In an optical fiber cable that includes an optical fiber core for measuring pressure and a multilayer armor cable for measuring temperature, an annular clearance space having a desired thickness is formed between the optical fiber core and the multilayer armor cable and fixing members for fixing the optical fiber core and the multilayer armor cable are provided at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the optical fiber cable.

Conventionally, a system has been known that is capable of measuring distributions of temperature and pressure of a measurement object with a multilayer armor cable having two kinds of optical fibers as sensors (for example, Patent Document 1). In this system, a Brillouin frequency shift ΔvB and a Rayleigh frequency shift ΔvR of the two kinds of optical fibers are detected for each optical fiber to determine distributions of temperature and pressure of the measurement object from the four values. Specifically, the four values are, for example, a Brillouin frequency shift and a Rayleigh frequency shift of an optical fiber core 10, which is a sensor of an optical fiber cable, and a Brillouin frequency shift and a Rayleigh frequency shift of an FIMT 4 (FIMT is abbreviation of "fiber in metal tube" meaning "metal-tube-covered optical fiber core". The abbreviation is used hereinafter) (see FIGS. 10 and 11).
Since the pressure and temperature are those of a field where the optical fiber cable exists, the two kinds of optical fibers have the same values. Here, assuming temperatures of each fibers to be T1 and T2, and defining ΔP and ΔT as ΔP=P−Po and ΔT=T1−To=T2−To using a reference pressure Po (for example, atmospheric pressure) and a reference temperature To (for example, room temperature), a relationship expressed by the following Eq. (1) holds true between the pressure change ΔP, the temperature change ΔT, and strain changes Δε1, Δε2, of the measurement object and the four frequency shift values:
                              (                                                                      Δ                                                                                P                                                                                Δ                                                                                T                                                                                Δ                                                                                ɛ                    1                                                                                Δ                                                                                ɛ                    2                                                                                )                =                              (                          d              ij                        )                                          (                                                                                Δ                                                                                v                      B                      1                                                                                Δ                                                                                v                      R                      1                                                                                Δ                                                                                v                      B                      2                                                                                Δ                                                                                v                      R                      2                                                                                )                                              (        1        )            Here, the Brillouin frequency shift ΔvB and the Rayleigh frequency shift ΔvR of the optical fiber core 10 and those of the FIMT 4 are distinctively expressed with the superscripts "1" and "2", respectively, and dij are characteristic coefficients of each optical fiber based on the frequency shifts and are determined as an inverse matrix of sensitivity coefficients of each optical fiber to the frequency shifts.
The pressure and temperature distribution measurement technology using the optical fibers can be applied to distribution measurement of a volumetric change of an object. For example, porous sandstone, because it changes in volume before and after containing liquid, is one application target of the foregoing measurement technology. However, a conventional distributed optical fiber system using an armored cable cannot correctly measure a strain distribution in some cases because of problems in manufacturing the cable.

Optical fiber cable, manufacturing method for the same and distributed measurement system

RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR THE EARTH


Techniques for implementing a self-test procedure of an integrated circuit are provided, where the self-test procedure comprises testing for an electrical connection between first and second input-output pads of the integrated circuit. A control device is capable of adapting a functional configuration of usage of the first and second input-output pads in dependence on presence of the electrical connection. A corresponding integrated circuit, printed circuit and method are also provided. These techniques allow the integrated circuit to be used in a variety of contexts, without requiring physical customisation of the integrated circuit to adapt it to its usage context, in particular where connections from the context to the pads of the integrated circuit may be made to individual pads in some contexts or may span more than one pad in other contexts.

It is known that the usage configuration for input-output pads of an integrated circuit may not be definitively prescribed by the designer of the integrated circuit, but rather this configuration may be left to the end user in dependence on software which runs on the integrated circuit when in use. For example, it is known for bi-directional digital input-output drivers to be provided in association with each pad, where these are held in a tri-stated enable configuration after power-on-reset (or have inputs with weak internal pull-ups) until user-defined software configures them for the specific usage configuration required (e.g. a particular printed circuit board (PCB) or application context).

Adapting the usage configuration of integrated circuit input-output pads


An open jam-door sensor having a peripheral device such as a printer including a substantially C-shaped feed path, the C-shaped feed path defining an inner guide and an outer guide, the outer guide being connected to the peripheral device. A media sensor for detecting type of media in the device is disposed on one of said guide opposite a reflective portion disposed on the other of said guides. The media sensor also being used to detect when the outer guide is in an open position and causing a processor to inhibit device operations, such as printing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a sensor for a media feed path. More specifically, the present invention provides a sensor which detects a type of media in a feed path and further detects when a jam-door is open.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been previously suggested to utilize an L-path media feed system for stand-alone printers and multi-functions devices. In L-path media feed systems, the input media is positioned at the rear of the device in a nearly vertical orientation. The L-path media feed system further comprises a substantially horizontal output tray and a printing zone defined between the input tray and the output tray. The media is moved through a feed path from the near vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation. Thus when viewed from a side, the media moves through a substantially L-shaped path.
However, L-path paper feeds have several shortcomings. First, L-path paper feed devices have a large height dimension because of the input tray extending upwardly from the peripheral to support input media. Thus, placement of the device on a shelf or cabinet may be difficult. In addition, paper loading may also be problematic when the unit is placed within the shelf or cabinet because the media generally extends above the input tray. Second, the media extends above the input tray and is visible to those around the machine, which is generally not aesthetically pleasing to many users. Finally, L-path paper feeds are prone to multi-sheet feed problems because of the orientation of the input media. More specifically, the input media is continuously forced downward into a pick area by gravity due to the nearly vertical orientation of the media. As a result of the continuous force on the input media, friction bucklers are utilized to inhibit movement of more than one sheet of media from the input tray to a feed area. However, the friction bucklers may mark and/or bend the media in addition to being an added expense to manufacturers and consumer. These problems in combination have led some to a change from utilization of an L-path media feed system to a C-path media feed system.
In general, C-path media feed systems overcome these problems. A C-path paper feed utilizes a substantially horizontally disposed input tray adjacent a substantially horizontally disposed output tray. Typically, the input tray is positioned beneath the output tray and, as such, is also known as a bottom loading device. The feed path is generally curved from the input tray to the output tray in order to move the media through a print zone and from a side resembles a substantially C-shaped path. Due to the construction of the C-path media feed, the height of the peripheral or printer is decreased. In other words, the device lacks the large upwardly extending media tray. Further, the media is generally hidden from view within the interior of the printer or multi-function device. Finally, with the input tray oriented horizontally, the C-path feed device does not have the multi-sheet feed gravity effects typically associated with L-path media feeds. Consequently, multi-feeds are less likely to occur and friction bucklers are not required. Along the C-path device is a media sensor to sense the type of media being moved through the device.
Since implementing the C-path media feed, an additional unforeseen problem has developed. C-path media path devices must include a means for clearing a media jams within the peripheral device. Typically, a jam-door is positioned in the rear portion of the printer or peripheral to provide access to the feed path and a means for clearing the media jam. However when such a jam-door is opened, media will not feed properly for printing. Further, a user may be exposed to moving parts such as gears and rollers in the area of the jam-door. In order to overcome such a problem, an additional electrical circuit has been used to notify a print processor that the jam-door is disposed in an open condition. However, an additional circuit adds complexity and cost to such printing devices and further may result in additional opportunity for product malfunction, all of which are undesirable.
Given the foregoing deficiencies, it will be appreciated that an apparatus is needed which senses media as well as sensing when the jam-door is open and inhibiting operation of a printer or printer portion of a multi-function peripheral when a jam-door is opened so that media will not incorrectly feed and further so that users will not be exposed to moving parts during such an attempted operation.

Jam-door open sensing using media sensor and method for use thereof


A noise damping system for a disc drive wherein the cover of the disc drive can be made or stamped out of a stainless steel constrained layer of viscoelastic damping material. The material of the cover consists of two layers of stainless steel with a thin layer of damping material sandwiched between. A foam material between the base section of the housing and the printed circuit board located below the housing avoid transmission of vibrations which would in turn generate noise.

Disc drive machines record and reproduce information stored on magnetic media. Conventional Winchester-type disc drives include a plurality of vertically aligned rotating information storage discs journaled about a spindle motor assembly within a housing. Magnetic discs which are of the type used as such storage media typically each have at least one associated head that is adapted to transfer information between the disc and an external system. Each head is carried by an elongated flexure arm. The flexure arms are vertically aligned and are each attached to a common head positioner assembly. The head positioning assembly is adapted to move the heads back and forth in unison across the face of the vertically aligned discs. The head positioner assembly may be either rotationally actuated along an arc, or take the form of a linear carriage that is free to move back and forth along a single axis, although the rotational actuator is the approach more commonly employed in today's disc drive designs.
In either case, the head positioner assembly is adapted to rapidly and precisely position the heads relative to the magnetic discs. Rapid movement of the various components, including the rotating spindle motor, the head positioner assembly, and the discs themselves tends to generate a wide variety of undesirable acoustic vibrations within the disc drive.
A primary source of acoustical emissions from a disc drive is the amplification of these vibrations and especially of the spindle motor vibration by the top cover and the base of the disc drive. One method of reducing the amplification of the cover is to add damping directly to the cover. Past tests have considered applying a constrain damping layer material to an existing cover. This approach was not successful unless the material was a lead sheet, which is environmentally toxic and expensive.
Therefore other approaches must be considered which are more effective in damping out the vibrations which are amplified and broadcast by the loudspeaker.
Further efforts to reduce noise emissions from the disc drive must be focused on reducing the amplification caused by vibration of the printed circuit board which is suspended below the base of the typical disc drive. This printed circuit board (PCB) being highly flexible, is a significant source of amplification of spindle motor noise. It is unacceptable to continue to have such significant noise emissions from commercial products which are used in computers which have few other noise sources, making the noise emissions from the disc drive irritating and undesirable.


A method of making a highly sensitive epitaxial germanium low temperature sensor that is superior in the method of production and performance than those currently available. The geometry and sensitivity of the sensor can be tuned to desired temperature ranges, and specifically can operate at cryogenic temperatures. The sensor can be manufactured uniformly and reproducibly in large quantities at relatively low cost in which large area arrays are possible. The applications of the sensors range from conventional low temperature thermometry and control in laboratory and industrial settings, to applications associated with infrared, x-ray, particle and plasma physics and spectroscopy.

Recent developments in cryogenic microcalorimeters have led to their increased use in many areas of analytical science and thus also the increased use of temperature sensors that can operate at cryogenic temperatures. For example, when operated below 100 mK, cryogenic microcalorimeters offer nearly 100% efficiency in the x-ray range between 100 eV and 10 keV, and further provide an energy resolution of a few electron volts. Because currently available x-ray detectors lack the capability to provide improved efficiency and resolution simultaneously, they are employed less frequently, and are often replaced by cryogenic microcalorimeters.
For instance, cryogenic microcalorimeters are now being used to improve the spectroscopy of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas, and also in enhancing the sensitivity of x-ray fluorescence methods for trace element determination. Typically it is useful to perform element determination in biological and geological specimens, as well as environmental waste samples, which often includes microanalysis using electron excitation in scanning electron microscopes or x-ray fluorescence using synchrotron radiation and proton excitation.
In a microcalorimeter, x-ray photons are absorbed and thermalized in a detector which is weakly coupled thermally to a cold bath. The resulting rise in the detector's temperature is measured with a thermal sensor, producing an electrical signal that is proportional to the x-ray energy. For operation at temperatures below 4K, these thermal sensors, or thermistors, take advantage of the strong temperature dependence of resistance in doped semiconductor crystals such as silicon or germanium.
Previously, the method of producing temperature sensors via doping crystals was accomplished by three different means: melt-doping, ion implantation, and neutron transmutation. As described below, each of these methods provide only partial solutions to the problem of developing a temperature sensor capable of performing at very low temperatures such as below about 4K.
For instance, although both silicon and germanium can be melt-doped, operating temperatures below 1K can lead to fluctuations of a few percent in the dopant concentration and fluctuations in the resistivity by more than an order of magnitude. Using ion implantation to generate temperature sensors generates high costs associated with uniformly doping large numbers of single crystals, and thus is typically only used in the most specialized and esoteric of applications. Furthermore, the reproducibility associated with ion implantation is relatively low, and the process can introduce radiation damage to the crystal.
Neutron transmutation has been used successfully to uniformly dope germanium for temperature sensor applications over a wide range of temperatures, but has drawbacks associated with methods of application of those sensors. Specifically, the methods available for cutting the thermistor sensors to the appropriate size and for attaching them to the substrate whose temperature is to be measured, are extremely limited. The use of a diamond saw to cut the germanium is expensive, and the glue used to adhere the thermistor to the substrate poses thermal conductance and volume heat capacity problems.
For the above mentioned reasons, a highly sensitive temperature sensor with a performance that is not limited by size is needed, one that can be manufactured reproducibly, uniformly, and in large quantities at a relatively low cost. The present invention provides a technology for making such a temperature sensor.

Method for making an epitaxial germanium temperature sensor


A composite assembly unit for closing an aperture in a vehicle body, in particular a glass cover for a sliding roof, comprises a flat base body, preferably a glass or plastic pane, having an outside face and an inside face, and a seal for sealing a gap between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body. The seal has a sealing section and a fixing section, and being attached to the base body by means of plastic foam. The fixing section of the seal is pressed under elastic deformation by the plastic foam against the inside face of the base body so that the sealing section of the seal terminates substantially flush with the outside face of the base body. The result is a composite assembly unit in which a defined, in particular flush, relative position between the flat base body and the seal can be guaranteed in a simple way. A method and an apparatus for producing such a composite assembly unit in a simple way is also described.

This invention concerns composite assembly units for vehicle bodies and a method and an apparatus for producing such composite assembly units. In particular, the invention concerns a glass cover for sliding roofs of the type fitted in mass produced cars.
The composite assembly units designed in accordance with the invention are basically suitable for all external and internal plate-like or pane-like structures in vehicle bodies whether transparent or opaque, including hoods, doors and lids/covers. If the following text constantly refers to vehicle roofs and vehicle roof components, this is so because this is in fact the preferred application for the invention without, however, meaning to put a limit to its application. Furthermore, the term xe2x80x9csliding roofxe2x80x9d is not intended to extend to those structures alone in which the panel, after lowering its rear edge to open the roof, can slide underneath the rear fixed roof panel but also to sliding roofs where at least one of the panels can be swung from its closed position at the pivot point provided near its front edge to swing it up above the fixed roof panel. Swing-out lids similar to ventilation flaps hinged at the front and what are called top ridge sliding roofs where, after lifting it rear edge the panel is partly slidable over the rear fixed roof panel to open the roof, are also to be included.
Such composite assembly units as a rule require a seal at adjoining vehicle body parts or other covers/panels. Such a seal can be a permanent seal at an adjoining vehicle body part formed after fitting the composite assembly unit in question, for example the edge seal of a prefabricated roof module against the roof frame of a vehicle body or a temporary seal of the composite assembly unit against an adjoining body component, as is found for example between the cover and the roof opening edges of a sliding roof structure in a vehicle.
Seals in the designs in question are as a rule arranged at the edges or near the edges of the composite assembly units to prevent ingress of moisture and/or dirt into gaps between adjoining vehicle body parts. According to the state of the art, rubber-like seal sections are fitted for this purpose to protrusions or edges of the composite assembly unit (FR 2 529 844 A, DE 44 22 176 C1) or inserted into grooves provided on the composite assembly unit (DE 196 37 793 C1) so that they rest tightly against the adjoining vehicle body part when the composite assembly unit is fitted in position. In the case of other known versions, grooves are provided in the composite assembly unit to take adhesive beading to seal the composite assembly unit at the adjoining vehicle body part (DE 32 02 594 C2). Arrangements are also proposed in which seals are placed between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body part during assembly (DE 29 29 915 A1, DE 79 29 367 U1). The need for fitting the necessary seals/seal sections after producing the composite assembly units in an expensive way in additional stages before fitting at the vehicle body is common to all these arrangements.
Therefore, a composite assembly unit for vehicle bodies has already been proposed in the same applicant""s earlier patent application DE 199 46 008 A1, where a rigid layer and a layer of plastic foam is applied to the inner side of the rigid layer, a seal being applied with foam to the edge of the plastic layer. As a result, after applying foam to the plastic layer on the inside of the rigid layer, the composite assembly unit is already provided with an integrated seal. Therefore, the need for forming a locating edge or protrusion at the composite assembly unit and fitting an additional seal initially provided separately onto the finished composite assembly unit is eliminated to advantage, making it possible to produce a ready-to-fit composite assembly unit at a low cost. The same applies to the design known from document DE 43 26 013 A1.
Finally, document DE 196 30 177 A1 discloses a rigid lid for closing an opening in a vehicle body. The lid has a flat base body, preferably made from a transparent material, the edge portion of which is provided with a frame made from plastic. Further, a surrounding seal for sealing a gap between the lid and the vehicle body is mounted to the lid. The seal comprises a sealing section and a fixing section, the latter being inserted between the base body and the plastic frame. An elastic deformation of the fixing section between the base body and the plastic frame cannot be taken from this prior art.
Further problems which occur with the abovementioned versions emerge due to the fact that the seals placed over or into the composite assembly unit can protrude out of the composite assembly unit to the outside of the vehicle body due to unavoidable tolerances. This projecting seal results in, for example, rain water possibly being retained over vehicle body areas delineated by such seals; an undesirable layer of dirt remains over such areas of the body after this water evaporates. On the other hand, the protruding seal forms an undesirable noise-generating edge. Remedy could only be found here so far by applying an expensive method of grinding the seal off or grinding it down flush after assembly at the composite assembly unit.
The object of this invention is to create a composite assembly unit at which a defined, in particular flush finish position between the flat base body and the seal can be guaranteed by simple means, and a method and an apparatus for producing such a composite assembly unit in a simple way.
According to the invention, a composite assembly unit for closing an aperture in a vehicle body, in particular a glass panel for a sliding roof, comprises a flat base body, preferably a glass or plastic pane, having an outside face and an inside face, and a seal for sealing a gap between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body, the seal having a sealing section and a fixing section, and being attached to the base body by means of plastic foam, wherein the fixing section of the seal is pressed under elastic deformation by the plastic foam against the inside face of the base body so that the sealing section of the seal terminates substantially flush with the outside face of the base body.
The following stages are envisaged within the method of manufacturing the composite assembly unit according to the invention:
placing the base body and the seal in a foam application tool,
holding the sealing section of the seal substantially flush with the outside face of the base body,
pressing the fixing section of the seal to the inside face of the base body, and
attaching the seal to the base body by applying the plastic foam and removing the composite assembly unit from the foam application tool.
The apparatus for implementing this method according to the invention has finally a foam application tool comprising two mold halves for accommodating the base body and the seal, the mold half imparting a shape to the plastic foam having a protrusion in the area of the seal forcing the fixing section of the seal against the inner face of the base body when the foam application tool is closed, while the other half of the mold has a retaining section in the area of the seal, which holds the sealing section of the seal substantially flush with the outside face of the base body when the foam application tool is closed.
As a result, by flexibly pressing the fixing section of the seal against the inside face of the base body, which goes hand in hand with an appropriate elastic deformation of the fixing section, the tolerances between the participant parts are compensated, thus taking care of a constant, accurate and mainly flush finish on the outside between the base body and the seal without any additional expensive operations having to be done to achieve this. Thus, not only is the seal affixed to the base body by applying foam at the back but a specific relative position between the base body and the seal is also achieved when the composite assembly unit is produced to advantage in a single operation (what is called a xe2x80x9cone-shot-systemxe2x80x9d).
The sealing section of the seal can rest directly on the edge of the base body. The direct contact of the seal with the base body is not only satisfactory from the point of view of appearance. This arrangement also takes up very little space which in the case of a glass panel of a sliding roof not only provides the advantage of a larger viewing area but also reduces the dimension of the gap between the panel and the vehicle body.
The seal can be annular and, when not fitted to the base body, can have a length measured on the inside of the sealing section which is shorter than the peripheral length of the base body edge. This allows the seal to be fitted onto the edge of the base body first simply by flexibly expanding it before the base body and the seal are placed into the foam application tool.
The sealing section of the seal can in principle be formed as a solid section from one material with appropriate elastic properties. However, it is preferred also for reasons of cost and weight that the sealing section has a hollow profile.
The fixing section of the seal can have a plurality of projections on its side facing the inside of the base body, that is, in the form of ribs extending all round, resting against the inside face of the base body. Elastic properties of the fixing section required for reliable tolerance compensation are easy to set at the required level in a specified way by providing the suitable geometry. At the same time, the protrusions provide locally increased surface pressure in the foam application tool between the fixing section of the seal and the base body, thus forming a reliable tight seal between the fixing section and the base body so that the foam which is initially fluid cannot pass through at this point.
The fixing section of the seal can be provided with ribs on its side facing away from the inside face of the base body, which ribs positively and detachably engage in undercut depressions in the plastic foam formed by the application of foam. The fixing section is given what is called a fir-tree profile to ensure secure seating of the seal offering protection against unintentional removal from the hardened plastic foam.
The seal can have a plurality of suitable metallic grid elements distributed over its periphery, stiffening a part section of the sealing section which rests against the edge of the base body, and the fixing section of the seal. These grid elements can be usefully introduced into the seal in production already at the extrusion stage, running simultaneously through the extruder gap in the form of a grid band while being initially connected for example in a symmetrical arrangement by means of a center web before the connecting center web is broken or cut away to form two seal strips which are stiffened but remain elastic in the longitudinal direction. An armored annular seal will be produced by cutting such a seal strip to size and bonding or welding its ends together, capable of being elastically stretched and easily fitted on to the edge of the base body before the base body with the seal on it is introduced into the foam application tool. It is also possible to insert what is known as a longitudinally expandable meander grid strip.
The seal can also have a lip section, also stiffened by grid elements, protruding between the sealing section and the fixing section, the width of the sealing section being adjustable by bending the lip section according to or to suit the width of the gap between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body.
When applying foam to the base body, the seal can to advantage be a seal element between the mold halves of the foam application tool so that the foam application tool does not need to have its own wearing seal.
A seal can be used consisting of an elastomeric material such as expanded rubber or EPDM (ethylene propylene diene polymethylene) which does not bind when applying the foam material, preferably PUR (polyurethane), allowing the seal to be replaced.
Finally, it must be mentioned with regard to the apparatus that one of the mold halves of the foam application tool can, to advantage, have a bevel in the area of the seal which presses the sealing section of the seal against the edge of the base body when the foam application tool is closed.
In summary, the invention may be defined as follows:
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite assembly unit for closing an aperture in a vehicle body, the unit comprising a flat base body, the base body having an outside face and an inside face, there being a seal for sealing a gap between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body, the seal having a sealing section and a fixing section, and being attached to the base body by means of plastic foam, wherein the fixing section of the seal is pressed under elastic deformation by the plastic foam against the inside face of the base body so that the sealing section of the seal terminates substantially flush with the outside face of the base body.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a composite assembly unit for closing an aperture in a vehicle body, the unit comprising a flat base body, the base body having an outside face and an inside face, there being a seal for sealing a gap between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body, the seal having a sealing section and a fixing section, and being attached to the base body by means of plastic foam, wherein the fixing section of the seal is pressed under elastic deformation by the plastic foam against the inside face of the base body so that the sealing section of the seal terminates substantially flush with the outside face of the base body; wherein the method comprises the following steps:
placing the base body and the seal in a foam application tool,
holding the sealing section of the seal substantially flush with the outside face of the base body,
pressing the fixing section of the seal to the inside face of the base body, and
attaching the seal to the base body by applying the plastic foam and removing the composite assembly unit from the foam application tool.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing a composite assembly unit for closing an aperture in a vehicle body, the unit comprising a flat base body, the base body having an outside face and an inside face, there being a seal for sealing a gap between the composite assembly unit and the vehicle body, the seal having a sealing section and a fixing section, and being attached to the base body by means of plastic foam, wherein the fixing section of the seal is pressed under elastic deformation by the plastic foam against the inside face of the base body so that the sealing section of the seal terminates substantially flush with the outside face of the base body, the composite assembly unit being produced by a method comprising the following steps:
placing the base body and the seal in a foam application tool,
holding the sealing section of the seal substantially flush with the outside face of the base body,
pressing the fixing section of the seal to the inside face of the base body, and
attaching the seal to the base body by applying the plastic foam and removing the composite assembly unit from the foam application tool; wherein the apparatus comprises a foam application tool having two mold halves for accommodating the base body and the seal, one mold half imparting a shape to the plastic foam having a protrusion in the area of the seal which presses the fixing section of the seal against the inside face of the base body when the foam application tool is closed, and the other mold half having a holding section in the area of the seal, which holds the sealing section of the seal substantially flush with the outside face of the base body when the foam application tool is closed.

Composite assembly unit for vehicle bodies as well as a method and an apparatus for producing it


A device for preparing hot beverages which includes an arrangement for circulating a liquid to a beverage supply exit and a combustion heater, such as a burner, for supplying combustion heat to the liquid that is circulated to the supply exit. The combustion heater can be associated with an electric heater for additionally or alternatively supplying electric heat to the liquid that is circulated to the supply exit or with a heat regulator for controlling the amount of heat supplied to the liquid from the combustion heater, the electric heater or both heaters.

The beverage preparation apparatuses of the coffee machine type which use prepacked or non-packed portions of a food substance are very widespread among private individuals, and also in municipalities, shopping centres and companies. The preparation principle is based on the extraction of portions of the substance by the passage through this substance of a quantity of cold or hot liquid under high pressure, typically a pressure above atmospheric pressure. The prepacked portions can be partially rigid capsules, or else flexible bags, which are hermetically sealed or partially open, or else a dose filter.
An example of a capsule is described in patent EP 0 512 468 B1. An example of a bag is described in patent EP 0 602 203 B1.
Such extraction systems have many advantages. On the one hand, the individual packages are easy to use and require no batching of coffee or other substances, in the machine. The user places a capsule, a ground-coffee dose or other portions in the machine, then presses a button to start extraction. On the other hand, the individual packages are batched to deliver a beverage, like a coffee, having the desired characteristics such as sufficient character, flavour, foam or other important attributes. When they are impermeable, they usually preserve the freshness of the substance better, up to the time of extraction. Finally, the preparation conditions, such as the temperature, pressure and extraction time can be better controlled, thereby guaranteeing relatively controlled and constant quality to the consumer.
An example of an extraction method is described in EP 0 512 470 B1.
To extract a beverage under pressure from these portions, of the capsule or other type, it is necessary to use a relatively powerful water pump such as an electric compressor and electric heating elements that require significant amounts of electric power to heat water to the appropriate temperature for preparing hot beverages. These pumps and heating elements are usually supplied with electric energy from the mains.
It is therefore difficult to move these preparation apparatuses, for example on a trolley or simply by carrying them. In fact, it would be an advantage to be able to make these apparatuses more mobile so as to offer beverages in locomotion means such as the train, plane, or in certain places such as cinemas, theatres, and also in public places such as beaches, parks, poolsides and other public or private places.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,241 discloses a camping drip coffee maker in which a water is promoted from a reservoir to a brewing basket via a tube by heating the tube with an open flame heater to cause pressurisation of the water therein, whereby the boiling/evaporating water is promoted to the brewing basket. Whereas this type of flame heating of the water may prove to be convenient to circulate boiling/evaporated water under the effect of pressure for the purpose of making drip coffee, this heating system is not appropriate to be adapted to prepare an espresso. Indeed, the water which is pumped, usually mechanically, under pressure through ground coffee to prepare an espresso coffee is preferably maintained at a controlled temperature, typically at a temperature within a range of a few degrees around 85° C.
WO2006/102980 discloses an espresso machine that can be operated to prepare beverages without being connected to an electric power network. The machine is powered with a battery. To avoid extensive use of the battery to heat water used for the preparation of the beverages, the espresso machine has a thermally-insulated reservoir containing water that is preheated using the mains prior to prepare beverages in an autonomous mode. The water is then maintained at a sufficient temperature using the battery in the autonomous mode. The autonomy of such beverage machines can be of a few hours and thus provides a solution when their use is intended within a relatively short period from the time after the water has been preheated, for instance in trains, planes, cinemas . . . . However, this machine is not optimal when intended to be used only several hours or days after preheating the water.
US2007/0199452 discloses a mobile or portable espresso machine in which water is pumped from a reservoir by means of a pressure gas actuated pump. The water is heated in the reservoir (in which case the reservoir is insulated) or between the reservoir and the machine's extraction head. The espresso machine has either an electric heater, such as a thermoblock, or a combustion heater such as a burner using solid and/or gaseous and/or liquid fuel.
More generally, a fuel gas burner that may be used for cooking is disclosed in WO 2007/027379.
Even though combustion heaters may constitute an interesting alternative to electric heating for certain type of mobile or portable coffee machines, the known use of a combustion heater leads to boiling and/or evaporation of the water, which is not desirable for the preparation of espresso-type coffee or even tea. Moreover, such combustion heaters are sometimes not well accepted when the coffee machine is also intended to be used at proximity of the electric power supply, in particular at home.
Therefore, there is still a need to provide a handy mobile or portable espresso-type beverage machine that can be used to prepare beverages at home, in an office or even in the absence of an electric power network (mains) and which is suitable to prepare hot beverages from a liquid heated at a controlled temperature.

Hybrid apparatus for preparing beverages


A heated power cable for oil wells providing controllable, variable power output and heater redundancy. Heating elements are electrically and thermally insulated within the same armor in a manner that permits the heating elements to direct heat to the oil in the well, while simultaneously protecting the power conductors from excess heat.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power cables having integral heater cables installed therewith and particularly to power cables having integral heaters for use in oil wells.
2. Description of Related art
When moving viscous oil from a well, particularly in shallow arctic oil wells, it is often beneficial to heat the oil to reduce its viscosity. To do this, a heater cable is installed in the well, along with a power cable that is run down the well to provide power to the submersible pump.
Heating circuits and power circuits typically have mutually exclusive design characteristics. Power cables are insulated with temperature sensitive materials and the power handling ability of these cables is temperature dependent. As a result, the common method of supplying power and heat to a well requires two penetrations in the well head; one for a power cable and one for an electric heater cable. This raises the cost of construction, and involves marking and monitoring two cables in the well.


A method for driving an electronically controlled lighting means operating device, by evaluating an output signal of a motion sensor which is connected to a supply voltage and outputs the supply voltage as an output signal as a function of the detection of a motion, and setting the electronically controlled lighting means operating device to one of a plurality of predetermined dimming levels as a function of an output signal of the motion sensor. At least one of the predetermined dimming levels is programmed or the output signal of the motion sensor is detected at a control input of a digital interface of the operating device.

The present invention relates in general to methods and devices by means of which lighting means, such as LEDs, gas-discharge lamps, high-pressure lamps etc. can be controlled and/or regulated to previously defined dimming levels (dimming stages). Such electronic operating devices are generally known as an electronic ballast (EB) in the sector of gas-discharge lamps.
It is known from the prior art to drive, for example, such electronic ballasts (EBs), in order to cite only one example of lighting means operating devices, via a digital bus. In this regard, reference is made to the literature in connection with the so-called DALI (digital addressable light interface) standard. In this case, digital signals are therefore fed to a lighting means operating device at a control input, which signals can predetermine, inter alia, desired dimming values.
Since a user does not always desire to use the associated bus device including a digital controller for a lighting means operating device with such a digital interface, as well, operating devices are also known from the prior art in which either even a digital signal or else a signal produced by means of a pushbutton supplied with mains voltage can be applied to such a digital control input (digital interface). In this case, a user who does not wish to go beyond the digital periphery, can therefore drive the digital control input of the operating device by means of actuating the pushbutton. In the process, for example, the duration and the repetition rate of the actuation of the pushbutton is evaluated by the connected operating device as a signal for connection/disconnection or for dimming. An example of such an operating device, to whose digital control input a signal originating from a pushbutton or switch supplied with mains voltage can also be applied, is mentioned, for example, in the German utility model DE 297 24 657.
Despite this device, improvements in this area are still desired.

Method and device for dimming lighting control devices to a predefined level


A sensor device is disclosed that includes a sensor, in which a resistance value is changed in accordance with a change in an environment of the sensor. The sensor device also includes a beat oscillator having plural oscillators of different oscillating frequencies. The beat oscillator generates a beat signal of a frequency lower than the oscillating frequencies. The beat signal corresponds to a difference of the oscillating frequencies. The beat oscillator is electrically connected to the sensor such that the frequency of the beat signal changes in accordance with the changes in the resistance value of the sensor.

Sensor devices have been proposed that include a sensor. Resistance values in the sensor change according to changes in the environment (e.g., pressure changes, air temperature changes, humidity changes, etc.). The environment change is detected based on the resistance change.
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-147283, for instance, an oscillating frequency of a CR oscillating circuit changes according to the sensor resistance value changes caused by environment changes (e.g., a change of density of a measured object due to moisture, etc.). A square wave pulse signal of a frequency corresponding to this oscillating frequency is outputted. The change of density is detected on the basis of a changing ratio of the oscillating frequency with respect to a fundamental oscillating frequency.
However, when the density change is small, the change of the resistance value of the sensor is small, and the changing ratio of the oscillating frequency is also small. Accordingly, it is difficult to detect a slight density change.
If an output bit number of an A/D converter is increased, the resolution of the sensor output can be improved. However, a data width of the sensor output is widened by increasing the output bit number. Accordingly, processing load of the sensor output is increased.
Further, an input voltage of the A/D converter is an electric power voltage or less. Accordingly, for example, when the electric power voltage is a low voltage (e.g., several V to ten several V) and the resolution is improved by increasing the output bit number of the A/D converter, a minimum detecting voltage unit is reduced. As a result, if noise is included in the input voltage of the A/D converter, the A/D converter will easily detect the noise.
Moreover, when a dynamic range of the detecting object is wide and the detection is to be performed by one sensor, the resolution is reduced. On the other hand, when the detecting range is borne by plural sensors, the number of parts is increased.
Therefore, as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-273673, an analog circuit for adjusting a gain or an offset may be added to a detecting circuit of the sensor output. However, using this device, the circuit scale becomes relatively large.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a sensor device having high resolution, a wide detecting range, and a small scale.

Sensor device using pair of resistive sensor controlled beat oscillators


It is intended to provide highly safe antitumor agents which exhibit an antitumor effect on human remote tumors such as metastatic tumors too and by which an antitumor immune reaction enabling an immune therapy for cancer can be induced, tumor immunity inducers, T cell activators, dendritic cell activators, a method of treating cancer using the same, etc. Inactivated herpes simplex virus (inactivated HSV), herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D (HSVgD), etc. are employed as the active ingredients of antitumor agents, tumor immunity inducers, T cell activators or dendritic cell activators. As a specific example of the treatment for the above-described inactivation, citation may be made of a combination of UV-irradiation using ultraviolet light at 254 nm at 4 J/m2 for 30 minutes with heating at 56° C. for 30 minutes.

Induction of tumor-specific immunity enables long-term prevention of recurrence of tumors. Such immunotherapy, however, basically depends on the presence or absence of tumor specific antigens and on whether or not a cytotoxic immune response can be induced, in which an antigen is presented and tumor cells are recognized. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), together with costimulatory molecules, recognize MHC class I molecules complexed with peptides derived from cytoplasmic proteins presented on the cell surface (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 1). Tumor-specific antigens have been detected in various human tumors (refer to e.g., non-patent literatures 2and 3). Cancer vaccine therapy has focused either on the use of inactivated tumor cells or their lysates administered together with an adjuvant or a cytokine. It was recently reported that gene transfer of various cytokines, MHC molecules, costimulatory molecules, or tumor antigens to tumor cells enhances the visibility of tumor cells to immune effector cells (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 4). If induction of antitumor immunity becomes possible by direct intratumoral inoculation (in situ cancer vaccine) of HSV etc, major problems in using cancer vaccines for therapeutic purposes will be overcome. That is, the harvest of patients' autologous tumor cells, their in vitro manipulation such as culture and irradiation and identification of specific tumor antigens will not be needed for preparation of cancer vaccines.
HSV is a double-stranded DNA virus, contains the largest genome (153 kb) among DNA viruses that proliferate in nuclei, which encodes 84 kinds of open reading frames. The genome consists of the L (long) and S (short) components, each having a unique sequence flanked by inverted repeat sequences on its both sides. The complete nucleotide sequence of the viral genome has been determined and the functions of almost all viral genes have been elucidated. Martuza et al. developed herpes simplex virus mutant G207, a multi-gene mutant of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with a deletion in the γ34.5 gene and a lacZ gene insertion in the ICP6 gene (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 5). G207 is superior to other virus vectors from the therapeutic viewpoint. G207 is replicated in dividing cells, thereby causing lysis and death of infected cells, whereas in non-dividing cells, the virus proliferation is markedly weak. Inoculation with G207 into tumors established in athymia mice suppressed the tumor growth due to tumor-specific replication and prolonged the survival period of tumor-bearing mice (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 6). Further, in immune responsive mice, intratumoral inoculation with G207 induces tumor-specific immune responses, thereby suppressing the growth of tumors that have not been inoculated with G207 as well (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 7). In this case, G207 is acting as an in situ cancer vaccine (refer to e.g., patent literature 1). To date, gene therapy using herpes simplex virus mutant G207 has been performed, focusing on brain tumors, and their clinical application has also started in the U.S. (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 8).
The murine colon carcinoma cell line CT26 is poorly immunogenic and does not induce tumor-specific CTLs at the detectable level. CT26 is widely used as a syngeneic tumor model to study immunotherapy (refer to e.g., non-patent literatures 9 and 10). As a tumor-specific antigen in CT26, the MHC class I-restricted AH1 peptide, derived from an envelop protein (gp70) of an endogenous murine leukemia virus, was identified (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 10). It was confirmed that CT26 tumors which have been subcutaneously established can be treated by adoptive immunity cell transfer of peptide-specific CTLs and that there is a correlation between induction of tumor-specific CTLs and antitumor effects (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 10). To investigate the efficacy of HSV-1 mutant G207 as an in situ cancer vaccine, the inventors have used the poorly-immunogenic murine colon carcinoma cell line CT26, which expresses the tumor antigen identified. Further, the inventors have evaluated the efficacy of G207 using the syngeneic M3 mouse melanoma model to clarify that antitumor responses induced by intratumoral inoculation with G207 can be commonly used (refer to e.g., non-patent literatures 11 and 12).
On the other hand, following methods for inactivating viruses are known: (a) physical inactivation methods such as heat treatment (refer to e.g., non-patent literature 13), ultraviolet irradiation (refer to e.g., patent literature 2), γ-irradiation (refer to e.g., patent literature 3), electron beam irradiation (refer to e.g., patent literatures 4 and 5), pressure treatment (refer to e.g., patent literature 6), and energizing treatment (refer to e.g., patent literature 7); (b) chemical inactivation methods such as sterilization using phenol, formalin, alcohol, etc., alkaline treatment (refer to e.g., patent literature 8), contact with singlet oxygen, which consists of normal oxygen molecules excited electronically and being at the high state in energy (refer to e.g., patent literature 9), and deoxyribonuclease treatment; and (c)the combination of these physical inactivation methods and chemical inactivation methods (refer to e.g., patent literatures 10 and 11).
In addition, the following are described regarding HSVgD as vaccines against herpes viruses: methods of producing recombinant HSVgD (refer to e.g., patent literature 12), recombinant HSVgD vaccine (refer to e.g., patent literature 13), recombinant DNA encoding HSV-2gD and the protein (refer to e.g., patent literature 14), vaccine formulations consisting of HSVgD and 3-deacylated monophosphoryl lipid A (refer to e.g., patent literature 15), methods of producing recombinant HSVgD using insect cells (refer to e.g., patent literature 16), the HSVgD molecule consisting of 300 amino acid sequences (refer to e.g., patent literature 17), a vaccine composition containing HSVgD or an HBV antigen in conjunction with an adjuvant (refer to e.g., patent literature 18), and a fusion protein of HSVgB polypeptide and HSVgD (refer to e.g., patent literature 19). However, nothing has been known of using HSVgD for a cancer vaccine.    Patent literature 1: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2001-513508    Patent literature 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 45-9556    Patent literature 3: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 2-9367    Patent literature 4: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 4-200353    Patent literature 5: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 4-92671    Patent literature 6: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 6-142197    Patent literature 7: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 2000-175682    Patent literature 8: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 9-187273    Patent literature 9: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 11-199490    Patent literature 10: Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 6-321994    Patent literature 11: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 8-504407    Patent literature 12: EP101655    Patent literature 13: EP-A-628633    Patent literature 14: WO90/13652    Patent literature 15: U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,730    Patent literature 16: EP-A-531728    Patent literature 17: U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,174    Patent literature 18: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2002-506045    Patent literature 19: Japanese Patent No. 2999966    Non-patent literature 1: Annu. Rev. Immunol. 7, 445-480, 1989    Non-patent literature 2: Annu. Rev. Immunol. 12, 337-365, 1994    Non-patent literature 3: Adv. Immunol. 57, 281-351, 1994    Non-patent literature 4: Adv. Immunol. 58, 417-454, 1995    Non-patent literature 5: Nat. Med. 1, 938, 1995    Non-patent literature 6: Cancer. Res. 55, 4752, 1995    Non-patent literature 7: Hum. Gene Ther. 9, 2177-2185, 1999    Non-patent literature 8: Gene Ther, 7, 867-874, 2000    Non-patent literature 9: Cancer Res. 35, 2975, 1988    Non-patent literature 10: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 9730, 1996,    Non-patent literature 11: Hum. Gene Ther. 10, 385-393, 1999    Non-patent literature 12: J. Immunol. 160, 4457-4464, 1998    Non-patent literature 13: Thrombosis Research, 22, 233-238, 1981
Metastasis of cancer is a pathologic condition that is extremely difficult to treat; there have been no effective treatment to date. Although it has been reported that some limited number of chemotherapeutic drugs are efficacious, their side effects are regarded as questionable. In spite of recent drastic advancements in gene therapy using virus vectors, there are serious problems in terms of safety. An object of the present invention is to provide an antitumor agent, a tumor immunity inducer, a T cell activator, and a dendritic cell activator, which are extremely safe and capable of inducing an antitumor immune reaction enabling immunotherapy for a cancer in such a way that an antitumor effect on a human distant tumor such as a metastatic tumor is exhibited. Another object of the present invention is to provide, using such an agent, inducer, or activator, enhancement of an antitumor effect, a method for treating a distant tumor such as a metastatic tumor, a method for inducing tumor immunity, a method for identifying a tumor antigen, a method for activating T cells, and a method for activating dendritic cells.
The inventors have enthusiastically studied to solve the above-mentioned problems. Considering, in putting cancer therapy by virus vectors into practical use, safety in their use is a prerequisite, they prepared the inactivated HSV that was completely devoid of infectivity and has virus DNA destroyed, by subjecting the wild- type HSV to ultraviolet irradiation and heat treatment. They inoculated this inactivated HSV directly into malignant tumor tissues derived from the tumor cell line CT26 and found that a tumor-specific immune response was induced and malignant tumors have regressed. They also found that the inactivated HSV was able to similarly suppress the growth of distant malignant tumors that have not been directly inoculated and that the inactivated HSV activated human dendritic cells. Likewise, they inoculated HSVgD directly into malignant tumor tissues derived from the tumor cell line CT2 and found that a tumor specific immune response was induced and malignant tumors regressed and that the growth of distant malignant tumors that have not been directly inoculated was suppressed. They also found that HSVgD worked to activate T cells as a costimulatory factor for T cells and activated human dendritic cells. The present invention has been accomplished based on these findings.


A refrigerant recovery machine which includes a distiller, oil separator, filters and an air separator to purify and reclaim refrigerant gas from a cooling system. The air separator may include a dual pressure gauge to regulate partial pressures of air and refrigerant to prevent the refrigerant from being vented to the atmosphere.

Flushing and recharging of air conditioners and refrigerators has always posed problems with the inevitable discharge of a portion of the refrigerant gas. With the discovery of the harmful affects of releasing halogenated fluorocarbons to the environment, strict regulations have been enacted, particularly with regard to Freon-12, which is the most widely used refrigerant in automobile air conditioners and other small units of that type.
Refrigerant recovery systems have been constructed which minimize the discharge of refrigerant gas. Two such systems are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,476,688, issued Oct. 16, 1984, and 4,539,817, issued Sep. 10, 1985. Both of these systems include a condenser and a series of filters designed to liquify the refrigerant and to separate solid liquid impurities therefrom. In both systems, indeed in all prior recovery systems, careful attention must be paid to the operating conditions of the system to insure maximum performance and to prevent overloading and possible refrigerant gas leakage. Since the process is a relatively lengthy one, the constant attention required hinders the profitability of a service organization by tying up the mechanics, or worse, can be dangerous when left unattended by the mechanic who often has several other jobs to perform in a limited time. Further, the prior art systems could not be periodically checked to insure the effectiveness of the recovery, and were deficient at removing ambient air, a naturally occurring refrigerant gas contaminant, and oil contamination due to interaction of refrigerant with oil from the compressor pump.

Refrigerant recovery and purification machine


A total organic carbon measuring device comprises: a sample supply unit that collects and supplies sample water; an oxidative decomposition unit that is connected to the sample supply unit and oxidizes organic matter contained in the sample water supplied from the sample supply unit to carbon dioxide; a carbon dioxide separation unit that transfers carbon dioxide from the sample water that has passed through the oxidative decomposition unit to measurement water consisting of deionized water; a conductivity measuring unit that measures the conductivity of the measurement water flowing from the carbon dioxide separation unit; and an arithmetic processing unit that calculates the TOC concentration of the sample water from a measured value obtained by the conductivity measuring unit. A measured value obtained by the conductivity measuring unit when pure water subjected to aeration treatment is allowed to pass through the oxidative decomposition unit of which oxidative decomposition function is turned off and then flows through a sample water channel is defined as a system blank value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a total organic carbon measuring device (also referred to as a "TOC meter") for measuring the total organic carbon (TOC) content, total carbon (TC) content, or inorganic carbon (IC) content of sample water, for example, a total organic carbon measuring device in which organic matter is separated from water containing few impurities, called pure water or ultrapure water, by a carbon dioxide separation unit to assay the TOC concentration of the water based on conductivity.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the purpose of management of water containing few impurities, such as water for manufacturing drugs, process water for semiconductor manufacturing, cooling water, boiler water, or tap water, the organic matter (TOC) content of a sample of such water is measured.
As a TOC measuring device, a TOC meter comprising a total carbon combustion unit using an oxidation catalyst is widely used. The TOC meter measures TOC by converting TOC contained in sample water to CO2 gas and measuring the CO2 concentration in the gas phase by a nondispersive infrared analyzer.
On the other hand, a device that measures the TOC concentration of sample water while keeping the sample water in the liquid phase has also been developed. In the case of such a device that measures sample water while keeping it in the liquid phase, organic matter contained in sample water is converted to carbon dioxide by an oxidation reactor. The sample water is kept in the liquid phase and is allowed to flow through a sample water channel. The sample water channel is in contact with a measurement water channel, through which measurement water flows, with a gas permeable membrane being interposed therebetween, and therefore carbon dioxide contained in the sample water is transferred to measurement water. The measurement water containing carbon dioxide transferred from the sample water is sent to a conductivity meter to measure the conductivity thereof. The carbon dioxide concentration of the sample water can be determined from the measured conductivity of the measurement water, and a previously-prepared calibration curve representing the relationship between the conductivity of measurement water and the carbon dioxide concentration of sample water (see Patent Document 1).
The present invention is directed to such a device that measures the TOC concentration of sample water while keeping the sample water in the liquid phase.
In the measurement of TOC, a measuring device needs to have a blank value of its own, that is, a system blank value. The system blank value of a TOC meter is a signal obtained by measuring, as a sample, pure water whose organic carbon content is infinitely close to zero, and is used as a reference for measurement by the TOC meter. Such a system blank value is essential to quantitative measurement of very low TOC levels of pure water and the like.
In pure water that is in contact with air, CO2 contained in air is dissolved. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain pure water whose carbon content is infinitely close to zero when the pure water is exposed to the atmosphere. In the case of a conventional TOC meter that comprises a total carbon combustion unit using an oxidation catalyst and measures TOC by converting TOC contained in sample water to CO2 gas and measuring the CO2 concentration in the gas phase, pure water is vaporized while TOC contained in the pure water is decomposed to CO2 gas by oxidation and removed, and then remaining water vapor is condensed to recover the pure water. The cycle of vaporization, oxidative decomposition, and recovery is repeated in this device to obtain pure water whose organic carbon content is infinitely close to zero. The conventional TOC meter uses the measured value of the thus obtained pure water as a system blank value. Patent Document 1: WO2008/047405
The present invention is directed to a TOC measuring device that is not provided with, as a channel for measurement, a channel for performing vaporization and oxidative decomposition of sample water at the same time and then condensing the remaining water vapor. In order to provide a channel for preparing blank water used to obtain a system blank value, it is necessary to provide not only a channel different from a channel for measurement but also a container intended for exclusive use as a pure water trap. Even when such a channel for preparing blank water is provided, it takes a long time to obtain pure water whose organic carbon content is infinitely close to zero by repeated cycles of vaporization and oxidative decomposition of sample water and condensation of water vapor.

Total organic carbon meter provided with system blank function


An instrument for cleaning the top of the tongue comprises a blade held at an oblique angle to the top of the tongue and having a sharp, scraping edge at least along its bottom; it is of a width to fit easily within the mouth and to cover most of the width of the top of the tongue. Arm means, in the form of two forwardly-extending side arms or a single central arm are provided to enable the user to place the blade obliquely near the back of the tongue and pull it forwardly to scrape any coating or other debris from the top of the tongue. In various embodiments, the side portions of the blade may be curved forwardly to capture and pull forward materials scraped from the tongue, and optional antiseptic-laden strips may be adhered to one or both sides of the blade near one or both scraping edges to medicate the scraped area of the tongue.

It is common for the human tongue to develop a coating which is unattractive and unhealthful, and which contributes to halitosis or bad breath. Although a dentist may sometimes recommend brushing the tongue with a toothbrush, this is generally found to be difficult, relatively ineffective and so unpleasant that people do not perform this hygiene on an appropriate regular basis. It is also especially difficult to clean the rearward portion of the tongue effectively in this manner.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an instrument for accomplishing the cleansing of a coating from the top surface of the human tongue, in a manner which is highly effective in cleaning the entire top surface of the tongue including its rearward portion, is easy to use, and is very inexpensive to make, as well.

Instrument for cleaning the top of the human tongue with antiseptic strip


In a battery pack which comprises: a battery set composed of two or more lithium battery cells connected in series; a first protection circuit including a first voltage detect part for detecting the voltage(s) of a part of the two or more battery cells, and a first signal output part for issuing an output signal when a detect voltage detected by the first voltage detect part goes below a given over-discharge judgment voltage value; a second protection circuit including a second voltage detect part for detecting the voltage(s) of another part of the two or more battery cells, and a second signal output part for issuing an output signal when the detect voltage of the battery cell detected by the second voltage detect part goes below a given over-discharge judgment voltage value; and, a switch which is connected to the current path of the battery set and can be turned on or off according to the output signals of the first and second signal output parts and, there is further provided dead time means connected between the second signal output part of the second protection circuit for issuing an output not responding to a variation in an input signal occurring within a given time.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a lithium battery pack for use in a cordless power tool or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a lithium battery includes a vanadium lithium battery, a manganese lithium battery and similar batteries, each of which uses a lithium aluminum alloy in the negative pole thereof and also uses organic electrolyte as electrolyte. Also, a lithium ion battery generally means a battery which uses cobalt oxide lithium in the positive pole thereof and graphite in the negative pole thereof and also uses organic electrolyte as electrolyte. In the present specification, for convenience sake, the organic electrolyte secondary battery, which includes the lithium battery and lithium ion battery, is generically called a lithium battery simply.
As the power supply of the cordless power tool, conventionally, there are often used a nickel-cadmium (N—Cd) battery, a nickel hydrogen (Ni—MH) battery and the like. However, recently, with the increasing need for the enhanced capacity and reduced weight of the power supply, there has been used the lithium battery.
The nominal voltage of an ordinary nickel-cadmium battery is 1.2 V, whereas the nominal voltage of a lithium battery is large, for example, 3.6 V, which means that the lithium battery has an advantage. On the other hand, the lithium battery is disadvantageous in that, when the lithium battery is overcharged or over-discharged, the lithium battery is greatly deteriorated. For example, when a lithium battery having a nominal voltage of 3.6 V is overcharged to or more than 4.5 V, the electrolyte thereof is decomposed, which causes the performance of the battery to deteriorate greatly. Also, when the lithium battery is over discharged to or less than 2.0 V, the performance of the battery is deteriorated greatly.
In view of the above problems, conventionally, there is provided a protection circuit which is used to monitor the overcharge or over-discharge of the respective battery cells contained within the battery pack; and, when the battery voltage of the respective battery cells becomes equal to or more than a first given value, and also when it becomes equal to or less than a second given value, the charge and discharge of the battery are stopped to thereby prevent the overcharge and over discharge of the battery.


A method of routing connections of an integrated circuit package having a set of top side conductors and bottom side conductors. The method includes defining at least one distribution layer within the package, and positioning a set of upper vias between the set of top side conductors and the distribution layer. A set of lower vias is positioned between the distribution layer and the set of bottom side conductors that correspond to the set of top side conductors. One or more connections on the distribution layer are routed between the set of upper vias and the set of lower vias. In this manner, the one or more top side conductors are coupled automatically with their respective one or more bottom side conductors. This process may be implemented using one or more computer modules or computer operations.

In the design of packaging for integrated circuits (ICs), a die (having an integrated circuit thereon) is electrically and physically connected to a package. The package has top side conductors, a body portion, and bottom side conductors.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a die 20 and a package 22, wherein the die is a "flip chip" with an interconnect medium 24 (i.e., solder bumps, balls, posts, etc.) thereon, and the package has top side conductors 26, such as pads, for electrical connection to the die, and bottom side conductors 28 for electrical connection with a printed circuit board (PCB), an IC socket, or the like. The bottom side conductors 28 can be in the form of, for example, metallized pads, pins, balls, or columns which are to connect the package to the PCB or IC socket. The bottom side conductors 28 can be integral to the package, or can be provided by or assembled using a solder column or balls.
The body of the package 22 provides, among other things, routing of the top side conductors 26 to the bottom side conductors 28. In complex IC designs, the die 20 may have thousands of interconnect sites (i.e., solder bumps) thereon, while the package 22 accordingly has thousands of top side conductors 26 and bottom side conductors 28. Further, the package 22 may be comprised of multiple layers (i.e., twenty or more) of ground planes, power planes, or signal distribution layers, which are used to route the connections between the top side conductors to the bottom side conductors.
As recognized by the present inventors, it can be very difficult and time consuming to design the logical and physical connections between the top side conductors 26 to the bottom side conductors 28, particularly where relationships such as electrical and physical constraints between the groups of signals lines need to be maintained throughout the package, as with the case of very high frequency signal lines. Such logical connections are conventionally designed by a package engineer using manual data entry to manually connect each top side conductor to each bottom side conductor—such as by manually "pointing and clicking" between two conductors within a software design tool. While commercially available design tools can automatically assign these connections, such tools have severe limitations in their ability to follow the required electrical and physical design constraints.
As recognized by the present inventors, what is needed is a method for automatically routing the connections between top side conductors and bottom side conductors of an IC package, while maintaining the relative relationships between groups of signal lines as needed.
It is against this background that various embodiments of the present invention were developed.

Method for automatically routing connections between top side conductors and bottom side conductors of an integrated circuit package


Process for the production of an organic acid from a lignocellulosic feedstock. The process is integrated with a pulp mill and comprises: a) pre-treating a lignocellulosic feedstock with an alkaline liquor from the pulp, thereby obtaining a pretreated cellulosic feed and a black liquor; b) subjecting the pretreated cellulosic feed from step a) to enzymatic hydrolysis, thereby obtaining a saccharide feed; c) subjecting the saccharide feed from step b) to microbial fermentation using calcium oxide from the pulp mill as a neutralising agent, thereby obtaining an organic acid calcium salt; d) treating the organic acid calcium salt with sulfuric acid, thereby obtaining the organic acid; e) optionally isolating lignin from the black liquor obtained in step a), thereby obtaining lignin and weak black liquor; and f) returning the black liquor from step a) and/or the weak black liquor from step e) to the pulp mill chemical recovery process.

In order to achieve a sustainable society it is in the long-term necessary to replace fossil-based materials, such as fuels, commodity- and specialty chemicals, with materials from renewable sources. This has resulted in an increasing focus on, and prevalence of, bio-based production of chemicals.
Organic acids such as lactic acid are among chemicals already commonly produced from renewable sources. Today, large-scale production of lactic acid is performed by microbial fermentation of feedstocks comprising oligosaccharides or starches, such as corn, beet sugar or cane sugar. Lactic acid is a platform chemical that can be used to produce products such as polylactic acid (PLA), an increasingly prevalent biodegradable thermoplastic polymer.
The use of starchy feedstocks requires diverting the use of cropland and therefore competes with food production. Therefore, there is a general desire in the field of bio-based materials to develop next generation methods which utilize non-food biomass such as forestry materials, grasses or waste materials from food processing as raw materials.
WO 2009/025547 describes a method for the production of an organic acid as a fermentation product from lignocellulosic biomass. The method comprises the steps of pretreatment of the lignocellulosic biomass with an alkaline agent; simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of the pretreated lignocellulosic biomass; and optionally recovery of the fermentation product. The lignocellulosic biomass is selected from the group consisting of grass, wood, bagasse, straw, paper, plant material, and combinations thereof.
US 2009/0226979 discloses a method for hydrolyzing cellulosic material into sugars using the spent liquor media from a pulping process or from another cellulosic biomass process.
There remains a need for improved processes for producing organic acids, such as lactic acid or acetic acid, from lignocellulosic feedstocks.


An evaporative chiller cooling water to below ambient wet bulb temperature. Sub-wet bulb chilling is achieved by pre-cooling incoming air upstream of the saturator. The incoming air is ambient air at ambient air temperature that is cooled using the coolness of the lower temperature outgoing air exiting the saturator. The pre-cooling lowers the temperature of the incoming air and lowers its wet bulb temperature below that of ambient air. The saturator water is chilled to below the ambient wet bulb temperature. The air in the saturator flows across the water as it gravity drips or flows from the top to the bottom of the saturator. The pre-cooled air flows across the saturator with the coolest air directed across the bottom of the saturator where the coldest water is flowing and with the hottest air directed across the top where the hottest water is flowing to provide gradient chilling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to evaporative chillers and evaporative cooling systems, and more particularly, to an evaporative water chiller or evaporative fluid cooling system that is operable to lower the temperature of water or other liquid exiting the chiller or chiller system to below the ambient wet-bulb temperature. This may be achieved by pre-cooling the incoming air flow or airstream to a temperature below the ambient air temperature such as by using the outgoing or exiting air flow or airstream.
2. Relevant Background
Today, a large fraction of the electrical energy used in the United States and elsewhere in the world is used for cooling interior spaces, such as habitated areas of residential and commercial buildings, to desired or acceptable temperatures. In some geographic regions, cooling costs may be more than half of the annual energy cost for businesses and home owners. The electrical energy used for space cooling is not only costly but causes problems because it is concentrated into certain times of the day when highest temperatures are experienced, and this high demand can create high peaks in power demand that are difficult for power companies to satisfy. Hence, there is an ongoing need for reducing the amount of energy needed for cooling and for better distributing the demand to reduce the size of spikes or peaks in demand. Reducing demand for electricity is a vital and growing concern as the human population increases, as more and more countries become industrialized and more urban, as concerns heighten over global warming from fossil fuel combustion, and as the availability of fossil fuels dwindles and the associated prices rise. One way to control electricity or power consumption is to develop lower-energy, alternative cooling systems that have the potential to reduce overall and peak electricity usage.
However, it has proven difficult to design cooling systems and devices that can effectively compete with refrigerant-based air conditioning (A/C) systems to significantly reduce overall power consumption. Evaporative coolers are one approach, but a number of disadvantages have blocked widespread use of these cooling systems. Evaporative cooling involves evaporation of a liquid to cool an object or a liquid in contact with an airstream. When considering water evaporating into air, the web bulb temperature of the ambient air (as compared with the dry bulb temperature) is a standard measure for the potential for evaporative cooling systems, and the greater the difference between the wet bulb and dry bulb temperatures the greater the possible evaporative cooling effect. Evaporative cooling is a fairly common form of cooling for buildings for thermal comfort since it is relatively cheap and requires less energy than many other forms of cooling. However, evaporative cooling requires a water source as an evaporative and is presently only efficient when the relative humidity is low, which has restricted its use to geographic regions with dry climates.
Smaller scale evaporative coolers are often called swamp coolers, and the typical swamp cooler passes an air stream from outside of the building or interior space through the swamp cooler to contact water or other liquid in the cooler. The air is cooled by evaporation of the water, and the cooled air is directed by fans into the building or interior space. Traditional evaporative or swamp coolers have met with a fair degree of market acceptance because they work well in arid and semi-arid regions and are inexpensive to purchase and operate. While such coolers can often provide most or all of the cooling needed for a home or business, they suffer from several disadvantages. Swamp coolers are generally incompatible for integration with compressor-based A/C because they are "pass-through" systems in which conditioned air must be allowed to flow out of the building. They also require large air flow rates, and may be noisy. Further, evaporative coolers in which the cooling air contacts the water may introduce mold and allergens into the interior of the building and often unacceptably raise the indoor humidity making it "muggy" in the building. Evaporative coolers also can require significant maintenance and often require winterization to avoid damage.
An alternative cooling system involves the use of an evaporative cooling system that functions by cooling a volume of liquid such as water by evaporating a portion of the cooling liquid in a stream of ambient or outdoor air. Such systems are referred to herein as "evaporative chillers." The cooled or chilled liquid is then circulated through piping of an air-to-water heat exchanger to cool the air blown or drawn through the exchanger. The air is cooled as heat is transferred to the water in the pipes and does not directly contact the water. The cooler air is returned to the interior spaces of the building. Evaporative chillers, which are also known as cooling towers, are more common in commercial buildings and can provide a large portion of the required cooling. Evaporative chillers are sometimes unable to lower the temperature of the interior space or building to an acceptable level, and in these cases, conventional compressor and refrigerant based air conditioning may be used to supplement the cooling achieved by evaporative cooling (however, this reduces the energy savings provided by use of the evaporative cooling system). When compared with swamp coolers and similar systems, evaporative chiller systems are compatible with compressor-based A/C units, do not introduce allergens or humidity to the cooling air (because there is no direct contact between indoor air and the chilled water), and do not require large air flow through the interior spaces of the building. In addition, evaporative chillers integrate well with typical HVAC practices in that the location of the chiller unit is flexible and existing ductwork can be utilized. Evaporative chillers are also compatible with radiant cooling technologies that are gaining acceptance in some areas.
Even in light of these advantages, evaporative chillers have not been widely used for cooling in the residential market. There are at least two main reasons that evaporative chillers are not attractive to home owners and residential builders. Depending on the wet bulb temperature, evaporative chillers often will not be able to cool the flowing coolant or water to a low enough temperature to effectively cool a building or interior space. Evaporative chillers may be seen as an unnecessary expense or an expense that will require many years to recoup based on potential energy savings. The costs associated with an evaporative chiller may be particularly unpalatable if a backup A/C system is still required to handle higher loads or to cool on hotter days. Thus, the ability of an evaporative chiller to more effectively lower the water temperature relative to the ambient wet bulb temperature is key to the success of such cooling systems.
Two-stage evaporative coolers have also been developed. These units combine both an indirect and a direct evaporative cooling stage to generate air that can sometimes reach the ambient wet bulb temperature or below. This is achieved by lowering the wet bulb temperature of the ambient air by first passing it through the indirect stage (in which no humidity is added). The second, direct evaporative cooling stage adds humidity and further reduces the air temperature. Lower air temperatures mean that these coolers can provide the required level of cooling under a wider range of ambient conditions and geographical areas than typical swamp coolers. Unfortunately, because these two-stage coolers still produce chilled air (rather than water) many of the disadvantages of swamp coolers still apply. This, along with the complexity and cost of two-stage coolers, has prevented their rapid market penetration. In theory, the two-stage designs could be adapted to produce water rather than air (by utilizing the water in the sump). Besides the cost and complexity factors, this approach has at least two disadvantages compared to the system described in the present invention. First, the two-stage cooler used as a water chiller will exhaust cooled air to the ambient environment, thus wasting cooling power and increasing water consumption. Second, the theoretical temperature to which water can be cooled is not as low as in the present invention. That is because the first (indirect) stage can only reduce the air temperature to the ambient wet bulb temperature (and typically higher in practice), whereas in the present invention the use of cooled exhaust air to cool the incoming air makes possible pre-cooling air to below the wet bulb temperature. Others have described chiller designs based on recycling exhaust air from the chiller to pre-cool incoming air. However, those designs do not take advantage of the "gradient chilling" concept of the present invention (explained below) that allows further reduction of water temperatures.
Hence, there remains a need for cooling systems that are more energy efficient and preferably that more effectively implement evaporative cooling to cool buildings or interior spaces within a residence or commercial structure. Preferably, such cooling systems would include an evaporative chiller that is designed to provide improved levels of cooling with low energy consumption and that would be adapted for use in the residential or housing market as well as in commercial settings.

Sub-wet bulb evaporative chiller with pre-cooling of incoming air flow


To accomplish a web transfer, which in reliability is comparable to the one obtained with a closed draw, in any operating environment, but especially where it is desirable to transfer a fast running tissue web (4) from the drying section of a tissue machine, e.g., a Yankee dryer (2), to a reel-up (3), a web support device (10) extends across the width of the web (4) and along a predetermined run of the web support device has a support surface (11) formed by a series of plate member assemblies (23) having means for creating a flow of air in the direction of the web run. Between the web (4) and the support surface (11) the flow of air forms an air layer (15) of reduced static pressure, so as to stabilize the web (4) against flutter. The predetermined run may extend through a calender (7) and past scanner equipment (8). Pneumatic tail threading capabilities may be included.

The present invention relates generally to a method of and an apparatus for transferring a fast running ready-dried fibrous web having two longitudinal edges from one device and along a predetermined run to a subsequent device for performing an act or operation on the web. In a typical installation, the apparatus is installed downstream of a drying section of a papermaking machine, or in association with a rewinder or in a converting plant, for example.
One embodiment of the invention relates specifically to an apparatus for transferring a fast running ready-dried tissue web having two longitudinal edges from a drying section of a tissue paper making machine and along a predetermined run to a reel-up.
In this context, the term "tissue paper" is intended to include any grade of "soft crepe paper" or other paper for sanitary purposes, whether creped or not when used by a consumer.
The performance of a tissue machine is often limited by its dry end. Generally, the difference between a tissue machine with high efficiency and one with low efficiency is mainly caused by the performance of the dry end. In the dry end, several causes may result in web breaks, and the produced web may be partially rejected for unsatisfactory quality. However, with good control of the whole paper making process and use of the latest dry end technology it is possible to run a machine at both high speed and high machine efficiency.
The main factors affecting dry end machine efficiency are lost time with no paper on the reel, and the amount of paper rejected at paper breaks. On most high speed machines the paper web roll is kicked out at a paper break, because it is difficult to make a turn-up on a half size roll, and if the roll is small, the roll is rejected. Having this in mind, the dry end machine efficiency can be split up as follows.
Dry End Machine Efficiency:
Creping blade changes
Paper breaks including rejected paper in kicked out roll
Tail threading failures
Turn-up failures
Dry end cleaning (to avoid web breaks caused by dirt falling down)
Lost process control
Roll top waste and roll bottom waste
Roll bottom waste is caused by the paper web adjacent the reel spool having to be rejected and, similarly, roll top waste relates to the paper lost at the top of the roll during the kick-out phase, and/or by taking samples for testing and/or roll handling after the tissue machine.
In an efficiently operated machine, the threading of a new tail, after creping doctor blade changes and web breaks, does not take more than a few seconds. If the threader is out of adjustment, several minutes can be lost during each attempt to thread. Paper may plug the tail chutes and time consuming cleaning of the whole dry end may be required. The air chute threader is considered the most efficient and safest threader. There, the tail is transferred by compressed air in chutes, substantially as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,390 (Dixon), for example. Pneumatic tail threaders of other than chute type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,999,696 and 4,014,487 (both Rehn et al.) and 4,923,567 (Liedes et al.).
The tail threaders may be mounted outside of any web stabilizers. Web stabilizers or flutter suppressors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,321,107 (Page) and 3,650,043 (Overly et al.), for example. The design of the leading edge of a flat sheet stabilizer must be such that the boundary layer of air entrained by the web can escape on the top side of the stabilizer when the stabilizer is located above the predetermined run of the web. To maintain web control and prevent wrinkles, breaks and foldovers, the web tension must oppose the forces from disturbing air currents. Such currents originate from the machine room, the boundary layer of air, and the rotating rolls of the paper machine. The heat convection air flows are another source of disturbing air currents in the dry end.

Method of and a device for transferring running dried web from one device to a subsequent device