to the Gen-Star systems to which it can be applied and offers a linear movement.


A method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic electronic component includes preparing a ceramic green sheet, forming an internal electrode pattern by applying a paste for an internal electrode including a conductive powder to the ceramic green sheet, forming a ceramic laminate structure by layering the ceramic green sheet on which the internal electrode pattern is formed, forming a body including a dielectric layer and an internal electrode by sintering the ceramic laminate structure, and forming an external electrode by forming an electrode layer on the body, and forming a conductive resin layer on the electrode layer, and the conductive powder includes a conductive metal and tin (Sn), and a content of tin (Sn) is 1.5 wt % or higher, based on a weight of the conductive metal.

Generally, electronic components using ceramic materials such as a capacitor, an inductor, a piezoelectric device, a varistor or a thermistor may include a body formed of a ceramic material, an internal electrode formed in the body, and an external electrode disposed on a surface of the body to be connected to the internal electrode.
Among multilayer ceramic electronic components, a multilayer ceramic capacitor may include a plurality of layered dielectric layers, internal electrodes opposing each other with a single dielectric layer interposed therebetween, and external electrodes electrically connected to the internal electrodes.
A multilayer ceramic capacitor has been used as a component of mobile communication devices such as computers, PDAs, mobile phones, and the like, as a multilayer ceramic capacitor is small-sized, can secure high capacity and can be easily installed.
There has been increased interest in electrical components, and multilayer ceramic capacitors used in an electrical industry, such as multilayer ceramic capacitors used in vehicles or in infotainment systems, have been required to have high reliability and high internal voltage properties.
To secure high reliability and high internal voltage properties, it may be necessary to prevent discontinuity and conglomeration of an internal electrode and improve connectivity of an internal electrode.
To address the issue, the method of dispersing an inhibitor (a ceramic material for delaying the sintering of a conductive powder) in a paste for an internal electrode and delaying the sintering of a conductive powder has been developed. However, the method has a local issue dependent on the dispersion state of the inhibitor, and a significantly large amount of an inhibitor and an organic material may need to be added to sufficiently obtain an expected effect.
Also, residues of organic materials used to implement strength of a sheet may become malignant carbon residues (crystallized carbon residues) during a sintering process, which may lead to the conglomeration of electrodes, unevenly sintered dielectric layers, and the like.
Thus, it has been necessary to develop the method which can address the problems of discontinuity and conglomeration of an internal electrode while preventing the creation of carbon residues without the problem of dispersion, and the like.

Multilayer ceramic electronic component and method of manufacturing the same


The tester includes mating electrical connectors which permit the tester to be positioned between the respective plugs of the respective electrical cables running between a towing vehicle and from a trailer. The container for the tester preferably has magnetic strips along its bottom surface to permit temporary attachment to either the tongue of the trailer or the rear of the towing vehicle. The essential features of the tester are limited to only two simple single-pole/double-throw switches, positioned in tandem, and three diodes arranged as a simple "OR" gate in combination with an audio signal device. This simple circuitry permits a single operator to check (a) the integrity of the wiring harness connected to the towing vehicle's lighting circuits, without leaving the driver's seat of the towing vehicle, and (b) the integrity of the trailer lighting with two simple switch adjustments. Means are also provided for checking for a bad ground connection, and an auxiliary power supply can be used with the tester to permit checking of trailer lighting circuits without the presence of a towing vehicle.

Trailers of various sizes and forms, e.g., box trailers, covered vans, boat trailers, mobile homes, etc., are connected behind various types of automotive trailer-towing vehicles, e.g., tractors, small trucks, recreational vehicles, and automobiles. Governmental regulations require that such trailers be provided with lighting systems similar to those required on the trailer-towing vehicle, namely, running lights to illuminate the trailer for night operation as well as special lighting for both day and night use to indicate the direction of intended turns as well as the application of brakes. The electrical connection between the towing vehicle and the trailer is made by means of appropriate cables connected by mating male/female plugs.
In order to assure that the lights of the trailer respond appropriately to the lighting signals initiated by the driver of the trailer-towing vehicle, testing of the interconnection of the two lighting systems is necessary. Normally, such testing requires two people, namely, one person to initiate the various light signals in sequence from the towing vehicle and a second person to view the lights of the trailer and towing vehicle to determine whether or not the operation of the two lighting systems is in correct correspondence. If a second person is not available, a lone individual must first initiate the lighting signals from the driver's seat of the towing vehicle one at a time, getting out of the towing vehicle and moving behind the vehicle and trailer to check the proper operation of each signal. While this latter method is particularly time-consuming, it is also extremely difficult to test the operation of the braking lights, since a means must be devised to hold down the brake pedal of the towing vehicle when the lone tester leaves the driver's seat and moves back to check the operation of the lights that must properly indicate each application of the towing vehicle's brakes.
Therefore, in recognition of this problem and its important relation to highway safety, many different testing arrangements have been devised to determine the proper operation of such automotive trailer light systems. All such prior art testing apparatus known to me is relatively complex and expensive. Most prior art devices include a plurality of switches and test lights, one respective switch and one respective test light for each of the separate lighting control circuits, and some known testers even include "flasher" units for activating the lamps used for directional indications. My tester is much less expensive and simpler to make and easier to operate.

Tester for automotive trailer light systems


A main scan pass which relatively moves a recording head and a recording medium in a main scan direction and forms dots on the recording medium, and a sub-scan which relatively moves the recording medium and the recording head in a sub-scan direction that intersects with the main scan direction, are performed, and thereby multi-pass recording which completes forming of the dots on a main scan line by N (2 or more) main scan passes is performed. A dot rate represents a rate of pixels in which dot recording is performed in each main scan pass and is set so as to be changed gradually and periodically over sections in the main scan direction. The number of values of the dot rates different from each other in the plurality of sections lined up in the main scan direction is set so as to be equal to or greater than 3.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a dot recording apparatus, a dot recording method, and a computer program therefor.
2. Related Art
In a known printing apparatus that functions as a dot recording apparatus, a plurality of recording heads that eject inks of different colors with respect to recording materials are moved forwards and backwards. A main scan is performed at the time of a forward movement and a backward movement. In this manner, printing is performed. (for example, JP-A-6-22106). In this printing apparatus, within an area where printing can be performed by one time of a main scan, pixel groups configured by m×n pixels are arranged such that the pixel groups are not adjacent to each other. In addition, a plurality of main scans is performed using a plurality of thinning patterns which are in a mutually complementary arrangement relationship and thereby the recording is completed.
However, in the above-described printing apparatus, each pixel group has a rectangular shape. A boundary between the pixel groups may include a side that is parallel with a main scan direction and a side that is parallel with a sub-scan direction. A long boundary extending in the main scan direction and a long boundary extending in the sub-scan direction are formed by a set of the boundaries of the pixel groups that are adjacent to each other. For this reason, banding (image quality deterioration area) along such long boundaries may easily occur and may stand out.
In addition, there is a problem in the printing apparatus in that the banding of the main scan direction easily stands out. In particular, in the above-described printing apparatus, there is a problem that the banding of the main scan direction occurring at such a boundary is easily stands out since a pixel group which is a target of ink ejection and a pixel group which is not the target of ink ejection are arranged in a form of being tiled with each other. These problems are not limited to the printing apparatus, and commonly occur in a dot recording apparatus that records dots on a recording medium (dot recording medium).

Dot recording apparatus, dot recording method, and computer program therefor


A liquid developer having a superior sedimentation characteristic and floating characteristic and an image forming apparatus using said liquid developer, wherein said liquid developer comprising toner dispersed in liquid medium and the difference in specific gravity between said toner and said liquid medium is at or lower than a prescribed level.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a liquid developer for electrophotography that is used to develop an electrostatic latent image in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or printer using the electrophotographic method, as well as to an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image formation using the electrophotographic method is divided into a dry developing method and a wet developing method.
In dry development, development is performed using toner only or using toner mixed with a carrier. Dry toner comprises mainly a coloring agent, such as a pigment, and a binder resin, to which a charge controller, plasticizer, surface lubricant, etc., are added by means of internal dispersion, or adherence or fixation to the toner particle surfaces. In dry development, toner is charged by means of frictional charging, and is supplied for the purpose of development by means of the electrostatic force of the latent image.
Particles of dry toner that are used in dry development start to float in the air if they are made smaller than a certain size, so they cannot be made too fine. Therefore, relatively large particles, up to approximately 10 micron in average particle diameter, are used. The dry method thus has the technological limitation that the development resolution is not very high due to the relatively large size of the toner particles, as described above.
On the other hand, in wet development, a developer comprising a binder resin on which toner including a coloring agent is dispersed, or a developer comprising a resin that is colored itself, have been proposed. Where necessary, developers on which a charge controller, dispersion promoting agent, etc., are also dispersed have been proposed as well.
Charging of these types of toners is thought to occur based on ion adsorption by the charge controller, and the charged toner is supplied for development based on the principle of electrophoresis.
The toner used in the wet method has the technological advantage over dry method toner that toner particles may be made very small because they will not escape into the air. Therefore, when supplied to an image forming apparatus, said toner offers the advantages that a high-resolution image can be obtained and that fusing of the toner image is easy.
On the other hand, a liquid developer entails the problems of sedimentation of the toner particles in the carrier solution and of imperfect dispersion, which do not exist with dry developers. The inventors of the present invention have focused their attention on this point.
This sedimentation problem is quite significant with regard to liquid developers that have a resin ingredient and include particles of toner of a certain size or larger, i.e., so-called binder toner.

Liquid developer and image forming apparatus


A boot for a universal shaft coupling, by which an improvement of an assembling workability can be expected, and an improvement of a sealing performance can be expected. The boot for the universal shaft coupling is formed by a rubber elastic body, and separated portions (22) are formed linearly along a generatrix. A fastener pair (26) is arranged in both sides of the separated portions (22) so as to form a seal portion. The fastener pair (26) is constituted by an occluding portion (32) formed in one end edge of the separated portion (22) and provided with a bulge locking portion (32a) in a leading end, and an occluded portion (34) formed in another end edge of the separated portion (22) and provided with an occluding groove (33) occluding with the bulge locking portion (32a). A guide fin (36) is provided in an inner side of the occluding groove (33) on a separated portion end surface (22b) in a side forming the occluded portion of the separated portion (22), in a side of a crest portion (28) of a bellows portion (24). The guide fin (36) is provided a guide surface (40) at a position partly overlapping the occluding portion (32) at a time of facing to the occluding portion (32).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boot for a universal shaft coupling (hereinafter, refer simply to as "boot") which is used as a protecting member in a universal shaft coupling portion of a motor vehicle, a machine tool, a construction machine, various industrial machines and the like and is made of a rubber elastic body.
In more detail, the present invention relates to a boot which is separated in a vertical direction so as to be easily maintained and has a fastener pair arranged in the separated portions.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional art, as the separated type boot, a boot for a universal shaft coupling having the following structure has been proposed by the applicant of the present invention.
A boot for a universal coupling is formed by a rubber elastic body, forming a bellows portion between a small-diameter ring portion and a large-diameter ring portion, and having linear separated portions formed from the small-diameter ring portion to the large-diameter ring portion, the separated portions being formed as a thick portion and having a seal fastener.
The seal fastener is constituted by a band-like occluding portion formed along an end edge of the one separated portion and provided with a bulge locking portion in a leading end, and a band-like occluded portion provided with a occluding groove occluding with the occluding portion along an end edge of another separated body.
On the other hand, in the boot for the universal shaft coupling having the structure mentioned above, it is required to further improve a sealing performance and an assembling workability.
In this case, although an inventiveness of the present invention is not affected, patent documents 2 and 3 exist as a separated type boot for a universal shaft coupling.
Patent document 1 Japanese Patent No. 2714635
Patent document 2 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-261324
Patent document 3 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-119522