A fan assembly includes a circular first array of first fan blades; a first primary ring member supportively connecting inner extremities of the first blades about a fan axis, respective end extremities of at least a majority of the first blades defining inside and outside diameters of the array, the first blades being oriented for producing a primary axial fluid flow between the inside and outside diameters in response to rotation of the first ring member, the first ring member extending between the inside and outside diameters. A second primary ring member connects outer extremities of the first blades, the first blades in combination with the first ring member defining a generally circular opening about the fan axis. Optionally a circular second array of a plurality of second blades that are oriented for producing secondary axial fluid flow in an opposite direction relative to the primary axial fluid flow, a secondary ring connecting outer extremities of second blades, end extremities of at least a majority of the second blades defining an outside diameter of the second array. A plurality of spokes extend inwardly from the first primary ring member for rotatably supporting the first primary ring member, a hub connecting the spokes to a rotating element, the second blades also being held in fixed relation to the spokes, whereby, when the rotating element is being rotated for producing the primary axial flow, an unimpeded secondary axial flow is produced within the opening outside of the secondary ring.

The present invention relates to fans such as ceiling fans and room fans for air circulation and/or ventilation within building structures and the like.
Ceiling fans for air circulation are well known, typically having four to six blade paddles that extend outwardly from a motor that is suspended below the ceiling of a room. The blade paddles are planar and extend to an outside diameter that is usually between four and five feet from proximate a centrally located motor that is relatively large, being typically 9 to 14 inches in diameter. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, conventional ceiling fans produce a generally torroidal flow pattern in which vertical flow goes in one direction near the center of the room, and in an opposite direction near the walls. Other ventilation fans of the prior art include units having a grille or bezel that clamps to a wall or ceiling surface about a duct opening. One such unit having an annular array of openings surrounding a lamp is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 340,514 to Liao. Other types of room fans are also well known, including table fans and floor fans for producing predominately horizontal circulation.
The fans of the prior art are not entirely satisfactory in that they exhibit one or more of the following disadvantages:
1. They are ineffective in providing a desired amount and distribution of circulation; PA1 2. They are inefficient in that they exhibit excessive aerodynamic drag for a given amount of circulation due to the combination of a wide variation in blade speed from the tip toward the motor, and the motor or other bulky central structure blocking axial flow; PA1 3. They are dangerous in that accidental contact with moving parts is likely to produce serious injury; and PA1 4. They are excessively noisy.
Thus there is a need for a fan that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.


A cup of plastics material incorporating foaming agent has thin wall portions, namely a base 101, a lower side wall 102 and an upper side wall 103. These portions have their wall thickness determined by mould part gap. The cup also has thick wall portions, namely the corner 104, the band 105 and the rim 106, in which foaming occurs after mould opening so that the wall thickness is increased beyond that provided by the mould.

A recognised problem, in injection moulding from plastics materials of articles having thin walls in particular, is that at marked differences in cross-section, differential shrinkage causes blemishes in the finished surface of the article.
Despite this problem, many new designs of injection moulded article could be feasible if marked changes in cross-section were possible, without shrinkage blemishes.

Method of forming an article via injection moulding, an article formed by the improved injection moulding method, and a mould tool for carrying out the improved injection moulding method


Real time high speed high resolution hyper-spectral imaging. (a) electromagnetic radiation collimating element (16), collimating electromagnetic radiation (44) emitted by objects (12) in a scene or a sample (14); (b) optical interferometer (18), receiving and dividing collimated object emission beam, generating interference images, and determining and piezoelectrically changing magnitude of optical path difference of divided collimated object emission beam; optical interferometer (18) includes: beam splitter (20′), fixed mirror (22), movable mirror (24), piezoelectric motor (26), displacing movable mirror (24) along axis (60), distance change feedback sensor (28), sensing and measuring change in distance of movable mirror (24) along axis (60), piezoelectric motor controller (30), actuating and controlling piezoelectric motor (26); and thermo-mechanically stable optical interferometer mount (32A); (c) camera optics (34), focusing interference images of each optical path difference; (d) detector (36), recording interference images; (e) central programming and signal processing unit (38), and (f) display (40).

The present invention relates to spectral imaging and, more particularly, to a method and system for real time high speed high resolution hyper-spectral imaging. The present invention is based on using piezoelectric technology with closed loop control and analysis algorithms, for enabling real time high speed high resolution nanometer accuracy movement of a movable mirror in an optical interferometer, along with using a specially designed and constructed optical interferometer mount as part of the optical interferometer, for achieving high thermo-mechanical stability of mounted optical interferometer components during the real time hyper-spectral imaging. Implementation of the present invention results in high speed collecting of high resolution interferogram images used for synthesizing and analyzing high resolution highly reproducible three-dimensional hyper-spectral (cube) images.
In the general technique of spectral imaging, in most applications, one or more objects in a scene or sample are affected in a way, such as excitation by incident electromagnetic radiation, for example, ultraviolet radiation, supplied by an external source of the electromagnetic radiation, upon the objects, which causes each object to emit electromagnetic radiation in the form of an emission beam featuring an emission spectrum. There are some applications of spectral imaging which don't require an external source of electromagnetic radiation for causing emission by objects, for example, as a result of inherent (body) thermal heat emitted by objects in a scene or sample.
A typical spectral imaging system consists of an automated measurement system and analysis software. The automated measurement system includes optics, mechanics, electronics, and peripheral hardware and software, for irradiating (typically using an illuminating source) a scene or sample, followed by measuring and collecting light emitted (for example, by fluorescence) from objects in the scene or sample, and for applying calibration techniques best suited for extracting desired results from the measurements. Analysis software includes software and mathematical algorithms for analyzing, displaying, and presenting, useful results about the objects in the scene or sample in a meaningful way.
The spectral intensity of each pixel in an optical image of a scene or sample is determined by collecting incident light emitted by objects in the scene or sample, passing the light through an optical interferometer which outputs modulated light corresponding to a set of linear combinations of the spectral intensity of the light emitted from each pixel. Light exiting from the interferometer is focused onto a detector array or matrix, followed by independently and simultaneously scanning the optical path difference (OPD) generated in the interferometer for all pixels, and then processing the outputs of the detector array (a plurality of separate interferograms of all pixels) for determining the spectral intensity of each pixel needed for generating spectral (cube) images. Spectral imaging is practiced by utilizing various different types of interferometers wherein the OPD is varied, in order to synthesize the interferograms, by moving the entire interferometer, by moving an element within the interferometer, or by changing the angle of incidence of the incoming radiation. In each case, optical scanning of the interferometer enables synthesizing interferograms for all pixels of the imaged scene.
Each spectral (cube) image is a three dimensional data set of voxels (volume of pixels) in which two dimensions are spatial coordinates or position, (x, y), in an object and the third dimension is the wavelength, (λ), of the imaged (emitted) light of the object, such that coordinates of each voxel in a spectral (cube) image may be represented as (x, y, λ). Any particular wavelength, (λ), of imaged light of the object is associated with a set of spectral (cube) images each featuring spectral fingerprints of the object in two dimensions, for example, along the x and y directions, whereby voxels having that value of wavelength constitute the pixels of a monochromatic image of the object at that wavelength. Each spectral (cube) image, featuring a range of wavelengths of imaged light of the object is analyzed to produce a two dimensional map of one or more physicochemical properties, for example, geometrical shape, form, or configuration, and dimensions, and/or chemical composition, of the object and/or of components of the object, in a scene or sample.
An example of a spectral imaging technique is that of a method and system for real-time, on-line chemical analysis of particulate samples, for example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) particles in aerosols, in which the PAH sample is excited to emit light, for example fluorescence, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,830, issued to Schechter, and manufactured by GreenVision Systems Ltd. of Tel Aviv, Israel, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. In the disclosed invention, spectral imaging techniques are used for acquiring images and analyzing properties of fixed position PAH particles in an aerosol. As part of the invention, air is sampled by means of a high volume pump sucking a large volume of air featuring aerosol contaminated with PAH particles onto a substrate, followed by on-line imaging and scene analysis of the stationary particles.
A method of calibration and real-time analysis of particles is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,843, to Moshe et al., and is incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein. The method described, is based on using essentially the same system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,830, for acquiring spectral images of static particles on a filter. Targets are identified in static particle images and are classified according to morphology type and spectrum type. Each target is assigned a value of an extensive property. A descriptor vector is formed, where each element of the descriptor vector is the sum of the extensive property values for one target class. The descriptor vector is transformed, for example, to a vector of mass concentrations of chemical species of interest, or of number concentrations of biological species of interest, using a relationship determined in the calibration procedure. In the calibration procedure, spectral images of calibration samples of static particles having known composition are acquired, and empirical morphology types and spectrum types are inferred from the spectral images. Targets are identified in the calibration spectral images, classified according to morphology type and spectrum type, and assigned values of an extensive property. For each calibration sample, a calibration descriptor vector and a calibration concentration vector is formed. A collective relationship between the calibration descriptor vectors and the calibration concentration vectors is found using chemometric methods.
In the method of U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,843, standard spectra are determined empirically in the calibration procedure. In such analytical procedures, empirical calibration is quite important for leading to highly accurate results based on image analysis and classification, because spectra of adsorbed chemical species in general, and, of PAHs in particular, are known to be altered by the surfaces on which they are adsorbed, and by the presence of contaminants during sample preparation and image acquisition. Moreover, in the described method, the relationship between the descriptor vector and the concentration vector accounts explicitly and simultaneously for both morphologies and empirically determined spectra.
In the more specialized technique of 'hyper-spectral' imaging, multiple images of each object are generated from object emitted electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths and frequencies associated with different selected parts or 'bands' of an entire spectrum emitted by the object. For example, hyper-spectral images of an object are generated from object emitted electromagnetic radiation having wavelengths and frequencies associated with one or more of the following bands of an entire spectrum emitted by the object: the visible band, spanning the wavelength range of about 400-700 nanometers, the infra-red (1R) band, spanning the wavelength range of about 800-1200 nanometers, and the deep infra-red band, spanning the wavelength range of about 3-12 microns. If proper wavelengths and wavelength ranges are used during hyper-spectral imaging, data and information of the hyper-spectral images are optimally used for detecting and analyzing by identifying, discriminating, classifying, and quantifying, the imaged objects and/or materials, for example, by analyzing different signature spectra present in pixels of the hyper-spectral images.
'High speed' hyper-spectral imaging system is required for different types of repeatable and non-repeatable chemical and physical processes taking place during the sub-100 millisecond time scale and cannot, therefore, be studied using regular hyper-spectral imaging techniques. Combustion reactions, impulse spectro-electrochemical experiments, and inelastic polymer deformations, are examples of such processes. Remote sensing of objects in distant scenes from rapidly moving platforms, for example, satellites and airplanes, is another example of a quickly changing observable that is often impossible to repeat, and therefore requires high speed hyper-spectral imaging.
There are prior art teachings about hyper-spectral imaging which can be used for obtaining hyper-spectral images of objects in a scene or sample. Specific hardware for hyper-spectral imaging includes filter wheels and circular variable filters as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,981, U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,152, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,410,371; angle-tuned interference filters as in the Renishaw imaging Raman microscope described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,438; acousto-optical tunable filters (AOTFs) as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,484, U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,003, U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,790, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,065; optical interferometers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,835,214, U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,462, U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,517, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,162. However, none of these prior art teachings disclose a method or system for enabling high speed grabbing and generating hyper-spectral (cube) images, self spatial and spectral calibration capabilities and procedures, and rapid tunable fast scanning rate of, for example, less than 50 millisecond for an entire spectral (cube) image, as required by more sophisticated applications of hyper-spectral imaging.
Currently available hyper-spectral imaging techniques are significantly limited by having insufficiently high speeds of generating and processing spectral (cube) images, and are limited by providing insufficiently high resolution of the spectral (cube) images, as a result of low thermo-mechanical stability of hyper-spectral imaging system components, for example, mounted components such as beam splitters and mirrors in an optical interferometer, along with inaccuracy in measuring the optical path difference (OPD) of a divided object emission beam. Additionally, current hyper-spectral imaging techniques are significantly limited when employed in the wavelength range of about 100 nm to about 800 nm. In this spectral range, during the generating and collecting of spectral data using prior art hyper-spectral imaging techniques, typically, spatial errors and spectral errors are intrinsically generated and translate directly to decreasing quality (resolution) and reproducibility of the hyper-spectral images of objects in a scene or sample.
There is thus a need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a method and system for real time high speed high resolution hyper-spectral imaging. Moreover, there is a need for such an invention which is based on using piezoelectric technology with closed loop control and analysis algorithms, for enabling real time high speed high resolution nanometer accuracy movement of a movable mirror in an optical interferometer, along with using a specially designed and constructed optical interferometer mount as part of the optical interferometer, for achieving high thermo-mechanical stability of mounted optical interferometer components during the real time hyper-spectral imaging, resulting in high speed collecting of high resolution interferogram images used for synthesizing and analyzing high resolution highly reproducible three-dimensional hyper-spectral (cube) images.


An adjustable bracket for a slide assembly includes a bracket, a support member and an engaging member. The bracket has an aperture and a contact portion. The support member is slidably connected to the bracket and has an opening and a stop portion. The engaging member has a resilient arm and an engaging portion which is connected to the resilient arm and located corresponding to the aperture of the bracket. When the support member slides to a predetermined position, the stop portion is against the contact portion so that the support member is stopped. When the support member slides to an extended position, the opening overlaps the aperture and the engaging portion is inserted into the opening so that the support member is positioned.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,281,694 B2 to Allen et al. has disclosed a conventional slide assembly used with a servo chassis and is herein incorporated by reference. The conventional slide assembly is installed to a rack which has two posts on each of two sides thereof. There is a pre-set distance between the two posts which is set according to the depth of the rack, and the slide assembly is installed between the two posts and comprises an outer rail, a middle rail, an inner rail, a front bracket and a rear bracket. The outer rail has a front end and a rear end. The middle rail is slidably connected to the outer rail, and the inner rail is slidably connected to the middle rail. The front bracket is fixed to the front end of the outer rail, and the rear bracket is fixed to the rear end of the outer rail. The slide assembly is connected to the two posts by the front and rear brackets.
However, the modern servos are developed toward a high density mode which means that more parts are required to be installed in a limited space. Therefore, the arrangement of the operation space of the rails becomes a concern, and the related parts of the slide assembly need to be adjusted so as to meet the requirement of installation of the modern servos to the rack.
The present invention intends to provide an adjustable bracket assembly for a slide assembly.

Adjustable bracket assembly and slide assembly


An orbital resistance-adjustable sphere exercising apparatus (10) that is designed to allow several exercise routines to be performed through several planes and range-of-motion at selectable friction levels. The apparatus (10) consists of four major elements: a sphere cradle (12), a sphere (116), a set of three sphere friction pads (42, 54, 94) and a telescoping pole assembly (126). The sphere cradle (12) includes a base (14) that has attached three sphere support frames (32, 52, 92) that are evenly spaced and that each have attached the friction pads (42, 54, 94) that interface with and support the sphere (116). The sphere cradle (12) also includes a sphere friction adjusting rod (104) that when rotated clockwise the three sphere support frames (32, 52, 92) simultaneously extend inward allowing the friction applied by the three friction pads (42, 54, 94) to the sphere (116) to increase. Likewise, when the rod (104) is rotated counter-clockwise the applied friction is reduced.

Since the earliest days of humankind, there has been a need and desire for physical exercise. It is readily apparent when two individuals, one of whom exercises and the other does not, attempt to do a physically strenuous activity. The person who exercises and maintains him/her self in good physical condition not only is usually able to perform better, but also for a longer duration with less stress.
The medical community has embraced exercise and many doctors and other health care professionals have begun "prescribing" a consistent routine of exercises in addition to medicine. This increased awareness and necessity for exercise has resulted in a rapidly growing number of health clubs, gyms and personal fitness machines and equipment. Some health clubs and fitness machines have become very popular and widely used, but many health clubs and machines have lost much of their popularity because of their complexity, size and cost.
As a result of the diminished exposure of exercise, many companies that had previously invested large amounts of time and money in developing new types of exercising machines no longer do so. This is unfortunate because many individuals in the medical community have continued their research into the human body and how it reacts to stress, exercise, etc., and with these new findings there has become available a better understanding of how best to exercise.
The ability to use current knowledge and technology for designing new and improved exercise machines is one of the most effective ways to guarantee future body conditioning and maintenance. By utilizing advanced technology, the instant exercising apparatus solves many of the problems inherent in previously available exercising apparatuses.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
PATENT NO.INVENTORISSUED5,692,997StearnsDec. 2, 19975,665,041HsiehSep. 9, 19975,273,509VittoneDec. 28, 19935,069,447Snyderman, et alDec. 3, 19912,543,729MagidaFeb. 27, 1951
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,997 patent discloses an exercise machine having a platform on which a user is supported in a reclining position with the weight of the user being utilized as a resistance. The resistance may be selectively varied to the various exercises, which may be performed on the exercise apparatus. A lever is pivotally connected to the platform with the lever being actuated by the user for raising one end of the platform with respect to a pivot point. The pivotal mounting of the lever on the platform varies the resistance to such raising.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,041 patent discloses an abdominal exercise apparatus wherein upper and lower body supports are provided and interconnected to coordinate upper and lower abdominal workouts. The apparatus provides resistance for the abdominal exercises.
Further, the interconnection between the upper and lower body supports may be selectively disconnected so that individual upper and lower abdominal exercises can be performed.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,509 patent discloses a handle for an exercise machine having a force resistor such as a cable system, wherein a weight stack supplies resistance to movement of the handle along a path through the interconnecting cable system. The handle includes a grip supported on an elongate arm and a base includes structure for connecting the handle to the force resistor.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,447 patent discloses an adjustable weight-lifting bench that is adapted to be converted from a flat to a sitting position with little or no displacement of the user's head and shoulders in relation to the stationary upright barbell supports. The bench seat frame is pivotally connected to the back frame, a second end of the seat frame is pivotally connected to one end of a support arm, and the second end of the support arm is pivotally connected to a base frame.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,729 patent discloses an exercising device for use in gymnasiums, or homes. The device includes a structure consisting of a pair of arms pivoted together at one end by means of friction disks. The disks can be adjusted to vary the resisting friction and in which the device is free to be swing as desired.

Orbital resistance-adjustable sphere exercising apparatus


A PTC thermistor module for a temperature control device may include at least one PTC thermistor element. The PTC thermistor element may include an upper side and an underside facing away from the upper side. The upper side and on the underside may be respectively applied in a heat-exchanging manner with a heat-conducting plate. An edge side, connecting the upper side and the underside with one another in an edge-side manner, of at least one of the PTC thermistor elements, may be applied to a heat-conducting element, which has a thermal conductivity of at least 5 W/mK. A temperature control device may include at least one such PTC thermistor module.

Temperature control devices come into use for controlling the temperature of a fluid or of an object. To generate heat and therefore for heating in the temperature control device, it is known to use PTC thermistor elements, which have an increasing electrical resistance with increasing temperature. Such PTC thermistor elements, also designated as PTC elements, are advantageous in particular owing to their self-regulating characteristic. Such PTC thermistor elements are usually combined in PTC thermistor modules, wherein in the respective module usually a row of PTC thermistor elements is provided, to which an electrical voltage is applied during operation, in order to generate heat within the respective PTC thermistor element. The heat generated in the respective PTC thermistor element is usually discharged via sides of the respective PTC thermistor module facing away from one another, and is used for the purpose of heating in the temperature control device. For this, generally heat-conducting plates come into use, which are in heat-exchanging contact with the sides of the PTC thermistor elements facing away from one other, i.e. for example with an upper side and an underside, facing away therefrom, of the respective PTC thermistor element, and thus discharge the generated heat and make it available for the temperature control device. In such PTC thermistor modules, an increase in efficiency is desirable, which in particular allows the PTC thermistor modules to be constructed more compactly and/or to reduce the energy consumption.
If the PTC thermistor module or respectively the temperature control device is used in a motor vehicle, said requirements are all the greater. In addition, the proportion of electrified vehicles which are at least partially operated electrically is increasing. Hereby, there is an increase on the one hand of the need for PTC thermistor modules, and on the other hand the desire to increase the efficiency of the modules. Furthermore, such vehicles have increasing on-board system voltages, by which also the PTC thermistor modules are operated, so that the requirements for the PTC thermistor modules are also increasing with regard to electrical insulation to the exterior, for example in order to protect objects and/or persons present in the vicinity, and within the PTC thermistor modules, in order to prevent or at least reduce undesired electrical currents, in particular short-circuits.


An absorption spectroscopy method comprising providing a sample in a container, rotating the container, while rotating the container, directing a beam of electromagnetic radiation through the container, the beam comprising one or more wavelengths selected from the group consisting of visible wavelengths, infrared wavelengths, and ultraviolet wavelengths, and measuring characteristics of the beam after it passes through the container. Also an absorption spectroscopy apparatus comprising a container holder, a drive rotating the container holder, means for, while rotating the container, directing a beam of electromagnetic radiation through the container, the beam comprising one or more wavelengths selected from visible wavelengths, infrared wavelengths, and ultraviolet wavelengths, and means for receiving the beam after passage through the container.

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to the fields of optical absorption spectroscopy and analytical chemistry.
2. Description of Related Art
Absorption of light by a chemical species inside a cell is a commonly employed method to measure the concentration of the species. The absorbance, A, which is defined as the logarithmic ratio of the incident light intensity, I0, to that transmitted through the sample, I, can be related to the absorbing species' concentration, c, using Beer's law:A=Log(I0/I)=σc I where σ is the cross section or extinction coefficient and I is the optical path length through the sample. Other materials in the optical beam path that decrease the transmitted beam intensity may limit the sensitivity to the species of interest.
One manner in which absorbance sensitivity for a particular species is commonly reduced is through the presence of optically scattering surfaces in the light path. When a light beam travels through a transparent material such as a window, back reflections and beam scattering occur. When light that has been scattered by one surface is again backscattered forward along the original beam path by a second surface, an optical cavity or etalon has been formed. If the light from this etalon reaches the detector, a reduction in the light intensity may be observed. This intensity reduction arises from destructive interference between the incident and reflected light beams. Interference occurs when the refractive index weighted length of the etalon is not exactly a half integer multiple of the light wavelength. In such a state, a non-resonant cavity exists. As the wavelength of the light is varied—perhaps to measure a spectrum—the etalon may periodically become resonant. Thus, the magnitude of the interference observed in a wavelength scan will oscillate, creating a periodically undulating background.
The overlapping reflections and scattering causing interferences can originate from the different surfaces of one transparent object or between the surfaces of different transparent objects. These interferences change the transmitted beam intensity and thus, change the overall absorbance. In high sensitivity absorption spectroscopy measurements, absorbances below 1 part in 105 can be measured. Frequently, the baseline oscillations created by interferences limit the minimum absorbance that can be attributed to the species being detected. Minimizing and/or eliminating these interferences is essential for increasing the measurement sensitivity to the species being detected.
When a bottle (container) is placed in the beam path, interferences from back reflections and beam scatter are caused by the bottle's walls. The magnitude of these interferences varies with the optical clarity of the bottle at the probe wavelength. The optical clarity of the bottle is determined by the bottle wall material as well as any material that is adhering to the bottle wall, either internally or externally. Due to variation in optical clarity across the bottle, some regions of the bottle wall will generate smaller interferences than others. In addition, the magnitude of the interference at a given wavelength is determined by the refractive index weighted distance between the reflecting/scattering surfaces. In the case where the inner and outer surfaces of a given bottle wall are causing the interference, the thickness of the wall is a factor in the magnitude of the interference at a specific wavelength.
Reducing the presence of interferences in optical systems has been the subject of many studies reported in the absorption spectroscopy literature. As noted below in the review of relevant patents, a variety of approaches have been tried. These approaches involve post measurement signal processing, varying the wavelength bandwidth of the light source, adding optical elements to the beam path, or mechanically moving parts of the optical system in order to reduce the signals caused by the interferences.
Aside from interference fringes, another problem encountered with performing absorbance measurements through containers is the presence of opaque materials adhering to the container walls either internally or externally in a non-uniform manner. For example, in a bottle containing liquid where headspace gas concentration is being monitored, spots or droplets of material may form on the container wall above the fill level. On the exterior of the bottle, miscellaneous material may exist. In addition, scratches may be present on the bottle. If the optical beam should be incident on these less transparent regions, greatly reduced or no light may reach the detector. The reduced signal level can be problematic in terms of reducing signal to noise levels or in terms of gain linearity. With low signal levels, electronic noise may become significant. For single wavelength measurements, the additional loss of intensity caused by spurious material will increase the observed absorbance. This added absorbance cannot be separated from that being generated by the species of interest inside the container. Thus, methods that eliminate or reduce absorbances from material other than the species being measured will increase the measurement sensitivity.
The following patents that address fringe reduction in optical absorption measurements do not teach the present invention or its advantages:
Silver and Stanton, "Laser Absorption Detection Enhancing Apparatus and Method", U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,816, describe a method for improving optical absorption sensitivity by longitudinally vibrating an element of the optical system along the beam direction. The vibrating element must be contained within the etalon and cause the length of the optical cavity to oscillate by more than one quarter of the optical wavelength and preferable several wavelengths. The oscillation averages the magnitude of the interference over all phases of the incident beam. This averaging serves to reduce the sensitivity of the interference magnitude to slight changes in the etalon path length. It also eliminates the wavelength dependence of the interference. The result is that periodic oscillations caused by an etalon in a wavelength spectrum are greatly reduced. The present invention does not utilize a longitudinal vibrational motion of an optical element in the system, but rather utilizes variations in the bottle wall thickness and optical clarity to eliminate the interferences. The bottle does not translate with the present invention, but rather rotates.
James R. Veale, "Apparatus and method for nondestructive monitoring of gases in sealed containers", U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,678, describes a system and method for measuring a gas inside a sealed container using absorption spectroscopy. A diverging beam is used in order to reduce scattering overlap with the incident beam and thus, reduce the interferences present in the measurement. The present invention does not put any requirement on the beam spatial characteristics.
Christopher R. Webster, "Method and apparatus for enhancing laser absorption sensitivity", U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,258, uses an oscillating plate placed at Brewster's angle inside the interfering etalon to spoil the cavity. The plate is angularly dithered approximately 1 degree in order to oscillate the etalon path length. A problem with this method is that the plate will introduce new interferences in the system. The present invention does not utilize an optic placed at Brewster's angle or any additional optical components to spoil the etalon.
Klaus W. Berndt, "Methods for detecting microorganisms in blood culture vials", U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,842, describes a method of measuring carbon dioxide in vials. A dual beam approach is taken in order to eliminate background effects from the vial walls. While this patent does not explicitly address interference fringes, it is concerned with background effects. This method does not utilize mechanical motion as a means of reducing background noise.
Whittaker et al., "Method and apparatus for reducing fringe interference in laser spectroscopy", U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,019, describe a method for reducing fringes by modifying the wavelength bandwidth of the light source. This method utilizes a triangular wavelength modulation on the laser. The triangular waveform enhances the species signal relative to that caused by interferences. This method does not utilize mechanical motion as a means of reducing interferences.
The following patents that address performing measurements inside bottles are not concerned with reducing intensity interferences due to scattering or back reflections or with reducing absorbances caused by materials that are not the species being measured.
Sussman et al., "Detection of the presence of biological activity in a sealed container utilizing infrared analysis of carbon dioxide and apparatus therefor", U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,019, describe a method and apparatus for measuring carbon dioxide in a bottle through absorption spectroscopy at 2300–2400 wave numbers. No method of reducing potential optical interference is employed by their invention.
Nix et al., "Method for testing carbonation loss from beverage bottles using IR spectroscopy", U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,161, describe measuring carbon dioxide levels inside a bottle through infrared absorption spectroscopy at 4922 to 5034 wave numbers. Again, no method of reducing potential optical interference is employed by their invention.
Sternberg et al., "Photometer with Rotating Sample Container", U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,683, disclose an improvement for light scattering type of measurements, including other scattering techniques such as fluorescence, luminescence, and scintillation. The disclosure does not relate to absorption spectroscopy, and so Sternberg et al. are not addressing etalon fringe issues or even seemingly transmission of the incident light through the bottle. Sternberg et al. are merely concerned with the background light scatter from the bottle that arrives at the detector and the attenuation of the scattered light from the sample.
Other arguably related inventions include Julius Z. Knapp, "Particle Detection Method for Detection of Contaminating Particles in Sealed Containers", U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,221; John G. Brace, "Apparatus and Method for Noninvasive Assessment of Pressurized Container Properties", U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,718; Manique et al., "Method and Apparatus for Inspecting Liquid-Filled Containers", U.S. Pat. No. 5,523,560; Knapp et al., "Method and Apparatus for Inspecting Liquids in Transparent Containers", U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,332; and Steven R. Hofstein, "System for Detecting Particulate Matter", U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,969.

Optical absorbance sensitivity and reliability improvement via rotation of sample container


A drawer includes a case, a drawer member, a switching member, and an urging-direction changing member. The case is buried in a panel. The drawer member is drawable out of the case, and is accommodatable in the case. The switching member is capable of outputting an operation force applied thereto in a forward direction and in a reverse direction in a switching manner. The urging-direction changing member receives outputs from the switching member, and is capable of urging the drawer member in a drawn-out direction and in an accommodated direction in a changing manner. The drawer can urge the drawer member in both directions, the drawn-out direction and the accommodated direction, with a reduced number of component parts and with high reliability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drawer which is disposed in instrument panels within vehicle passenger rooms, for example, and which is used as a cup holder, an ashtray or a change box.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-27,943 discloses a cup holder which is equipped with a case and a holder body. The holder body can be drawn out of and can be accommodated in the case. Moreover, the holder body is always urged by a spring in the drawn-out direction. Therefore, the holder body can be drawn out of the case automatically. Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 5-56,602 discloses an ashtray which is provided with a case and an ashtray body. In the ashtray as well, the ashtray body is always urged in the drawn-out direction similarly to the cup holder disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-27,943. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-291,013 discloses a cup holder which is equipped with a case and a holder body. Also in the cup holder, the holder body is always urged in the drawn-out direction in the same manner as the cup holder disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-27,943.
In the case of the cup holders and ashtray disclosed in the publications, the holder bodies and ashtray body are always urged in the drawn-out direction. Accordingly, when accommodating the holder bodies and ashtray body in the cases, it is required for an operator to keep applying such an operation force that overcomes the urging force to the holder bodies and ashtray successively. Consequently, the cup holders and ashtray disclosed in the publications are poor in terms of the operability.
Moreover, the urging force acts always in the drawn-out direction. Accordingly, an independent member is needed in order to keep the accommodated state of the holder bodies and ashtray body. For instance, in the cup holder disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-27,943, the holder body is engaged with a lock claw to keep accommodating the holder body in the case. Moreover, in the ashtray disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication (KOKAI) No. 5-56,602 and the cup holder disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) No. 7-291,013, the ashtray body and holder body are engaged with a heart-shaped cam to maintain the accommodated state of the astray body and holder body in the case. Thus, the cup holders and ashtray disclosed in the publications comprise a large number of component parts, and the structures are complicated.