A screw insertion instrument includes a handle, a driving assembly, and a stylet. The driving assembly extends distally from the handle and includes a knob, a tubular body extending distally from the knob, and a driver including an elongated body extending through the knob and the tubular body. The elongated body has a proximal region operably coupled to the handle and a distal region extending distally beyond the tubular body and engageable with a pedicle screw. The stylet includes an elongated body positionable through first and second longitudinal bores defined through the handle and the driver, respectively. A proximal portion of the stylet is positionable adjacent the handle and a distal portion of the stylet extends distally beyond the driver and is positionable through a third longitudinal bore defined through the pedicle screw such that the distal portion of the stylet extends distally beyond the pedicle screw.

Spinal fixation apparatus are widely employed in surgical processes for correcting spinal injuries and diseases. In order to facilitate stabilizing the spine and maintaining vertebral bodies in a desired alignment, implants, such as longitudinally linked rods, are secured to coupling elements which, in turn, are secured to vertebral bodies by fasteners, such as pedicle screws.
Many pedicle screws utilize a coupling element in the form of a tulip, which engages the pedicle screw head and is pivotable and rotatable in relation to the axis of the screw shank (e.g. polyaxial to the shank axis). While this ability more easily facilitates alignment of the tulip with the longitudinally linked rods, it may cause the pedicle screw to be difficult to handle. A means for ensuring the pedicle screw remains secured to an insertion instrument provides more positive control over the placement of the pedicle screw.
Prior to the placement of the pedicle screw into the vertebral body, many insertion instruments utilize devices, such as, for example, a guidewire to introduce the pedicle screw into the vertebral body and to control the trajectory of the pedicle screw so that it may be more accurately secured to the vertebral body.
Therefore, it would be desirable to facilitate introduction of the pedicle screw into the vertebral body efficiently, and in a minimally invasive manner, without the need for additional instruments.

Screw insertion instrument and methods of use


A method for joining a first component and a second component. The method includes forming a first bond between the first component and the second component by providing a plurality of projections on the first component and embedding the plurality of projections in the second component; creating a fastener hole which passes through the first component and the second component and which encompasses at least one of the projections; and forming a second bond between the first component and the second component by installing a fastener in the fastener hole.

The use of fasteners to join metallic or thermoplastic components to composite components is commonplace. To join a metallic (or thermoplastic) part to a composite part using fasteners the metallic part is positioned against the composite part and clamped in position, then fastener holes are drilled and the fasteners are inserted. The clamping pressure required to prevent drill breakout and burring in the stack can be complex to implement, and time consuming.
WO 2008/110835 A1 describes an alternative joining method for joining a composite component to a non-composite component. Surface features (which may be known as proggles) are "grown" on a bond surface of the non-composite component in a series of layers by an additive fabrication process. Each proggle may have a pointed tip such that the surface features may easily be embedded into a series of laminate plies draped successively over the bond surface. Those plies become incorporated into the composite component. The proggles are thereby embedded inside the composite component and resist separation of the composite and non-composite components.


A color-sequential LCD image display apparatus is operated through controlling an array of pixelized display elements for in each element rendering a plurality of colors in sequence. In particular, a compensating operation is executed against color impurities for a later color due to a non-instantaneous response of such elements as a result of an immediately preceding color for the element in question, under control of the combined color signals associated with both said immediately preceding color and said later color.

A method and apparatus for generating a color-sequential LCD image display through controlling pixelized display elements for rendering a plurality of colors in sequence, whilst combining control signals for two successive colors against impurities from non-instantaneous response.
The invention relates to a color sequential display apparatus. Color sequential imaging systems generally use a single element to create red, blue, green and possibly white images sequentially in time for a particular pixel, although other color combinations have been used as well. If this image element, or the controlling mechanism in general has relaxation effects, the various color images may influence each other. In principle, an electronic pre-correction system may mitigate such effects, but this would require either introducing an additional image memory, or rather a higher bandwidth.
In consequence, amongst other things, it is an object of the present invention to effect such compensation at least in part, without needing additional expensive hardware. The inventor has recognized that in principle, the various colors are provided in parallel at a certain stage of the image generating.
Now therefore, according to one of its aspects the invention is characterized by executing a compensating operation against color impurities for a later color due to a non-instantaneous response of a display element as a result of an immediately preceding color for the element, under control of the combined color signals associated with both the immediately preceding color and the later color. Generally, color sequential systems have lower system costs compared to systems wherein for each separate color a particular pixel would need a specific image element to be used in parallel for creating a color image. However, the most popular element in use today, to wit LCD, is relatively slow in reacting to control signals applied thereto. In a color-sequential application, such relaxation means that information displayed in a first color may xe2x80x9cbleedxe2x80x9d into another next-following color for the same pixel. If, for example, the sequence is read-green-blue-red-etcetera, information contained in the green image may be influenced by the immediately preceding red image. The effect can be mitigated by electrically pre-correcting the signal fed to the image element. However, to do this, the pre-correction system must access the immediately preceding multicolor image. Converting a standard RGB image into a color sequential signal requires an image memory. Subsequent accessing of this information for color correction would then necessitate to double the bandwidth of the image memory, with associated cost increase. In contradistinction, according to the present invention the pre-correction is executed at an instant before converting from RGB to a color-sequential signal. At such earlier instant, the various color control signals would be available simultaneously. The optimum solution for an RGB sequence has the pre-correction of the green based on the red signal, and the pre-correction of the blue signal based on the red signal. Basing the pre-correction of the red signal on the blue signal from the previous frame would again require an image memory for one color, because this blue color image was then the most recent image sent to the image element.
If also applying the correction mechanism to the first color control signal for the current image, the usage of an additional image memory is obviated by not using the blue signal of the previous frame, but rather the blue signal of the current frame or image. For static images, the correction mechanism will now be perfect. For non-stationary images however, some motion-induced color artefacts may occur. These small effects would introduce some bleeding of one color into another color. The worst case occurs when a saturated blue object moves over an almost black area. The pre-correction will now give a result that is slightly mislocated. Certain user tests have however found that the resultant effect is generally overlooked, inter alia, because the human eye/brain combination tends to be less sensitive for many temporal changes.
The invention also relates to an apparatus being arranged for practicing a method characterized by executing a compensating operation against color impurities for a later color due to a non-instantaneous response of a display element as a result of an immediately preceding color for the element, under control of the combined color signals associated with both the immediately preceding color and the later color.

Combining two successive colors gets colors pure


Provided are an image fusion classification method and device. The method includes that: a three-dimensional weight matrix of a hyperspectral image is obtained by use of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier (101); superpixel segmentation is performed on the hyperspectral image to obtain K superpixel images, K being a positive integer (102); the three-dimensional weight matrix is regularized by use of a superpixel-image-based segmentation method to obtain a regular matrix (103); and a class that a sample belongs to is determined according to the regular matrix (104).

With the progress of image segmentation technologies in the field of computer vision, superpixel extraction may provide a spatial homogenized representation of an observed object, thereby providing important ground object information description means for hyperspectral image analysis.
Specifically, a superpixel refers to a homogenized region including multiple pixels. Since a ground object distribution usually has a certain regularity, a relationship between neighbor pixels of a superpixel-segmentation-based hyperspectral image may be mined better. At present, methods for using a superpixel for hyperspectral image classification are mainly divided into two major types: preprocessing and post processing. In preprocessing, a spatial-spectral feature is mainly obtained by use of superpixel information, thereby further guiding subsequent classification. In post processing, a superpixel-segmentation-based image is mainly adopted to fuse classification results as aided decision means. However, all existing superpixel-based methods have a severe shortcoming that the number of extracted superpixels is unlikely to estimate accurately.


A vibration test device for an electronic device(40) includes a test platform (10), and at least a pair of holders (20) attached to the platform. The test platform is capable of vibrating along any predetermined direction, and at any predetermined frequency. Each of the holders includes a pair of parallel base brackets(22) attached to the platform, and a mounting bracket(24) attached to the base brackets for mounting the electronic device. The holders and the electronic device are capable of vibrating together with the test platform.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vibration test device, and more particularly to a vibration test device for electronic devices of different sizes.
2. General Background
Blade servers slidably attached between opposite slide racks in a blade system case usually vibrate during operation. If the blade servers' chassis or the slide racks are deformed due to the vibration, electronic devices, such as motherboards, in the chassis of the blade servers may be damaged. Thus, the chassis and the slide racks should be tested before being used to ensure whether they can endure vibration.
A conventional vibration test device includes a test platform, and a pair of holders attached to the test platform. Each of the holders has a pair of mounting flanges extending perpendicularly from two opposite ends thereof respectively, for securing a slide rack therebetween. The test platform can vibrate along any predetermined direction, at any predetermined frequency. In use, a server is fixed between the slide racks of the holders. When the platform vibrates, the server also vibrates. After a certain period of time, an amount of deformation of the server chassis can be observed. However, the holders of the vibration test device are very big and weighty. It is difficult to mount the holders on the test platform. Furthermore, the holders can only be used to secure one size of slide racks. When servers of other sizes are tested, slide racks and holders must be changed correspondingly.
What is needed, therefore, is a vibration test device having a simplified configuration and adapting for testing different size servers.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


A fault current surge bypassing and transitional impedance compensation system for preventing subsynchronous currents on electrical power lines, with parallel lines being protected from the clearing of transient faults. Capacitor banks serve as only a partial solution to the disturbances with transient faults during conventional recovery modes of operation. The fault current bypassing and impedance compensation system, coupled in series to each transmission line, clears a transmission line fault current and dynamically balances the inductor impedance on the transmission line after the fault mode clears when a return is made to the normal mode of operation. A circuit based solid-state switching power converter or "voltage-sourced inverter" with self-commutating GTO semiconductor switches is used, having all GTOs switched-on and maintained in this condition for the fault current to pass. A parallel circuit shunting arrangement for each GTO with a reverse poled freewheeling diode provides multiple fault current paths which return to the normally switched operational GTO mode, providing a transitional return to transient and dynamic stability without fostering synchronous resonance.

This invention relates in general to electrical current bypassing systems, and more particularly, to a transmission line fault current passing system for dynamically bypassing a fault current surge on the transmission line responsive to sensing surge current conditions.
The invention is particularly applicable to a three-phase transmission line system which is operated at elevated voltage, current and other electromagnetic field parameters in order to provide efficient electric power transmission. The transmission of electric power ranges over vast easement corridors which attract the likelihood of and are subjected to prolific fault conditions at various times. These include events caused by lightning strikes, as well as other natural and unavoidable fault events, which occur in or out of operational high power consumption periods. These problematic events cause impedance changes in the respective power transmission lines which may last either momentarily or for prolonged periods of time until cleared by burn-through and physical removal.
Electrical impedance balancing circuit arrangements for transmission line systems have heretofore comprised serially connected capacitors (ofttimes referred to as series connected). A classical series circuit transmission line connection is defined with the relevant actively compensating capacitors experiencing the same current switched by a thyristor-switched capacitor arrangement. Transmission line components are rated in a voltage class, or series of classes, typically within an overall range from about 240 Kilo-Volts (KV) to about 750 KV, for the high voltage potential of the transmission line operational characteristic for this type of circuit. One of the problems has been that the capacitor banks, operated at those relatively high voltage potentials, must be each controlled by a semiconductor bypass switch or valve operated at similar potential. These switches are comprised of a circuit chain of reverse polarity, parallel circuit connected, thyristors which are operated at the high voltage potential of the transmission line.
The above-described arrangement provides relatively fast transmission line impedance control to change the degree of series impedance compensation for the transmission line. The bypass switches constituted by the thyristor pairs are each connected to a data channel that must be provided with voltage breakdown isolation between the relatively high transmission line voltage potential and a control circuit which is based at ground voltage or a relatively low reference voltage potential, and this is well below the line voltage potential magnitude. Aside from the considerable time and cost of engineering and other skills needed for the development, manufacture, installation and maintenance of the high voltage hardware suitable for the task, a capacitor switching circuit arrangement does at least partially fulfill, by cancelling a part of the inductive reactive impedance of the transmission line, the objective of increasing the power transmitting capability of the transmission line.
One of the principal problems with transmission line electrical impedance balancing circuits of this type is that the electrical resonance effect, which can occur when the inductive reactance of the transmission line and the switched-in series compensating capacitive reactance coincide with a specific frequency. This frequency is the difference between the line frequency and one of the mechanical resonant frequencies of the rotating elements of the combined generator and turbine system, and it can cause "subsynchronous resonance". This problem can be solved with the introduction of a transmission line impedance compensation system for dynamically injecting a phase quadrature AC voltage, responsive to demand, and this is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,198,746, entitled TRANSMISSION LINE DYNAMIC IMPEDANCE COMPENSATION SYSTEM, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and it is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application.
One of the principal problems with electrical impedance balancing circuits is that they may be an ineffective way of dissipating sudden sharp or surging increase or decrease in the line current associated with the transmitted electric power. This is a problem because electrical transmission systems are frequently subjected to disturbances over a wide spectrum of severity or types. Some examples given above are line to ground or line to line faults, but other disturbances occur when large loads are being switched on and off. Other types of disturbances include the insertion or deletion of some power generators, and likewise, there is a problem when some of the parallel transmission lines are being switched on and off.
Another problem arises if the disturbance results in a sudden sharp increase or decrease in the transmitted electrical power, and this cannot be immediately matched by a change in the mechanical output power of the turbines which drive the power generators. Consequently, the generators are forced to accelerate or decelerate with the presence of oscillations, thereby affecting rotational speed and angular shaft position. This alters the amount of power transmitted even so much as to cause a temporary power shutdown in order to prevent an even more serious loss of equipment.
It is known to provide a voltage-source inverter with a fixed voltage DC link in high performance motor drive applications such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,131 entitled, "Voltage Source Inverter and Variable Frequency, Constant Voltage AC Motor Drive Embodying The Same", which patent is assigned to the same assignee as the present application. This U.S. patent is hereby incorporated by reference into the present application and will be hereinafter referred to as the incorporated U.S. patent. It teaches a regeneration mode of operation in which a motor drive is reliant on diode means in preparing for recovery after a controlled power switch has interrupted the current path. The diode means also is used to bypass the controlled power switch in the forward power mode of operation of the motor drive.
The above-referred type of voltage-source inverter is used in an adaptive situation to maximize the amount of inductance inserted in a variable voltage DC-link, according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,082 entitled "Regenerative Two-Quadrant Converter", which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Maximized inductive insertion is done by using a GTO device or a transistor to interrupt the main current so as to reduce the harmonic content thereof. It also is used to limit the rate of rise of a fault current in the event of a "shoot-through" among the thyristors of the converter bridge while in the regenerative mode. An additional static switch is thus provided for a separate bypass for the inductance energy through which to "freewheel" so as to help build up and thereby minimize the duration of a zero-current condition in the bridge at the moment of commutation.
An object of the present invention is to utilize some of the considerations from the above described voltage-source inverter and converter circuits and to apply them independently in a controllable series compensation circuit bypassing a fault current surge. Normal and fault current modes are to be for dynamically balancing the reactive impedance in a transmission line system during the normal mode and bypassing the fault current surge, respectively, when a fault current mode is inevitably sensed from surge current conditions.

Transmission line fault current dynamic inverter control


A hygienic toothbrush maintenance system helps maintain a toothbrush in a hygienic state through use of at least one detachable head that can be interchanged, and ultraviolet light that immerses bristles to kill bacteria. A pair of tensioned wires on the detachable head slides in and out of a head end of the toothbrush to enable secure and easy detachable attachment of the detachable head from the toothbrush. A release switch enables detachment of the detachable head from the toothbrush, and is operable with one hand so as to minimize contact with the toothbrush. A docking platform retains the toothbrush in an upright position and stores the removed detachable heads. An ultraviolet portion includes a telescopically extendable stand and a hood that emits ultraviolet light. The hood pivots to substantially cover the detachable heads, while they are attached to the toothbrush, and while stored in a head reception portion.

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.
The present invention is directed to a hygienic toothbrush maintenance system that utilizes a detachable head, a controllable ultraviolet light, a protective cartridge, and a one-handed release switch to maintain hygienic conditions for a toothbrush.
A toothbrush is an oral hygiene instrument used to clean the teeth and gums that consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles mounted on a handle, which facilitates the cleansing of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. The bristles of the toothbrush are often covered with toothpaste to increase the effectiveness of tooth brushing.
It is known in the art that the value of a continuous and thorough dental hygiene program with a toothbrush is effective for the prevention of dental caries, periodontal diseases and deterioration of tooth surfaces caused by bacterial infection in the mouth.
The inventor knew that cavities are developed in teeth as a result of chemical reaction with the tooth surface caused by bacteria constantly present in the mouth. The bacteria produce acids and similar toxins which attack the surface of the teeth and dissolve the surfaces thus producing cavities which must be repaired in order to save the tooth. The inventor was also aware that, since tooth decay and peridental diseases may be affected by bacterial action, there was a need for destroying these bacteria colonies which form on tooth surfaces.
Through years of brushing and dentist visits, the inventor also knew that the primary function of a toothbrush is to destroy colonies of bacteria and remove plaque so that there will be no buildup in the concentration of plaque and bacteria which will attack the various structures of the mouth.
However, the inventor recognized that a toothbrush is also a source of bacterial contamination. Microscopic particles or larger particles frequently become lodged in the bristles and then they reenter the mouth on the next brush of the teeth.
Further, the inventor noticed that toothbrush users often discarded toothbrushes every few months, or even weeks. Through research, the inventor learned that it takes less than three weeks for bacteria to heavily infect the bristles of brushes constantly used in warm environments.
The inventor also recognized a societal trend in that society was moving away from the disposable era toward an era of conservation of resources. Thus, throwing away a toothbrush every two weeks was no longer acceptable. The inventor recognized that not only do such habits waste the natural resources used in producing the toothbrush, but toothbrushes are commonly made of materials which do not easily degrade in landfills, which contributes to the general problem of using up available disposal sites.
The inventor wondered if the most bacteria susceptible portion of the tooth brush could be removed for cleaning or interchanging. The inventor developed a toothbrush with a disposable bristle head, which would allow the user to dispose only a part of the brush, rather than the whole brush. The inventor saw that this created a more acceptable environmentally and encourages frequent discarding of the contaminated bristles; thus minimizing the potential of reinfection of the mouth with bacteria.
In addition, the inventor saw that the toothbrush with a detachable head could allow other dental appliances such as picks or bristle heads with differently shaped or different stiffness bristles to be mounted on the handle.
However, the inventor recognized a problem in that the bristles were still not being cleaned thoroughly. The inventor researched and learned that ultraviolet light was effective for killing 99.9% of bacteria. The inventor developed a stand and a hood with reflective interior. An ultraviolet light source was positioned in the hood to immerse the detachable head. The inventor also made the head pivotable so as to optimize engagement with the detachable head.
Dental hygienic systems have been utilized in the past; yet none with the characteristics of the present invention. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,095,634; 6,786,342; and 20060085932.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a hygienic toothbrush maintenance system that maintains the hygiene of a toothbrush, and specifically the bristles of the toothbrush through use of a detachable head, a controllable ultraviolet light portion, a protective cartridge, and a one-handed release switch to maintain hygienic conditions for a toothbrush.


A resist composition comprises a metal compound obtained from reaction of a starting metal compound having formula (A-1) or a (partial) hydrolyzate or condensate or (partial) hydrolytic condensate thereof, with a di- or trihydric alcohol having formula (A-2).M(OR1A)4  (A-1)R2A(OH)m  (A-2)In formula (A-1), M is Ti, Zr or Hf, and R1A is alkyl. In formula (A-2), m is 2 or 3, R2A is a divalent group when m=2 or a trivalent group when m=3. The resist composition exhibits improved resolution and edge roughness when processed by the EB or EUV lithography.

To meet the demand for higher integration density and operating speed of LSIs, the effort to reduce the pattern rule is in rapid progress. The wide-spreading flash memory market and the demand for increased storage capacities drive forward the miniaturization technology. As the advanced miniaturization technology, manufacturing of microelectronic devices at the 65-nm node by the ArF lithography has been implemented in a mass scale. Manufacturing of 45-nm node devices by the next generation ArF immersion lithography is approaching to the verge of high-volume application. The candidates for the next generation 32-nm node include ultra-high NA lens immersion lithography using a liquid having a higher refractive index than water in combination with a high refractive index lens and a high refractive index resist film, EUV lithography of 13.5 nm wavelength, and double patterning version of the ArF lithography, on which active research efforts have been made.
The current technology is approaching to the processing size which is reduced below 50 nm as minimum line width. When the processing size is so reduced, the thickness of resist film must be reduced below 100 nm, depending on the surface material of the substrate to be processed, because of such factors as the structural strength to maintain the pattern against the surface tension of developer and the adhesion strength to the substrate. On use of prior art chemically amplified resist materials intended to form high-resolution resist film, for example, no significant degradation of line edge roughness (LER) does occur with a resist film having a thickness of 150 nm, but LER is materially exacerbated when the film thickness is reduced below 100 nm.
As the feature size is reduced, image blurs due to acid diffusion become a problem (see Non-Patent Document 1). To insure resolution for fine patterns with a size of 45 nm et seq., not only an improvement in dissolution contrast as intended in the prior art is requisite, but control of acid diffusion is also important. Since chemically amplified resist compositions are designed such that sensitivity and contrast are enhanced by acid diffusion, an attempt to minimize acid diffusion by reducing the temperature and/or time of post-exposure bake (PEB) results in drastic reductions of sensitivity and contrast.
Addition of an acid generator capable of generating a bulky acid is effective for suppressing acid diffusion. It is then proposed to copolymerize a polymer with an acid generator in the form of an onium salt having polymerizable olefin.
With respect to the patterning of a resist film to a feature size of 16 nm et seq., it is believed impossible in the light of acid diffusion to form such a pattern from a chemically amplified resist film. It would be desirable to have a non-chemically amplified resist material.
A typical non-chemically amplified resist material is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). It is a positive resist material which increases solubility in organic solvent developer through the mechanism that the molecular weight decreases as a result of scission of the main chain upon exposure to EB or EUV. Due to the lack of cyclic structure, it has the drawbacks of poor etch resistance and substantial outgassing during exposure.
Hydrogensilsesquioxane (HSQ) is a negative resist material which turns insoluble in alkaline developer through crosslinking by condensation reaction of silanol generated upon exposure to EB or EUV. Also chlorine-substituted calixarene functions as negative resist material. Since these negative resist materials have a small molecular size prior to crosslinking and are free of blur by acid diffusion, they exhibit reduced edge roughness and very high resolution. They are thus used as a pattern transfer material for representing the resolution limit of the exposure tool. However, since these materials are negative resists, bright patterns, which are sensitive to defects in a multilayer mask, must be used when it is desired to form hole patterns.
There is a demand for a non-chemically amplified positive resist material having a high resolution.
The EB writing of a resist film encounters a problem that the point of writing is shifted by electrostatic charges on the resist film. It is proposed to overlay the resist film with an antistatic film to prevent the resist film from being charged. Undesirably coating of the antistatic film adds to the cost of the overall process.
It was impossible to use metal-containing materials as the photoresist material for the semiconductor lithography because of a possible malfunction of semiconductor devices as a result of metal atoms migrating to the substrate. However, it is known in the application other than the semiconductor, for example, to use a metal compound as the resist material for LCD (see Non-Patent Document 2) or zinc neodecanoate as the patterning material for forming transparent electrode of ZnO. Patent Document 1 shows pattern-forming examples using complexes of silicon, titanium, zirconium, tantalum, barium, strontium, and hafnium with acetylacetone ligands. Patent Document 2 discloses a pattern forming method using salts of copper, chromium, cerium, yttrium, barium, and aluminum with carboxyl and amino-containing ligands. Once a pattern is formed, it is converted into a pattern of metal oxide by heat treatment at 300° C.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Resist composition and patterning process


The present invention provides an oral composition for whitening teeth comprising a safe and effective whitening amount of peracetic acid dissolved or suspended in a vehicle, wherein the peracetic acid is generated within the vehicle in situ by combining water, acetylsalicylic acid and a water soluble alkali metal percarbonate.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an oral composition which when applied onto the surface of teeth acts to whiten teeth and more particularly to an oral composition for whitening teeth that is more effective than existing products available to the consumer.
2. The Prior Art
A tooth is comprised of an inner dentin layer and an outer hard enamel layer that is the protective layer of the tooth. The enamel layer of a tooth is naturally an opaque white or slightly off-white color. It is this enamel layer that can become stained or discolored. The enamel layer of a tooth is composed of hydroxyapatite mineral crystals that create a somewhat porous surface. It is believed that this porous nature of the enamel layer is what allows staining agents and discoloring substances to permeate the enamel and discolor the tooth.
Many substances that an individual comes in contact with on a daily basis can "stain" or reduce the "whiteness" of one's teeth. In particular, foods, tobacco products and fluids such as tea and coffee that one consumes tend to stain the teeth. These products or substances tend to accumulate on the enamel layer of the tooth and form a pellicle film over the teeth. These staining and discoloring substances can then permeate the enamel layer.
One method for whitening teeth used by dental professionals involves the use of 30% hydrogen peroxide in combination with heat and light to promote the oxidation reaction. This method, although fast, is losing favor with dentists because clinical and scientific evidence shows that an effective whitening process without heat and light is desired.
Another professional method for bleaching teeth involves the use of hydrogen peroxide generating compounds such as urea peroxide (carbamide peroxide) at concentrations of 10% to achieve the desired whitening effect. Urea peroxide rapidly breaks down into hydrogen peroxide due to the water present in saliva. This method is known as an office-monitored at-home bleaching system and involves the use of a mouth guard or tray within which the bleaching agent is placed. The tray is then placed upon the teeth of the user and bleaching is allowed to take place. This method of treatment has drawbacks including tooth sensitivity, possibly due to demineralization and irritation of oral tissues. An additional disadvantage of the tray application method is that the bleaching effect is very slow.
There is a demand in the marketplace for a tooth whitening product that can be used at home or in private by the consumer and is safe and easy to use. A product for home use should not utilize the compositions or products for whitening teeth that are available for use by a trained dental professional. For example, the 30% hydrogen peroxide bleaching agent utilized by many dental practitioners to bleach teeth is sufficiently concentrated to be irritating and potentially dangerous for home use by the consumer.
More recently it has been discovered that peracetic acid is a surprisingly effective bleaching or whitening agent for discolored or stained human teeth, as disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/796,160, filed Nov. 22, 1991, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. As described in that application, 1% by weight aqueous solution of peracetic acid gives rise to a faster and superior whitening effect when applied to teeth at ambient to oral range temperatures than does a 30% by weight aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide. As also described in the above referenced application, the peracetic acid can be applied directly to the teeth as by swab application, incorporated in an oral composition such as a toothpaste, gel or rinse that is to be applied topically, or generated in situ in the oral composition by the reaction of a peroxide source such as hydrogen peroxide, urea peroxide, sodium perborate, sodium percarbonate, and metal peroxides, for example, SrO.sub.2, CaO.sub.2 and NaO.sub.2, with peroxyacid precursor or activator containing labile acetyl groups. Illustrative examples of such activators include tetracetylethylenediamine, pentaacetylglucose, tetracetylglycoluril, sorbitol hexaacetate or fructose pentaacetate.
One of the major disadvantages associated with the use of peracetic acid packaged for home use by the consumer is its relative instability. Dilute 1% aqueous solutions of peracetic acid will substantially decompose in as little as 30 days at ambient temperatures. Storage at 3.degree. C. significantly improves stability but not to the extent required for the normal market age for a consumer or professional product. In addition, many common adjuvants present in consumer and professional products such as flavorants and other organic materials can rapidly react with peracetic acid, destroying both the adjuvants and the peracetic acid.
These factors tend to dictate that a preferred approach for the employment of peracetic acid chemistry in dentifrice applications is to generate the peracetic acid in-situ at the time of use. A source of hydrogen peroxide and a carboxylate derivative of acetic acid, such as an amide or an ester, may be mixed together in water at a pH high enough to generate sufficient concentration of perhydroxyl anion from the hydrogen peroxide. The perhydroxyl anion nucleophilically attacks the acetate derivative producing peracetic acid in accordance with the following reaction: ##STR1##
Analogous chemistry has been employed to generate hydrogen peroxide and perorganic acids in dry bleach and laundering compositions. For example, British Patent 836,988 discloses textile bleaching compositions containing an inorganic H.sub.2 O.sub.2 source such as sodium perborate or sodium percarbonate and an organic carboxylic acid ester such as esters of phenols or esters of mono - or disaccharides containing 3 or more ester groups.
The in-situ approach towards generating peracetic acid has also been disclosed with respect to dentifrice compositions as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/796,160, referred to above.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,305 discloses effervescent tablets for the in vitro cleaning of dentures which contain, as essential components, a bleaching agent which comprises salts of persulfate perborate or pyrophosphate hydrates or metal peroxides, a peroxyacid bleach precursor and an effervescence--producing base composition. Among the numerous organic peracid precursors disclosed are carboxylic acid esters such as acetylsalicylic acid, which are more generally disclosed in the aforementioned British Patent 836,988, directed towards textile bleaching and detergent compositions.
In those applications where dentifrice compositions are designed for in-vivo use, it is essential that the peracetic acid generating components react quickly after they are combined, since the user will normally wish to limit the time in which the dentifrice is in contact with the teeth. In addition, the classes of peroxide generators and peroxy acid bleach precursors useful for in-vivo application to the teeth is severely limited due to the requirement that these components by physiologically safe and non-irritating to oral tissues. A further requirement for in-vivo use is that the peracetic acid is generated at a relatively neutral pH, close to the safe physiological neutral pH of 7.

Oral composition having improved tooth whitening effect


A method and a device for charging an electric vehicle in a power system are provided. The method includes: obtaining a first electric vehicle connected to the power system, and obtaining a rated charging power and a first charging requirement; determining a first charging period corresponding to the first electric vehicle; determining a forecast period, and obtaining a second electric vehicle to be connected to the power system; revising the first charging period to obtain a second charging period, and obtaining a second charging requirement and a maximum charging power; establishing a charging model, establishing a first constraint of the charging model, and establishing a second constraint of the charging model; and solving the charging model under the first constraint and the second constraint to obtain an optimal charging power so as to charge each first electric vehicle under the optimal charging power.

Currently, the electric vehicle has been developed rapidly as the representative of the clean energy vehicle. However, there are some problems in the rapid development of the electric vehicle: the electric vehicle will influence the power system to a great extent when the number of the electric vehicles reaches a certain size and the electric vehicles are connected to the power system disorderly. For example, the power quality can be declined, the loss of the system power can be increased, and even the stability of the power system can be endangered. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the charging behavior of the electric vehicle to avoid the above described effects, and to achieve that the charging power may be increased during the trough of the power system and may be decreased during the peak of the power system.

Method and device for charging electric vehicle in power system


The instant invention proposes an artificial intervertebral disc providing for angular displacements between adjacent vertebrae wherein these displacements are accommodated by internal shear in an elastomeric layered element residing between the upper and lower bases attached, respectively, to the upper and lower adjacent vertebrae, without sliding.

Intervertebral disc prosthetics must comply with several requirements, often contradicting each other. These requirements are derived from studies on natural intervertebral discs. The prosthetic artificial disc should provide angular mobilities with specified ranges and stiffness values (two bending mobilities, fore-and-aft and side-to-side, and torsional around the axis of the spine), while accommodating large and varying axial (vertical) loading; it is desirable that the stiffness values are not significantly influenced by the changing vertical loads. Dummies are mock-ups of human bodies designed to simulate behavior of human bodies in extreme circumstances, e.g. crash dummies. Dummies are not, usually, equipped with all individual vertebras simulating the human spinal column but have structural elements rather crudely simulating the human spine. These structural elements will also be called "vertebras" in this Specification. Maintaining the structural characteristics of artificial intervertebral discs in close similarity to the natural discs is very important in order to adequately simulate behavior of the human bodies in the course of the dummy-based experiments.
There are various proposed designs of artificial intervertebral discs attempting to simulate structural characteristics, especially stiffness values and ranges of motion of the natural discs. The most widely used designs comprise spherical joints generated by a concave spherical socket engaged with a fitting convex spherical protrusion. Both surfaces are usually made from a low friction plastic capable of sliding without lubrication. While providing mobility in various angular directions and capable of accommodating axial loads, these designs have several shortcomings.
These artificial discs do not have elastic characteristics resident in the discs of the natural spinal column in any of the three angular directions. The natural elastic resistances to the motions approximately proportional to the deformation angle are replaced in these prosthetic or artificial discs by frictional resistances, practically independent on the motion magnitude.
Secondly, the motion resistances in all three directions (the friction forces) are increasing with the increasing axial force in the spinal column (which varies in the wide range). This also results in some unnatural feelings, since the elastic resistance forces in the natural spinal column are not significantly dependent on the axial force.
Another shortcoming of the state-of-the-art prosthetics is an unavoidable difference between static and dynamic friction coefficients in spherical joint. This makes the motion resistance different in the beginning of the movement and in the process of movement, since the static friction coefficient is greater than the dynamic friction coefficient.
Yet another shortcoming, which is also a result of frictional interaction in the spherical joint, is inevitable wear of the sliding connection. The wear is enhanced by sometimes high axial pressures in the spinal column which are too high for sliding plastic contacts. The wear process creates worn-out particles which are contaminating the area around the disc and may increase the friction forces if accumulated in the sliding connection.
The subject invention eliminates the listed shortcomings.


Methods of detecting atypical patterns of usage of electricity, determined by monitoring consumption at the primary line, permit detection of grow-ops and unusual line losses due to defective service lines. A meter having a high resolution is connected to the primary line and the data collected is compared to known consumption patterns thus identifying a potential theft or a loss. Once an atypical pattern has been found, the heat signatures of transformers fed by the primary line are measured. An unusual heat signature alerts the utility to load test the secondary lines of each residence fed from the transformer and thus locate suspect residences which may be grow-ops or to locate a line loss due to defective service lines.

It is estimated that electrical theft alone results in millions of dollars of loss per year. Ontario, Canada reports an estimated cost of $500 million dollars per year. It is believed that the most significant contributor to electrical theft is the indoor cultivation of marijuana known as grow operations or "grow-ops". While recent case law has made the recovery of lost energy revenue possible, the reality is that very little monetary recovery is made through court actions.
Along with the staggering costs related to the electrical theft, there are additional costs to the community which include property damage, increased potential for fires due to wiring required to tap into the grid, electrical brown-outs and power outages due to blown transformers.
Typically, relatively new single family residential properties having underground power lines are targeted as sites for grow-ops. The electrical power lines are readily bypassed and are more suitable than older services to provide the sustained amperage, typically a 120 amp draw that is required for a large commercial operation. Older services typically provide only 60 amp or 100 amp overhead lines which are more susceptible to malfunction.
Monitoring of electrical services at a location in the service which would detect bypassing of conventional metering is uncommon. Applicant is unaware of systems currently in use which are capable of economically identifying atypical usage patterns at the primary level and thereafter pinpointing specific households which may be of interest to the utility providers and to law enforcement.
Systems are known to monitor consumption at secondary lines which feed electricity from the transformer to the residence which are capable of detecting over-usage, being typically in excess of a predetermined value, such as about 50% of the expected for a single household. Over-usage due to a grow operation or the like at the primary level however becomes more difficult to detect as the over-usage is typically not seen as a significant alteration in measurement using conventional metering.
There is great interest in systems which can be used to identify uncommon consumption patterns, at the primary level, which may be indicative of utility theft and which do not infringe upon existing laws which protect individual rights and freedoms.

Electrical profile monitoring system for detection of atypical consumption


Air cooled x-ray generating apparatus is provided with a unitary vacuum enclosure having a rotating anode target and a cathode assembly for generating x-rays. The cathode assembly may be placed within the vacuum enclosure through an opening in the top wall thereof, and comprises a disk which completely covers this opening. The unitary vacuum enclosure and the disk form a radiation shield. A plurality of fins are disposed on the exterior side wall of the vacuum enclosure, and a shroud is attached to the fins to provide additional protection of ambient against radiation. The cathode assembly may be placed through a side wall of the vacuum enclosure. The additional protection against excessive radiation in this design is provided by a shielding member placed in proximity to the anode target. The shielding member extends from the side wall of the enclosure and is substantially parallel to the top wall.

The present invention relates to x-ray generating apparatus, and in particular to x-ray tubes with an improved unitary vacuum housing design which allows for a radiation protection and direct heat transmission through a body of the unitary vacuum housing.
The x-ray generating apparatus generally comprises a vacuum enclosure with an anode assembly and a cathode assembly spaced therebetween. The cathode assembly comprises an electron emitting cathode which is disposed so as to direct a beam of electrons onto a focal spot of an anode target of the anode assembly. In operation, electrons emitting by the cathode are accelerated towards the anode target by a high voltage created between the cathode and the anode target. The accelerated electrons impinge on the focal spot area of the anode target with sufficient kinetic energy to generate a beam of x-rays which passes through a window in the vacuum enclosure.
However, only about one percent of the input energy is converted into x-radiation. The vast majority of the input energy is converted into thermal energy which is stored in the mass of the anode assembly. It is known in the art that by rotating the anode the heat generated during x-ray production can be spread over a larger anode target area. To improve the heat transfer by radiation the anode assembly is coated in a special way and is cooled by forced convection with, for example, a dielectric liquid as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,296. The excessive thermal energy from the anode assembly is dissipated by thermal radiation to the surrounding enclosure.
In conventionally designed x-ray generating apparatus the vacuum enclosure is placed in a housing which serves as a container for cooling medium, typically cooling fluid or the forced air. In fluid cooled x-ray apparatus, the type disclosed for example in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,557, the rotating anode x-ray tube is immersed into the housing filled with an insulating fluid such as a transformer oil which is circulated by a pump for at least partially dissipating the heat from the vacuum enclosure.
The air cooled x-ray tube disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,126 comprises a housing with disposed therein an evacuated envelope having a cathode and an anode that are capable of being biased to a voltage in a range between about 1 kV and 200 kV, and a heat cage formed of a heat conducting material. The head cage is provided within the interior of the vacuum enclosure surrounding an anode target. The heat cage absorbs heat from the anode and transports it to the end portion of the vacuum enclosure, and then to the exterior of the housing for dissipation by the air flow. The excessive radiation from the x-ray tube is blocked from exiting the housing by a lead liner which is provided between the evacuated envelope and the housing. The lead liner serves also as a massive heat sink for the x-ray tube.
Being advantageous in some respects the air cooled tube design has certain drawbacks. The presence of the heat cage inside the evacuated envelope elongates the heat path leading to a heat dissipation which results in excessive temperature built up over the exterior of the vacuum enclosure which may damage the lead liner.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a compact x-ray generating apparatus with reduced number of components resulting increased reliability and reduced manufacturing costs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide the x-ray generating apparatus having a multi-functional vacuum enclosure which serves as a radiation shield, as a heat reservoir for balancing the temperature within the vacuum enclosure in case of power loss and as a direct heat transfer element between an anode assembly and an air cooling system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide the air cooling x-ray generating apparatus comprising a multi-functional mounting block which serves as an installation element, as a heat reservoir and as an element of a cooling system.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an x-ray generating apparatus which comprises a unitary vacuum enclose formed by a cylindrically shaped body having side, top and bottom walls with respective openings therein. The top and side walls are made of materials capable to provide a required radiation shielding which does not exceed the FDA requirement of radiation transmission equal to 100 mRad/hr at 1 meter from the x-ray generating apparatus with 150 kV at rated power. The unitary vacuum enclosure has an anode assembly with a rotating anode target and a cathode assembly spaced therebetween. The unitary enclosure has a thermal capacity that is substantially larger than a thermal capacity of the anode target. The cathode assembly has an electron source for emitting electrons that strikes the rotating anode target to generate x-rays which are released through an x-ray window coupled to the opening in the side wall of the unitary vacuum enclosure. The cathode assembly comprises further a mounting structure for holding said electron source, and a disk made of a high Z-material and attached to the mounting structure and facing the anode target for shielding the opening in the top wall of the unitary vacuum enclosure against the x-rays. The outer side wall of the unitary vacuum enclosure comprises a plurality of fins disposed thereon. A shroud is attached to the fins and extends over the outer perimeter of the side wall and partially over the top wall.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention the x-ray generating apparatus comprises a top wall and a cylindrical side wall with a protruded inwardly shielding member. The shielding member is substantially parallel to the top wall. It forms an upper and lower portion within the vacuum enclosure, wherein an anode assembly and an electron source of cathode assembly are disposed in the lower portion, while the mounting structure for holding the electron source is disposed in the upper portion of vacuum enclosure. The cathode assembly is placed within the vacuum enclosure through an aperture within the upper portion of the side wall of the vacuum enclosure. A conical high-voltage insulator is utilized to seal the vacuum enclosure within this aperture.
These and other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the detailed description given below in which preferred embodiments are described in relation to the drawings. The detailed descriptions presented are to illustrate the present invention, but is not intended to limit it.


Provided is an image reading device including a platen that supports an original document on which an image is recorded, a reading unit that is opposed to the original document with the platen interposed therebetween, and includes a reading member which reads the image on the original document extending in a first direction, and a supporting member that supports the reading member, is movable along a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and is movably supported such that the reading member reads the image on the original document in the first and second directions, a guiding member that extends in the second direction and guides the supporting member when the supporting member is moved in the second direction, and a moving member that is disposed to be separated from the guiding member in the first direction and moves the supporting member along the second direction.

1. (i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image reading device, and an image forming apparatus.
2. (ii) Related Art
In the related art, image reading apparatuses have the following known configurations including: not only a configuration where only a light source section moves and a reading member such as a CCD is stationary when the apparatus reads a medium on which an image is recorded, that is, a so-called original document; but also a configuration where an image is read by integrally moving a light source section and a reading member.

Image reading device, and image forming apparatus


It is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost moveable mirror with 2 axes of movement that is suitable for use in an optical application where a relatively large tip of tilt of a mirror is needed in a known series of positions repeatably and rapidly. This object is achieved by providing a planar structure with 4 bending actuators that can be produced through MEMs based manufacturing. The moveable mirror is flexibly connected to the bending actuators so it can be moved on 2 axes. The bending actuators are designed to have substantial length to increase the angular movement of the mirror. Hard stops are provided to provide repeatable and accurate positioning of the mirror for selected positions.

In related U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/175,142, a compact zoom imaging system is described that utilizes a moveable mirror to select different fields of view for a series of images that are stitched together to form a wide angle image in a zoom system. Moveable mirror devices for imaging systems require fast actuators that can move mirrors of relatively large size, have 2 axes of movement, have low power requirements, can produce large deflections and low cost in a compact form factor. In addition, for a moveable mirror device for the zoom system as disclosed, the mirror only needs to operate to a series of known positions. However, the positioning of the mirror at these known positions must be done reliably with high accuracy.
Moveable mirror systems can be formed with a variety of actuators to tip and tilt the mirror. Thermal actuators, magnetic actuators, electrostatic actuators and piezoelectric actuators have been used to make different types of moveable mirrors for beam steering applications.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2008/0165402 discloses a moveable plate that can be used with a mirror in an optical scanner. However, the moveable plate as disclosed has relatively short piezoelectric actuators that are constrained in the way they work against each other so that the performance is limited to smaller deflections. In addition, the piezoelectric actuators are designed to operate over a continuous range of positions so that the repeatability and accuracy of positioning the moveable plate is limited and complex control circuitry with positional feedback is required to improve the repeatability and accuracy. Further, the actuators are located outside the mirror so that the movable plate assembly is substantially bigger then the movable plate.
World International Patent Organization Patent Application 2006/110908 describes a displaceable platform that can be tipped and tilted by 4 piezoelectric actuators. However, the piezoelectric actuators are curved so that the MEMs device is difficult and expensive to make. In addition, the curved nature of the piezoelectric actuators increases the overall size of the device.
Therefore, a need exists for a low cost moveable mirror that is small in size and can rapidly and repeatably move to a series of known positions with accuracy.


An arrangement for minimizing acoustic reflections and diffraction from an exterior surface of a diaphragm of a loudspeaker transducer. A layer of highly optimized acoustic foam is applied to an exterior surface of the transducer diaphragm. The acoustic foam is a polyether urethane material of approximately 2 lb/ft.sup.3 density with a skinned bottom surface, optional skinned top surface and optimized cell size and structure. The foam is die cut into a shape to conform to the concave shape of the transducer diaphragm without large air gaps or deformation of the foam. The acoustic foam surface prevents reflection and diffraction of another transducer's output off of the diaphragm of the treated transducer and provides a low pass filtering of the acoustic output of the treated transducer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to arrangements for reducing acoustic reflections and diffraction in a loudspeaker and, in particular, to an arrangement for minimizing acoustic reflections and diffraction from the exterior surface of a diaphragm of a loudspeaker transducer.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
A common problem in existing loudspeakers is that the acoustic output from a transducer is reflected and diffracted off of the diaphragm of any other transducers in close proximity. The most common situation is the reflection of a tweeter's output off of the midrange or woofer cone (usually directly below or above the tweeter). Complicating the problem is the fact that the midrange or woofer diaphragm is usually conical in shape. This concave cavity causes large phase shifts of the reflected acoustic signals which, when recombined with the primary (on-axis) signal, will result in large amplitude and phase anomalies (the "cavity effect"). The general perception of these anomalies is manifested as large amounts of timbre-related distortion or coloration.
In the past, manufacturers have dealt with this problem by either of two ways: (1) the use of an acoustically absorbing barrier (12 to 25 mm in height) between the transducers; or (2) the use of a flat diaphragm for the midrange or woofer transducers.
The acoustic barrier approach is partially effective, at least at higher frequencies. However, it does not prevent the problem entirely because it can only absorb a portion of the off-axis output from a transducer. This approach may also have a somewhat unpredictable effect upon the loudspeaker's combined off-axis or polar frequency response. Often the acoustic barrier approach is also unacceptable for aesthetic reasons as a result of its protruding height.
On the other hand, the use of a flat diaphragm for the midrange or woofer transducer will eliminate the "cavity effect" mentioned above but does not eliminate reflection and diffraction. The reflections which remain are far less detrimental, but they still exist. In fact, a more severe problem can sometimes be created by using a flat diaphragm--loss of rigidity. Cone-shaped diaphragms are far superior to flat diaphragms in terms of rigidity and freedom from "breakup" or resonant mode excitation.

Low reflection/low diffraction treatment for loudspeaker transducer diaphragm


Methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for processing a data set representing an amplification curve having a baseline portion and a growth portion. Peak objects are generated by taking a derivative of the data set. The first peak object having a value greater than a threshold is identified. An end of the baseline portion from a beginning of the first peak object is estimated.

The present invention relates generally to data processing systems and methods, and more particularly to systems and methods for determining the end of the baseline in an amplification curve, such as in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Many experimental processes exhibit amplification of a quantity. For example, in PCR, the quantity may correspond to the number of parts of a DNA strand that have been replicated, which dramatically increases during an amplification stage or region. PCR data is typically described by a region of linear drifting baseline which is a precursor to exponential growth of PCR amplification. As the consumables are exhausted, the curve turns over and asymptotes. It is desirable to remove the linear drift as much as possible and baseline the signal to zero. For accurate baselining, the beginning and end of the baseline require identifying as accurately as possible. Once this is done, then a linear fit to the points between the begin and end cycles can be subtracted off from the data.
One prior art technique for determining the end of the baseline is as follows. The first pair of points in the curve are selected. For the first point, the first point plus the next three points of the curve are selected for processing. Using these four points, a linear least squares fit is determined and the slope calculated. This process is repeated for the second point. If the change in the two slopes is greater than a fixed number, that is, if the curve turns upward signaling amplification, then the process stops with the end cycle having been determined. If the change in the slops is not greater than the fixed number, the process continues for the next pair of points (e.g., the second and third points in the curve). The process is repeated until a change in slope is greater than the fixed number.
One problem with this approach is that using just four points to define the linear fit is extremely sensitive to small variations in the amplitude of a single point. Spikes or fluctuations due to noisy data will often cause the process to truncate prematurely, resulting in a poor baselining. Moreover, the threshold for the change in slopes is an arbitrary number, which may have to be modified as the data and instrument change. This calibration costs additional time and money. Further, since the algorithm stops when a fixed condition is met, there is no opportunity to analyze the remaining part of the curve to determine if there is a better stopping point.
Therefore it is desirable to provide systems and methods for determining the end cycle of the baseline in an amplification curve that overcome the above and other problems.


A processor retention frame and incorporated processor extraction handle is described herein. The frame is fabricated from a single piece of sheet metal, holds two processor cards securely, and is easily mounted on the main system board. The extractor handle allows the easy removal of processor cards from the main system board and frame without exerting excessive force on the main system board or the processor board.

The present invention is in the field of mechanical design and fabrication of computer equipment. The invention particularly relates to frames used to hold multiple processor boards in multi-processor systems.
Many computers use two or more central processing units ("CPU"s). Typically, each of the CPUs is mounted on an individual printed circuit board ("PCB"), each of the PCBs being provided with edge connectors. The PCBs with their individual CPUs are then installed in the computer system and held in place by some type of mechanical assembly.
Several new multi-processor systems will use new Intel microprocessors. These new microprocessor will be of the so-called "Slot 1" type. Each of these multi-processor systems has some type of processor retention frame to hold and support the Slot 1 CPUs. One of these processor retention frames is shown in FIG. 1. The illustrated processor retention frame is fabricated from several separate plastic parts which are then assembled together to form the frame. The illustrated frame requires 10 screw holes to attach it to the main system board, limiting the number of locations where the board can be mounted. The frame itself is not attached to the main system board, but rather is attached to the computer chassis, through the main system board. This method of attachment is needed as the frame is too flexible to properly support the microprocessor card. If the combination of the overly flexible frame and the microprocessor card were directly attached to the main system board, the resulting assembly would put a great deal of mechanical stress on the electrical circuitry, leading to frequent premature failures. The known processor retention frame also has no means to easily remove processor boards from the main system board.

Processor retention frame and extraction device


A vehicle seating assembly includes a cushion and a seating surface. A thermally conductive tape includes at least two branches, the two branches coming together at a junction and extending in a direction parallel with the seating surface. The thermally conductive tape includes a plurality of thermoelectric devices and a lower conductor and an upper conductor in thermal contact with the plurality of thermoelectric devices. The thermoelectric devices are secured to the lower conductor and the upper conductor with the thermally conductive adhesive. The thermoelectric devices are configured to change temperature when a voltage is applied to the thermoelectric devices.

Vehicle seat comfort has become increasingly important as passengers take longer trips. Providing cooling and heating in the seat can increase the comfort of passengers.
A variety of vehicle seating assemblies that provide for occupant cooling and heating are known. However, current solutions for providing cooled and heated surfaces often can be too thick to conform to the contours of the substrates for which they are intended. Further, current solutions for providing cooled and heated surfaces can take extended periods of time to reach an occupant-perceptible temperature change.


A bumper system for an automotive vehicle includes a unitary bumper beam substrate which defines upper and lower channel sections which are capped for part of their length by stiffening elements which provide localized increased strength and resistance to elastic buckling and collapsing of the bumper beam.

Automotive bumpers must have the capability to manage impact energy without suffering excessive damage. To meet this requirement, most bumper beams have an invariant sectional configuration characterized by longitudinally invariant strength not only in bending, but also in compression and in resistance to buckling. Each of these characteristics must be sufficient to protect a vehicle against excessive damage. However, a bumper having an invariant cross section exhibiting the same bulk operational characteristics as the present inventive bumper, will weigh, and likely cost, more than the present bumper because the impact reaction of a bumper, in compression, for example, occurs primarily through the frame horns. As a result, much of the strength characterizing the entire length of a conventional, longitudinally invariant, bumper is not needed, and cannot be utilized. As a result, the unusable structure is in essence, wasted.
The present inventive bumper uses a localized, structurally modified beam substrate to react against impact loading, especially those reacted through the frame horns of a vehicle, while at the same time providing savings in material, weight, and cost.


Disclosed is a dispersion-compensating (DC) optical fiber 10 that is designed to support the fundamental mode of radiation at 1550 nm. The DC fiber is fabricated from silica glass and has a refractive index profile that includes a core region 51 surrounded by a cladding region 52 having a nominal refractive index n4. The core region includes a central core 511 having a nominal refractive index n1, a xe2x80x9ctrenchxe2x80x9d 512 surrounding the central core having a nominal refractive index n2, and a xe2x80x9cridgexe2x80x9d 513 surrounding the trench having a nominal refractive index n3. A range of refractive index profiles has been found that provides relative dispersion slopes (RDS) that are greater than 0.012 nmxe2x88x921 and figures of merit that are greater than 200 ps/(nmxc2x7dB). The range is conveniently expressed in terms of index differences and radial dimensions:

This invention relates generally to improvements to optical fiber, and more particularly to the design of a dispersion-compensating fiber.
Various mechanisms limit the bandwidth of an optical fiber. In a multimode optical fiber, for example, there is modal dispersion in which pulses of light that enter one end of the fiber are spread as they emerge from the other end of the fiber. This is because multimode fiber supports hundreds of different modes (or paths, if photons are viewed as particles rather than waves) as light propagates along the length of the fiber. Unfortunately, certain modes of consecutive pulses arrive at the distant end of the fiber at about the same time and interfere with each other. To avoid such intersymbol interference, the individual pulses of light in a multimode system are transmitted at a slower rate.
However, modal dispersion can be avoided with a fiber that is designed to support only the fundamental mode of a particular wavelength. Such a fiber is referred to as a singlemode fiber and has a much higher bandwidth than multimode fiber. But even here, a pulse of light that is introduced into one end of a singlemode fiber is somewhat spread in time as it emerges at the distant end. This is because the act of impressing information onto a single-wavelength lightwave (i.e., modulation) creates a spectrum of wavelengths that propagate along the fiber at different speeds. Accordingly, the different wavelength components (colors) that comprise the modulated lightwave arrive at the distant end of the fiber at different times, and the resulting pulse of light is xe2x80x9csmearedxe2x80x9d in time. Not surprisingly, this is referred to as chromatic dispersion.
A class of optical fibers has been developed that are known as dispersion-compensating (DC) fibers that, ideally, have dispersion characteristics that are opposite to the dispersion characteristics of the transmitting fiber. Reference is briefly made to FIG. 9, wherein curve 91 represents the chromatic dispersion of a known transmission fiber in the 1550 nanometers (nm) wavelength region. At this wavelength, the curve 91 shows that each kilometer (km) of fiber adds +17 ps (where, 1 Ps=10xe2x88x9212 second) of dispersion of per nanometer of source spectral width. The positive (+) polarity merely indicates that wavelengths longer than 1550 nm travel more slowly than wavelengths that are shorter. For practical purposes, the polarity is meaningless. However, in order to compensate for this dispersion, a DC fiber is concatenated with the transmission fiber to add an equal but opposite amount of dispersion. Curve 92 represents the chromatic dispersion of a known DC fiber. At 1550 nm, this DC fiber provides xe2x88x9217 ps/nmxc2x7km of dispersion. Thus, if equal lengths of transmission fiber and DC fiber are concatenated, then the overall dispersion at 1550 nm will be zero. Unfortunately, wavelengths above and below 1550 nm will still experience a net amount of dispersion; and so a more desirable dispersion characteristic for a DC fiber is needed such as the one shown by curve 93, which not only has an opposite dispersion polarity with respect to the transmission fiber, but also has an opposite dispersion slope.
Indeed, for wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems operating at 40 Gb/sec and above, it is necessary to compensate dispersion slope as well as dispersion polarity. Such compensation is achieved when the relative dispersion slope (RDS) of the DC fiber is equal to the RDS of the of the transmission fiber. RDS is defined as the dispersion slope divided by the dispersion (i.e., RDS=S/D). A recently developed, reduced-slope transmission fiber is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,182 which has a slope of only 0.045 ps/(nm2xc2x7km) and a dispersion of +4.5 ps/(nmxc2x7km) to yield an RDS of 0.01 nmxe2x88x921 at 1550 nm. Such a fiber is commercially available from OFS Fitel as its TrueWave(copyright) RS optical fiber. Nevertheless, even this fiber requires compensation, but there does not appear to be any commercially available DC fiber with an RDS greater than 0.0035 nmxe2x88x921.
In optical transmission systems, dispersion compensation is achieved by splicing a length of DC fiber to the transmission fiber as generally illustrated in FIG. 7 and, for convenience, the DC fiber is stored in a module. It is important that the insertion loss of the dispersion-compensating module be as low as possible for a number of reasons including: simpler amplifier design; lower signal-to-noise ratio of the transmission system; and reduced nonlinear effects because input power to the dispersion compensating module can be lower. The insertion loss of a dispersion-compensating module has two major contributors: (i) splice loss at the junction between the transmission fiber and the DC fiber; and (ii) the loss of the DC fiber itself. The insertion loss of the module can be lowered by using a DC fiber having a high figure of merit, which is defined as the ratio of the magnitude of the dispersion to the attenuation of the DC fiber. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art DC fibers have figures of merit that are less than 200 ps/(nmxc2x7dB).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,319 (Antos) discloses a DC fiber and system in which dispersion is compensated by inserting modules at appropriate intervals. Each module contains DC fiber of an appropriate length to produce a dispersion of approximate equal magnitude (but opposite polarity) to that of the transmission fiber in the route. Unfortunately, the DC fibers shown in Antos have relatively small negative chromatic dispersion (absolute valuexe2x89xa6100 ps/nmxc2x7km; exemplarily xe2x88x9265 ps/nmxc2x7km), necessitating the use of long lengths of DC fiber (e.g., 39 km of DC fiber to compensate the dispersion of 150 km of transmission fiber). Furthermore, the Antos technique apparently is practical only for dispersion compensation, with dispersion slope compensation being considered xe2x80x9cnot easily achieved in practicexe2x80x9d by the author.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,674 (Vengsarkar) discloses a DC fiber having relatively high dispersion (absolute value typically greater than 150 ps/nmxc2x7km) and a negative dispersion slope, both of which represent substantial improvements over Antos. In order to achieve such results, Vengsarkar""s DC fiber supports at least one higher order mode in addition to the fundamental LP mode (LP01). The drawback is the complication of adding mode converters, which potentially adds to the loss. Another difficulty is that the fibers are multi moded, meaning that modal noise due to interference between the modes degrades the signal-to-noise ratio.
Accordingly, what is needed is a DC fiber having high dispersion, a negative dispersion slope, and a high RDS. Satisfying these multiple goals in a singlemode optical fiber is a long sought-after goal of DC fiber designers.
In a broad aspect, the invention is embodied in a singlemode optical fiber that compensates chromatic dispersion in an optical fiber communication system at an operating wavelength of about 1550 nm. This dispersion-compensating (DC) optical fiber is fabricated from silica glass and has a refractive index profile that includes a core region that is surrounded by a cladding region having a nominal refractive index n4. The core region includes a central core having a nominal refractive index n1, a xe2x80x9ctrenchxe2x80x9d surrounding the central core having a nominal refractive index n2, and a xe2x80x9cridgexe2x80x9d surrounding the trench having a nominal refractive index n3. A range of refractive index profiles has been found that provides desirable DC fibers. The range is conveniently expressed in terms of index differences:
0.015 less than n1xe2x88x92n4 less than 0.035;
xe2x88x920.012 less than n2xe2x88x92n4 less than xe2x88x920.006; and
0.002 less than n3xe2x88x92n4 less than 0.015;
This range of refractive index differences together with the below range of radial dimensions have been found to provide exceptionally high values of RDS (i.e., greater than 0.012 nmxe2x88x921):
central core: radius=1.5xc2x10.5 xcexcm;
trench: width=4.3xc2x11.0 xcexcm; and
ridge: width=2.4xc2x11.0 xcexcm.
In illustrative embodiments of the invention, the DC fiber is wound on a spool that is contained within a DC module. By combining the DC fiber (e.g., splicing) end-to-end with a length of standard singlemode fiber, the RDS of the combined fibers is further increased.
In one illustrative embodiment, DC fiber according to the invention is used to compensate standard singlemode transmission fiber in an optical transmission system; and in another embodiment, DC fiber according to the invention is used to compensate non-zero dispersion shifted transmission fiber.

Dispersion-compensating fiber having a high relative dispersion slope

Abstract: central core: radius=1.5xc2x10.5 xcexcm, and 0.015 less than n1xe2x88x92n4 less than 0.035;

Abstract: trench: width=4.3xc2x11.0 xcexcm, and xe2x88x920.012 less than n2xe2x88x92n4 less than xe2x88x920.006; and

Abstract: ridge: width=2.4xc2x11.0 xcexcm; and 0.002 less than n3xe2x88x92n4 less than 0.015.