An antenna assembly for an active electronically scanned array includes, among other things: an array of antenna elements; an RF signal feed and circulator assembly coupled to said antenna elements and forming thereby an array of radiating structures; a generally planar RF manifold assembly having regularly spaced openings therein located behind and normal to the radiating structures; an array of T/R modules connected to the array of radiating structures and having respective RF connector assemblies forming a portion of an RF interface at one end portion of each of the modules which project upwardly through said spaced openings in the RF manifold and wherein the respective connector assemblies thereof connect to at least one immediately adjacent circulator as well as to transmit and receive manifold portions of the RF manifold; each of the T/R modules further have a heat sink plate on the back side thereof which is positioned against one of a number of elongated liquid coolant circulating coldplates connected to a coolant distribution manifold encircling the array; a DC power and logic signal distribution manifold; and, a plurality of elongated DC/logic circuit board members connected to the DC power and logic signal distribution manifold and being respectively located adjacent and coextensive with a respective coldplate for supplying DC power and logic control signals to a DC/logic interface located at the other end portion of the respective modules.

This invention relates generally to antenna assemblies for pulse radar systems and more particularly to an antenna assembly for an active electronically scanned array, also known as an active aperture.
In a typical active aperture for a pulsed radar system, a large number of transmit/receive (T/R) circuits are arranged in a predetermined configuration and connected to an array of forwardly located radiator elements which collectively transmit and receive a beam of RF pulses to and from a target. The beam is typically energized, shaped and directed in azimuth and in elevation under the control of a beam steering controller assembly which forms part of the system.
In a phased array, the radar system sequentially generates RF transmit pulses which are distributed by means of a transmit manifold and microwave power generating circuitry to the array antenna elements. Between transmitted pulses, the radar system receives and processes successive return signals from the same antenna elements. The return signals are then processed and collected through a receive manifold and then processed in the radar system receiver circuitry for target identification and/or display.
In the transmit mode, a microwave transmit circuit in the T/R circuit operates on each RF pulse which is generated and fed to the transmit manifold, and thereafter controls the amplitude and phase of the RF pulse coupled to the antenna elements via a circulator device, a device well known in the art. In the receive mode, a microwave receive circuit in the T/R circuit, operates on each radar return signal coupled from the antenna elements via the circulator to control its amplitude and phase and which is then applied to the receive manifold where the signals are collected from all of the T/R circuits and fed back to RF demodulator circuitry in the system. Accordingly, one transmit circuit and one receive circuit form one transmit/receive channel.
Although transmit and receive circuits embodying a single T/R channel are known to have been fabricated in both separate and common modular packages, in the above-referenced application Ser. No. 09/158,829, (BD-98-012) entitled, "A Dual Channel Microwave Transmit/Receive Module For An Active Aperture Of A Radar System", there is disclosed a dual channel T/R module wherein two discrete T/R signal channels are implemented side by side in a common modular package.
The subject invention is directed to an antenna assembly which can accommodate such a dual channel and other like shaped T/R modules.

Antenna assembly including dual channel microwave transmit/receive modules


Aspects of the present invention provide a high capacity electrochemical cell having an anode, a cathode, and a separator disposed between the anode and cathode. The cathode includes a mixture having a first component, a second component and a third component. The first component includes a first element, the second component includes a second element, and the third component includes the first element and the second element. The mixture can, for instance, be a mixed metal oxide. The separator is configured to provide suitable ionic transport between the anode and the cathode.

Alkaline electrochemical cells are typically configured as elongated cylindrical cells (e.g., AA-, AAA-, C- and D-size cells) or as flat cells (e.g., prismatic cells and button cells). Primary alkaline cells include a negative electrode (anode), a positive electrode (cathode), an electrolyte, a separator, a positive current collector and a negative current collector. The cathode of a conventional primary alkaline electrochemical cell comprises manganese dioxide (MnO2) and a conducting carbonaceous material, typically graphite, such as synthetic, natural, or expanded graphite or mixtures thereof as widely recognized in the art in a mixture wetted with an aqueous alkaline electrolyte such as potassium hydroxide. In cylindrical cells, the cathode mixture is compressed into annular rings and stacked in the battery can or the mixture may be extruded directly into the can, which serves as the positive current collector.
The anode of a primary alkaline cell generally comprises zinc or zinc alloy particles of various dimensions and shapes disposed in an alkaline electrolyte, such as potassium hydroxide, along with gelling agents such as carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and other additives such as surfactants. A negative current collector, usually a brass pin or nail, is placed in electrical contact with the gelled anode. A separator placed between the electrodes enables ions, but not electrons, to transfer between the cathode and anode while preventing the materials from directly contacting each other and creating an electrical short circuit. Conventionally, the separator is a porous, non-woven, fibrous material wetted with electrolyte. The separator is typically disposed radially inwardly of the cathode. Other aspects of a conventional alkaline cell are well known.
With the successful commercialization of these primary cells in the marketplace, new approaches to designing cells with long service life, acceptable shelf life, and voltage characteristics that operate common portable devices continue to be developed.
However, the low density of the manganese dioxide material and its consumption of water during the discharge reaction of conventional zinc manganese dioxide alkaline electrochemical cells (requiring the designer to provide the necessary water) limits the amount of space available for the zinc anode (which determines the service life), thereby leading to relatively low volumetric energy density. A recognized alternative cathode material is copper oxide, which has a high material density, does not consume any net water in the 2 electron discharge reaction, has a flat discharge curve, high volumetric energy density, and little volume expansion upon discharge. Although it appears to be an excellent candidate for a long service life battery, the operating voltage of conventional batteries having a zinc anode and a copper oxide cathode is unfortunately no more than approximately 1.05V, too low to operate modern day electronic devices at reasonable current drains. At any substantial device current drain, conventional copper oxide batteries can fall significantly below 1V, rendering the electronic device largely inoperable.


An electron beam source includes a cathode having an electron emission surface including an active area for emission of electrons and a cathode shield assembly including a conductive shield disposed in proximity to the electron emission surface of the cathode. The shield has an opening aligned with the active area. The electron beam source further includes a device for stimulating emission of electrons from the active area of the cathode, electron optics for forming the electrons into an electron beam and a vacuum enclosure for maintaining the cathode at high vacuum. The cathode may be a negative electron affinity photocathode formed on a light-transmissive substrate. The shield protects non-emitting areas of the emission surface from contamination and inhibits cathode materials from contaminating components of the electron beam source. The cathode may be moved relative to the opening in the shield so as to align an new active area with the opening. Getter materials and sources of activation material may be incorporated into the shield assembly.

High resolution electron beam systems include scanning electron microscopes, defect detection tools, VLSI testing tools and mask making and wafer exposure tools. In general, these systems include an electron source and electron optics for accelerating the electrons into an electron beam and focusing the electrons onto a target. These systems require an electron source with a high brightness and a small source size. Field emission electron sources have frequently been used in high resolution electron beam systems.
Negative electron affinity (NEA) photocathode electron sources have been proposed in the prior art. A negative electron affinity photocathode includes a semiconductor, usually a III-V compound such as gallium arsenide, heavily p-doped so as to raise the conduction band relative to the Fermi level. The semiconductor surface is coated with an activation layer a few monolayers thick, which lowers the work function so that the conduction band in the bulk is above the vacuum level, a condition of negative electron affinity. When electrons are excited by light energy into the conduction band within a diffusion length (typically a few micrometers) of the surface, many of them will diffuse to the surface where they will have a high probability of escaping into the vacuum, as described by R. L. Bell in Negative Electron Affinity Devices, Clarendon Press, New York, 1973.
In operation, a small diameter light beam illuminates an active area of the cathode, causing electrons to be emitted. Typically, a high brightness electron source is achieved by providing a small active emission area on the cathode. The active emission area is usually small in comparison with the total area of the emission surface of the cathode. Cathodes of this type, wherein electrons are emitted from a relatively small active area of a relatively large area cathode, are referred to herein as broad area cathodes.
In many cases, a broad area cathode is highly sensitive to contamination and may provide only limited lifetime when exposed to the many sources of contamination in an electron beam source. The replacement of a cathode in an electron beam system is frequently a lengthy, risky process, so that longer periods of operation with a cathode represent a significant technical advantage.
In a high vacuum or ultra high vacuum system, contamination of a cathode can arise from several sources, including: (1) normal outgassing, consisting of desorption of gases from surfaces within the system and diffusion of gases from the interior of objects in the system; (2) electron-stimulated desorption in which electrons striking a surface causes gases to be released, both as ions and as neutral particles; and (3) backstreaming of gases from parts of the system at poorer vacuum levels. In an electron beam column, all three of these sources create gases that may contaminate the cathode. The emission surface of the cathode cannot be completely physically shielded from the sources of contamination, because the electrons must pass from the emitting area to the column. It is possible to create electric fields that block most ions from reaching the cathode. It is also possible to use a sector magnet in the electron beam column to eliminate line-of-sight between the cathode and most sources of neutral contaminants. However, both approaches, particularly the sector magnet, add considerable complexity and expense to the system.
A further problem with NEA photocathodes relates to the cesium that is typically used to activate the photocathode surface. Cesium that migrates from the cathode to other parts of the electron beam column facilitates electrical breakdown of insulators and lowers the work functions of almost all materials, thereby increasing the risk of vacuum electrical breakdown between electrodes at different voltages.
Prior art electron beam columns have utilized an anode with a fairly large opening directly over the cathode. However, because of the voltage applied and the limitations on the maximum electric field that can be applied, the anode-cathode distance is such that very little shielding from the cathode from the column is effected and, in any case, the cathode is not protected from arcs, ions, gases released by ions, dark current and electrons emitted due to stray light. Furthermore, any cesium or other activating material is not contained in the region around the cathode surface, and insulators are not protected.
A scanned electron beam system, including an electron beam source using an NEA activated photoemitter as the cathode, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,927 issued Apr. 11, 1989 to Langner et al. In the disclosed electron source, the anode is located directed above the cathode, so that a strong positive field is applied to non-emitting areas of the cathode. The non-emitting areas are exposed to virtually the same contamination as the emitting area. Electron beam sources utilizing photocathodes are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,831 issued Jul. 17, 1984 to Oettinger et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,392 issued Nov. 13, 1990 to Oettinger et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,862 issued Aug. 13, 1991 to Smith et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,894 issued Mar. 6, 1990 to Miyawaki et al.
In the disclosed electron sources, the emitting and non-emitting areas of the cathode are exposed to contamination, and components of the electron beam source, such as insulators and electrode surfaces, may be contaminated by cathode materials. It is desirable to provide electron beam sources wherein these problems and disadvantages are overcome.

Electron sources having shielded cathodes

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Jr. University


A robot for making coffee and a method for controlling the same are provided to couple or decouple a portafilter to or from an espresso machine without damage to the espresso machine or the portafilter due to a collision between the espresso machine and the portafilter. The robot includes a robot arm to move with a predetermined degree of freedom, a gripper provided in the robot arm to grip a portafilter, a torque sensor provided in the robot arm to detect repulsive force (Fr) when the portafilter makes contact with a group head of an espresso machine, and a controller configured to set a virtual spring having a predetermined elastic modulus (C) based on the repulsive force (Fr) detected by the torque sensor, and to control driving torque (T) of the robot arm depending on the restoring force (Fe) of the virtual spring.

The present disclosure relates to a robot for making coffee that is capable of coupling or detaching a portafilter to or from an espresso machine without damage due to a collision between the espresso machine and the portafilter and a method for the same.
Recently, with the development of robotic technology and artificial intelligence technology, many robots that are able to similarly mimic human behaviors have been developed. For example, a robot for making coffee has been introduced to rapidly make the coffee.
Korean Patent Registration No. 897984 discloses a machine for automatically making drip coffee and tea.
The apparatus includes a hopper to receive coffee powders and formed at a lower portion thereof with an extraction port, a dripper provided at an upper portion of the hopper, having an end portion provided in the hopper to supply water, and performing linear movement and rotational movement in a predetermined section, a driving unit coupled to the dripper to transfer driving force to the dripper and to move the dripper, and a controller to perform a control operation to operate the driving unit depending on preset modes such that the dripper supplies water into the hopper while performing the linear movement and the rotational movement. The controller controls a first transfer shaft motor and a second transfer motor such that a dripper head rotates in a spiral shape.
Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1963657 (filed on Aug. 16, 2018) discloses a container supplying and packaging device for a beverage making apparatus, in which a beverage made by the beverage making apparatus may be discharged to a discharge unit as a transfer robot mounted at the upper center of a body operates.
The apparatus includes a container supply unit through which a can or a storage container is clamped and drawn out by a finger of a transport robot within the operating radius of the transport robot, and a lid coupling unit including a can machine or a receiving container to close, with a lid, and seal the can or the storage container provided from the container supply unit in the state that the beverage is contained in the can or the storage container.
According to the above-described related arts, dripping automatically proceeds, and a separate transfer robot may automatically supply the cup and close the lid.
Further, when applying the above transfer robot, a robot arm may extract coffee from the espresso machine by gripping the portafilter and coupling or decoupling the portafilter to or from the group head of the espresso machine.
However, according to the related art, when the portafilter gripped by the robot arm is coupled to the group head of the espresso machine, the robot or the espresso machine may be damaged due to collision therebetween.

Robot for making coffee and method for controlling the same


A plasticating screw having a main channel defined by a helical flight disposed within and cooperating with an inner-wall of a heated barrel. The screw has a longitudinal portion with a plurality of staggered rows of noncontinuous advancing grooves arranged in the main channel thereof. The axis of each row of advancing grooves being substantially parallel to the helical axis of the adjacent helical flight of the longitudinal portion. A noncontinuous helical channel is formed therein traversing in a reverse direction, compared with the direction of the helical flight, the channel having a plurality of retracting grooves. Each retracting groove cuts through at least one pass of the main channel of the longitudinal portion, including the advancing grooves therein, and intersects and passes through the helical flight at least once, so that molten resin can back flow and re-circulate therethrough.

This invention relates to plasticating using a screw rotatable within a barrel to extrude or inject molten resinous material. More particularly, this invention relates to a longitudinal portion of the screw designed to recirculate material for thorough mixing and melting.
A plasticating apparatus commonly used today receives polymer or thermoplastic resin pellets, granules or powders, from an inlet port, then heats and works the resin to convert it into a melted or molten state. The melt or molten material is delivered under pressure through a restricted outlet or discharge port to make the finished article. It is desirable that the molten material leaving the apparatus be completely melted and homogeneously mixed, resulting in uniform temperature, viscosity, color and composition.
The basic plasticating apparatus includes an elongated cylindrical barrel which usually is heated at various locations along its length. An axially supported and rotating screw extends longitudinally through the barrel. The screw is responsible for forwarding, melting, pressurizing and homogenizing the material as it passes from the inlet port to the outlet port. The screw has a core with a helical flight thereon and the flight cooperates with the cylindrical inner surface of the barrel to define a helical valley for forward passage of the resin to the outlet port.
Since there are several different types of thermoplastic resins or polymers, and with each having different physical properties and characteristics, there are different screw configurations. In general, however, the typical plasticating screw has a plurality of sections along its extended axis with each section being designed for a particular function. Ordinarily, there is a feed section, a transition section and a metering section in series. In the art, the transition section has been referred to interchangeably as the intermediate, compression or melt section.
The feed section extends forward from the inlet port of feed opening where solid thermoplastic resins, in pellet, granular or powder form, are introduced into the apparatus and pushed forward by the screw along the inside of the barrel. The resin is then worked and heated in the transition section so that melting occurs. After approximately 40 to 80 percent of the resin has been melted, solid bed breakup occurs, and solids become randomly dispersed within the melt. It is important to note that most melting initially occurring in the transition section takes place at or near the heat source of the barrel. Then, melting and mixing become enhanced as solids subsequently become broken up, redistributed and dispersed within the melt. To assure a homogeneous melt, therefore, it is important that the transition section enhances turbulent flow, as opposed to laminar flow, so that all the resin comes within the heating vicinity of the barrel or is dispersed within the melt. Otherwise, the presence of minute unmelted resin particles will appear in the finished article.
Typically the transition section has a decreased root depth of the helical valley, as compared with the feed section, to reflect the volume reduction due to melting of the feed and the elimination of air spaces between the solid particles. The transition section leads to the metering section. The metering section, as one of its intended functions, provides a constant flow of molten material toward the outlet port. In addition, it is important that the metering section melt any unmelted solids and mix and maintain the molten resin in a homogeneous and uniform composite until discharged through the outlet port.
The melting and mixing functions are enhanced by using screw configurations which increase the compression and shearing force applied to the resin by the screw. Compression and shearing increase turbulence, tumbling and mixing of material, resulting in increased homogeneity. The process also converts mechanical energy to thermal energy, resulting in a temperature rise of the material. While higher shear rates provide better mixing, the higher temperature resulting therefrom can cause excessive degradation of the resin or cause processing problems downstream of the screw. A wide variety of plasticating screws of different designs have been developed, therefore, to address this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,143 discloses an improvement in plasticating screws with a portion in at least one of the sections of a typical apparatus having a plurality of discrete grooves arranged in a noncontinuous helix cut into the root of the screw, within and preferably parallel to the helical valley. The grooves cooperate with the helical flight in advancing the molten resin forward along the longitudinal axis of the apparatus towards an outlet port and are dimensioned to receive the resin in a manner whereby appropriate shear force is applied where needed. The resin passes down the helical path flowing from groove to groove in random fashion, which enhances mixing. Molten resin easily flows forward through the advancing grooves, where it is subjected to lower shear forces, while unmelted solids flow over grooves and barrier lands with proportionately higher shear forces than in the grooves alone. As a result, these higher shear forces are intended to break up the residual solid materials, increase temperature to help with the melting process and enhance mixing to allow for the transfer of heat by conduction.
Although this configuration may satisfy many general needs, thermal and composite mixing can be improved even more for various thermoplastic resin and polymer materials by having a novel longitudinally cylindrical or tapered portion that allows for a continuous back flow and recycling of molten material. The objective of the present invention is to substantially improve on prior screw designs by providing a plasticating screw having a modified longitudinal melting and chaotic mixing portion. At the same time this invention permits greater temperature control to avoid the overheating or degradation of the resin. Ultimately, the primary objective of the instant invention is to homogeneously mix select resins, resulting in a completely molten material having uniform temperature, viscosity, color and composition.
The present invention provides an improvement in a plasticating apparatus having a heated barrel with an axial length wherein solid material is introduced through an inlet port and exits as molten material through an outlet port of the barrel. The heated barrel has an inner-wall and a screw rotatably supported therein. The screw further comprises at least one helical flight extending along its length to define a helical channel with the inner-wall.
Said screw typically comprises at least a feed section cooperating with said inlet port, an intermediate melt section, and a metering section cooperating with said outlet port. A longitudinal portion is included in at least one of said sections of the screw, having a plurality of noncontinuous advancing grooves with a closed-ended arranged in said helical channel. The advancing grooves are dimensioned to receive said material therein as the material is being conveyed toward the outlet port. The improvement herein comprises a plurality of noncontinuous retracting grooves traversing the axial length of the longitudinal portion of the screw in a reverse direction as compared with the helical direction of said flight. Each retracting groove passes through the helical flight at least once so that molten resin can back flow, recirculate and chaotically mix within the longitudinal portion of the instant invention.
In accordance therewith, the melting and mixing functions of the screw are enhanced, while better controlling the temperature within the plasticating apparatus. The instant invention further reduces resin degradation and increases uniformity of the temperature, viscosity, color and composition of the molten material ultimately discharged downstream. Many other objectives and features of the present invention will be obvious to those of skill in the art upon contemplation of the entire disclosure herein in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Apparatus for plasticating thermoplastics


A battery pack is disclosed. The battery pack includes a battery; a current detecting unit which detects charging and discharging currents of the battery and outputs an analog signal corresponding to the charging and discharging currents; a modulating unit which modulates the analog signal to be a PDM (pulse density modulation) signal by applying a PDM modulation to the analog signal; a memory in which a conversion program for converting the PDM signal into PCM (pulse code modulation) data and a remaining battery charge calculating program for calculating a remaining battery charge by accumulating the PCM data are stored; and a CPU, which converts the PDM signal into the PCM data which are digital data by being supplied the PDM signal from the modulating unit while executing the conversion program stored in the memory, and calculates the remaining battery charge by accumulating the PCM data while executing the remaining battery charge calculating program stored in the memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery pack which measures a remaining battery charge.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, lithium-ion batteries have been loaded in mobile devices, for example, a digital still camera. In the lithium-ion battery, generally, it may be difficult to detect a remaining battery charge by its voltage. In order to detect the remaining battery charge of the battery, there is a method in which charging and discharging currents in the battery are accumulated (refer to Patent Document 1).
Since a current is consumed even if the lithium-ion battery is detached from the mobile device, a user needs a detector that detects the remaining battery charge by accumulating the charging and discharging currents of the lithium-ion battery, a regulator/protection circuit, and so on which are contained in a case as a battery pack.
In the detector, analog signals such as current values are converted into PCM (pulse code modulation) data which are digital values formed of multi bits, and the PCM data are accumulated. Consequently, an analog-to-digital converter is required to convert detected charging and discharging currents of the lithium-ion battery into the PCM data (refer to Patent Documents 2 and 3).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-174534
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-102925
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-204267
Recently, the battery pack has been required to be small sized corresponding to the miniaturization of the mobile device. However, the circuit size of an analog-to-digital converter is large; therefore, it is difficult to install the detector in a small sized battery pack.


A method for determining a mixture composition of a plurality of fluorescent materials includes steps of calculating a first function, calculating a second function and determining a secondary mixture composition of the plurality of fluorescent materials. The first function is calculated by comparing an objective spectrum of an objective light with a reference spectrum of a reference light. The second function is calculated by comparing a primary spectrum of the plurality of fluorescent materials mixed at a primary mixture with the reference spectrum composition. The secondary mixture composition is determined on the basis of the result of comparison between the first function and the second function.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for determining a mixture composition of fluorescent materials and a method for manufacturing a light-emitting device including fluorescent materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in the field of, for example, illumination, a light-emitting device including a light-emitting chip, such as a light-emitting diode, has been developed. In general, the light-emitting chip used in the field of illumination emits blue light or ultraviolet light. A light emitter capable of converting the wavelength of light emitted from the light-emitting chip has been developed to achieve light desired by users (objective light). The light emitter includes a plurality of fluorescent materials that are excited by light emitted from the light-emitting chip.

Method for determining mixture composition of fluorescent materials and method for manufacturing light-emitting device


A swing clamp detachably clamped onto the frame of a vertical artist's canvas structure. A hand bridge releasably mounted on the clamp, and movable relative to the art surface, for resting the hand thereon, and also for detachably holding a pallet. The hand bridge can also be used, independently, in placing it above a horizontal art surface, for resting the hand. A pallet can be detachably mounted on the hand bridge and slid therealong and also rotated thereon. The pallet can also be used independently for holding by the hand, by means of a handle entirely under the pallet board.

The invention resides in the broad field of tools and instruments for artists, both in using paints, i.e., paste or liquid, or in drawing, i.e., using pencil or charcoal, not pasty or liquid. Various difficulties and obstacles have been encountered by artists in both of these subfields and the present invention is directed to overcoming those difficulties and obstacles. The invention is embodied in several independent tools or items, that some of which can be utilized independently and alone, and they may also be used in certain circumstances in an assembly. For convenience, the individual tools or items may be referred to collectively, as apparatus, or device.
Difficulties encountered heretofore, include the following:
A. Hand contact with the art surface. PA1 B. Hand contact with the pallet. PA1 C. Steadiness, or lack of steadiness, in the painting/drawing hand. PA1 D. Positioning of the pallet relative to the art surface, vertically arranged, when mounted in the apparatus.
A. When painting or drawing, upon a horizontal surface such as a drawing board or table top, the artist's hand tends to smudge the material that was already applied to the art surface, and this was true whether the mediums were wet such as paints, inks, or dry, such as graphite, pastels, etc. Also oils and sweat from the hands may soil the art surface. In this step, both the art surface, and the artist's hand, were affected. Among the steps taken heretofore to overcome such a problem included placing a piece of paper on the drawing to act as a barrier between the working hand and the art surface, but the difficulties involved in this step are quite obvious, including as a principal one, smearing of the art surface.
An object of the invention is to provide means for overcoming this difficulty, which includes a hand bridge which may be utilized for spacing the hand from the art surface in the act of drawing or painting upon a horizontal art surface.
B. In the use of pallets known heretofore, very generally a hole was provided in the pallet for the user to extend his thumb through it, and the thumb engaged the upper surface of the pallet in holding it. This was objectionable for several reasons, a main one of which is that many paints and related mediums are toxic, and the user often encountered adverse conditions resulting from engagement with such mediums. As a less serious difficulty, the pallet was difficult to hold in the desired position, because it could be gripped in only a single manner.
Another important object of the invention is to provide a pallet with a special construction enabling it to be held by the hand by means of a handle on the back side of the pallet, so that the pallet may be held as desired and without the hand engaging any of the paint or other mediums on the pallet. Additionally this same handle enables the pallet to be mounted or incorporated in the complete apparatus or assembly, for a purpose referred to in "D" above. Still further, the pallet is provided with an arrangement, including a hole therethrough, for extending brushes and pencils therethrough for grasping by the hand of the user, on the underside of the pallet, while enabling these brushes and pencils to extend above the top surface of the pallet to enable the user to quickly grasp them and manipulate them.
C. It is well known that steadiness, or lack of steadiness, in the hand is an extremely great factor in art work. This steadiness factor is involved both in the immediate act of applying a medium to the art surface, and in the overall condition of the hand, such as fatigue or weariness. Q The present invention overcomes this problem to a great extent, by means of a novel hand bridge. This hand bridge may be used alone, independently of the other tools, or it may be used in the assembly or combination of all of the tools. As a separate item, it can be placed over the top of the art surface and the hand in resting on it, is held spaced from the art surface, eliminating smearing. It may be placed in any of several different positions for providing variable and different heights above the art surface, for using brushes, or pencils, respectively, which require holding at different positions, relative to the art surface.
Additionally, this same hand bridge can be incorporated with another component of the apparatus, the swing clamp, and when so mounted, it can be moved relative to the vertical art surface for producing the desired spacing of the hand from the art surface. In the use of the hand bridge in this manner, it may be compared with the manner in which Norman Rockwell painted, i.e., he used a rod having one end bearing on the art surface and the other end held in his hand. However, in that case, the rod was unattached and loose, and was correspondingly rather difficult to hold and manipulate, and there may not be a convenient and clear spot on which to rest the rod. In contrast to that, the hand bridge in the present case is mounted in the apparatus, free of the user's support, and is very convenient and can be easily positioned relative to the art surface both as to location within the bounds thereof and as to spacing therefrom. The arrangement accommodates great versatility of the artist.
D. Heretofore it has been difficult to position the pallet relative to the art surface, in the act of painting. When the artist held the pallet in one hand, he was handicapped to an extent, in that since one hand was occupied in holding the panel, the artist was not free to use both hands for various manipulations. In the present case, in the complete assembly or apparatus, the hand bridge is mounted in a clamp, and the pallet is mounted on the hand bridge, leaving both hands of the artist free. The hand bridge is mounted for movement relative to the art surface, and accordingly the pallet can be positioned relative to the art surface both as to spacing therefrom, and positioning it at various locations at the art surface. Heretofore when a pallet was not held in the hand, it may have been set on a separate piece of furniture, or mounted at the bottom of the art surface and in the case of a large painting, the artist necessarily had to move about, such as bending over and straightening up, or stepping, to reach the pallet and the art surface in the act of painting.
Another feature in this phase of the invention, is that the pallet when mounted on the hand bridge, is so mounted that it is rotatable about a vertical axis, so that the artist may place different mediums at different locations on the periphery of the pallet, and then move the pallet, rotationally, to place the desired medium, such as a particular color, adjacent the location on the art surface, providing a great convenience in minimum movement of the hand between the medium and the art surface.


A valve assembly for insertion in a pipe containing fluid under pressure includes a valve body adapted to be assembled over the pipe and a valve-stopping mechanism that mounts on the valve body. The hollow valve body interior and an access opening in the valve body are sufficiently large to receive a hole saw element no smaller than the outside diameter of the pipe as installers advance the hole saw element radially through the access opening to form a gap in the pipe. The valve-stopping mechanism includes a gate with a cross sectional area greater than the pipe that mates with the valve body interior so that the gate can be advanced radially through the gap in the pipe into direct fluid-tight contact of the valve body in order to thereby stop the flow of fluid through the pipe.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to procedures and equipment for stopping an existing water, sewer, gas, or other line containing fluid under pressure, and more particularly to a valve assembly and installation method for inserting a valve in a line without otherwise shutting down the line during the insertion.
2. Description of Related Art
The task of inserting a valve in a line containing fluid under pressure (e.g., a municipal water line or natural gas line) without otherwise shutting down the line during the insertion can be expensive, inconvenient, and time consuming. Yet the need to do so is commonplace. Damaged fire hydrants, for example, frequently need replacement and doing so quickly in a cost-effective manner often involves shutting down water service while a valve is inserted in a water line branch feeding the fire hydrant.
One existing way of inserting a valve into a fire hydrant water line or other line without shutting down service proceeds by cutting a hole in the pipe with a known type of hot-tapping hole saw apparatus. A valving apparatus is then added that forces a rubber plunger into the hole. The rubber plunger expands enough to block the line. Withdrawing the plunger unblocks the line.
One problem with the rubber plunger technique is that success of the valving apparatus depends on the internal size and condition of the pipe. In addition, an old, corroded or otherwise damaged and weakened pipe is subject to being broken. Furthermore, pushing a plug through a tapped hole subjects the rubber gate to being cut by the sharp edges of the hole cut in the pipe each time the gate is opened and closed. For those and other reasons that will become more apparent, users need a better way to insert a valve in a water line or other line containing fluid under pressure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A transport trolley for consignments having wheels which define a contact plane for moving the trolley, having a load compartment for receiving consignments during transport, and having a shelf for carrying consignments. The shelf can be adjusted from a lower non-use position arranged in the load compartment into an upper, moderate use position arranged outside the load compartment, and back. The shelf can be adjusted from a lower non-use position arranged in the load compartment into an upper, elevated use position arranged outside the load compartment, and back. The moderate use position and the elevated use position are arranged in a range between 1.0 m and 1.7 m above the contact plane. The elevated use position is arranged above the moderate use position, and a drive is provided for at least partially adjusting the height of the shelf above the contact plane.

Transport trolleys for consignments have been known in different embodiments for a long time. The transport trolleys have a load compartment, in which the consignments to be transported can be received and can be protected against external influences, such as rain or unauthorized access. In order that the consignments can be transported in a sorted state, some transport trolleys have shelves, on which the consignments can be deposited directly or in boxes. For moving the transport trolleys, they usually have four wheels. The contact points of the wheels with the underlying surface define a contact plane of the respective transport trolley, which contact plane can correspond to the underlying surface of the transport trolley but does not have to.
The consignments can be piece goods, repackaged goods, packages, letters, newspapers, magazines and/or the like. There is fundamentally no restriction with regard to the size and the weight of the consignments; in particular, consignments of the type which can be lifted, carried and handed over by one person without further aids are meant, however. This allows a person who can be a consignment deliverer to hand over, in particular deliver, the consignments which are carried in the transport trolley at defined locations which can be delivery locations. In the cases, in particular, in which the consignments are package consignments and/or letter consignments, this is as a rule called delivering and not merely handing over, even if there do not have to be any significant content-related differences here.
In the past, the transport trolleys were usually configured as hand carts which were pulled or pushed by the consignment deliverer to the delivery locations, at which the consignments which were carried were to be handed over or delivered. Said hand carts were later replaced in part by transport trolleys which had a dedicated drive. It is then no longer necessary to pull or to push the transport trolley, in order to move it from one delivery location to another delivery location. The transport trolley has to be steered, however, by a person, for instance the consignment deliverer, in order that the transport trolley which is driven by motor finds its way to the next delivery location. Transport trolleys have even been described recently which can move autonomously from one delivery location to another delivery location.
At the delivery location, the consignment deliverer has to remove the consignment which is to be handed over at the respective delivery location from the load compartment of the transport trolley, in order to hand over the consignment. This can take up a not inconsiderable amount of time, however, precisely in the case of relatively small consignments or insufficiently labeled or insufficiently identified consignments. Since the consignment deliverer is as a rule under time pressure here, the incorrect consignment can easily be removed by accident, which incorrect consignment is then handed over at a location, at which the depositing of the consignment was not intended. In addition, a plurality of consignments can be intended for depositing at the same location. Precisely in the case of relatively small consignments or insufficiently labeled or insufficiently identified consignments, it can then easily occur that the consignment deliverer accidentally does not remove all the consignments from the load compartment of the transport trolley. This then leads to incomplete handing over of consignments at a defined location.
The present invention is therefore based on the object of configuring and developing the transport trolley and the method in each case of the type which was mentioned at the outset and has previously been described in greater detail, in such a way as to accelerate the handing over of consignments and to make it more reliable.

Transport trolley for consignments, and method for operating the transport trolley


A system and method for management of remote metadata-based activities while accessing electronic content via a local application. The system is configured to receive a user input that triggers a signal for communicating with a remote server. The remote server can provide options to the client system that are related to or based on metadata for the currently viewed electronic content. The disclosed system and method significantly improve efficiency and ease-of-use for document development and synchronization systems.

Cloud storage accounts allow users to store their electronic content items or files in an online storage account that can be accessed from any computing device with a network connection. Some more well-known examples of cloud storage service providers include Microsoft OneDrive®, Google Drive®, DropBox®, and Box®. Through these types of services, users can upload content items such as pictures, songs, documents, and other electronic content from a computing device to an online storage account. These items can later be accessed from different computing devices. In some cases, such as Microsoft's OneDrive®, the service offers a means of storing, syncing, and sharing a wide variety of file types with other people and across multiple computing devices, as well as the possibility of synchronizing system settings, visual customizations, themes, app settings and browser tabs, history and saved passwords for different devices.
Once content has been stored in the online storage account, users are able to access their content items. However, synchronizing the content items themselves can be time consuming. As one example, numerous content items can include large sets of data about the content item itself (e.g., metadata). Traditional content item synchronization methods are designed to convey the entirety of the content items (including metadata), which can lead to longer synchronization sessions and local memory storage. Thus, there remain significant areas for new and improved ideas for reducing time lags during synchronization of data as well as improving the experience for users to interact with data about a given document.

Remote access of metadata for collaborative documents


A piezoelectric actuator is disclosed. The piezoelectric actuator includes a base member and three or more piezoelectric element members in which plural piezoelectric elements are formed by slits. The three or more piezoelectric element members are arrayed in a line on the base member and a gap is formed at the connection position between two adjacent piezoelectric element members.

1. Technical Field
This discloses generally relates to a piezoelectric actuator and a manufacturing method thereof, a liquid ejecting head, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a printer, a facsimile, a copier, and an image forming apparatus having the above multiple functions, a liquid ejecting head ejects liquid (ink) droplets of recording liquid, adheres the recording liquid on a recording medium which is carried, and an image is formed on the recording medium.
In this case, the image forming apparatus includes an image recording apparatus, an image printing apparatus, a character writing apparatus, and so on; and forms an image on a recording medium formed of materials such as paper, cloth, leather, metal, glass, plastic, wood, ceramics, and so on. In the image forming, in addition to forming characters and pictures on the recording medium, pattern forming and so on are included.
As the liquid ejecting head, a piezoelectric type head which uses a piezoelectric actuator is well known. In the piezoelectric actuator, a piezoelectric element is used as a pressure generating unit which generates pressure to apply liquid (ink) in a liquid chamber, especially, a stacked type piezoelectric element in which piezoelectric layers and electrode layers are alternately stacked is used, and an elastically deformable vibration plate of which a wall of the liquid chamber is formed is deformed by displacement in the d33 direction or the d31 direction of the stacked type piezoelectric element. With this, the liquid ejecting head ejects liquid droplets by a change of the volume/the pressure of the liquid chamber caused by the deformation of the vibration plate.
In Patent Document 1, an inkjet head is disclosed. In the inkjet head, piezoelectric layers and internal electrodes are alternately stacked, and an individual side external electrode is formed at one side of the stacked body and a common side external electrode is formed at the other side of the stacked body; with this, a stacked type piezoelectric element (driving element block) is formed. By applying a groove forming process to the main part of the driving element block, plural drive sections (driving channels) are formed at the main part and non-drive sections are formed one at each side. Pressure is applied to liquid in a liquid chamber by using displacement in the d31 direction of the stacked type piezoelectric element and the common side external electrodes are disposed at the non-driving sections positioned at both ends in the arraying direction of the stacked type piezoelectric elements.
In Patent Document 2, a stacked type piezoelectric element using displacement in the d33 direction is disclosed. In the stacked type piezoelectric element, a groove forming process is applied to a piezoelectric element formed on a base plate and piezoelectric elements connecting to corresponding liquid chambers having a nozzle are formed.
In Patent Document 3, a line type inkjet head is disclosed. In the line type inkjet head, plural nozzle openings are arrayed on one nozzle plate, a piezoelectric element is disposed at each nozzle opening by processing plural bulk type piezoelectric elements, and a boundary between two adjacent bulk type piezoelectric elements is a part in which a gap is formed therebetween.
In Patent Document 4, a manufacturing method of an inkjet head is disclosed. In the inkjet head, plural liquid ejecting heads are connected.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 8-142325
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-250281
[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent No. 3156411
[Patent Document 4] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2000-351217
However, recently, an image forming apparatus (for example, an inkjet recording apparatus) has been required to perform high-speed printing. In order to satisfy the high-speed printing requirement, the liquid droplet ejecting frequency must be high or the number of nozzles must be large. When the liquid droplet ejecting frequency is high, a carriage for carrying the recording head must be moved at high speed, and a high power motor of the carriage must be accurately controlled. Consequently, in order to execute a stable ejection of liquid droplets at high frequency, the cost of the apparatus is increased.
When a long-length recording head is used for increasing the number of nozzles in the recording head having the piezoelectric actuator in Patent Documents 1 and 2, all the elements in the recording head must be long. Especially, a PZT (piezoelectric transducer) which is a typical piezoelectric element is a very thin and long component; therefore, it is very difficult to manufacture and handle a much longer PZT.
In addition, in the line type inkjet head in Patent Document 3, the piezoelectric element is formed by dividing the bulk type piezoelectric element; therefore, chipping and failing of the piezoelectric element is likely to occur. Consequently, the yield is decreased and the cost is increased.
In addition, in Patent Document 4, since the plural liquid ejecting heads are connected, the size of the recording head becomes large; consequently, the size of the apparatus becomes large.

Piezoelectric actuator and manufacturing method thereof, liquid ejecting head, and image forming apparatus


A method of calibrating an ultrasonic flow meter (10) first determines a static flow offset (52). Next, a dynamic flow offset (54) and a flow speed (56) are determined. An adjusted flow speed (58) is determined by subtracting the static flow offset and one half the dynamic flow offset from the flow speed to form an adjusted flow speed.

Ultrasonic flow meters have many advantages over other methods of determining flow rates. Ultrasonic flow meters can continuously measure the flow rate, while other methods generally measure average flow rates. In addition, ultrasonic flow meters are obstructionless and work with non-conductive fluids.
Ultrasonic flow meters have a pair of transducers that are placed on either side of the flow path of a fluid flowing through a conduit. The transducers are pointed at each other and placed on either side of the flow path of a fluid flowing through a pipe. The line between the transducers has a component in the direction of the fluid flow. The principle used to detect flow rates is that the transit time of an ultrasonic packet will increase in the upstream and decrease in the downstream path. The amount by which the transit time changes is directly proportional to the flow rate. It is well known that ultrasonic flow meters have fixed offsets. Normally the offset is measured by having the ultrasonic flow meter measure the flow rate with no fluid flow through the meter. The meter should read zero so any reading is an offset that is subtracted from all future readings. This process is performed manually by adjusting a potentiometer. Unfortunately, the offset can drift over time, especially in the case of clamp-on transducers. In addition, this technique only compensates for static (no-flow) offsets and does not take into account offset that occur when a fluid is flowing through the meter.
Thus there exists a need for a calibration method that can automatically detect both static and dynamic offsets in an ultrasonic flow meter and compensate for both offsets.

Method of calibrating an ultrasonic flow meter


A method for creating virtual machine, a virtual machine monitor and a virtual machine system are provided in the embodiments of this application. The method comprises: mapping guest frame number (GFN) corresponding to a pseudo-physical memory of a virtual machine to a shared zero page, the shared zero page being a page having content of all zeros in physical memory; when the GFN is written by the virtual machine and if a page exception occurs, allocating a physical memory page to relieve the mapping relation between the guest frame number (GFN) and the shared zero page, and establishing a mapping relation between the guest frame number (GFN) and a machine frame number (MFN) of the physical memory page. The method can reduce the amount of memory used in virtual machine startup, improve virtual machine density, and support the concurrent startup of a memory overcommitted number of virtual machine.

Virtualization technique is a decoupling method for separating underlying hardware devices from upper level operating system and applications, in which a virtual machine monitor (Virtual Machine Monitor, VMM) layer is introduced to directly manage underlying hardware resources, and virtual machine (Virtual Machine, VM) independent of underlying hardware are created and provided for upper level operating system and applications. Virtualization, as one of the underlying important foundational techniques of present popular cloud computing (Cloud Computing) platforms, may significantly improve resource utilization rate of physical devices. As shown in FIG. 1, after system virtualization, multiple VMs can simultaneously run on a single physical machine, the number of virtual machines (VMs) that are supported to run on a physical machine concurrently is called as virtual machine density (Virtual Machine Density), and the larger virtual machine density is, the higher resource utilization rate is.
In order to improve virtual machine density, some schedule mechanism is employed in CPU virtualization to enable a physical CPU to be shared by virtual CPUs of virtual machines, and in theory, arbitrary number of virtual CPUs are possible if performance is not concerned. Peripheral virtualization also can produce arbitrary number of virtual duplications through software simulation or connections to external subsystems, such as SAN (Storage Area Network). However, as to memory virtualization, the premise of providing one physical memory page to multiple virtual machines simultaneously is that those virtual machines have pages with exactly the same content, and therefore, in theory the amount of virtual memory can not exceed physical memory size. In order to exceed the limit of the amount of virtual memory imposed by physical memory size, a memory overcommitment method (in which the amount of virtual memory may exceed physical memory size) is proposed in this art, which comprises: balloon driver (Balloon Driver), content based page sharing (Content Based Page Sharing, CBPS), memory page swap (Memory Page Swap), memory page compression (Memory Page Compression) and populate on demand (PoD), etc.
Balloon driver (Balloon Driver) is installed in a guest operating system (Guest Operating System, GOS), which may induce memory release or allocation in the GOS, and corresponding memory is taken back or allocated to the GOS by the balloon driver, thereby achieving auto scaled memory adjustment.
Content based page sharing (CBPS) method may scan global physical pages and release redundant pages through sharing pages with the same content, thereby reducing the consumption of physical memory.
Memory page swap (Memory Page Swap) or memory page compression (Memory Page Compression) may swap several selected pages of a virtual machine to an external device such as a disk, or losslessly compress them to 1/n page size, so as to release memory for the use of more VMs.
PoD method allocates a specified amount of memory pages for each virtual machine as a memory pool (Memory Pool). The virtual machine virtual memory is set to NULL when starting up instead of mapping to physical pages, and physical pages are allocated from a memory pool only when the virtual memory is actually accessed.
The following defects of techniques in the prior art have been found by the inventors of this application through the development of this application:
Memory consumption during GOS starting up process after virtual machine creation is overlooked in all above schemes, but memory required by virtual machines are entirely allocated to those virtual machines initially and then part of the memory is reclaimed, which may cause that the number of virtual machines that can start up concurrently on a physical machine is restricted by the amount of physical memory, thereby lowering virtual machine density.

Method for creating virtual machine, a virtual machine monitor, and a virtual machine system


A distribution duct for power distribution wiring, data communication wiring, and the other wiring is mounted between adjacent perforated support columns of a work space system. The duct extends laterally from the columns to allow the wiring to pass the face of a column. The duct includes an inner elongated member which rests at each end in a perforation in a respective column. A resilient clip holds each end of the inner member in the perforations. The inner member has an open side that is covered by an elongated outer member that is coextensive with the inner member and extends laterally away from one side of the columns. The outer member is snapped in place on the inner member, and covers snap in place on the outer members to connect the ends of adjacent outer members. An identical inner member may be mounted to the rear of a first inner member and receive a similar outer member to form a two-sided duct.

This invention relates to work space environmental systems and particularly to a distribution duct that can be mounted at selective levels on such a system and which can carry wiring for power distribution or data transmission, or piping for fluid supplies.
A common form of work environment system employs a series of spaced columns to which are attached panels, legs, table surfaces, cabinets, shelves, and the like, to form a customized work station. One form of such systems uses columns that are perforated to define a series of openings that receive hooks for supporting the work surfaces, shelves, and cabinets.
Such work environment systems typically require electrical outlets and connections for telephone and other data transmission lines. Generally, the power lines and data lines have been housed in a baseboard that extends between the bottoms of adjacent columns. If the wiring must extend into the space between another set of columns, it will typically pass through openings formed in the columns. When distribution ducts are provided at levels above the baseboard, they are either mounted on the face of a panel or wholly within a panel, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,835 issued Oct. 31, 1989 to James O'Kelley, et al. for "Work Space Management System".
It is a principal object of the invention to provide distribution ducts that are contained between adjacent columns and extend laterally from the columns to allow wiring or piping to pass the face of a column into the space beyond the column.
It is a further object of the invention to provide distribution ducts which are accessible from both the front and rear sides of the columns.
It is also an object of the invention to provide distribution ducts which can be mounted at a variety of selectable positions along the length of the columns.

Distribution duct for work space environment system


In an apparatus for setting individual different electronic devices of an equipment system for measuring or detecting the properties of a selected object, a control computer is provided for cooperating with a device memory and an object memory. The device memory stores therein the individual devices of the system with their technical properties and their settable functions, while the object memory stores therein. The various object types with their properties. The control computer is configured such that, prior to performing an object measurement or detection, all object types with their properties and also the possible ways of display of these object properties are initially displayed on the screen of the control computer and the user may select therefrom the type of object to be measured or detected and the desired way(s) of displaying said properties. The control computer is furthermore operatively connected to the individual devices such that, after selection of the object type of interest and the desired way(s) of display, the control computer automatically selects the suitable devices of the system, performs the required settings thereof, and subsequently performs the desired measurement or detection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for setting individual different electronic devices of an equipment system, for instance a plurality of radio detection devices of a radio detection system or measuring devices of a measuring system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In various technical fields an ever increasing number of different electronic devices are combined to form an overall system which is able to perform the most varied tasks of detection or measurement. For example in the field of radio detection, equipment systems are used in which a plurality of different direction finders operating at different frequencies and along different principles are combined with search receivers and monitoring receivers. Such a universal radio detection system is capable of performing the most varied tasks of radio detection. It is common practice, for instance in the field of electronic measurements, to combine the most varied electronic measuring instruments at a single point of measurement, for instance voltmeters, ammeters, generators, analyzers and the like, so that the most varied devices under test may be measured at such a universal point of measurement. All of these systems exhibit the drawback that selecting and setting of the increasingly complicated electronic devices is quite beyond the user's powers.
To facilitate the setting of individual electronic measuring devices it is known to use a control computer which indicates to the user the various possibilities of measurement offered by the measuring device and how the user should set or adjust these possible measuring operations in the measuring device (DE 3,208,136). Although this facilitates the operation of such measuring devices, the user must still perform successive setting operations on the measuring devices, and to this end he must work out for every device to be measured the corresponding parameters to be measured and the display modes.

Apparatus for setting individual different electronic devices of an equipment system


A wheel cover for a vehicle wheel including a main cover and an axle cover. The main cover is attached to the wheel using the lug bolts. A plurality of inter-screws are threadedly fastened a portion of the lug bolts which extends beyond the lug nuts. The cover includes a plurality of holes which align with the inter-screws, and a plurality of integration bolts are inserted through the holes and into threaded openings in the inter-screws to fasten the cover to the wheel. The structure of the cover is such that several covers may be nested and stacked to conserve storage space.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of an automobile wheel cover assembly, and more particularly to a wheel cover assembly having a structure where wheel cover assemblies can slack onto each other.
2. Prior Art
Many large vehicles, such as trailers or trucks have wheel covers used as decoration. The wheel cover is generally attached to the wheel. FIG. 10 shows a prior art wheel cover design. A wheel A is fixed to the wheel axle by wheel bolts A1 and nuts A2. However, the nuts A2 must be loosened first when mounting a wheel cover B and then the wheel bolts A1 are passed through holes B1 of the wheel cover B. Finally, the nuts A2 are threaded onto the bolts A1 to secure the wheel cover onto the wheel A.
It""s obvious that in mounting the wheel cover B, the nuts A2 need to be taken off first. This step, taking off and replacing the nuts on the wheel, is difficult due to the balancing adjustment of each nut, as the wheel axle must equally connect and contact the wheel, which means each nut A2 must be equally tightened to the bolts A1. So, an adjustment procedure is always required after loosening the nuts A2.
Further, wheel covers are consumer products which need to be replaced after a period of time, and the convenience of the wheel cover is very important.
A further reason is that the storage of wheel covers requires a large space, which is not effective in cost.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a wheel cover assembly having a structure where wheel cover assemblies can stack onto each other, for saving storage space.

No. 39, Sha Luen, Chung Sha Vill. an din Hsiang

No. 46, Sha Luen, Chung Sha Vill., an din Hsiang


Recurring appointment items in a calendaring application are synchronized and recorded in a backend Line Of Business (LOB) service. Items marked in the calendaring application for time recording are used to create a recurring bound item with extended properties. A sweeper module scans on every run the mailbox for such recurring bound items. Occurrences of bound recurring appointments, which occur between the last scan and the current scan, are determined and detached from the corresponding recurring series, such that standalone bound items, are created for such occurrences that can be recognized by an LOB application. Entries for bound items are retrieved from a client data store and synchronized it with the backend LOB service through a create, update, or delete operation request.

Applications that enable organizations to connect their desktop programs, such as calendaring applications, to line-of-business systems in an intuitive, cost-effective way may increase worker efficiency as well as employee satisfaction. By providing information workers with the information they need to make sound, timely business decisions, workers may become more productive and organizations more agile.
Calendaring applications commonly provide support for recurring appointments. However, many calendaring applications may not provide support for time recording. Additionally, many Line Of Business (LOB) servers may not have inherent support for recurring time recording. This results in a less than satisfactory solution for enterprise system users of integrated calendaring and LOB services who have to record their activities for accounting, scheduling, and similar purposes.

Achieving recurring item recordings from calendaring applications over LOB systems


A noise filling method is provided that includes detecting a frequency band including a part encoded to 0 from a spectrum obtained by decoding a bitstream; generating a noise component for the detected frequency band; and adjusting energy of the frequency band in which the noise component is generated and filled by using energy of the noise component and energy of the frequency band including the part encoded to 0.

1. Field
Apparatuses, devices, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present disclosure relate to audio encoding and decoding, and more particularly, to a noise filling method for generating a noise signal without additional information from an encoder and filling the noise signal in a spectral hole, an audio decoding method and apparatus, a recording medium and multimedia devices employing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
When an audio signal is encoded or decoded, it is required to efficiently use a limited number of bits to restore an audio signal having the best sound quality in a range of the limited number of bits. In particular, at a low bit rate, a technique of encoding and decoding an audio signal is required to evenly allocate bits to perceptively important spectral components instead of concentrating the bits to a specific frequency area.
In particular, at a low bit rate, when encoding is performed with bits allocated to each frequency band such as a sub-band, a spectral hole may be generated due to a frequency component, which is not encoded because of an insufficient number of bits, thereby resulting in a decrease in sound quality.


A method and apparatus for influencing a viewer to select a second feed. A shared medium is loaded beyond a loading threshold. One or more high viewership feeds being provided over the shared medium are designated preferred feeds, and one or more user devices providing low viewership feeds to viewers are designated candidate user devices. The candidate user devices are instructed to influence their respective viewers to select one of the high viewership feeds. The candidate user devices select a second feed from one or more preferred feeds, and provide information pertaining to the second feed to the viewer.

Service providers, such as a multiple system operator (MSO), typically provide broadcast television and video on demand services to a large number of subscribers over a shared medium, such as a hybrid fiber coaxial network. Such service providers are increasingly adding non-video services, such as telephone services, audio services, and high speed data access services, over the same shared medium. Because of the finite bandwidth of the shared medium and the large number of subscribers using the shared medium, during peak usage times the shared medium may become loaded to capacity, preventing the service provider from offering a requested service to one or more subscribers. The inability to provide a requested service over the shared medium inevitably leads to subscriber dissatisfaction, and may inhibit the service provider from generating additional revenue, such as when the requested service is a video on demand request from a subscriber.
Until relatively recently a service provider provided all broadcast television channels over the shared medium irrespective of whether each of the television channels had viewers. Consequently, valuable bandwidth of the shared medium might be consumed by one or more channels that have no viewers. With the advent of newer technologies, such as switched digital video, a service provider can now selectively provide channels over the shared medium depending on whether there are viewers of the respective channels. Channels that have no viewers will not be provided over the shared medium, and consequently will not consume bandwidth of the shared medium. This ability to selectively provide broadcast programming on an as-requested basis frees bandwidth of the shared medium for other services. Unfortunately however, a channel must be provided over the shared medium if only a single subscriber requests the channel. Thus, a number of very low viewership programs may utilize the same amount of bandwidth as a number of very high viewership programs. In such a situation, and especially at peak usage times of the shared medium, it is preferable for the service provider if viewers of low viewership programs can be influenced to select high viewership programs, freeing up bandwidth for additional services for other viewers, such as video on demand services.

Method and system to influence a viewer to select a feed


An abdomen exerciser includes a connecting element, a first roller, a second roller and a holding component. The connecting element includes two connectors and two roller bearings, each connector has a receiving groove, a plurality of locating pores and a plurality of limiting slots. The connectors are connected with the first roller and the second roller respectively. The holding component is received in the receiving grooves. The holding component includes a plurality of ball bearings and a plurality of limiting elements, the ball bearings are locked in the locating pores, the limiting elements are received in the limiting slots.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to an abdomen exerciser, and especially to an abdomen exerciser with adjustable rollers distance.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional abdomen exerciser only has one roller and two holding elements positioned on the two opposite sides of the roller. It is hard to control the stability of the rolling movement when using the traditional abdomen exerciser, and thus users may give up the exercise easily.
Some other kinds of abdomen exercisers have two rollers. However, the distance between the two rollers cannot be adjusted, that is, the distance between the two rollers is fixed. As people have different shoulder-width and strength, the abdomen exerciser with a fixed distance between the two rollers cannot satisfy users demand.
Therefore, a need exists in the industry to overcome the described problems.

SHENZHEN KANGRUIDE BIOTECHNOLOGY CO., LTD


An ink cartridge 500 according to the invention is mounted on a carriage to reciprocate together with a coating head and serves to supply an ink in an air side containing portion 270 and a supply side containing portion 290 to the coating head. The air side containing portion 270 and first and second ink containing portions 292 and 294 are formed by a liquid containing concave portion 122 of a cartridge body 120 having one open surface opposed to a direction of a reciprocation of the coating head and a film 140 for sealing the open surface of the liquid containing concave portion 122. A stirring and moving member 711 is accommodated in the air side containing portion 270 and the second ink containing portion 294 in a movable state, respectively.

In an ink jet type recording apparatus according to an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink cartridge accommodating an ink therein is attached, thereby discharging the ink to an object to be recorded and carrying out recording upon receipt of the supply of the ink from the ink cartridge.
A type of the ink to be used in the ink jet type recording apparatus includes a dye type and a pigment type, and an ink of the pigment type is obtained by uniformly dispersing dispersion particles such as a pigment into a solvent and mixing them. Such an ink of the pigment type has a property that print is not carried out for a long period of time and the dispersion particle sinks in a difference in a specific gravity between the solvent and the dispersion particle when the ink is put in a non-circulation state in an ink container.
As the ink cartridge for supplying the ink to the ink jet type recording apparatus, there has been developed an ink cartridge in which a division into an upper ink containing portion and a lower ink containing portion is carried out and these communicate with each other through a connecting passage (a communicating portion).
In the ink cartridge of this type, a liquid supply port for communicating with the upper ink containing portion is provided with liquid supply means for supplying the ink in the upper ink containing portion to the ink jet type recording apparatus based on a difference in a pressure between the ink jet type recording apparatus side and the ink cartridge side in the case in which the ink is consumed in the ink jet type recording apparatus (for example, see Patent Document 1).
However, the ink cartridge has a problem in that a thick ink sinking in the lower ink containing portion is first supplied to the upper ink containing portion through the connecting passage, and the thick ink is used and a thin ink is then supplied so that the thickness of the ink to be supplied to the ink jet type recording apparatus has a variation.
Moreover, the Patent Document 1 has described the ink cartridge having a structure in which a passage is disposed in the perpendicular and horizontal portions of an L-shaped partition wall surrounding a connecting passage. In the structure, the connecting passage is provided just below the passage of the horizontal portion. Therefore, there is a problem in that the ink in the vicinity of the horizontal portion meets the connecting passage and a flow in a vertical direction in which the thick ink and the thin ink are stirred is not generated in the lower ink containing portion.
Therefore, there has been proposed an ink cartridge having a structure in which a stirring and moving member for moving in each ink containing portion to stir a liquid in the ink containing portion is put in the containing portion and a thick ink and a thin ink which are separated vertically in the ink containing portion are mixed again by a stirring force generated by the stirring and moving member, thereby causing the thickness of the ink to be supplied to be uniform (for example, see Patent Documents 2 and 3).    Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-80730    Patent Document 2: JP-A-2003-266730    Patent Document 3: JP-A-9-309212

Liquid container adapted to be mounted on a carriage to reciprocate together with a liquid ejecting head


A method in network node for selecting a downlink modulation and coding scheme is provided. The network node obtains information comprising a first uplink signal strength of a transmission from the terminal in the first cell. The network node further obtains information comprising a second uplink signal strength of a transmission from the terminal in the second cell. The network node also obtains scheduled downlink transmission information for the respective first cell and second cell. The network node then selects a downlink modulation and coding scheme for transmission from one or more of the access point serving the first cell and the access point serving the second cell to the terminal. The selection is based on the obtained information comprising the first uplink signal strength, the obtained information comprising the second uplink signal strength, and the obtained scheduled downlink transmission information for the respective first cell and second cell.

Communication devices such as terminals are also known as e.g. User Equipments (UE), mobile terminals, wireless terminals and/or mobile stations. Terminals are enabled to communicate wirelessly in a cellular communications network or wireless communication system, sometimes also referred to as a cellular radio system or cellular networks. The communication may be performed e.g. between two terminals, between a terminal and a regular telephone and/or between a terminal and a server via a Radio Access Network (RAN) and possibly one or more core networks, comprised within the cellular communications network.
Terminals may further be referred to as user equipments, mobile telephones, cellular telephones, laptops, tablet computers or surf plates with wireless capability, just to mention some further examples. The terminals in the present context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the RAN, with another entity, such as another terminal or a server.
The cellular communications network covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area being served by an access node. A cell is the geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the access node.
The access node may further control several transmission points, e.g. having Radio Units (RRUs). A cell can thus comprise one or more access nodes each controlling one or more transmission/reception points. A transmission point, also referred to as a transmission/reception point, is an entity that transmits and/or receives radio signals. The entity has a position in space, e.g. an antenna. An access node is an entity that controls one or more transmission points. The access node may e.g. be a base station such as a Radio Base Station (RBS), eNB, eNodeB, NodeB, B node, or BTS (Base Transceiver Station), depending on the technology and terminology used. The base stations may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size.
Further, each access node may support one or several communication technologies. The access nodes communicate over the air interface operating on radio frequencies with the terminals within range of the access node. In the context of this disclosure, the expression Downlink (DL) is used for the transmission path from the base station to the mobile station. The expression Uplink (UL) is used for the transmission path in the opposite direction i.e. from the mobile station to the base station.
In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), base stations, which may be referred to as eNodeBs or even eNBs, may be directly connected to one or more core networks.
3GPP LTE radio access standard has been written in order to support high bitrates and low latency both for uplink and downlink traffic. All data transmission is in LTE controlled by the radio base station.
Every Transmission Time Interval (TTI), every ms in LTE, a transport format is selected when transmitting. The transport format defines a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) and also transmission rank when transmitting single user Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). The transmission rank defines the number of layers transmitted with parallel data streams. Link adaptation selects the transport format as a trade-off between that the transmission can be received and decoded by the terminal with a high probability given the radio conditions at the same time containing as many user data bits as possible. Downlink link adaptation is based on Channel State Information (CSI) reporting. CSI refers to known channel properties of a communication link.
This information describes how a signal propagates from a transmitter to a receiver and represents the combined effect of, for example, scattering, fading, and power decay with distance. The CSI makes it possible to adapt transmissions to current channel conditions, which is crucial for achieving reliable communication with high data rates in multi antenna systems.
A user equipment measures on downlink reference symbols and predict best rank, Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS). The user equipment may further select a precoder. Proposed rank is reported as Rank Indicator (RI) and proposed MCS as Channel Quality Indicator (CQI). CQI is reported as quantized efficiency. E.g. for transmission mode 3, rank and CQI is reported, for transmission modes 4, 9, 10: rank, CSI and PMI is reported. CSI reporting is typically configured to be periodic. The choice of reporting period is a trade-off between outdated CSI information and uplink radio resources used for signaling.
The CQI may be noisy and is outdated when used in a base station such as an eNB for MCS selection. An outer-loop is used to adapt to the impact of this and compensate for channel changes and user equipment speed. The outer-loop is typically a Block Error Rate (BLER)-based jump algorithm that targets a certain Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) BLER, e.g. 10%, adjusting with a margin in dB for the CQI inaccuracy. The outer-loop also adapts to other measurement noise such as user equipment vendor implementation differences and measurement errors.
Co-ordinated link adaptation is a promising feature. With good backhaul the MCS selection may be improved with very small or no radio resource cost resulting in improved spectrum efficiency. Within the same base station the interference changes may be predicted every TTI. In a deployment with micro RRUs on the same base station as an overlaying macro RRU, fast and rather accurate MCS changes may be foreseen before measured and reported by the user equipment.
A RRU is a remote radio unit, sometimes also called a radio head, controlled by a base station over an electrical and/or optical interface. One interface that may be used between controlling base station and RRU is Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI). The RRUs may be with different power capability similar to base stations, micro RRU similar as a micro eNB around 2×5 W and macro equal similar as a marco eNB 2×20 W or more.
CSI Reference Signals (CSI-RS) are introduced in LTE release 10. CSI-RS may be used in shared cell ID deployment for CSI reporting.
Shared cell ID also referred to as combined cell is when two or more cells, which may be the same or different access nodes, are combined into one cell given the same cell ID and avoids performing handover between the access nodes. The separate access nodes, previous cells, are still scheduled as separate cells. To enable good link adaptation taking the radio condition and interference within the combined cell into account orthogonal CSI-RS are configured and transmitted from each access node.
CSI-RS improves the measurement accuracy and thereby also the link adaptation within the combined cell. CSI-Interference Measurement (IM) is introduced in LTE release 11 which improves the interference prediction by allocating empty symbols in the LTE time-frequency resource grid in a cell which improves interference measurement by the user equipment since there is then only interference energy present on these symbols.
The user equipment may be configured to send Sounding Reference Symbols (SRS). SRS may be used for uplink Radio Resource Management (RRM) features and uplink link adaptation.
In 3GPP Draft R1-094553, —20091109—3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Mobile Competence Centre; 650, route des Lucioles; F-06921 Sophia-Antipolis Cedex; France, Jeju; 20091109, a method relating to applicability of channel reciprocity in LTE-A downlink transmission" is shown.
R1-094553 discloses the support for single cell transmission in LTE-Advanced. Signal to Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR) is calculated and used for determining a MCS based on uplink SRS for determining downlink channel quality.
This document relates to a single cell and a single transmission point, and focus on Multi User-Multiple input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) and multipath channel estimation. In R1-094553, MCS may be selected based on Downlink channel correlation matrix R1 and R2, precoding matrix W1 and W2.
For Link Adaptation:
Outer-loop is a slow process which cannot capture fast interference variations.
CQI is delayed and outdated when used. It can only follow slowly varying interference variation and not bursty interference caused by short packet data bursts.
CQI is not very reliable. The CQI reporting is dependent on UE implementation. There can be large differences how an interference step impact on CQI and is related to true receiver performance.
Coordinated link adaptation although promising, is very challenging based on the available delayed and noisy UE measurement and reporting.

Method and network node for link adaptation in a wireless communications network


A door cartridge assembly is provided to be installed into a vehicle door. The assembly includes a door hardware mounting panel having door components mounted thereon and being constructed and arranged to be fixedly mounted to a vehicle door; coupling structure carried by the mounting panel; and a door latch assembly constructed and arranged to be secured to a vehicle door to provide a latch for the vehicle door. The door latch assembly includes a latching member constructed and arranged to be movable between a latching position and a releasing position. The coupling structure is constructed and arranged to receive the latching member in latching relation therewith when the latching member is in the latching position thereof, thereby permitting the mounting panel to be transported with the door latch assembly connected thereto. The door latch assembly is operable to move the latch member from the latching position to the releasing position permitting the latch assembly to be removed from latching relation with the coupling structure and to be subsequently secured to the vehicle door.

The present invention relates to door cartridge assemblies of the type that are to be installed into the door of a motor vehicle and more particularly to the construction of such door cartridge assemblies which (1) facilitates the transportation of the door cartridge assembly from a location where the assemblies are produced to a location where the assemblies are to be installed and (2) facilitates the installation of the assemblies after transportation has been accomplished. The invention also involves a method attaching a door latch mechanism to a door panel defining a door cartridge assembly for transporting as a unit.
Door cartridge assemblies have been provided to ease assembly of a vehicle door. These cartridge assemblies typically include a door hardware mounting panel having various door components mounted thereon, such as an inner door release handle, a window regulator, and a wiring harness. Other hardware components such as a multiplexing computer box, a motor for a power window, an outside door release handle, and a window guide may also be mounted on the panel. The panel is typically shipped to the OEM assembly plant with the door hardware thereon.
Typically, at the OEM assembly plant, the door latch mechanisms and strikers are retrieved from their separate shipping containers and mounted to the vehicle door. To reduce part numbers and part tracking at the shipping source and at the OEM assembly plant and to eliminate the retrieval time of the latch and striker components from their separate shipping containers, a need exists to prove a door cartridge assembly which has temporarily mounted thereon the latch mechanism, and if desired, the cooperating striker.

Door cartridge having a door latch mounting assembly


The present invention is an exercise device incorporating a treadmill platform and treadmill podium, whereby the user may walk/run on the treadmill, not only in the forward direction, but also in the side-to-side and backwards directions described above, while still facing the podium. This present invention provides a treadmill having a podium that can be adjusted with respect to the platform, so that regardless of the direction of travel in which the user is traveling on the platform (forward, side-to-side, or backwards), the user will always be facing the podium. This is accomplished by providing a pivoting podium element that pivots with respect to the platform.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of exercise equipment, particularly, to an exercise method involving omni-directional use of a treadmill and, more particularly, to an exercise device that facilitates such omni-directional use.
2. Description of the Related Art
A treadmill is a piece of exercise equipment that simulates the action of walking or running while allowing the user to remain essentially in one place. A typical treadmill consists of a flat stationery member, sometimes referred to as a deck, and a substantially vertical member resembling a podium, sometimes referred to as the neck.
The deck typically has a moving surface of some kind, usually a belt driven by motorized rollers at the front and back of the deck. The surface of the belt on which the user treads moves in a direction away from the podium, and the user walks or runs in a direction towards the podium, thereby creating a moving walkway on which to exercise. Most treadmills have user-definable variables, such as speed, incline of the deck, and the like, all of which allow the user to simulate various walking and running conditions. Using prior art treadmills allows the user to develop muscles that are typically exercised during forward running or walking.
As part of a training regimen, many athletes perform exercises designed to develop muscles other than those that are developed from forward running or walking. Since treadmills are designed for forward operation only, some athletes forgo the use of the treadmill and do exercises in a gym or on a field whereby they move from side to side, or walk or run backwards, to develop the muscles associated with such movements. It would be desirable, therefore, to be able to simulate the same sideways and backwards movements in a stationary location, such as on a treadmill.


The functionality of a core application is extended using an add-on application (module) by extending native data types on the core application with custom data types and custom actions on the module. The module provides metadata associated with its custom data types and custom actions to the core application, which creates a dynamic type/action table. In some cases, native data types may be extended with custom data types and their associated actions. In other cases, native data types may be extended with custom actions from the module. The custom actions may be enabled for instances of native data types that have been extended. When a custom action is selected, code corresponding with the selected custom action is called from the module and run to perform the selected custom action.

Software applications often provide a set of tools and supporting data types that provide a core level of functionality to users. However, it is often desirable to add additional tools and to extend the functionality of a core software application. For example, a software provider may wish to provide further functionality for a software application after it has been released. Additionally, third-party software providers may wish to provide products that add functionality to another software provider's application.
Typically, add-on applications (i.e., modules) may be provided to extend the functionality of a core software application. However, current approaches to software design often dictate that the modules be written in the schema of the core applications that they extend. Data used by the module must be supported by the core application. This presents a number of drawbacks. For instance, a module cannot maintain its own types of data separate from the core application. Additionally, a module typically must be written specifically for a particular core application to operate with that application. As a result, an existing module may not be easily adapted to operate with an application that it was not originally intended to extend.