A piston/cylinder assembly for a reciprocating compressor has a piston comprising telescopingly connected first and second piston members. The first piston member is connected to a connecting rod. The second piston member is provided with a piston head and is connected to the first piston member in such a way as to be movable axially relative to the first piston member by a predetermined distance. A spring is interposed between the first piston member and the second piston member to yieldably urge the first and second piston members axially apart.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piston/cylinder assembly for a reciprocating compressor.
2. Prior Art
As illustrated in FIG. 7 and 8, a conventional reciprocating compressor used generally for compressing a refrigerant in a refrigerating system is comprised of a driving motor 160 having a stator 163, a rotor 161 and a rotor shaft 165, and a cylinder assembly 200 having a cylinder 139, a piston 120 and a cylinder head 150.
The cylinder head 150 has a suction chamber 151 through which the refrigerant is supplied from the outside and a discharge chamber 152 through which the refrigerant compressed in the cylinder 139 is discharged out of the compressor. Between the cylinder head 150 and the cylinder 139 is interposed a valve seat 111 and a suction valve plate 101. The valve seat 111 is provided with a suction port 117 and a discharge port 115 which are connected to the suction chamber 151 and the discharge chamber 152 of the cylinder head 150, respectively. The discharge port 115 is elastically shut tight by a the discharge valve reed 113 which seats on the valve seat 111 and likewise a suction port 117 is elastically sealed off by the suction valve reed 103 formed on the suction valve plate 101.
When the compressor is activated, the driving motor runs, turning the crank shaft 165 whose resulting rotation is transferred to the piston 120 by means of a connecting rod 131 and changed to a reciprocating movement of the piston 120 in the cylinder 139.
The movement of the piston 120 from the upper dead point to the lower dead point is accompanied with a drop in the pressure of the cylinder compartment. This causes the suction valve reed 103 to bend toward the inner side of the cylinder 139 and results in the opening of the suction port 117 while discharge port 115 is closed off by the discharge valve reed 113. As a consequence, the refrigerant is sucked into the cylinder 139 from the suction chamber 151. In a similar fashion, the movement of the piston 120 from the lower dead point to the upper dead point results in an increase in the pressure inside the cylinder 139. The discharge valve reed 113, as a result, bends toward the outer side of the cylinder 139 to open up the discharge port 115. At this time, the suction port 117 is sealed off by the suction valve reed 103. Consequently, the refrigerant in the cylinder 139 is compressed and discharged to the discharge chamber 152. The refetition of the above process is the mechanism by which the refrigerant is compressed.
At the upper dead point of the piston 120, a gap of about 0.2 mm thick separates the piston 120 and the suction valve plate 101. A larger gap would result in a decrease in the efficiency of the compressor as the compressed high-pressure refrigerant leaves a larger amount of residue inside the cylinder 139. In other words, the high-pressure residual refrigerant expands again as the piston 120 moves from the upper to the lower dead point, and the suction valve reed 103 does not open up until the pressures inside the cylinder 139 and outside the suction valve plate 101 are made equal. The amount of refrigerant intake is therefore much reduced.
However, too small a gap between the piston 120 and the suction valve plate 101 could damage the suction valve plate 101 or the the suction valve reed 103 formed therein from the shocks coming from the high-pressure refrigerant and the refrigerant-oil mixture as the piston 120 move toward the upper dead point. Since the clearance gap between the suction valve plate 101 and the piston shall be determined by a comprimise between the compression efficiency and the suction valve plate's 101 shock tolerance, there's a definite limit to the realizable minimum clearance.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a cylinder assembly for a reciprocating compressor which has a minimum clearance gap between the piston and the suction valve plate so as to reduce the amount of residual refrigerant whose subsequent expansion lowers the compression efficiency, and yet which reduces the risk of damage to the suction valve plate and reed by the high-pressure refrigerant and oil-refrigerant mixture.


The present invention generally relates to nanoscale wires, including to nanoscale wires used as sensors. In some cases, the nanoscale wires may be used to directly determine analytes, even within relatively complicated environments such as blood, unlike many prior art techniques. In some aspects, the nanoscale wire form at least a portion of the gate of a field-effect transistor, and in certain aspects, different periodically-varying voltages or other electrical signals may be applied to the field-effect transistor. For example, in one set of embodiments, sinusoidally-varying voltages of different frequencies may be applied to the nanoscale wire and the source electrode of the field-effect transistor. The electrical conductance or other properties of the nanoscale wire in response to the periodically-varying voltages may then be determined and used to determine binding of the species.

Interest in nanotechnology, in particular sub-microelectronic technologies such as semiconductor quantum dots and nanowires, has been motivated by the challenges of chemistry and physics at the nanoscale, and by the prospect of utilizing these structures in electronic and related devices. Nanoscopic articles might be well-suited for transport of charge carriers and excitons (e.g. electrons, electron pairs, etc.) and thus may be useful as building blocks in nanoscale electronics applications. Nanoscale wires are well-suited for efficient transport of charge carriers and excitons, and thus are expected to be important building blocks for nanoscale electronics and optoelectronics.
Nanoscale wires having selectively functionalized surfaces have been described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,129,554, issued Oct. 31, 2006, entitled "Nanosensors," by Lieber, et al., incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described, functionalization of a nanoscale wire may permit interaction of the functionalized nanoscale wire with various entities, such as molecular entities, and the interaction induces a change in a property of the functionalized nanoscale wire, which provides a mechanism for a nanoscale sensor device for detecting the presence or absence of an analyte suspected to be present in a sample.
However, it can be difficult to determine when an analyte has interacted with a functionalized nanowire in a relatively "noisy" environment, for example, when the analyte is present in a physiological fluid such as blood. The presence of salt, ions, proteins, carbohydrates, etc. within such environments can make it difficult or impossible to identify when an analyte has bound to or otherwise interacted with the nanoscale wire. Accordingly, improvements in such technologies are still needed.

Nanoscale field-effect transistors for biomolecular sensors and other applications

President and Fellows of Harvard College


A method for etching a metal layer of a semiconductor device is provided. A metal layer formed on a substrate is etched using a hard mask and a mixed etching gas containing chlorine and oxygen in which the ratio of oxygen gas is preferably about 0.5-0.8. Under such conditions, a metal layer pattern of a fine profile is formed. Since the hard mask is thin, it is possible to prevent etch reactants generated in a process of etching the metal layer from being deposited on the side surface of the resultant formed of the metal layer pattern and the hard mask. As a result, no additional processing is required to remove the etch reactants from the side surfaces and the metal layer etching process is simplified.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly to a method for etching a metal layer using TiO.sub.2 as a hard mask.
2. Description of the Related Art
The capacitance of a capacitor is proportional to the area of the electrodes and the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer between electrodes, and is inversely proportional to the distance between the electrodes. Therefore, high integration of a semiconductor device narrows the distance between the electrodes, thus increasing the capacitance of the capacitor.
In semiconductor devices, in particular, semiconductor memory devices, the capacitor is used to store data. The data stored in the capacitor must be maintained without change until it is read. Also, the data stored in the capacitor must be prevented from being damaged by a soft error generated by an external influence such as an .alpha. particle. Accordingly, a semiconductor memory device requires a capacitor with a sufficient capacitance to permit it to store and maintain data in spite of external influences, in a highly integrated state.
To meet such needs, various methods of maximizing the area of the storage node of the capacitor in a narrow area have been devised. One of the methods is to make the storage node three-dimensional, such as a stack type, a cylinder type, and a fin type. This method has the advantage that the area of the storage node is increased. However, the manufacturing process is complicated and the method may not be useful for highly integrated devices.
Another method is to use a dielectric layer having a high dielectric constant. BST, PZT(Pb(Zr,Ti)O.sub.3), and Y1 are examples of such dielectric layers. These dielectric layers have a dielectric constant of at least several hundred times that of a conventional NO or Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5 film. The high dielectric constant provides enough capacitance, even when the semiconductor device is highly integrated.
In order to use the high dielectric layer as the dielectric layer of the capacitor, a heat-resistant metal layer compatible with the high dielectric layer must be used as the electrode of the capacitor. A Pt film is widely used for this. The Pt film is oxidation-resistant in an oxygen atmosphere at a high temperature, and is advantageous to the growth of the high dielectric layer.
In the heat-resistant metal such as Pt, an evaporation degree of etch reactants is low. Therefore, the etch reactants adhere to the Pt film and serve as an etching mask. As a result, the side wall slope of the etched Pt film becomes positive. Also, the etch ratio of the Pt film is very low. Therefore, when the Pt film is patterned using a photoresist as a mask, the photoresist must be excessively thick, making it hard to form a fine pattern.
A method for etching the Pt film according to a conventional technology is provided in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,984; "Method for etching Pt film", issued May 14, 1996. In the method provided in this patent, an additional process of wet-etching after etching the Pt film is necessary in order to remove the Pt compound. Therefore, the process is complicated.

Method for etching metal layer of a semiconductor device using hard mask


A human augmented robotics intelligence operation system can include a plurality of robots, each robot having a plurality of sensors; a robot control unit; and one or more articulating joints; a cloud-based robotic intelligence engine having; a communication module; a historical database; and a processor; and a human augmentation platform. The processor can be configured to make a probabilistic determination regarding the likelihood of successfully completing the particular user command. When the probabilistic determination is above a pre-determined threshold, the processor sends necessary executable commands to the robot control unit. Alternatively, when the probabilistic determination is below the predetermined threshold, the processor generates an alert and flags the operation for human review.

Robots, particularly those designed to interact with their surroundings typically utilize a plurality of sensors to detect various obstacles and items with which the robot is intended to interact. Such systems typically utilize on-board processing and storage to retain movement protocols and make determinations regarding appropriate functions and motion characteristics.

Human augmented cloud-based robotics intelligence framework and associated methods


A developer roller is spaced apart by a developing gap from a photosensitive medium and supplies toner to an electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive medium to develop the electrostatic latent image. The developer roller includes a core and at least one material layer formed on an outer circumference of the core. A ten-point average roughness of an outermost layer in the material layer is 5-15% of the developing gap.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a developer roller that transfers toner to a photosensitive medium and develops an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive medium, a method of manufacturing the developer roller, and an image forming apparatus including the developer roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, a light beam is irradiated onto a photosensitive medium charged with a uniform electric potential to form an electrostatic image, and a toner of a predetermined color is supplied through a developer roller to the electrostatic latent image to develop the electrostatic image.
The developer roller is an important member that affects the image quality. To form a background free of contamination and secure a proper image concentration, a developer roller having a good toner transfer capability is needed. To keep up with the demands on high-quality pictures, a spherical polymerization toner has been recently employed instead of a pulverized toner. A developer roller that may transfer a spherical polymerization toner with good efficiency is required.

Developer roller, and image forming apparatus including the developer roller


The displacement of a first object (6) relative to a second object (28) is measured by differential measurements from a photodetector (17) and an associated evaluation device (18). The photodetector (17) receives a measurement beam of radiation from a source (9) via a reflector (5) secured to object (6), and a reference beam of radiation from a source (10) via a reflector (26) secured to object (28). Sources (9, 10) are closely adjacent and in the focal plane of a collimating lens (13) through which both beams pass. Both beams are focused onto the detector (17) by a focusing lens (21). Because both beams pass through lenses (13, 21) movements thereof do not affect the displacement measurement. The remaining optical components which are used for beam steering and guidance are comparatively stable and so do not affect the displacement measurement

In many areas it is extremely desirable to be able to precisely measure a small displacement of an object relative to some reference position. One area in which this technique is particularly applicable is in determining the relative movement of parts of large engineering structures, for example, bridges and their supports. It is often the case that the bulk of the measurement apparatus cannot be mounted on a surface which can be guaranteed to be fixed with respect to any of the moving parts of interest.
A second area of application is in the determination of the bending of a gun barrel, and in particular the gun barrel of a tank, in order to ensure highly accurate firing of the gun. Bending of a gun barrel can be caused by a number of factors including thermal effects resulting from firing of the gun and/or weather conditions, backlash in the gun mounting following each firing, and vibration due to tank motion. Whilst it is possible to reduce the effects of barrel bending by physically stabilising the barrel, it is not possible to completely eliminate the problem. Efforts have therefore been made to provide systems for determining the extent of barrel bending so that the degree of bending can be compensated for when the gun is being aimed.
There is described in GB 1,587,714 apparatus for correcting sighting errors in a tank gun barrel arising from barrel bending. The system comprises a light source and an adjacent detector, both fixed to the breech end of the gun barrel, or to the tank turret, and a mirror fixed at or near the muzzle end of the gun barrel. A light beam from the light source is directed onto the mirror which reflects the light beam back to the light detector. Any angular displacement of the barrel muzzle relative to the breech end of the barrel causes the returning light beam to be moved across, or off, the light detector. The extent of any angular displacement can therefore be estimated by monitoring the output of the light detector. Other systems are known which project a collimated beam of light from the source to the muzzle mirror and thence back to the detector.
A problem with systems such as that described in GB 1,587,714, and similar systems commonly known as muzzle reference systems (MRS), is that beam deflection can occur due to factors other than displacement of the barrel muzzle. For example, movement of optical components in the transmitting or receiving optical systems can cause such beam deflection. In addition, non-linearity in the light detector itself, or in other components of the detection circuitry, can erroneously indicate barrel displacement. These errors are inevitably translated into misalignment of the gun barrel when the barrel is being aimed. Significant targeting errors can arise from bending of the gun barrel by even a few tens of micro-radians and the known muzzle reference systems are not capable of resolving bending measurements with this degree of accuracy.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least mitigate certain of the disadvantages of known apparatus and methods for determining relative object displacement.
In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic muzzle reference sensor (AMRS) system for measuring the angular displacement of a gun barrel muzzle with respect to the breech end of the barrel whilst substantially eliminating errors resulting from transmitting and receiving optics and circuitry.

Displacement measurement apparatus and method


According to the present invention, which is a display device in which a light-emitting element where an organic substance generating luminescence referred to as electroluminescence or a medium including a mixture of an organic substance and an inorganic substance is sandwiched between electrodes is connected to a TFT, the invention is to manufacture a display panel by forming at least one or more of a conductive layer which forms a wiring or an electrode and a pattern necessary for manufacturing a display panel such as a mask layer for forming a predetermined pattern is formed by a method capable of selectively forming a pattern. A droplet discharge method capable of forming a predetermined pattern by selectively discharging a droplet of a composition in accordance with a particular object and by forming a conductive layer or an insulating layer is used as a method capable of selectively forming a pattern.

Conventionally, a display panel of a so-called active matrix driving method constituted by a thin film transistor (hereinafter also referred to as a "TFT") over a glass substrate is known. As well as a manufacturing technique of a semiconductor integrated circuit, this display panel needs a step of patterning a thin film such as a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator due to a light-exposure step using a photomask.
A size of a mother glass substrate used for manufacturing a display panel is enlarged from 300 mm×400 mm of the first generation in the early 1990s to 680 mm×880 mm or 730 mm×920 mm of the fourth generation in 2000. Furthermore, the manufacturing technique made such a development that a number of display panels can be obtained from one substrate.
When a size of a glass substrate or a display panel is small, patterning treatment can be carried out comparatively easily by using a photolithography machine. However, as a substrate size is enlarged, an entire surface of a display panel cannot be simultaneously treated by carrying out light-exposure treatment once. Consequently, it is necessary to divide a region where a photoresist is applied into a plurality of block regions and to carry out light-exposure treatment on every predetermined block regions. As for light-exposure treatment, a method for exposing an entire surface of a substrate to light by sequentially repeating the treatment has been developed (for example, see Reference 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 11-326951 and Reference 2: U.S. Pat. No. 6,291,136).

Display device and method for manufacturing the same, and television receiver

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A method and a device produce X-ray images of objects, according to which artifacts caused by scattered radiation are corrected. To this end, a modulator field is used, that can be moved from a first position to a second position, thereby enabling modulator field areas with small and relatively large X-ray attenuation coefficients to be interchanged. An initial amplitude-modulated projection of the object is respectively produced in each of the two positions, and a scattered image associated with the projection is respectively calculated. This is especially suitable for rapid CT scans.

The present invention relates to a method and device that correct artifacts.
In industrial computed tomography (CT), scatter radiation also occurs in addition to the primary radiation that is to be detected. If nothing is done to prevent the detection of scatter radiation or if the recorded projections remain uncorrected, this leads to scatter radiation artifacts in the reconstructed CT volume composed of voxels. Scatter radiation artifacts of said type can be caused for example as a result of what is called a cupping effect which leads to inhomogeneous voxel values in a homogeneous object material, such that when the density values are plotted along a line, in other words when a line profile is produced, a curve results instead of a straight line. Generally, streak patterns and contrast losses can be produced in addition.
Different conventional solution approaches to scatter radiation correction exist which can mainly be classified into two groups:
1. Measures to reduce the detected scatter radiation, as implemented for example through the use of an anti-scatter grid.
2. So-called a posteriori corrections of the scatter radiation, whereby the scatter component in each CT projection is subtracted accordingly.
A maximally precise knowledge of the detected scatter component is necessary for the second group. Toward that end various approaches for determining said scatter component exist, which can likewise be divided into two groups:
1. Software-based solutions, such as Monte Carlo simulations, deterministic calculations of first-order scatter, convolution algorithms based on what are known as point spread functions, for example.
2. Experimental methods for determining the scatter component with the aid of measurements.
Within this second group of experimental methods, different measurement methods are known. For example:
a) beam-stopper-based methods, and
b) a complementary technique thereto, which uses apertures and moreover so-called beam holes, and
c) an only recently proposed method which is based on what is termed primary modulation.
With regard to the last-cited method, the following related art is known.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,712 B2 discloses a scatter correction method for x-ray imaging, wherein a direction-dependent modulation of the primary x-ray radiation is used, leading to a space-dependent modulation on the primary radiation detector. Scatter radiation in an x-ray imaging system including an x-ray source and an x-ray detector is corrected by using amplitude modulation to translate the spatial frequency of a detected x-ray beam to a higher frequency and by filtering out the low-frequency scatter radiation. A measure for the low-frequency primary signal without scatter radiation is then obtained by demodulating the detected modulated signal.
The decisive advantage of a method using primary modulation over other conventional experimental methods is that the scatter measurement and scatter beam estimation can be carried out during the actual CT scan, i.e. the scatter data is acquired simultaneously with the actual CT projections. Compared with other conventional methods that require an additional measurement operation, this results in a smaller measurement overhead and at the same time realizes a time saving, which represents a critical advantage in particular for industrial CT. Furthermore, savings in terms of radiation dose are also achieved compared to measurement methods in which an additional measurement operation is required.
The conventional method according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,712 B2 provides that a primary modulator is placed between the object that is to be imaged and the x-ray tube. The primary modulator impresses a pattern, for example in the form of a checkerboard composed of light and dark fields, on the primary beams by amplitude modulation. For that purpose a printed circuit board made of copper for example can be used, into which a pattern is introduced by etching processes, i.e. the copper is correspondingly etched away on the light fields. The different strengths of the attenuation properties or attenuation coefficients of copper and of the bare printed circuit board material ensure a corresponding beam attenuation through the dark fields (copper), while there is hardly any attenuation or none at all on the light fields (printed circuit board material). Throughout the entire CT scan or the entire CT sampling the modulator remains stationary between object and x-ray tube, i.e. it does not change its position. The modulated checkerboard-like pattern is therefore to be found again in every projection of the CT scan, i.e. both in free beam regions and in object-covered regions. In this case the relative modulation strength, insofar as the primary signal is concerned, is equally great at all points. However, not just this modulated primary signal is recorded by the detector, but in addition, superimposed on said signal, is a low-frequency scatter signal which results due to x-ray scatter effects, in particular Compton scatter processes, in the test object and in the laboratory environment. The detector therefore records an overall signal formed of the modulated primary signal and the superimposed unmodulated scatter signal.
Subsequently it is possible to separate the modulated primary signal from the unmodulated scatter signal in the Fourier domain. This is accomplished by corresponding high-pass or low-pass filtering of the modulated projection. The low-pass filtered version of the modulated projection results in the overlapping of the frequency components of unmodulated primary image and scatter function in the frequency domain. The high-pass filtered version contains only the spectral component of the modulated primary signal, in other words it can subsequently be demodulated and weighted in order to obtain an approximation of the exclusive primary signal in the frequency domain. Following an inverse Fourier transform this can be subtracted as an approximated primary image from the low-pass filtered version, which includes scatter and primary signals, in order to obtain an approximation of the scatter image. It is pointed out that in the method described herewith so-called edge detection and edge smoothing, also referred to as boundary detection, is applied to every modulated projection. Smoothing of said kind takes into account that high-frequency image components are already present due to the object alone and in particular due to the object edges. This is independent of any modulation. Said unmodulated high-frequency components overlap in the Fourier domain with the spectral copies of the modulated primary signal. Mixing modulated and unmodulated signal will, if the latter is not corrected, result in incorrect demodulation of the primary signals. In other words, artifacts will be produced especially in the object edge regions and also in the inside of the object, which is then referred to in this context as "spilling", leading to incorrect reconstruction of the primary image. In order to attenuate or suppress such high-frequency image components, which are caused in particular by object edges, the above-cited boundary detection is applied in order to find the object edges and smooth the same accordingly by a Gaussian filter.
Although the strong artifacts caused by excessively high-frequency, unmodulated image components are reduced in this process, an inaccuracy in the edge region is produced at such points, since the Gaussian filtering is no longer reversed subsequently. The thus obtained scatter image is now subtracted accordingly from the CT projections. Since the modulation pattern is still now present in the projections, the CT projections are normalized to the radiation intensity after the modulator. In this way the modulator pattern is removed in the projection image. This is accomplished by division by a recording of the modulator without further objects in the beam path. It is pointed out that beam hardening effects are produced due to the modulator, and moreover these are caused in particular by the dark copper fields. If such effects remain uncorrected, the result is firstly an inaccurate scatter estimation and secondly an incomplete removal of the checkerboard pattern in the last-cited division step. This can lead to ring artifacts in the CT cross-sectional images. The fact that beam hardening effects exist and lead to the cited errors is known for example from "Correction for beam hardening artifacts in computerized tomography," by Hammersberg et al. (Journal of X-Ray Science and Technoglogy 8, 1998).
Hammersberg et al. discloses that when polyenergetic x-ray sources are used, accurate density measurements are made more difficult due to beam hardening based on incorrect gradients of linear attenuation coefficients in computed tomography cross-sectional images. A correction method is described in which polyenergetic computed tomography data is converted into monoenergetic computed tomography data by linearization. Computed tomography data is derived from measured data points as a function of the object thickness and represented as a polynomial. Using simulations, the polyenergetic computed tomography data is accurately simulated on the basis of the object material density, the object material composition, the x-ray energy spectrum, the detector response, and the information transfer from the detector to digitized data. The curve of the function representing the polyenergetic computed tomography data can be accurately determined by an eighth- or higher-order polynomial or by cubic spline interpolation.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and device for correcting artefacts during X-ray imagery, especially computer tomography, with a moving modulator field


A system and method for accessing a media item on a mobile device are described. The mobile device includes a media placement application and a media display application. The media placement application receives a selection of a media item generated by the mobile device. The media placement application generates access conditions for the media item based on geolocation and position information of the mobile device associated with the selected media item. The media display application monitors the geolocation and position of the mobile device and determines whether the geolocation and position of the mobile device meet the access conditions of the selected media item. The media display application generates a notification that the selected media item is available to view in a display of the mobile device in response to determining that the geolocation and position of the mobile device meet the access conditions of the selected media item.

There has been an unprecedented boom in the popularity of amateur photography sparked by the widespread adoption of mobile technology, mobile phones in particular, that incorporates cameras. In fact, mobile phone manufacturers have supplanted traditional camera companies as the world's largest producers of cameras. Software development companies have responded to this boom by creating photographic applications that allow users of mobile phones to manipulate and view photographs in creative ways. Such photographic applications may allow a user to view digital photographs taken within a specific time period (e.g., recently taken photographs, or photographs taken in a specific month or year). However, if the user wishes to view a photograph previously taken at a particular geographic location (e.g., Venice Beach, Calif.), the user may be required to tediously scroll through a large number of photographs.

User interface for accessing media at a geographic location


An optical device has an optical fiber, an optical demultiplexer having an optical demultiplexing member for demultiplexing a portion of an optical signal beam transmitted through the optical fiber, as a demultiplexed optical signal beam, and guiding the demultiplexed optical signal beam out of the optical fiber, an optical path changer for changing an optical path of the demultiplexed optical signal beam guided out of the optical fiber, a waveguide serving as at least a medium from which the demultiplexed optical signal beam is emitted to the optical path changer, and a filter disposed on a surface of the waveguide. An angle of incidence of the demultiplexed optical signal beam on the filter is equal to or greater than 0.5°.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical device suitable for use as a wavelength-multiplex optical terminal for demultiplexing a light beam in a particular wavelength range from signal light beams in various wavelength range, i.e., light beams of communication service signal or video signal light beams, transmitted through an optical fiber.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the recent development of wavelength-multiplex communications using a fiber amplifier, it has become customary to monitor the amounts of optical signals at respective wavelengths, adjust the amounts of optical signals, and then have an amplifier amplify the optical signals in order to maintain desired amplifier characteristics.
Various processes are known for monitoring the amounts of optical signals. According to the known processes, since monitor devices are associated with respective optical fibers, they are alone required to have a considerable size.
There have been demands for a small-size monitor device which is packaged with high density. A monitor device monitors an optical signal by extracting a portion of the optical signal. It is desirable for a monitor device to be able to monitor an optical signal without significantly attenuating the optical signal.
Heretofore, solutions to the above problems and demands have been proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-294990, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-294992, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-295000, WO03/096095, WO03/060584, and WO03/098293.
In recent years, attempts have been made to add broadcasting services as new value-added services to FTTH (Fiber To The Home) services. A broadcasting downstream signal wavelength is added to upstream and downstream signal wavelengths of IP (Internet Protocol) services through a single optical fiber in the new services. In other words, combined services for communication and broadcasting by the single-core, three-wavelength optical fiber have been proposed.
In order to realize such combined communication and broadcasting services, a customer premises facility is required to include a B-ONU (Broadband Optical Network Unit) that is need for conventional IP services and a V-ONU (Video-Optical Network Unit) for receiving broadcasting services. Stated otherwise, the subscriber needs to have a wavelength-multiplexing optical terminal for processing upstream and downstream signals having different wavelengths. In the future, there is a possibility to transmit a downstream video signal at another wavelength, and a wavelength-multiplexing optical terminal for three wavelengths will be required to handle all those signals.
The wavelength-multiplexing optical terminal mainly comprises a WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) filter, a light-detecting unit (e.g., a photodiode) for receiving a downstream signal, and a light-emitting device (e.g., a laser diode) for transmitting an upstream signal.
For demultiplexing wavelengths with WDM filters, ordinary filters are required to have an attenuating level of about 25 dB in the cut-off range, but filters designed to meet special specifications are required to have an attenuating level of about 40 dB in the cut-off range. As shown in OPTCOM, March 2004, page 38, a bandpass filter (rejection filter) may be inserted between a WDM prism and a light-detecting unit.
Conventional wavelength-multiplexing optical terminals are mainly classified into a microoptics design using a lens and a PLC design using an optical waveguide, as shown in OPTORONICS, January 2004, page 173.
Since both designs employ a light transmitting component such as a lens or an optical waveguide for guiding optical signals to a WDM filter, it is necessary to meet a most important requirement for optical components, i.e., optical alignment between the optical fiber and the light transmitting component. Accordingly, the cost of the resultant assembly tends to be high and the connection is liable to be of low reliability.
For providing combined communication and broadcasting services inexpensively, there has been proposed a V-ONU-compatible optical device having an integrated combination of a WDM function based on the microslitting technology (see "Standards of optical fiber arrays and future trend", OPTICAL ALLIANCE, November 2005) for directly slitting an optical fiber, and a light-detecting function.
The V-ONU-compatible optical device fabricated according to the microslitting technology comprises a wavelength-demultiplexing thin-film substrate inserted in an oblique silt directly defined in an optical fiber and a light-detecting component disposed above the optical fiber for detecting an optical signal beam demultiplexed by the wavelength-demultiplexing thin-film substrate. The V-ONU-compatible optical device thus constructed is inexpensive to manufacture, and yet incorporates an integrated combination of the wavelength-demultiplexing function and the light-detecting function.
A bandpass filter may be disposed on the optical path of the demultiplexed optical signal beam in order to increase the optical signal beam attenuation in the cut-off range.


A method of determining whether an individual's breathing is obstructed. The method includes measuring a transthoracic impedance of the individual over a predetermined time interval, identifying a baseline impedance and selecting an impedance cycle. The method also includes identifying a maximum impedance during the selected impedance cycle, determining an upper difference between the maximum impedance and the baseline impedance, identifying a minimum impedance during the selected impedance cycle, and determining a lower difference between the minimum impedance and the baseline impedance. The method includes determining whether an amplitude of the upper difference is less than about seventy percent of an amplitude of the lower difference, and notifying an observer that the amplitude of the upper difference is less than about seventy percent of the amplitude of the lower difference.

The present invention relates generally to transthoracic impedance and more particularly to a method for determining airway obstruction using transthoracic impedance.
Studies of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) tracings indicate three phases in the death of infants—hypoxic hyperpnea, apnea and gasping. Hypoxic hyperpnea is an abnormal increase in the depth and frequency of breaths resulting in a drop in oxygen content of air in the lungs. Apnea is a temporary cessation of breathing, and gasping is a uniquely regulated type of breathing that occurs under conditions of severe brain hypoxia. Autoresuscitation, which is defined as an increase in heart rate following a gasp, occurs less often in SIDS infants than infants dying due to other causes. Because successful lung inflation during gasping is the primary mechanism for autoresuscitation, an obstructed airway can prevent autoresuscitation potentially resulting in death.
There are two critical periods in the sudden death of infants. A first period includes factors precipitating hypoxia (i.e., a drop in oxygen content of tissue in the lungs) and a second period is a failure of gasping to alleviate hypoxia. Many SIDS infants have obstructed airways contributing to the initial hypoxia, as well as to the failure of autoresuscitation during hypoxic gasping.
Transthoracic impedance, which is a measure of the electrical impedance across an individual's thorax (i.e., the cavity in which the lungs and heart are positioned), is commonly used to monitor respiration (i.e., breathing). Because air is a relatively poor conductor of electrical current and blood is a relatively good conductor of electrical current, transthoracic impedance is an indication of the ratio of air to blood in the thorax. As the amount of air in the thorax increases, transthoracic impedance increases. Conversely, as the amount of blood in the thorax increases, transthoracic impedance decreases. Even though transthoracic impedance is an indication of the ratio of air to blood, it is not a direct measure of breathing because transthoracic impedance continues to oscillate even when the airway is obstructed. For this reason, in the past it was believed that transthoracic impedance could not be used to detect obstructive apnea because the impedance signal continues during airway obstruction.
Other methods have been explored for determining when a breath is obstructed. For example, a reduction in the sum channel of respiratory inductance plethysmography has been used to identify obstructed breaths. However, this method only detects about 54% of obstructions when compared to end tidal carbon dioxide measurements. Thus, this method is not an effective way of indicating airway obstruction. Because most infant apneas consist of obstructed breaths occurring during periods of absent respiratory efforts, the total duration of an apneic event is not documented by current methods and the monitor may not alarm in time for a caretaker to use cardio pulmonary resuscitation. Furthermore, healthcare professionals may be aware an infant is having prolonged apneic events and discontinue monitoring. Accordingly, a need exits for an effective indicator of airway obstruction to reduce occurrences of death from prolonged apneic events.

Method for determining airway obstruction


An exemplary semiconductor solid-state light-source module includes a printed circuit board, at least one semiconductor solid state light source mounted on the printed circuit board and a light guide plate optically coupled to the semiconductor solid state light source. The printed circuit board includes a protrusion and a recess. The protrusion is configured for engaging with a recess of the printed circuit board of another similar semiconductor solid-state light-source module.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to semiconductor solid-state light-source modules and semiconductor solid state light source assemblies having the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Nowadays, conventional display modules generally employ cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) as light source. A display module generally includes a lamp case, and at least one CCFL arranged therein. However, the CCFL is bulky and not environmental friendly.
Light emitting diode (LED) has been used extensively as light source for display modules due to its pollution free, high luminous efficiency and small size. A conventional display module usually includes a plurality of LEDs arranged on a printed circuit board with high density to form an LED array. According to different requirements, the LED array may have different sizes. If a portion of the LED array malfunctions, then the whole LED arrays must be replaced, this is expensive.
Therefore, what is needed is a semiconductor solid-state light-source module that overcomes the above described shortcomings.

Semiconductor solid-state light-source module and assembly having the same


A cable protection cover for an enclosure is disclosed. The cable protection cover includes a cover shroud, a pivot bracket for attaching to the enclosure, and a pivot pin for pivotally attaching the cover shroud to the pivot bracket. The pivot bracket and the cover shroud form a cable access aperture providing a through access to an interface of the enclosure for one or more cables. The cable protection cover forms a protective barrier with the cover shroud in a closed position preventing the one or more cables from being disconnected from the interface.

A typical outdoor telecommunications enclosure protects components within the enclosure from any external environmental contaminants such as (for example) rain, dust, and debris. Since external power and data connections need to be made to the enclosure, various electrical cables are readily apparent when approaching the enclosure. For example, in the case of a pole or wall mounted enclosure, it is typical for these cables to enter from the bottom of the enclosure as this orientation is the most resistant to water ingress and other similar environmental conditions.
When the enclosure is mounted in a public area, a loss of any external cable connections due to vandalism has significant economic and reliability implications for telecommunications network service providers. Conversely, an enclosure design that is overly restrictive inhibits any legitimate access to the external cable connections at the enclosure during initial installation and periodic maintenance inspections.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for improvements in protecting cable connections in an outdoor telecommunications enclosure with a cable protection cover.


Avalanche photodiodes are provided, wherein the APDs provide both high optical coupling efficiency and low dark count rate. The APDs are formed such that their cap layer has an active region of sufficient width to enable high optical coupling efficiency but the APD still exhibits a low dark count rate. These cap layers have a device area with an active region and an edge region, wherein the size of the active region is substantially matched to the mode-field diameter of an optical beam, and wherein the size of the edge region is made small so as to reduce the number of defects included. These APD designs maintain a substantially uniform gain and breakdown voltage, as necessary for practical use.

Avalanche photodiode (APD) structures that have separate absorption and multiplication layers (SAM-APDs) can provide electrical output signals with high fidelity (i.e., low noise). In a SAM-APD, the optical energy is absorbed and converted into electrical carriers in a layer specifically designed for efficient absorption (hereinafter, referred to as the "absorption layer"). The resulting electrical signal is amplified in a different layer specifically designed for efficient electrical carrier multiplication (hereinafter, referred to as the "cap layer"). By separating the absorption and multiplication functions into different semiconductor layers, each can be independently optimized for its intended purpose.
A device region can be formed in the cap layer of a SAM-APD by diffusion of a dopant into the semiconductor layer to form a p-n junction. The undoped portion of the cap layer that resides beneath the p-n junction provides a high-field region in which avalanche multiplication can occur (i.e., the avalanche multiplication region).
The principal driver for improved APD performance has been its use in telecommunications systems. For these applications, the APD is electrically biased such that the electrical response is substantially linear with optical power. Recently, interest has arisen in the use of APDs for detection of single photons in such applications as cryptography. For single-photon-detection applications, the APD is electrically biased at or beyond its "electrical breakdown voltage." The breakdown voltage is the voltage at which the p-n junction is sufficiently reverse-biased to conduct a large current arising from a self-sustaining avalanche process—even in the absence of continuous optical power. An APD that is biased at or above breakdown, therefore, can give rise to an easily detectable pulse of electrical current in response to the absorption of even a single photon.
Two important parameters for an APD are the uniformity of the gain and breakdown voltage across the device region. Gain and breakdown voltage are functions of the thickness of the undoped portion of the device region. Dopant diffusion in a semiconductor is a substantially isotropic process (i.e., the dopant diffuses laterally and vertically, at nearly the same rate). As a result, it is well understood that a diffused p-n junction will have a central portion (hereinafter, referred to as the "active region") and an outer portion (hereinafter, referred to as the "edge region").
The active region is characterized by a uniform, planar junction profile while the edge region has a non-uniform, curved junction profile. In the active region, the uniform junction profile leads to uniform gain and uniform breakdown voltage. The curvature of the junction profile in the edge region, however, leads to a larger local electric field and therefore higher gain and lower breakdown voltage than in the active region. This undesirable phenomenon is typically referred to as "edge breakdown". For practical SAM-APDs, the breakdown-voltage uniformity across the entire device region should be within 10%, and preferably within 1%.
Another important performance metric for an APD, particularly in a single-photon detection application, is Noise Equivalent Power (NEP). NEP is a function of the ratio of erroneous signals (referred to as the dark count rate) to optical detection efficiency. A photodiode with low NEP will contribute few false counts while still detecting most or all of the received photons.
A low NEP can be achieved by 1) high detection efficiency and/or 2) low dark count rate. Detection efficiency is a function of several factors: (i) the amount of the light signal which is directed into the detector (i.e., optical coupling efficiency); (ii) the probability that a received photon is absorbed by the detector (i.e., quantum efficiency); and (iii) the probability that the absorbed photon will result in a detectable avalanche event (i.e., avalanche probability).
A high coupling efficiency can be achieved by making the device region of an APD at least as large as the mode-field diameter of the optical beam. Many prior art photodiodes, in fact, have a device region that is larger than the mode-field diameter so as to both capture as much of the light as possible and allow for some misalignment while still capturing the entire beam.
Avalanche probability can be improved by increasing the bias voltage so that it is well above the breakdown voltage. The larger this overbias, the greater the probability that a received photon will generate an avalanche event. Unfortunately, dark count rate also increases with overbias; therefore in many cases increased overbias actually degrades NEP rather than improves it.
Device technologists in the communications field have long understood that device performance and manufacturing yield of semiconductor devices are functions of material quality. In the past few decades, therefore, effort has been directed toward improving crystal growth techniques so as to reduce semiconductor material defect density. Improved crystal growth techniques can also reduce the presence of defects that serve as nucleation sites for dark current mechanisms. However, radical improvements in the overall materials growth technology area would be required to affect any significant reduction of dark count rate. Moreover, it is unlikely that defects will ever be completely eliminated through improved growth technique in a cost-effective manner.
It is desirable, therefore, to develop an avalanche photodiode with improved NEP in a manner that is compatible with conventional crystal growth techniques and overcomes some of the costs and limitations of the prior art.

Apparatus comprising an avalanche photodiode


A supporting system for air conditioning duct housings or register boxes including a housing member with perpendicular walls defining corners and a flat surface on the bottom and a connecting casing defining an aperture with one or more corner clips that are removably mounted from the outer surface of the walls. The corner clip includes a plate with two arms that are receivable within a longitudinally extending fixed structural member, such as a rail, provided with a longitudinal channel that has a longitudinal trough and opening. Resilient raised tabs provided in the arms keep the latter locked within the channel. Rigid tab members extend perpendicularly from the inner edges of the arm members and are lockingly receivable within the housing member through cooperating slots. A vertex portion between the arm members provides support to the corners.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a supporting system for air conditioning register boxes, and more particularly, to a system that can be readily mounted to the outside of the box.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many designs for supporting members have been designed in the past for air conditioning register boxes. None of them, however, permit a user to mount and/or unmount a box from outside the latter and without having to disassemble it or reach the supporting system from inside the duct housing or register box.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to a product being marketed by Sherer Manufacturing Incorporated (SMI), 12475 North, 44th Street, Clearwater, Fla. 33762, under model Nos. RAB, RB and RBB. See saler literature attached. However, it differs from the present invention because inherent in the design is the lack of flexibility in using or not using the supporting member. Pre-mounted members may or may not be used. Thus, the need to over-design the device to anticipate all possibilities for support. Also, because of the characteristics of the design it cannot mount a duct housing to a fixed structure.
It is one of the main objects of the present invention to provide a supporting system that can be readily mounted externally to a duct housing or register box without disassembling it or requiring from inside the box.
It is another object of this invention to provide a supporting assembly that ensures structural integrity by selectively distributing the boxes"" weight as needed.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a system that can be adapted to different fixed supporting structures.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a device that is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain while retaining its effectiveness.
Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Supporting system for air conditioning register boxes


A method is provided for forming complex structures from aluminum alloys, particularly from naturally hard AlMg alloys, naturally hard AlMgSc alloys and/or age-hardenable AlMgLi alloys. The method, in a simple manner by means of as few process steps as possible, forms complex structures from the alloys such that they almost assume their final shape without any significant spring-back. Simultaneously, the loss of material is to be kept as low as possible. This is achieved by means of the following steps: elastic forming of a component to be formed into a defined contour under the effect of external force; and heating-up of the elastically formed component to a temperature higher than the temperature required for a creep formation and relaxation of stresses of the alloy, so that the component is formed while retaining the contour.

The present invention relates to a method of forming structures made of aluminum alloys, particularly of naturally hard AlMg alloys, naturally hard AlMgSc alloys and/or age-hardenable AlMgLi alloys.
In aeronautical and aerospace engineering, complex structures of high strength and stiffness are required which, taking into account their weight as well as aerodynamic aspects, should have an optimal design. Such structures or structural parts include, for example, wing shell surfaces, covering and tank elements for spacecraft, airplane fuselage surfaces with structure reinforcing elements, such as stringers and ribs. As a rule, a manufacturing of such structural parts made of aluminum alloys which has precise contours and corresponds to the drawings is difficult and usually requires several forming steps for the individual components with corresponding intermediate annealing treatments.
The conversion of welded integral constructions in the construction of airplanes requires the use of readily weldable corrosion-resistant materials, such as AlMgSc and AlMgLi alloys. Because of their spectrum of characteristics, these alloys only have a very limited ductility. As a result, a shaping into the desired end contour is partly not possibly by means of conventional methods because the capacity for deformation is insufficient.
It is today's state of the art that the shell areas are formed from metal plates of Alloy AA2024 in the solution-heat-treated condition by means of stretch-forming. It is known that, during stretch-forming, which can be carried out in the cold as well as in the warm condition, the structure to be formed is formed in one or several steps or phases (compare German Patent Document DE 195 04 649 C1). In this case, the structure to be formed can first be stretched in the longitudinal direction and subsequently over a structural part which has the desired end contour.
It is disadvantageous in this case, that as a result of the forming operation, internal tensions are created in the material which, when operating loads are superimposed, may lead to a failure of the structure. Furthermore, a forming into a structure with a spherical curvature, that is, with curvatures along different directions in space, presents difficulties and requires correspondingly designed machines and dimensionally stable tools. In addition, the structure to be formed is usually damaged by the mounting of clamping jaws on the outer edges so that these areas have to be removed, for example, by means of contour milling. This not only results in a loss of material but also requires another machining step which leads to unnecessary expenditures and a connected time consumption.
In addition, in the case of the AlMg alloys, when the forming takes place at room temperature, a discontinuous deformation is observed as well as the forming of characteristic surface phenomena which are also called Luder's lines and may have a disturbing effect on the characteristics of the material.
It was also found that the group of the AlMg alloys have a planar anisotropy with an r-value minimum in the L-direction (rolling direction). This means that the material flow during the stretch forming for the most part takes place from the metal plate thickness and the structure to be formed therefore tends to thin out locally earlier and fail at a premature point in time. In addition, the reduction of the metal plate thickness by stretching has the result that the reaching of a final thickness which corresponds to the drawings can be achieved only by means of uniform degrees of stretching and is therefore difficult to implement in the case of components with large development differences.
It is known that, in addition to stretch forming, an age hardening process is used which is carried out, for example, under the effect of pressure and temperature in an autoclave or furnace and during which an age-hardening effect occurs simultaneously. This so-called "age forming" process is used for age-hardenable Al alloys of the 2xxx, 6xxx, 7xxx and 8xxx series. In this case, an elastic forming of the structure to be formed first takes place under the effect of pressure or force. The structure to be formed conforms to a structural part which has a smaller radius of curvature than the finished component in order to take into account the so-called "spring-back" effect. Therefore, the structure to be formed is first formed beyond its desired final shape. As a result of the subsequent heating to the alloy-specific age-hardening temperature, a deformation takes place with a partial relaxation of tensions, as described, for example, in the article by D. M. Hambrick "Age Forming Technology Expanded in an Autoclave", SAE Technical Paper Series, General Aviation Aircraft Meeting and Exhibition, Wichita, Kans., Apr. 16–19, 1985, NO. 850885. This has the result that the component springs back to a certain degree during the cooling and will only then assume its final shape. Thus, after the cooling and relieving, the formed structure has a larger radius of curvature than before the heating. This is problematic mainly for the manufacturing of structural parts because the "spring-back" effect has to be predicted with high precision in order to design the structural part in such a manner that the finished component finally assumes the desired final shape. This, in turn, requires a high-expenditure simulation of the "spring-back" effect, as described, for example, in European Patent Documents EP 0517982A1 and EP 0527570B1.
In addition to the age-hardenable alloys used today (for example, AA2024, AA6013, AA6056), new naturally hard, that is, non-age-hardenable alloys have been developed for future airplane generations, which, in contrast to the established alloys, for metallurgical reasons, cannot be solution-heat-treated because this would lead to an irreversible loss of strength. Thus, the new materials cannot be formed without problems by means of conventional methods. As a result, alternatives are required for the production of double-curved or spherical shell areas.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method by means of which complex structures of the alloys according to the invention can be formed in a simple manner, that is, with as few process steps as possible, without any significant spring-back effect. At the same time, the loss of material as a result of additional machining should be as low as possible.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in that a component which is to be formed and which consists of the alloys according to the invention is elastically formed under the effect of external force and in the process takes up its desired final shape, and in that the elastically formed component is then heated to a temperature which is higher than the temperature required for the creep forming and the relaxation of tensions of the alloy, so that, if possible, the component is formed while retaining its final shape.
In this manner, it is achieved that the component is formed under the effect of heat without any significant spring-back and in the process almost completely retains the final shape impressed by the elastic forming. After the forming and subsequent cooling, the component therefore basically has the same curvature as before the heat treatment. This has the advantage that the structural parts or holding devices used for the elastic forming, with sufficient precision, have the same shape as the theoretical shape of the component and thus a complex simulation for predicting the "spring-back" effect is not required.
The elastic forming of the component before the heat treatment, in which case the component already assumes its desired final shape, can be implemented according to a first embodiment such that, after the component to be formed is inserted into a holding device, an external force acts upon the component, after which the component conforms to the contour of the holding device while being formed elastically. The external force may be transmitted by way of a mechanical pressure or stamping device which presses the component in the direction of the holding device. As an alternative, the elastic forming can take place directly by the effect of an external pressure which is generated, for example, in an evacuated space.
According to another embodiment, it is expedient that an external force act in such a manner upon the component inserted into the holding device that the component bends elastically in the direction of the holding device so that a hollow space is created between the component and the holding device. This hollow space is then sealed off by means of a sealing material and is then evacuated. Because of the resulting vacuum, the component, while being elastically formed, conforms completely to the contour of the holding device and assumes the desired final shape. Subsequently, under the effect of heat, the forming of the component takes place at temperatures which are above the temperature required for the creep forming and the relaxation of tensions of the alloy.
The advantage is therefore not only that the contour of the holding device corresponds to the desired final shape of the component to be formed but also the forming is of a purely elastic nature as a result of the effect of the external forces. This means that the component returns to its original shape when it is no longer affected by external forces. As a result, corrections or another insertion can take place without any problem. The elastic forming of the component by the effect of the external forces can therefore be repeated at any time.
It is also expedient to heat the component at a heating-up rate of from 20° C./s to 10° C./h to a maximal temperature above the temperature required for the creep forming and relaxation of tensions of the alloy and subsequently cool the component at a rate of between 200° C./s to 10° C./h. The maximal temperature is preferably between 200° C. and 450° C. and is typically kept constant for a time period of from 0 to 72 hours.
In this case, it is advantageous that, within the above-mentioned ranges, the heating-up and cooling rate respectively as well as the maximal temperature can be adapted to the used alloy or to the desired physical properties. In addition, after the implementation of the method, another forming of the component can take place which is not possible or is possible only to a limited extent by means of the known methods.
Another advantage of the method according to the invention is the fact that singly curved as well as spherical structures can be formed in one working step. For this purpose, the holding device has curvatures which extend in different directions in space and correspond to the finished final contour of the component to be formed. Furthermore, in addition to 2D structures, complex 3D structures, on which stringers and ribs are already fastened, can be formed in a simple manner. Simultaneously, deformations caused by thermal stress resulting from a preceding welding operation are compensated by the forming process according to the invention.

Method for shaping structures comprised of aluminum alloys


The inventive fluid dispenser includes a container in which the fluid to be dispensed is stored and an attached brush-type applicator from which the stored fluid may be selectively applied to a work surface. The container has an open end to which an applicator housing is attached and which carries a bristled brush. An insert disposed within the applicator housing defines passageways through which stored fluid is deliverable from the container to the applicator housing. The fluid-delivery passageways are automatically closed when an associated cap is detachably positioned about the brush-carrying end of the dispenser through deformation or displacement of the applicator housing to prevent the unintended delivery of stored fluid into the applicator housing during periods of nonuse. The insert may also include a vapors-release passageway extending between the container and the applicator housing for venting vapors into the brush-enveloped cap and thereby prevent drying out of the brush during periods of nonuse. The vapors-release passageway is closeable by a check valve against the unintended flow of stored fluid therethrough.

There have been numerous efforts to market a product for dispensing a volatile fluid from a container through an applicator that is attached to the container. These attempts have failed or produced only marginally satisfactory products. None of these products could perform all of the important functions of controlling the flow of the stored fluid, preventing inadvertent or accidental flow of stored fluid, permitting the flow of vapors or gasses from the fluid in the container to the applicator tip while simultaneously preventing the flow of stored fluid through the applicator, and preventing drying out of the applicator tip after use or during periods of nonuse.
In the use of highly volatile fluids such as nail enamels, volatile paints, and correction fluid, the volatile fluid product is generally sealed in an air tight container. For application of such fluids directly from the sealed container, some pen type devices are marketed that permit the passage of these fluids through an applicator tip and include a check valve which is connected to the applicator tip. The check valve is opened by applying sufficient pressure to the tip and, when the pressure is released from the tip, the check valve closes. The valve thus acts as a shut off valve, the purpose of which is to prevent air from getting into the container and thereby preventing the product from drying out. Additionally, the shut off valve prevents the unintended release of the contained product by inadvertent squeezing or activation of the tube that contains the stored fluid. This shut-off valve design requires, however, that the applicator tip be made of a relatively hard substance such as metal. This arrangement is used, for example, in Pentel and Gillette correction fluid pens.
Another version of this type of shut-off valve design is used in the application of paints from a Tester's paint pen, and in the application of nail enamel from nail enamel pens marketed by Aziza and Margaret Astor. These devices use a fibre tip or porous plastic applicator.
A significant problem with these designs of shut-off valve type prior art devices is that the tip becomes damaged from repeated use as a result of the pressure that is required to open the shut-off valve, damage which adversely affects the functioning and use of the device.
Another problem is that once the product is used and a cap is placed on the applicator, any remaining fluid on the applicator quickly dries out and hardens, also adversely affecting subsequent use of the applicator.
The use of a soft or bristled application brush as the applicator tip is not possible with these constructions of shut-off valve type devices because the soft brush cannot withstand the pressure that is required to open the check valve. Yet products such as nail polish and the like cannot be effectively or satisfactorily applied to a work surface without a bristled brush or a similar soft and flexible applicator.
Attempts to overcome the rapid drying-out of the applicator tip have focussed on the use of a solvent cap, which requires that a solvent be placed or stored in the cap to saturate the applicator tip and thereby prevent its drying out when the cap is in place over the applicator. This introduces another problem because each time the cap is removed, solvent escapes from the cap so that the user must periodically replenish the supply of solvent. A prior art brush-on nail enamel pen product marketed by Beecham Cosmetics and developed by Schwan Stabillo used this approach and failed in the marketplace.

Fluid applicator and dispensing system for controlling fluid and vapor flow


A sole structure may include chambers and a transfer channel containing an electrorheological fluid. Electrodes may be positioned to create, in response to a voltage across the electrodes, an electrical field in at least a portion of the electrorheological fluid in the transfer channel. The sole structure may further include a controller including a processor and memory. At least one of the processor and memory may store instructions executable by the processor to perform operations that include maintaining the voltage across the electrodes at one or more flow-inhibiting levels at which flow of the electrorheological fluid the through the transfer channel is blocked, and that further include maintaining the voltage across the electrodes at one or more flow-enabling levels permitting flow of the electrorheological fluid through the transfer channel.

Conventional articles of footwear generally include an upper and a sole structure. The upper provides a covering for the foot and securely positions the foot relative to the sole structure. The sole structure is secured to a lower portion of the upper and is configured so as to be positioned between the foot and the ground when a wearer is standing, walking, or running.
Conventional footwear is often designed with the goal of optimizing a shoe for a particular condition or set of conditions. For example, sports such as tennis and basketball require substantial side-to-side movements. Shoes designed for wear while playing such sports often include substantial reinforcement and/or support in regions that experience more force during sideways movements. As another example, running shoes are often designed for forward movement by a wearer in a straight line. Difficulties can arise when a shoe must be worn during changing conditions, or during multiple different types of movements.


A rigid sleeve device for an endoscope comprises an inner pipe fitted over a flexible insertion section of the endoscope and movable back and forth and a sleeve fixing unit provided in the inner pipe and detachably fixing the inner pipe at a given axial position on the outer periphery of the insertion section. The rigid sleeve device is fixed at any given position to the flexible insertion section of the endoscope.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rigid sleeve device for an endoscope which can be applied to a flexible endoscope for use in inspecting the interior of, for example, a jet engine and for other industrial fields of art.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, there are two types of endoscopes one having a rigid and the other having a flexible insertion section. In the case where an endoscope can gain access to a region of interest with its insertion section straight, a rigidoscope with a straight rigid insertion section is suitable in view of its ready accessibility to the region of interest and hence the easiness of an inspection operation. In the case where, for example, inspection is to be made on the turbine blades of the jet engine, a rigidoscope is preferably used, in place of a flexible endoscope, due to its ready handling capability in which case it is inserted through an inspection hole in the outer wall of the engine.
However, the rigidoscope is unsuitable when inspection is made on an inaccessible, not-straight inner space. In this case, the flexible endoscope is indispensable. Jpn. UM Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 3-40241 discloses an outer sheath fitted over an insertion section of an endoscope. The outer sheath for the endoscope is fitted over a flexible insertion section and, in this case, the outer sheath is fixedly mounted on a proximal operation body of the endoscope. A means for mounting the flexible sheath relative to the proximal operation body of the endoscope provides a coupling means by which the base end of the outer sheath and the proximal operation body are combined together and fixed together. The length of the outer sheath corresponds to the insertion length of the endoscope.
Depending upon the inspecting situations, there are cases where inspection has to be made properly using both the flexible endoscope and the rigidoscope. In this case, the inspecting personnel selectively uses these two endoscopes according to the object of their uses. Therefore, it was necessary for the user to initially possess the two types of endoscopes or prepare both.
With the outer sheath in use, a corresponding detachable mount means is necessary to join the outer sheath to the endoscope and, in this case, a compatible relation is required between the outer sheath and the endoscope. This restricts the types of associated outer sheaths.
Further, outer sheaths of various lengths are required in those applications demanding varying lengths. Therefore, many endoscopes and outer sheaths have to be prepared to meet these situations, incurring added management and installment costs.
Further, although the rigidoscope is suitable for accessing, for example, the turbine blade of a jet engine, the inspection holes in the jet engine are provided at various angles around the engine and, when the rigidoscope is inserted into the inspection hole, the inspecting personnel suffers overstrain in his assumed position and hence physical pain.

Rigid sleeve device fitted over a flexible insertion section of an endoscope for inspecting industrial equipment


A quick-releasable nail output nozzle for a nail gun includes a nozzle base, which is affixed to a nail outlet port of a nail magazine and has a nail output groove on the front side for guiding out a bar of nails, two side wings, and two hooks spaced below the side wings. A nozzle cover is covered on the front side of the nozzle base and has two flanges with protruding blocks respectively hooked on the back side of the side wings of the nozzle base. A locking lever is pivoted to the nozzle cover. A hook rod is pivoted to the locking lever for hooking up with the hooks of the nozzle base by means of the control of the locking lever.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a nail gun and more specifically, to a nail output nozzle mounting to a nail outlet port of the nail gun. The nail output nozzle has its parts quick-releasably disassembled.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the nailing operation of a nail gun, nails may be jammed in the nail outlet port of the nail magazine. Therefore, the nail output nozzle of a regular nail gun is made detachable. By means of a quick-release design, the nail output nozzle is quickly detachable for clearing a nail jam.
FIG. 1 illustrates a quick-releasable nail output nozzle for a nail gun according to the prior art. As illustrated, the nail output nozzle comprises a nozzle base 2 and a nozzle cover 3. The nozzle base 2 is fixedly fastened to a nail outlet port of a nail magazine 1, having a nail output groove (not shown) longitudinally formed on the front side for guiding out a bar of nails. The nozzle cover 3 is fastened to the nozzle base 2 by means of swivel hook 4. When fastened up the swivel hook 4, the nozzle cover 3 is secured to the nozzle base 2.
Because the nozzle cover 3 is clamped on the nozzle base 2, it is prohibited from horizontal displacement (in FIG. 1). However, this design has no means to prohibit the nozzle cover 3 from vertical displacement (in FIG. 1) relative to the nozzle base 2. During a nailing operation, the nozzle cover 3 may be vibrated and forced away from the nozzle base 2, causing accidental injury.

Quick-releasable nail output nozzle for nail gun