The present invention provides novel methods and reagents for detecting the binding of protein targets to nucleic acid ligands. Using Universal Protein Stains (UPS), proteins bound by nucleic acid ligands may be labeled with a detectable moiety. The methods and reagents are particularly useful for the detection of protein targets bound to multiplexed arrays of nucleic acid ligands. The present invention also provides novel methods for the multiplexed evaluation of photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands. The methods allow one simultaneously to: (1) evaluate the performance (dynamic range) of a plurality of photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands; and (2) assess the specificity of each photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligand for its cognate target protein. Photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands with the most desirable properties can then be selected for use in diagnostic and prognostic medical assays. The present invention also provides a photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligand that binds specifically to HIV gp120MN.

The SELEX process is a method for the in vitro evolution of nucleic acid molecules with highly specific binding to target molecules and is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/536,428, filed Jun. 11, 1990, entitled "Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment," now abandoned, U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,096 entitled "Nucleic Acid Ligands", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,163 (see also WO 91/19813) entitled "Nucleic Acid Ligands" each of which is specifically incorporated by reference herein. Each of these patents and applications, collectively referred to herein as the SELEX patent applications, describes a fundamentally novel method for making a nucleic acid ligand to any desired target molecule. The SELEX process provides a class of products which are referred to as nucleic acid ligands or aptamers, each having a unique sequence, and which has the property of binding specifically to a desired target compound or molecule. Each SELEX process-identified nucleic acid ligand is a specific ligand of a given target compound or molecule.
The SELEX process is based on the unique insight that nucleic acids have sufficient capacity for forming a variety of two- and three-dimensional structures and sufficient chemical versatility available within their monomers to act as ligands (form specific binding pairs) with virtually any chemical compound, whether monomeric or polymeric. Molecules of any size or composition can serve as targets. The SELEX process applied to the application of high affinity binding involves selection from a mixture of candidate oligonucleotides and step-wise iterations of binding, partitioning and amplification, using the same general selection scheme, to achieve virtually any desired criterion of binding affinity and selectivity. Starting from a mixture of nucleic acids, preferably comprising a segment of randomized sequence, the SELEX process includes steps of contacting the mixture with the target under conditions favorable for binding, partitioning unbound nucleic acids from those nucleic acids which have bound specifically to target molecules, dissociating the nucleic acid-target complexes, amplifying the nucleic acids dissociated from the nucleic acid-target complexes to yield a ligand-enriched mixture of nucleic acids, then reiterating the steps of binding, partitioning, dissociating and amplifying through as many cycles as desired to yield highly specific high affinity nucleic acid ligands to the target molecule.
One particularly important embodiment of the SELEX process is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/123,935, filed Sep. 17, 1993, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/443,959 filed May 18, 1995, both entitled "Photoselection of Nucleic Acid Ligands," and both now abandoned, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,763,177, 6,001,577, WO 95/08003, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,291,184, 6,458,539, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/723,718, filed Nov. 28, 2000, each of which is entitled "Systematic Evolution of Nucleic Acid Ligands by Exponential Enrichment: Photoselection of Nucleic Acid Ligands and Solution SELEX," and each of which describe a SELEX process-based method for selecting nucleic acid ligands containing photoreactive groups capable of binding and/or photocrosslinking to and/or photoinactivating a target molecule. The resulting nucleic acid ligands are referred to interchangeably as "photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands" and "photoaptamers." These patents and patent applications are referred to in this application collectively as "the PhotoSELEX Process Applications." In the photoSELEX process embodiment of the SELEX process, a modified nucleotide activated by absorption of light is incorporated in place of a native base in either RNA- or in ssDNA-randomized oligonucleotide libraries. One such photoreactive nucleotide whose photochemistry is particularly well-suited for this purpose is 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (5-BrdU) (Meisenheimer and Koch (1997) Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 32:101-140). The 5-BrdU chromophore absorbs ultraviolet (UV) light in the 310 nm range where native chromophores of nucleic acids and proteins do not absorb or absorb very weakly. The resulting excited singlet state intersystem crosses to the lowest triplet state which specifically crosslinks with aromatic and sulfur-bearing amino acid residues of a protein target in suitable proximity (Dietz and Koch (1987) Photochem. Photobiol. 46:971-8; Dietz and Koch (1989) Photochem. Photobiol. 49:121-9; Dietz et al. (1987) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 109:1793-1797; Ito et al. (1980) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102:7535-7541; Swanson et al. (1981) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 103:1274-1276). Crosslinking may also occur via excitation of an aromatic residue of the protein in proximity to the bromouracil chromophore (Norris et al. (1997) Photochem. Photobiol. 65:201-207). Of particular importance, excited bromouracil in DNA is relatively unreactive in the absence of a proximal, oriented, reactive amino acid (Gott et al. (1991) Biochemistry 30:6290-6295; Willis et al. (1994) Nucleic Acids Res. 22:4947-4952; Norris et al. (1997) Photochem. Photobiol. 65:201-207) or nucleotide residue (Sugiyama et al. (1990) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 112:6720-6721; Cook and Greenberg (1996) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118:10025-10030). The importance of orientation is evident in crystal structures of protein-nucleic acid complexes which show a lock and key arrangement of the bromouracil chromophore with the aromatic amino acid residue to which it crosslinks (Horvath et al. (1998) Cell 95:963-974; Meisenheimer and Koch (1997) Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 32:101-140).
In a basic embodiment, the photoSELEX process comprises the following steps:    a) A candidate mixture of nucleic acids is prepared. The candidate mixture nucleic acids comprise sequences with randomized regions including photoreactive groups, e.g. by incorporating 5-BrdU into the candidate mixture.    b) The candidate mixture is contacted with a quantity of target. Nucleic acid ligands of the target in the candidate mixture form complexes with the target;    c) The photoreactive groups in candidate nucleic acid ligands are photoactivated by irradiation. Nucleic acid ligands that have formed specific complexes with target thereby become photocrosslinked to the target;    d) Nucleic acid ligands that have become photocrosslinked to target are partitioned from other nucleic acids in the candidate mixture;    e) The nucleic acid ligands that photocrosslinked to the target are released from the target (e.g., by protease digestion if the target is a protein), and then amplified; and    f) The amplified nucleic acid ligands are used as the candidate mixture to initiate another round of the photoSELEX process.
The photoSELEX process produces nucleic acid ligands that are single- or double-stranded RNA or DNA oligonucleotides. A photoreactive group may comprise a natural nucleic acid residue with a relatively simple modification that confers increased reactivity or photoreactivity to the nucleic acid residue. Such modifications include, but are not limited to, modifications at cytosine exocyclic amines, substitution with halogenated groups, e.g., 5′-bromo- or 5′-iodo-uracil, modification at the 2′-position, e.g., 2′-amino (2′-NH2) and 2′-fluoro (2′-F), backbone modifications, methylations, unusual base-pairing combinations and the like. For example, photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands produced by the photoSELEX process can include a photoreactive group selected from the following: 5-bromouracil (BrU), 5-iodouracil (IU), 5-bromovinyluracil, 5-iodovinyluracil, 5-azidouracil, 4-thiouracil, 5-bromocytosine, 5-iodocytosine, 5-bromovinylcytosine, 5-iodovinylcytosine, 5-azidocytosine, 8-azidoadenine, 8-bromoadenine, 8-iodoadenine, 8-azidoguanine, 8-bromoguanine, 8-iodoguanine, 8-azidohypoxanthine, 8-bromohypoxanthine, 8-iodohypoxanthine, 8-azidoxanthine, 8-bromoxanthine, 8-iodoxanthine, 5-bromodeoxyuridine, 8-bromo-2′-deoxyadenine, 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuracil, 5-iodo-2′-deoxycytosine, 5-[(4-azidophenacyl)thio]cytosine, 5-[(4-azidophenacyl)thio]uracil, 7-deaza-7-iodoadenine, 7-deaza-7-iodoguanine, 7-deaza-7-bromoadenine, and 7-deaza-7-bromoguanine. Preferably, the photoreactive group will absorb light in a spectrum of the wavelength that is not absorbed by the target or the non-modified portions of the oligonucleotide. In preferred embodiments of the photoSELEX process, the photoreactive nucleotides incorporated into the photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands are 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (5-BrdU) and 5-iodo-2′-deoxyuridine (5-IdU). These nucleotides can be incorporated into DNA in place of thymidine nucleotides.
Photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands produced by the photoSELEX process have particular utility in diagnostic or prognostic medical assays. In one such embodiment, photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands of targets implicated in disease are attached to a planar solid support in an array format, and the solid support is then contacted with a biological fluid to be analyzed for the presence or absence of the targets. The photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands are photoactivated and the solid support is washed under very stringent, aggressive conditions (preferably under conditions that denature nucleic acids and/or proteins) in order to remove all non-specifically bound molecules. Bound target is not removed because it is covalently crosslinked to nucleic acid ligand via the photoreactive group. The ability to photocrosslink, followed by stringent washing, allows diagnostic and prognostic assays of unparalleled sensitivity and specificity to be performed. Arrays (also commonly referred to as "biochips" or "microarrays") of nucleic acid ligands, including photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands and aptamers, and methods for their manufacture and use, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,242,246, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/211,680, filed Dec. 14, 1998, now abandoned, WO 99/31275, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/581,465, filed Jun. 12, 2000, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,503,715, and 6,458,543, each of which is entitled "Nucleic Acid Ligand Diagnostic Biochip." These patents and patent applications are referred to collectively as "the biochip applications," and are each specifically incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Automated methods and apparatus for the generation of photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands are provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/993,294, filed Nov. 21, 2001, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,171, filed Mar. 22, 2001, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/616,284, filed Jul. 14, 2000, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/356,233, filed Jul. 16, 1999, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/232,946, filed Jan. 19, 1999, each of which is entitled "Method and Apparatus for the Automated Generation of Nucleic Acid Ligands." Given the rapidity with which these highly parallel, automated methods can generate photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands, it is desirable to have multiplexed methods for evaluation of the specificity and dose-response characteristics of those photocrosslinking nucleic acid ligands. The present invention includes such methods.

Methods and reagents for detecting target binding by nucleic acid ligands


A connection and fastening unit for components of a lightning protection system, the connection and fastening unit being realized for the purpose of being integrated in a wind turbine rotor blade and for being connected to the components of the lightning protection system, wherein the connection and fastening unit includes a cavity which can be closed in an airtight manner and in which a connector for connection to at least one of the components of the lightning protection system is arranged.

Such connection and fastening units are part of the lightning protection devices of known wind turbine rotor blades that serve for fastening and/or connecting some of the components of the lightning protection system. For example, a lightning receptor arranged on an outside surface of the wind turbine rotor blade may be fastened to the connection and fastening unit, and an electrical connection may be produced by way of the connection and fastening unit between the lightning receptor and a lightning protector conductor that is usually arranged in the interior of the wind turbine rotor blade. Occasionally, such connection and fastening units are also referred to as receptor bases. However, there are also other possible ways of fastening the lightning receptors and connecting them to a lightning protector conductor.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,651,320, for example, shows a wind turbine rotor blade with lightning receptors in the form of metal threaded bolts which are arranged in a rotor blade wall and are screw-connected to various connecting elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,133,031 discloses connection and fastening units in the form of solid metal plates which are embedded in a wind turbine rotor blade. Lightning receptors are screw-connected by threaded bores introduced subsequently into the metal plates.
US 2016/0245264 likewise discloses connection and fastening units which are embedded in wind turbine rotor blades and in the case of which lightning receptors are screwed into threaded bores that are subsequently introduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,182,227 discloses a wind turbine rotor blade with lightning receptors which are integrated directly into a wall of the rotor blade. In one embodiment, one of the lightning receptors includes a removable portion which closes an access opening to an interior of the rotor blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,727,723 discloses a lightning receptor for a wind turbine rotor blade. A connection and fastening unit into which the lightning receptor is screwed from the outside surface of the rotor blade is adhesively attached on an inside surface of a wall of the rotor blade.
WO 2014/200333 A1 discloses a device for fastening a lightning receptor on a wall of a wind turbine rotor blade. An inner and an outer fastening element are used for this purpose. The lightning receptor can either be fastened on the inner fastening element from the outside of the rotor blade, or together with the inner fastening element, on the outer fastening element from the inside of the rotor blade.
US 2015/0292487 discloses a connection and fastening unit for a lightning receptor which is adhesively attached to the inside surface of a rotor blade wall. Subsequently, a through bore is produced in the rotor blade wall and a lightning receptor is arranged at the intended position.

Connection and fastening unit for a lightning receptor for integration into a wind turbine rotor blade


A conveyor assembly has a continuous conveyor belt driven between a pair of spaced side frame members by a center drive assembly having a pair of spaced side plates connected to the side frame members. A drive roller arrangement is driven by a drive motor arrangement coupled to the drive roller arrangement to move the conveyor belt. A freely rotatable guide roller arrangement is slidably mounted between the side frame members and the side plates between an operating position in which the conveyor belt passes around the guide roller assembly before engaging the drive roller arrangement, and a cleaning position in which the guide roller arrangement is slidably removable away from the side frame members and the side plates and out of engagement with the conveyor belt. The guard structure is retained in the operating position by elongated retaining pins that are pushed into a frictional engagement with the side plates, the guide roller arrangement and the guard structure, and removed to the cleaning position by pulling the retaining pins out of the frictional engagement. Each of the guard structures includes a roller adjustment device that can be selectively operated to adjust the orientation of the guide roller assembly between the spaced side frame members of the conveyor assembly.

Presently in food processing conveyor applications, conveyors must be manufactured such that the conveyor belt can be removed and the entire conveyor frame assembly sanitized. Following sanitization, the conveyor belt must be reinstalled for continued operation. The present invention allows a center drive assembly for driving the conveyor belt to be configured in such a way that sanitation may occur without removing the conveyor belt and without complicated disassembly of the center drive assembly.
Currently, numerous guidelines exist regarding the type of conveyor assembly that can be used in a sanitary environment, such as in a food processing facility. Typically, these guidelines require that the conveyor frame assembly must be washable and thus sanitized. As such, conveyor frame assemblies constructed for use in a sanitary food processing facility must be easily disassembled to allow complete cleaning. Preferably, the disassembly should require no tools, if possible.
Prior art center drive assemblies for conveyors generally include a drive motor and gear box for driving a stationary drive roller arrangement engageable with the conveyor belt. Center drive assemblies further include at least one guide or tension roller arrangement in further engagement with the conveyor belt and guard structure for protecting the roller arrangements. The problem with known center drive assemblies is that the roller arrangements and the guard structure are not completely removable from the conveyor frame assemblies without using tools, various screw-type fasteners and laborious disassembly.
Accordingly, the present invention provides for a center drive assembly that can be used in a sanitary environment which allows the conveyor belt to remain on the conveyor assembly. The present invention also enables components of the center drive assembly to be easily manually removed without the need for tools and bolt and nut connectors so that the center drive assembly and the conveyor belt can be efficiency sanitized with minimal effort and time.


An x-ray beam stop for high energy x-ray devices comprises a laminate structure of multiple layers of different Z materials which may include lead (Pb) and arranged in progressive Z order for a predetermined x-ray detector orientation.

This invention relates to x-ray devices and more particularly, to a low fluorescence, low back scatter x-ray beam stop. Such a beam stop is employed with x-ray devices particularly medical diagnostic x-ray devices in connection with their x-ray imaging detectors and x-ray control detectors to absorb primary radiation from the x-ray source, and to minimize secondary radiation from the beam stop from producing spurious signals in the detectors.
Medical diagnostic x-ray imaging devices are equipped with an x-ray image detector which forms an image in an x-ray sensitive medium after the x-ray beam passes through the object to be examined. The x-ray device may further include an x-ray control detector through which the x-ray beam also passes. An x-ray control detector is utilized to provide an electrical signal correlated to the exposure or intensity of the passing x-ray beam. By this means an operator may more correctly correlate the quality of an image obtained in the device with the x-ray exposure or intensity utilized, and adjust the device to provide a different or better image or to minimize undesirable x-ray radiation. An x-ray beam stop is employed in conjunction with a detector to absorb the x-ray beam after the beam has passed through the object to be examined and the image and control detectors. The beam stop effectively absorbs x-rays transmitted by the noted detectors to minimize undesirable radiation near the x-ray device where, in the medical x-ray field, operators, patients, and the diagnostic device's sensitive electronic control systems may be exposed to potentially harmful radiation. Furthermore, the beam stop may enable an x-ray detector to function more accurately for x-ray adjustment purposes to reduce the level of x-ray radiation to only that necessary for a given purpose.
X-ray imaging detectors may include intensifying screen film detectors, photo stimulatable phosphor detectors, as well as solid state electronic detectors. Image detectors may be deleteriously affected by secondary radiation from a closely adjacent beam stop device which can penetrate the detector and degrade the image by producing artifactual signals or reducing image contrast. An x-ray control detector may comprise a grid structure defining predetermined zones or volumes in which an electron emitter is impinged by the x-ray beam to generate high energy electrons. The electrons ionize a gas in the defined zones and an appropriately electrically biased collection electrodes in the zone collects the ions to generate resultant voltage which is amplified to produce a signal correlated to x-ray intensity. An x-ray beam stop closely adjacent a detector, as described, absorbs and stops the x-ray beam. However, any secondary x-ray radiation from the beam stop penetrating into the control detector could be absorbed therein and produce a deleterious signal or adversely affect sensitive electronic components in the detector.
Lead (Pb) is a primary absorption medium employed in x-ray beam stops where it has been found to be significantly effective. As with other metals, when lead is impinged by an x-ray beam, it tends to give off secondary x-ray radiation the strength of which is dependent on the energy of the incident x-ray beam striking the lead medium. If the energy of the incident x-ray is sufficiently large, it may remove an electron from an inner one of the plural spaced electron shells surrounding a metal atom with the result that an electron from an outer shell will move into the position vacated by the removed electron. In so doing, considerable energy is released which may take the form of radiation referred to as k-fluorescence radiation. The material in which the k-fluorescence is created is relatively transparent to this radiation resulting in a large fraction passing out of the material. For example, x-rays with energies greater than 88 keV (kilo electron volts) are likely to produce k-fluorescent x-rays from lead with an average energy of 77 keV which enables a large fraction of k fluorescence x-rays to escape the lead to enter an adjacent x-ray detector (image or control) and produce undesirable signals.


A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with a game program stored thereon, the game program instructing a computer to perform the following processes: a reception process to receive an operational input from a player; and a battle process in which a battle between the player and an opposing character starts based on the operational input by consuming a consumption parameter set for the player, a hit point parameter indicative of an amount of damage that the opposing character can withstand changes through the battle, an outcome of the battle between the player and the opposing character is determined, and when a single operational input is received from the player in the reception process, a recovery process and an attack process are collectively performed, the recovery process being a process to recover the consumption parameter, the attack process being a process to attack the opposing character.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a game program, and a game system.
2. Related Art
A game program is known that causes a computer to execute a battle game in which an operational input is received from a player and in which, based on the operational input, a player battles with an opposing character (an adversary) and an outcome is determined (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-61253).
With such a game program, there are cases where it is difficult to defeat an opposing character if the number of players is small. In these cases, it is preferable to have a larger number of players participate in a battle with the opposing character.

Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing game program, and game system


The present invention provides a zirconium based alloy member which has very small deformation of elongation and bow occurring due to irradiation growth, a method of manufacturing it, and particularly an channel box for an atomic reactor fuel assembly. A zirconium based alloy plate member having a width of not less than 100 mm and a long length, containing not more than 5 wt % Nb and/or not more 5 wt % Sn, the member having (0001) orientation (Fl value) of hexagonal Zr with respect to longitudinal direction ranging from 0.20 to 0.35, the difference in Fl between the middle and the end being not more than the value calculated from (0.0935.times.Fl-0.00585) and an amount of bow at neutron irradiation of 35 GWd/t which bow occurs in the channel box for a reactor being not more than 2.16 mm.

This invention relates to a novel zirconium based alloy plate, a method of manufacturing the alloy plate, a fuel channel and a fuel assembly both using the alloy plate.
Zirconium alloy is a material having high corrosion resistance and a small neutron absorption cross section and is therefore used for a reactor fuel assembly member. For this kind of use, Zr--Sn--Fe--Cr--Ni alloys called zircaloy-2 and zircaloy-4 are mainly used. If these alloys are used in a nuclear reactor for a long period of time, elongation and bow deformation in particular directions occur because (0001) planes thereof are oriented in the direction of plate thickness. If the bow deformation occurs in a fuel channel box, the space for driving the control rod is reduced, which impedes the operation of the reactor. Furthermore, if the bow deformation occurs, the distance to the fuel cladding tube is changed with the result that the ratio of water to uranium is locally changed, thereby causing a change in fission reactivity. As a result, the corrosion of the fuel cladding tube is accelerated by abnormal heating, and further fuel damage may thereby be caused. To prevent the bow deformation of the fuel channel box from occurring due to such non-uniformity of neutron exposure, uniformization of neutron exposure by changing the fuel assembly loading position in the reactor core has been examined. This means, however, has not succeeded in preventing the bow deformation. The reduction in the control rod driving space and the change in fission reactivity both caused by the bow deformation are major factors of limitation of the service life of the fuel channel box.
As a method of preventing the bow of the fuel channel box, making orientation of crystal grain random is disclosed in JP-A-59-229475, JP-A-62-200286, JP-A-5-17837 and JP-A-5-80170. However, the bow deformation due to irradiation growth cannot be further reduced fully due to the reason described below.
The prior arts make crystal orientation of zirconium alloy members random. However, a channel box is quadrilateral and tubular, and, particularly, JP-A-5-17837 and JP-A-5-80170 disclose that, in order to make crystal orientation random, a heat treatment is performed by performing heating in a .beta. temperature range followed by quenching, however, it is difficult to heat and to keep the whole at uniform temperature. Consequently, if the whole member is not heated and kept at uniform temperature, there arises the difference in deformation by neutron irradiation, by which difference bowing occurs.

Zirconium based alloy of low irradiation growth, method of producing the same, and use of the same


The present invention provides a cartridge containing one or more beverage ingredients and being formed from substantially air- and water-impermeable materials, the cartridge comprising or being adapted to have formed therein at least one inlet for the introduction of an aqueous medium into the cartridge and at least one outlet, characterised in that flow of the aqueous medium through the cartridge is generally in an inward direction from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet.

The present invention relates to a cartridge for the preparation of beverages and, in particular, to sealed cartridges which are formed from substantially air- and water-impermeable materials and which contain one or more ingredients for the preparation of beverages.
It has previously been proposed to seal beverage preparation ingredients in individual air-impermeable packages. For example, cartridges or capsules containing compacted ground coffee are known for use in certain coffee preparation machines which are generally termed "espresso" machines. In the production of coffee using these preparation machines the coffee cartridge is placed in a brewing chamber and hot water is passed though the cartridge at relatively high pressures, thereby extracting the aromatic coffee constituents from the ground coffee to produce the coffee beverage. Typically, such machines operate at a pressure of greater than 6×105 Pa. The preparation machines of the type described have to date been relatively expensive since components of the machine, such as the water pumps and seals, must be able to withstand the high pressures.
In WO01/58786 there is described a cartridge for the preparation of beverages which operates at a pressure generally in the range 0.7 to 2.0×105 Pa. However, the cartridge is designed for use in a beverage preparation machine for the commercial or industrial market and is relatively expensive. Hence, there remains a requirement for a cartridge for the preparation of beverages wherein the cartridges and beverage preparation machine are suitable, in particular, for the domestic market in terms of cost, performance and reliability.
The cartridge of WO01/58786 is substantially rectangular in shape. Consequently, the bed of beverage ingredients is also substantially rectangular in shape. The water enters the compartment containing the beverage ingredients through slots arranged down the long sides of the compartment. The infused beverage produced from the beverage ingredients is collected in a chamber located at one end of the cartridge. It has been found that portions of the water flowing through the cartridge will spend varying degrees of time in the bed of beverage ingredients depending through which slot the water enters the compartment. This can lead to uneven degrees of extraction and yield of the beverage ingredients both within one cartridge and between successive cartridges. In addition, during the pre-wetting step, where water is injected into the compartment to saturate the beverage ingredients, the degree of wetting is liable not to be uniform along the length of the cartridge.
JP2000093309A describes a cartridge having a cylindrical wall closed at upper and lower ends by aluminium film. In use, an inlet is pierced in the upper film to allow water to be injected into a central column from where it flows outwardly into the cartridge and filters downwardly through a coffee bed and then through a filter paper into a cylindrical collection chamber. An outlet for the beverage so formed is provided by piercing the lower film. The cartridge is relatively complex, in particular because it requires the presence of the cylindrical collection chamber which must be of a size at least equal to the filter paper. The requirement for the collection chamber at a lower end of the cartridge also increases the overall size of the cartridge. Further, use of the cartridge is relatively complex since the inlet and outlet of the cartridge must be formed in opposite ends of the cartridge.

Cartridge for the preparation of beverages


A lubricating grease composition, which comprises a base oil consisting of a mixture of 100 parts by weight of at least one of a perfluoropolyether oil (A), represented by RfO[CF(CF3)CF2O]p(CF2CF2O)qRf (where Rf is a perfluoroalkyl group having 1-5 carbon atoms, p+q=2-200, q/p=0-2, and q may be 0), and a perfluoropolyether oil (B), represented by F(CF2CF2CF2O)sC2F5 (where s=2-100), and 0-100 parts by weight of at least one of a perfluoropolyether oil (C), represented by RfO(CF2CF2O)m(CF2O)nRf (where m+n=3-200 and m:n=10-90:90-10), and a perfluoropolyether oil (D), represented by RfO[CF(CF3)CF2O]a(CF2CF3O)b(CF2O)cRf (where a+b+c=3-200, b is 0 or an integer of 1 or more, and c is an integer of 1 or more), preferably further admixed with a thickening agent, can suppress corrosion of metallic materials by corrosive gases and also has a good heat resistance.

Greases are widely used in various machines and tools such as automobiles, electric.electronic machines and instruments, construction machinery, industrial machinery, machine tools, information-systems, and also parts as their structural components. Recent trend towards making these machines and tools work faster together with more size reduction, higher performance, and lighter weight, etc., inevitably makes the temperatures of the peripheral machines and tools higher and higher. To meet the requirements for lighter weight, lower cost, tighter sealing, etc., molding products of resins or rubber have been much more used, and also to meet the requirement for further quietness improvement, much tighter sealing is desired.
The metallic parts are often to be exposed to the atmosphere of corrosive gases generated from components, etc. contained in resins or rubber, for example, a sulfide gas, a hydrogen chloride gas, a sulfer dioxide gas, ammonia, oxygen, etc., due to such use conditions as higher temperatures and tighter sealing and are also often to be exposed to such corrosive gases permeated from the outside due to severe use conditions.
To solve such problems, it has been proposed to use a grease comprising a fluorosilicone oil and a fluoro resin to suppress hydrogen sulfide permeation and prevent corrosion of contact materials. Besides the fluorosilicone oil, it is said that such fluorine-containing compounds as fluorocarbon, fluoro ester, fluorine-modified paraffin oil, fluorine-modified ester oil, etc. also have the similar effect. However, not all of these fluorine-containing compounds have the effect on the suppression of hydrogen sulfide permeation at the same degree. In this connection, it should be noted that the fluorosilicone oil can suppress the hydrogen sulfide permeation, but has a poor abrasion resistance, resulting in abrasion of contact materials. The fluoro ester, fluorine-modified paraffin oil, and fluorine-modified ester oil have a poor heat resistance, and thus cannot be used in a higher temperature atmosphere as a problem.
Patent Literature 1: JP-A-59-189511
As to the fluorine-based grease, it has been proposed to use a fluorine-based grease comprising a perfluoropolyether oil having repeating units, represented by (CF2CF2CF2O)n′ as a base oil to improve the heat resistance and chemical resistance, where no reference is made to the permeation resistance to the corrosive gases.
Patent Literature 2: JP-B-2-32314
Another fluorine-based grease having distinguished wash-ability, abrasion resistance, leakage resistance, etc. has been also proposed, where no reference is also made to the corrosion resistance to corrosive gases, in this case.
Patent Literature 3: JP-A-2001-354986


The back and stomach support device includes a) an elastic, flat, upraised, central back support, preferably tapering on its side margins from bottom to top, b) a first pair of flexible inelastic, elongated strips connected to the opposite sides of the central back support near the bottom thereof and sloping slightly upwardly as they extend laterally thereof; c) a second pair of such strips connected to the opposite sides of the central back support near the top thereof, overlapping the upper margins of the rear surfaces of the first pair of strips and sloping slightly downwardly as they extend laterally of the central back support; and, d) hook and loop fasteners on the strips. The strips wrap around the sides and front of the mid-section of a human torso for full support and overlap each other to an adjustable extent. The device can include a pair of elastic wings connected to the rear surface of the central back support and extending laterally behind the strips for releasable connection thereto to control the tension of the back support. The device can also include a removable pair of adjustable shoulder suspenders to hold the device in place when not in use.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to weightlifting protectors and more particularly to an improved back and stomach support device for weightlifters, stevedores and the like.
2. Prior Art
Various protective belts have been devised to help support the back and stomach of weightlifters, stevedores and the like in order to prevent strains and damage to muscles, soft internal organs, cartilage, and the spinal column and other bones during lifting of heavy weights such as are encountered by professional and amateur weightlifters, movers, stevedores, etc.
Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,401 discloses a belt with a rubber core in which is embedded an inflexible rigid strip. The core is backed by a strap of equal height, and the belt is releasably secured in front by overlapping opposed VELCRO parts. In one embodiment a buckle is provided to help cinch the belt. This belt has certain disadvantages: (1) the inflexible strip in the core makes close fitting of the belt to the body difficult and/or painful; and (2) since the core and backing strap are of the same height, they can dig in and pinch the skin during tightening of the belt.
There remains a need for an improved, inexpensive, durable weightlifting belt which will efficiently protect the weightlifter against muscle strain and prevent damage to the soft internal organs, cartilage and bones. The device should be easy to don and to center properly and should not pinch the skin, even when cinched tight. Preferably, the device can be left loosely in place without falling off. The device should also be capable of properly fitting around the mid-section of the female and male human torso, regardless of its particular anatomical shaft and size. Thus, the device should properly fit the body's natural contours. The device also should be designed to keep it from riding up on the body in use. The front portion of the device should provide efficient protection of the abdominal wall. It should also be designed to provide adjustable tension and compression for maximum comfort and protection.


A high-current, N-type silicon-on-insulator lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor, including: a P-type substrate, a buried-oxide layer disposed on the P-type substrate, an N-type epitaxial layer disposed on the oxide layer, and an N-type buffer trap region. A P-type body region and an N-type central buffer trap region are disposed inside the N-type epitaxial layer; a P-type drain region is disposed in the buffer trap region; N-type source regions and a P-type body contact region are disposed in the P-type body region; an N-type base region and a P-type emitter region are disposed in the buffer trap region; gate and field oxide layers are disposed on the N-type epitaxial layer; polycrystalline silicon gates are disposed on the gate oxide layers; and a passivation layer and metal layers are disposed on the surface of the symmetrical transistor. P-type emitter region output and current density are improved without increasing the area of the transistor.

As electronic and electric technology develops continuously, power semiconductor devices, which are used as basic electronic components for power control and transformation in electronic and electric systems, have received more and more attention. The technical requirements for improving the performance of power semiconductor devices are mainly embodied in aspects such as integrability, high withstand voltage and high current of the devices, and good isolation from the low-voltage circuit portion. Besides the type of the power semiconductor device, the structure and manufacturing process of a power semiconductor device is also an important influencing factor for high voltage and high current withstand capability of a power integrated circuit.
As the theoretical research and manufacturing technology of power semiconductor devices evolved continuously, insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) emerged in the 1980s. IGBTs integrate the high current-handling capability of high-voltage triodes and the gate voltage control features of insulated gate field effect transistors (IGFETs), and have advantages such as high input impedance, high switching speed, low driving power, high current driving capability, and low on-resistance, etc. They are almost ideal power semiconductor devices, and have broad development and application prospects.
After the requirements for integrability, high voltage withstand and high current of power semiconductor devices were met, the isolation capability became the top challenge. In that situation, Silicon On Insulator (SOI) technology emerged. With a unique buried insulating layer in SOI, the device is completely isolated from the substrate, the parasitic effect of the silicon device is greatly reduced, and the performance of the device and circuit is significantly improved. A Silicon-On-Insulator Lateral Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (SOI-LIGBT) is a typical SOI-based device, which has advantages including high withstand voltage, high current driving capability, high switching speed, and low power loss, etc. SOI-LIGBTs have gradually become core electronic components for power integrated circuits, and have been widely used in conversion systems with 600V or higher DC voltage, such as AC motors, inverters, switching power supply units, lighting circuits, and traction drive systems, etc.
Compared with longitudinal devices, the current density of SOI-LIGBT devices is usually not high enough. Usually, to solve that problem, the area of the lateral devices is increased to obtain higher current driving capability. However, the increased area is implemented at the cost of consumption of larger chip area, and results in increased cost.
The present invention discloses a high-current N-type SOI-LIGBT, which can attain much higher current density when compared with conventional N-type SOI-LIGBTs that have the same area.

High-current N-type silicon-on-insulator lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor


A selfie device, including a clamping mechanism configured to clamp a mobile phone, a telescopic rod, a handle sleeved on an outside of the telescopic rod, and a wireless remote. The clamping mechanism includes an upper clamping part, a lower clamping part and an elasticity stretching part providing a restoring force for the upper clamping part. The elasticity stretching part are respectively connected with the upper clamping part and the lower clamping part. The lower clamping part is arranged on a top end of the telescopic rod. An accommodating cavity for accommodating the wireless remote is arranged inside the handle.

At present, selfie sticks are widely used for mobile phone selfies. The selfie sticks can arbitrary elongate and shorten within a specific length range. A user only needs to fix a camera and the mobile phone on a telescopic rod of the selfie stick, such that a multi-angle selfie is realized by a remote.
Most conventional selfie sticks control selfies by a button on a handle. Or some of the conventional selfie sticks are controlled by a wireless remote to realize a long-distance selfie control. In general, the wireless remote is arranged on a slide of the handle, which looks awkward and seriously affects an overall appearance of the selfie sticks. Therefore, improvement and development of the selfie sticks of the prior art are still needed.

WINNERS' SUN PLASTIC & ELECTRONIC (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.


A drive in an agricultural machinery driveline has a drive housing (1), which forms an interior (18), and is at least partially filled with lubricant. A first shaft (4) is rotatably supported in the drive housing (1) around a longitudinal axis (13) and is guided out of the interior (18). First longitudinal teeth (8) connect, in a rotationally fast way, to a second shaft (9) via a second longitudinal teeth (10) formed to complement the first longitudinal teeth (8). One of the two shafts (4) has a receiving bore (5) arranged coaxially relative to the longitudinal axis (13). The bore (5) has longitudinal teeth (8) which enable insertion of the other shaft (9) by its longitudinal teeth (10). A lubricant guiding mechanism (19, 22, 29) is in the first shaft (4) or in the drive housing (1). In the connected condition of the two shafts (4, 9), the guiding mechanism connects the interior (18) to the receiving bore (5), as well as a valve (25). The valve (25) is integrated into the lubricant guiding mechanism (19, 22, 29) and can be set between a closed position, closing the lubricant guiding means (19, 22, 29), and an open position. The valve (25) is transferable from the closed position into the open position by connecting the first shaft (4) to the second shaft (9).

The invention relates to a drive and, more particularly, to an agricultural machinery driveline with a drive housing and a rotatably supported first shaft. The first shaft comprises longitudinal teeth to connect to a second shaft, for example to a shaft journal or a driveshaft. The longitudinal teeth of the first shaft and the longitudinal teeth of the second shaft, together, form a splined connection to transmit torque between the first shaft and the second shaft.
In order to avoid symptoms of wear in such prior art drives, the splined connection is greased. However, it has been found in practice that this measure is not always sufficient and that the splined connection is worn prematurely.


In some aspects, fusosome compositions and methods are described herein that comprise membrane enclosed preparations, comprising a fusogen. In some embodiments, the fusosome can the target cell, thereby delivering complex biologic agents to the target cell cytoplasm.

Complex biologics are promising therapeutic candidiates for a variety of diseases. However, it is difficult to deliver large biologic agents into a cell because the plasma membrane acts as a barrier between the cell and the extracellular space. There is a need in the art for new methods of delivering complex biologics into cells in a subject.

Compositions for facilitating membrane fusion and uses thereof


An apparatus is provided with a cell culture container having a cell culture region made of a hole formed on a substrate, a semi-permeable membrane covering a top plane of the cell culture region and a culture medium replacement part provided over the semi-permeable membrane, a mechanism for supplying a cell culture medium into the cell culture container, and a microscopic optical mechanism for enabling long-term observation of the cell within the cell culture region. This apparatus makes it possible to culture a cell group originating from a particular single cell, to perform culture and observation while identifying cells to be subjected to interaction during the process of culturing cells, and observe a difference in variation between the particular cell and other cells. There is also provided a mechanism which makes it possible to collect only a cell assuming a particular state and perform analysis or biochemical measurement of a gene of the cell, an expressed mRNA and the like.

Conventionally, in the fields of biology, medicine and pharmacy, changes in the state of a cell and the response of a cell to a certain drug has been observed on the assumption that the average value of a cell cluster represents the characteristic of one cell. However, in reality, cell cycles rarely synchronize with one another in a cell cluster and each of the cells expresses protein at a different cycle. Although synchronous culture methods have been developed in order to solve such problems, because the cultured cells do not originate from the exact same cell, there is a possibility that different protein expressions occur due to the difference between the genes of the individual pre-cultured cells. Hence, when the response to certain stimuli are actually analyzed, it is difficult to determine whether the fluctuation in the results are caused by the response fluctuation belonging generally to the cell response mechanism or from the difference between cells (i.e., the difference in genetic information between cells). In addition, since cell strains are not cultured from one cell, for similar reasons it is difficult to determine whether the reproducibility of response to stimuli fluctuate with the difference between the genes of individual cells. Furthermore, there are two kinds of stimuli (signals) to a cell: one that is given by the quantities of signal substances, nutrition and dissolved gases contained in the solution surrounding the cell, and one that is given by physical contact with other cells. Until recently, in the research field of biotechnology, observation of a cell was done by temporarily extracting part of a cell group cultured in a large culture unit and setting it in a microscope. Alternatively, microscopic observation was performed using a microscope enclosed in a temperature-controlled plastic container, which further contains a smaller container with means to control carbon dioxide concentration and humidity. In relation to such a method, various methods have been proposed for maintaining the solution conditions during cell culture by replacing the used medium with fresh medium. For example, in the method disclosed in JP-A-10-191961, a circulation pump operates to raise the level of the culture medium above the top edge of the substrate, or lower the level of the culture medium below the bottom edge of the substrate, and maintains a constant nutritional state by supplying fresh culture medium when the level of the culture medium is low, and discharging the culture medium when the level of the culture medium is high. Further, JP-A-8-172956 discloses a structure consisting of a culture container into which is inserted an insertion tube for introducing fresh culture medium into the culture container, an extraction tube for discharging culture medium from the culture container, and a gas tube which connects the gas phase of the culture container and the pump, each comprising a filter for preventing bacteria from entering the culture container, which can maintain the nutritional state of the culture container at a constant level.
However, in spite of these proposals, a method of culturing cells while controlling the solution conditions as well as physical contact between the cells has not yet been known. In addition, a means for selecting one particular cell and culturing the single cell as a strain is not known. Furthermore, the art of controlling solution conditions and cell density in a container, or the art of culturing and observing cells while identifying cells that interact with one another has not been known, either.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, in conventional technology, cell strains do not have the exact same gene because cell culture is initiated from a cell group. Further, in conventional technology, it is difficult to select particular cells and culture the selected cells while controlling the interaction or the density of the cells. Furthermore, in conventional technology, although attempts to maintain the solution condition by replacing the culture medium is being made, it is difficult to rapidly change the environment of a particular cell that is being cultured and observe the response of that cell.
Therefore, the subject of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and to provide a novel technical means for enabling: the culture of a cell group originating from a particular single cell; the culture and observation of cells while identifying cells that interact with them; and the observation of the difference between a cell to which a substance that interacts with the cells, such as a signal substance, has been added, and other cells. The invention also aims to provide novel means which enables the collection of a cell that assumes a particular state and the analysis or biochemical measurement of a gene or an expression mRNA of the cell.

Apparatus for microscopic observation of long-term culture of single cell

Japan Science and Technology Corporation


An object of the present invention is to provide a map matching method capable of performing a process operation in a high speed. In the map matching method of the present invention, while employing road network data in which road networks are formed in a plurality of hierarchical layers “a”, “b”, “c”, and a road network of an upper-grade hierarchical layer is established by such a road network which is extracted from a road network having a lower-grade hierarchical layer lower than the road network having the upper-grade hierarchical layer, a road network of the uppermost-grade hierarchical layer “a” is matched with a shape vector indicative of a shape of a objective road in a beginning stage; and when such a candidate road which is matched with the shape vector cannot be obtained in the road network of the uppermost-grade hierarchical layer “a”, since such a road network having another hierarchical layer “b”, or “c” is matched with the shape vector, the objective road is identified. In the most cases, as to a objective road of traffic information and the like, the objective road can be identified by executing a map matching operation with employment of the road network having the uppermost-grade hierarchical layer “a”, and the map matching operation can be carried out in a high speed.

Conventionally, for instance, as described in the below-mentioned patent publication 1, while a car navigation device holds map data, the car navigation device executes a map matching operation in a time interval of, for example, 1 second in order to identify a position of a traveling vehicle on the map data. In this map data, all of roads whose widths are wider than, or equal to 3.3 m have been stored. The car navigation device executes a map matching operation while map data of an area (normally, square of approximately several hundreds meters) which is limited to an area around the own vehicle position is employed as an object area, and thus, acquires such a point on the map, which corresponds to the own vehicle position.
As map matching methods, several sorts of map matching methods are known. For instance, an algorithm of a macro map matching operation is defined as follows:
(1) As shown in FIG. 35(a), while a vehicle position acquired by a GPS receiver is used as a WP (way point) corresponding to a point which is formed on a shape vector, links located in a peripheral area of the WP are searched so as to detect a link having such azimuth within a square made of A meters (on the order of 250 meters) where a first way point WP1 is set to a center thereof. The azimuth of this link is defined by that a difference between this azimuth and traveling azimuth of the vehicle is limited in +B degrees to −B degrees (for example, B is nearly equal to 45 degrees). Then, this detected link is set to a candidate point (symbol "X"). It is so assumed that a total link number (n) of the candidate points is selected to be 5 to 8 pieces. In FIG. 35(b), candidate points of the first way point WP1 are set to 1-1, 1-2, 1-3.
(2) As indicated in FIG. 35(b), a link having such azimuth is detected within the square made of A meters where a next WP2 is set to a center thereof. The azimuth of this link is defined by that a difference between this azimuth and traveling azimuth of the vehicle is limited in +B degrees to −B degrees. "n" pieces of links are set as candidate points (2-1, 2-2, 2-3).
(3) This process operation is repeatedly carried out until the matching operation is reached to a final WP.
(4) The respective candidate points are connected to each other along the road links so as to form a shape pattern. In such a case that candidate points are not connected along a road (for instance, candidate points 3-3 and 3-2 of WP3 cannot be connected to candidate point of next WP4 along road), a shape pattern is not formed.
(5) While the respective shape patterns are compared with the shapes of WP1, WP2, - - - , one shape pattern is selected which is mostly resembled to the shapes of the way points. Namely, this shape pattern is located near the way points, and owns a small fluctuation with respect to the shapes of WP1, WP2, - - - , which are evaluated by standard deviation, or the like.
Assuming now that a total number of WPs is equal to "M" pieces and "N" pieces of candidate points per each of WPs are obtained as an average value, the shape patterns which are acquired in the item (4) are combinations of N M pieces, normally become several thousands through several ten-thousands of shape patterns.
On the other hand, the Inventor of the present invention has proposed the traffic information transfer system using the map matching operation (Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-89069). In this system, while a status amount (travel time, and traffic jam degree etc.) of traffic information which is changed along a road is expressed by a function of a distance measured from a reference node of a shape vector which indicates the road, both data of this traffic information and data of a shape vector indicative of a road shape are provided to a user terminal. The user terminal executes a map matching operation by using the shape vector so as to identify a objective road of the traffic information, and reproduces the traffic information on this road from the data of the traffic information.
FIG. 36(b) shows data of traffic information which is transferred in this system, and FIG. 36(a) represents shape vector data of roads which are transferred in combination with this traffic information data. Alternatively, these data may be coded so as to compress data amounts. FIG. 37(a) and FIG. 37(b) shows both shape vector data which have been coded, and traffic information data. After the user terminal which has received these data decodes both shape vector data and traffic information data, the user terminal similarly performs a map matching operation while the respective nodes contained in the shape vector data are defined as WPs so as to identify a objective road of the traffic information, and reproduces the traffic information on the objective road from the traffic information data.
In the presently available traffic information, while unified numbers are applied to nodes and links, a objective road is identified by this number. In this case, in connection with newly constructing operations of reads and route changes, updating operations as to node numbers and link numbers are required. Since newly constructing operations of roads and route changes are not stopped in future, the method for using the unified numbers necessarily requires work loads of maintenance. To the contrary, since the road position is identified by the map matching operation in this traffic information transfer system, such unified numbers need not be applied to the nodes and the links, and thus, the work loads can be reduced.
[Patent Publication 1]
Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. HEI-7-260499
However, in this traffic information transfer system, the reception-sided device (decoder: navigation device etc.) must execute the map matching operation with respect to the long subject section within the wide range (for example, entire area of wards in TOKYO, or square made of 10 Km) which is contained in the traffic information.
Also, in the process operation of the map matching operation, in such a case that the above-described WPs are used which are employed so as to identify the vehicle position, when a large number of candidate points are formed around the WPs, a very long time is necessarily required to execute the retrieving process operations (namely, process operations (1) and (2) of above-described macro map matching operations) for the candidate points. This process time is increased directly proportional to a total number of WPs. Also, combinations among the respective candidates points are exponentially increased in response to a total number of the candidate points and a total number of the WPs, and thus, the forming process operation (above-described process operation (4)) of the shape pattern and the comparing process operation (above-described process operation (5)) require a plenty of time.
As a result, there is an object to shorten the processing time for the map matching operation.
Also, in such a probe acquisition system that drive data of vehicles (probes) which are driven in various places are acquired by a center so as to be utilized to form traffic information, positional data indicative of drive loci are collected from a large number of probes to one center. Then, this center identifies roads along which the respective probes are driven by executing map matching operations based upon the positional data. As a consequence, a high-speed map matching operation is required in order that the data collected from a large number of probes can be quickly processed.
Also, vehicles which mount car navigation machines are rapidly increased. In an on-vehicle navigation system which is used by this car navigation machine, while a digital map database is held, maps around the own vehicle position can be displayed on a screen, and in addition, travel loci and route searching results up to a destination place can be displayed on the maps based upon latitude/longitude data received by a GPS receiver.
It should be noted that digital map databases may contain errors due to a fatal aspect of reduced scale maps. While degrees of errors are different from each other depending upon digital map databases, there are, for instance, commercially-available digital map databases having a reduced scale of 1/25000 which contain an error of approximately 50 meters in accordance with places.
Also, in this on-vehicle navigation machine, such traffic information as traffic jam information and traffic accident information is received which is provided from a traffic information providing system, and then, a traffic jam place and a traffic accident position may be displayed on a map, and/or a route searching operation is carried out by adding these traffic jam/accident information to a condition.
In the above-described traffic information providing system, as represented in FIG. 57, traffic information is supplied from a control center 71 which controls a regional area to a traffic information distribution center 72, and then, traffic information which has been edited for purposes of various media (FM broadcast, on-road beacon, portable telephones, and the like) is transmitted via these various media. It should also be understood that the control center 71 communicates the traffic information with a control center 78 of another regional area, and thus, acquires traffic information within a wide zone which contains a peripheral area.
As to the traffic information supplied by the above-explained traffic information providing system, for example, in such a case that latitude/longitude data as to a traffic jam position and a traffic accident position is solely provided in order to inform the traffic jam position and the traffic accident position, there is a risk that if both a traffic information providing source and a traffic information provided destination employ different sorts of digital map databases, then the on-vehicle navigation machine identifies a different position on a road as the traffic accident position. This is because, as previously explained, digital map databases held by on-vehicle navigation machines own errors which are different from each other, depending upon sorts of these digital map databases.
In order to improve an incorrectness of such information transfer operations, or information display operations, on-vehicle navigation systems employ such map information shown in FIG. 58. As indicated as one example in FIG. 58(a), assuming now that intersections "a" and "b" of a road network correspond to nodes and a road "c" between the nodes corresponds to a link, node numbers (a=1111, b=3333) are set to the respective nodes, which exclusively represent these nodes, whereas a link number (c =11113333) is set to the respective links, which exclusively represents this link. Then, the node numbers and the link numbers which have been set with respect to the respective intersections and the respective roads have been stored in digital map databases marketed by various firms in correspondence with both the node numbers and the link numbers.
Also, as to traffic information indicative of traffic jam positions, traffic accident positions, and the like, a link number is identified in order to represent a position on a road, and then, a point on the road is indicated by such an expression that this point is separated by a certain meter from a head portion of the road which is indicated by this link number. For example, in such a case that traffic information contains [position separated by 200 m from head portion of road of link number ="11113333"], even when on-vehicle navigation machines use any types of digital map databases, a position on the same road, namely a location indicated by the traffic information may be acquired by tracing such a location separated by 200 m from a node having a node number "1111" of the road defined by the link number "11113333."
However, as shown in FIG. 58(b), as to node numbers and link numbers which have been defined in a road network, if a road "d" is newly constructed and the road is changed, then these numbers must be replaced by new numbers. When the node numbers and the link numbers are changed, digital map data of various firms must be updated.
Since constructions of roads and changes of roads are continuously carried out for the future, a plenty of work amounts and a great expense must be permanently required in order to perform maintenance operations of digital map databases as far as the conventional road position display method realized by the node numbers and the link numbers is utilized. Thus, there is such a problem that this maintenance operation is increased and causes heavy loads.
There is another method for identifying roads by way of shape matching system (will also be referred to as "map matching system") based upon traffic information provided by the traffic information providing center 72. This shape matching system may largely depend upon processing performance of on-vehicle navigation machines provided on the reception side. As to a map matching operation executed in a conventional on-vehicle navigation machine, a matching process operation may be carried out one time every 1 second since only a map matching operation as to one place within a limited area (normally, square of several hundreds meters) around the own vehicle position is required. On the other hand, with respect to route lines (roads) which are to be processed in a traffic information providing system, normally, there are many roads such as speedways, national roads, and major local roads. Furthermore, in city areas, general roads belonging to the administrative divisions of Japan and a portion of city roads are involved in these route lines. Also, there are some possibilities that information acquiring route lines other than the existing links are increased.
As a consequence, the information processing capability of the conventional on-vehicle navigation machines owns such a problem that a plenty of time is required until a road is identified by executing a shape matching operation based upon received traffic information and then traffic information is displayed.
The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and has an object to provide a map matching method capable of realizing a high-speed process operation, and also, to provide an device and a computer program, which realize this map matching method. Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a shape matching-purpose database and a shape matching device capable of providing positional information on a map while excessive maintenance operation for a map database is not performed. Also, another object of the present invention is to provide a shape matching-purpose database and a shape matching device, capable of quickly displaying, or representing information related to roads such as traffic information.

Map matching method, map matching device, database for shape matching, and shape matching device


A battery module fixture applicable to a battery module having a first positioning portion is disclosed. The battery module fixture includes a base and a spring member. The base includes a second positioning portion having a first end for engaging with the first positioning portion, and a second end connected to the first end capable of being fixed to the first positioning portion. The spring member is capable of being fixed to the base, and includes a third positioning portion corresponding to the first end of the second positioning portion of the base, and a actuating portion for moving along with the third positioning portion, so as to break the third positioning portion away from the first end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fixture designs, and more particularly, to a battery module fixture capable of being fixed to a battery module.
2. Description of Related Art
With progress of information industry, various kinds of electronic devices are spread to users of all ages. In order to extend the requirement for the processing information content and the operational efficiency, various electronic devices are confronted with the mutual common problem that is the time efficiency of the power supply, as to such a problem, except developing electricity-saving manner for the electronic device itself, the common approach is to add spare battery that is portable to the electronic device.
Taking the electronic device such as desktop personal computer, notebook computer or server for example, generally a cache memory is installed on a mainboard of the electronic device. When the electronic device is turned on, a power supply unit provides power to the cache memory for storing the data in the cache memory, thereby data can be temporarily stored in the cache memory and not be vanished. However, when the electronic device is shut down, the power supply unit can not provide power supply any more, and the data stored in the cache memory will be accordingly vanished. Therefore, in order to reserve the data, it is common to install a cache memory battery module in the electronic device.
However, a battery module assembled in the electronic device mostly employs a fixing structure, and a common approach is to lock and discharge lots of screws to the base or use the base with complicated structure, thereby the battery module can be assembled in the electronic device and disassembled from the electronic device by the base. Accordingly, when it is necessary to disassemble/assemble the battery module from/to the base, assistant tools must be used to disassemble/assemble, thus causing inconveniency to the user.
Simultaneously, when disassembling/assembling the battery module from/to the base by the fixing structure manner such as screw lock, action of disassembling and assembling the screw may be often affected by the circumstance, thus causing the screw to be dropped or lost. Therefore, such conventional technology not only makes disassembling and assembling process slowly and then wastes time, but also adds cost for purchasing screws.
In addition, when the base with complicated structure is applied in the battery module, aligning step in the assembly becomes quite difficult, and the fabricating cost is also increased because of the conventional base with over complicated structure. Furthermore, if such base is assembled in the finite space of the electronic device such as server, wherein the finite space includes multiple inner components and is full of wirings, which will be quite difficult and inconvenient to disassemble or assemble whether by tools or without arms. Thus, such conventional technology is required to be improved.
As described above, fixing technology of the conventional technology may waste time and force, tools must be adopted in assembly/disassembly, and it is not easy to align when assembling, thereby resulting in much inconveniency in assembly or disassembly without good utility value. Accordingly, there exists a strong need in the art for a fixing technology to quickly and simply assemble/disassemble without tools.