A zoom lens and imaging apparatus implementing four lens groups including a first lens group G1 having a positive refractive power, a second lens group G2 having a negative refractive power, a third lens group G3 having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group G4 having a positive refractive power. When a positional state is varied from a wide-angle-end state to a telephoto-end state, the second lens group is moved to an image side, and the fourth lens group is moved to compensate for image plane variation caused by the movement of the second lens group.

Conventionally, there has been known, as a recording means for a camera, a recording method which includes forming on a surface of an imager an object image by the imager using a photoelectric converter such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor), and converting an amount of light of the object image into electric output by the photoelectric converter.
According to technological progress on fine processing technology in recent years, a Central Processing Unit (CPU) has been speeded up and a recording medium has been highly integrated, so that an extra-large volume of image data, which could not be handled before, can be processed at high speed. In addition, a light-receiving element has been also highly integrated and reduced in size. The high integration allows higher spacial frequency to be recorded, and the reduction in size allows downsizing of the whole camera.
However, the high integration and reduction in size reduces a light reception area of the photoelectric converter. Accordingly, influence of noise may be increased caused by decrease in the electric output. To avoid this, there has been attempted that the amount of light reaching the light-receiving element is increased by increasing an aperture ratio of an optical system, or that an extra-small lens element (i.e., micro-lens array) is disposed in front of the element. The micro-lens array guides light beam incident on a gap between the adjacent elements onto the element, however, it restricts the position of an exit pupil of the lens system. In particular, when the position of the exit pupil of the lens system comes close to the light-receiving element, an angle formed by chief ray reaching the light-receiving element and by the optical axis is increased, and consequently, an angle formed by off-axis light beam heading to the periphery of a screen and by the optical axis is more increased. Accordingly, the off-axis light beam would not reach the light-receiving element, thereby providing an insufficient amount of light.
There is known, for instance, a positive-negative-positive-positive four-group zoom lens as the zoom lens appropriate for the video camera, digital still camera, or the like, which records the object image by the above-mentioned photoelectric converter.
The positive-negative-positive-positive four-group zoom lens includes a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a positive refractive power, and a fourth lens group having a positive refractive power, sequentially arranged from an object side. When a positional state of the lenses is varied from a wide-angle-end state to a telephoto-end state, the first lens group and the third lens group are fixed along the optical axis, the second lens group is moved to an image side for varying magnification, and the fourth lens group is moved for compensating a variation in a position of an image plane caused by the movement of the second lens group.
For instance, there have been known zoom lenses disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 6-337353 and 2002-365544.
However, according to the above-mentioned conventional zoom lens, when a zoom ratio (=focal length in the telephoto-end state/focal length in the wide-angle-end state) is increased, an amount of the movement of the second lens group is increased. Consequently, the off-axis light beam passing through the first lens group comes away from the optical axis, and lens diameters of the first lens group may be increased.
Particularly in the conventional positive-negative-positive-positive four-group zoom lens, the amount of the movement of the second lens group for magnification-varying operation is increased in order to increase the zoom ratio. Therefore the off-axis light beam passing through the first lens group likely comes away from the optical axis, thus being difficult to achieve both the reduction in lens diameters and the high variable magnification.
To solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a zoom lens having a high zoom ratio and easily allowing lens diameters to be reduced, and an imaging apparatus provided with the zoom lens.


The fail-over computer cluster enables multiple computing devices to operate using adaptive quorum rules to dictate which nodes are in the fail-over cluster at any given time. The adaptive quorum rules provide requirements for communications between nodes and connections with voting file systems. The adaptive quorum rules include particular recovery rules for unplanned changes in node configuration, such as due to a disruptive event. Such recovery quorum rules enable the fail-over cluster to continuing to operate with various changed configurations of its node members as a result of the disruptive event. In the changed configuration, access to voting file systems may not be required for a majority-group subset of nodes. If no majority-group subset remains, nodes may need direct or indirect access to voting file systems.

When multiple computers need to coordinate in working together, computer clusters can be formed. In computer clusters, computer memberships are defined to specify which computers members, referred to as nodes, are in the cluster. To form and operate a cluster, nodes are defined by way of a quorum. Cluster members agree on rules to derive a quorum. Quorum rules specify which nodes are active at any given time to participate in the cluster, e.g. run applications, access a database, etc. Quorum rules may also be applied if communications between nodes fail.
In some approaches, there is exactly one definition of which computers the cluster is comprised of (there are never multiple answers to this question no matter which node is asked.). The designation of which nodes are in the cluster according to the quorum rules is uniform among all nodes of the cluster. All of the nodes of a cluster are consistent in implementing the set of rules to derive the quorum. Changes to the cluster membership, e.g. addition/and removal of members, must be uniformly known, agreed to, and understood by all computer nodes in the cluster. If a node goes offline, all remaining node members are aware of it. Likewise, if there's a network partition that leaves some node members of the cluster on unreachable parts of the network, at most one subset of the old cluster may end up remaining and claiming to the be "the cluster" thereafter.
Some cluster memberships are managed based on consistent node membership staying above half of a designated cluster size. For example, the number of node members that are online and able to communicate with each other is half the cluster size plus one node, at all times, or the cluster fails. The cluster size can be defined as the number of computers predefined and stored in a persistent storage (the static way) or the number of computers that were online in a healthy cluster at some point in time (the dynamic way). For example, if a cluster is configured to have 5 nodes, it can go and stay online so long as at least 3 computers are a part of it. If the number of online members falls below 3, the cluster goes offline.
Other clusters employ membership management based on all nodes having consistent direct access to voting files. Voting files may be placed on shared storage (SAN/Infiniband/NFS/etc) so they are accessible to all cluster nodes. A node has a right to remain in the cluster so long as it's able to directly access the voting files. If it loses that access, it must leave (be evicted) from the cluster. A voting file outage can take down the cluster when all nodes are otherwise healthy, online, and can communicate with each other.
Typically, cluster nodes employ one or more "heart-beat" mechanisms to confirm aliveness of/detect problems with other nodes. They normally do so over one or more interconnect networks. Each node of a cluster sends a unicast heartbeat signal to every other node in the cluster at regular intervals. The heartbeat signal may be monitored by each receiving node to confirm liveness of its peers and signify problems with the nodes. If a heartbeat signal is not received from a node, then that node is considered offline.
Occasionally, events happen that change the nodes of a cluster, such as a new node joining or leaving a cluster. Through quorum rules, changes to the cluster membership is uniformly known, agreed to, and understood by all nodes in the cluster.
Problems can arise when there is an unplanned stoppage of communication between one or more nodes or other interruption of node operations. Such failures may be sudden and unintentional due to disruptive events, e.g. power outages, hardware breakdowns, such as glitches in small computer system interface (SCSI) devices, operating system malfunctions, etc. At times, such failures can result in quorum rule violations that can lead to total cluster outage. Fault tolerance from such disruptive events is important for the continued operation of the computer cluster. A failover process includes quorum rules that determine which remaining nodes may suffice for the cluster to remain operational.

Computer cluster using expiring recovery rules


A nonlinear filtering system determines the duration of a designated event in an SPR sensorgram, selects a filter length based on the determined duration of the designated event in the SPR sensorgram, and applies a nonlinear filter, having the selected filter length to the SPR sensorgram, to establish an output signal.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) measurement systems rely on surface plasmon resonances to detect changes in refractive index of a sample, or target, proximate to a transducing interface. Due to the surface plasmon resonance phenomenon, optical signals that are incident on, and deflected at, the transducing interface undergo a loss at a resonant incidence angle and a resonant optical wavelength. Changes in the refractive index of the sample cause changes in the resonant incidence angle and the resonant optical wavelength. An SPR measurement system relates detected changes in the resonant incidence angle or resonant optical wavelength to corresponding changes in the refractive index of the sample, typically in the form of an SPR sensorgram, which is a plot of the relative refractive index of the sample versus time.
While SPR sensorgrams can be used to characterize biochemical processes within the samples based on relationships between the biochemical processes and refractive indices of the samples, the SPR sensorgrams include noise components that can mask or otherwise distort features of the SPR sensorgrams. Typically, the noise components are attributed to uncertainty in the measurement of relative refractive index of the samples by the SPR measurement system, or to mechanical events in the SPR measurement system, such as the opening or closing of valves that control the flow of buffer and analytes in the samples.
Linear filtering is commonly used in signal processing to reduce noise components that are present on a signal. However, when linear filtering, such as lowpass filtering, is applied to an SPR sensorgram, high frequency features, such as sharp transitions in the SPR sensorgram are smoothed out, or eliminated. However, the sharp transitions may be indicative of a critical biochemical process or event, such as the onset of a binding event between analytes and ligands within the sample. Smoothing out or eliminating the sharp transitions in the SPR sensorgram may make it difficult to determine association/dissociation rates and other important indicators of biochemical processes. Linear filtering can also result in ringing when a signal includes outlying data points, discontinuities, or other anomalies, making biochemical processes or events depicted in the SPR sensorgram difficult to interpret. Filters based on Fourier Transforms, FIR (finite impulse response) filters, IIR (infinite impulse response) filters, and numerous other classes of linear filters may not be well-suited for reducing noise components in SPR sensorgrams due to the signal features of the SPR sensorgrams and the resulting shortcomings of the linear filters when applied to the SPR sensorgrams.

Nonlinear filtering for events in SPR sensing


An electronic device which can be installed and removed in an apparatus using only one hand includes a base and a positioning member. A positioning opening is formed on a first side surface of the base, and a channel is formed in the base with one end connected to the positioning opening. The positioning member is located in the channel and has a holding groove exposed from a front surface of the base. The positioning member is movable along the channel between a released position and a compressed (mounted) position. In the released position, a locking portion of the positioning member extends out of the channel via the positioning opening, in the compressed position the locking portion is retracted into the channel.

Removable devices, such as removable power supplies, removable hard disks, and removable fans, are widely used. The removable devices provide sufficient and continuous power, or sufficient and easy-to-manage data storage space. A user can perform replacement and online maintenance more easily when the devices are removable.
To properly lock a removable hard disk, a latch structure is often provided on the casing for the removable hard disk to be mounted thereon to prevent the removable hard disk from sliding out of the casing. A user may need to use both hands to remove and replace such a device.

Removable electronic device configured for one-hand operations

NANNING FUGUI PRECISION INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.


In an internal combustion engine, an exhaust purification catalyst and a hydrocarbon feed valve are arranged in an exhaust passage. When the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which flows into the exhaust purification catalyst should be made rich, rich control, which makes the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which is exhausted from the combustion chamber rich, is performed. In order to prevent clogging of the hydrocarbon feed valve, clogging preventing injection which injects hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve by an injection interval ΔtCB is performed. The exhaust purification catalyst has an oxygen storage ability. At the initial period of rich control, clogging preventing injection is performed by a shorter injection interval ΔtCS.

Known in the art is an exhaust purification system for an internal combustion engine in which an NOx storage catalyst is arranged in an engine exhaust passage and a hydrocarbon feed valve is arranged upstream of the NOx storage catalyst in the engine exhaust passage and in which rich control which makes an air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas which is exhausted from a combustion chamber rich is performed to release NOx from the NOx storage catalyst and remove the NOx, and clogging preventing injection which injects hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve is performed during the rich control to prevent clogging of the hydrocarbon feed valve (for example, see PLT 1). In this exhaust purification system, clogging preventing injection is performed when the NOx release speed is high during the rich control, that is, in the middle period of rich control. Note that, the NOx storage catalyst of this exhaust purification system contains ceria. Therefore, the NOx storage catalyst has an oxygen storage ability.

Exhaust purification system for internal combustion engine


A suspension system for a vehicle includes two laterally spaced front and rear wheel assemblies, each assembly including a wheel and a wheel mounting, permitting movement of the wheel in a generally vertical direction, bounce support devices supporting the vehicle body, and roll control devices controlling roll attitude. The roll control devices include respective second coupling devices interconnecting the longitudinally adjacent wheel assemblies, and further include transfer devices interconnecting the second coupling devices of each pair of longitudinally adjacent wheel assemblies.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to vehicle suspension system for use in automobiles, trucks and other vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the applicant""s earlier Australian patent application No. 19420/95, there is shown a vehicle suspension system including two laterally spaced front wheel assemblies and two laterally spaced rear wheel assemblies. In each of the arrangements described in the above noted patent application, a first coupling means for interconnecting laterally spaced wheel assemblies is respectively provided at the front and the rear ends of the vehicle. Second coupling means for respectively interconnecting the longitudinally adjacent wheel assemblies are provided on each side of the vehicle. The first coupling means primarily support the weight of the vehicle body and provide four wheel bounce resilience whereas the second coupling means provides roll attitude control for the vehicle. In the arrangements described in this patent application, the first coupling means are generally provided by a pair of contra-rotational torsion bars respectively located at the front and rear of the vehicle. The second coupling means are also provided by a pair of contra-rotational torsion bars respectively provided on each side of the vehicle. A lateral roll control arrangement links the second coupling means. This suspension system provides for movement of one wheel in one direction resulting in the longitudinally adjacent and laterally adjacent wheels being respectively urged in the opposite direction. Furthermore movement of both wheels on one side of the vehicle in one direction during roll movement of the vehicle will urge movement of both the wheels on the other side of the vehicle in the same direction to thereby control vehicle roll; Details of the vehicle suspension system described in the above noted patent application are incorporated herein by reference.
It has been found in practice that it is difficult to accommodate a vehicle suspension system of the above noted type into existing vehicles because of the limited space provided under these vehicles and the configuration of the components of the vehicle as they have not been specifically designed to allow for such a vehicle suspension system. More particularly, these above noted types of suspension system may input suspension loads into the body structure at different points to conventional suspension systems. Due to the mechanical advantage (or motion ratio) of some elements of the suspension linkages to the wheel, these suspension loads may cause deflection and therefore noise if input directly into the lightweight structures of modern monocoque (or unitary) construction vehicle body shells.
Additionally, in the suspension system described in the aforementioned Australian application, only one form of low roll stiffness bounce support means is disclosed. It may be advantageous to use alternative arrangements of low roll stiffness bounce support, to facilitate packaging of the suspension system on a wider range of vehicles. Alternatively, it may be advantageous for the roll control arrangement be used in conjunction with conventional independent support arrangements for each wheel, which may provide a roll stiffness and therefore a warp (or cross-axle articulation) stiffness.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a vehicle suspension system of the above noted type that can be accommodated under existing vehicles, preferably without inputting large loads into the body structure of the vehicle.
With this in mind, according to one aspect of the present invention provides a suspension system for a vehicle, the suspension system including:
two laterally spaced front wheel assemblies and two laterally spaced rear wheel assemblies, each wheel assembly including a wheel and a wheel mounting supporting the wheel to permit movement of the wheel in a generally vertical direction relative to a body of the vehicle;
bounce support means for supporting the vehicle body above the wheels and roll control means for controlling a roll attitude of the vehicle body with respect to the wheels;
said roll control means including respective second coupling means interconnecting each wheel assembly to the longitudinally adjacent wheel assembly, and further including transfer means interconnecting the second coupling means of each said pair of longitudinally adjacent wheel assemblies;
said second coupling means being adapted to urge in response to a movement of the wheel of one said wheel assembly in a substantially vertical direction a movement of the wheel of another said wheel assembly connected to said same second coupling means in an opposing direction relative thereto;
said second coupling means also including average movement generating means arranged to generate a movement therein substantially proportional to the average movement of the two wheels connected thereto on one side of the vehicle, said generated average including a factor for the roll moment distribution of the roll control means, the transfer means transferring said generated average movement of said second coupling means to the other said second coupling means on the opposite side of the vehicle;
wherein the loads generated in the average movement generation means and the transfer means are resolved in a localised structural area of the suspension system, and
wherein the bounce support means and roll control means respectively provide separate bounce and roll stiffness for the vehicle.
The suspension system can take advantage of spaces located under the vehicle to locate components which resolve the transverse suspension loads (generated in the roll control means) by suitable location of the structural area(s).
The second coupling means may be used on a vehicle provided with conventional independent supports (which provide additional roll stiffness).
However it may be preferable to provide bounce support means including respective first coupling means interconnecting each said wheel assembly to the laterally adjacent wheel assembly to provide a complete suspension system with substantially zero warp (or cross-axle articulation) stiffness.
Alternatively a compromise between conventional independent supports and the preferred interconnected supports may be chosen. The bounce support means for at least one pair of laterally spaced wheel assemblies may include at least a first coupling means interconnecting each said wheel assembly, said first coupling means supporting at least a portion of the load on the associated wheel assemblies whilst providing substantially no roll stiffness.
Where at least one first coupling means is provided, a height adjustment means may also be included to vary the average height of the body with respect to the associated wheels.
The substantially transverse suspension loads generated by the suspension arrangement may be resolved in at least one subframe upon which the vehicle body is supported. The front and rear wheel mountings may be respectively located on separate subframes, the roll control loads being resolved on at least one of the subframes. Alternatively, the roll control loads may be resolved on a further subframe. It is also envisaged that the transverse suspension loads be resolved in at least one reinforced structural area of the vehicle body.
The use of suspension subframes is advantageous for assembly of the vehicle on a production line. Parts or all of the suspension system may be produced as one or more sub-assemblies which are easily attached onto the vehicle body during whole vehicle assembly on a production line. One subframe could be provided with the suspension system attached to allow easy assembly and resolve all the loads.
Each second coupling means may include a roll lever arm for each said wheel assembly, the load in each roll lever arm varying in response to the warp and roll displacements of the wheels with respect to the body, and each second coupling means may include a linkage arrangement interconnecting the roll lever arms, the linkage arrangement of adjacent second coupling means being interconnected by the transfer means, the position of the connection of the transfer means to the linkage arrangements determining the roll moment distribution of the roll control means.
Each second coupling means may include at least one elongate torsion member connected to a said wheel mounting, the associated said roll lever arm extending from each torsion member.
The second coupling means may include a pair of elongate torsion members, one end of each torsion member being connected to and extending from a said wheel mounting, the other end of each torsion member including a roll lever arm extending from the torsion member, the roll lever arms being interconnected to by a linkage arrangement, the linkage arrangement of adjacent second coupling means being interconnected by the transfer means.
It is however also envisaged that the torsion members on both sides of the vehicle be aligned in an xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d configuration, with the transfer means located at a central location between the four wheel assemblies. In this configuration, the major rotational axes of the components of the first and second coupling means (ie the torsion members) are generally aligned towards a said structural area where loads from the first and second coupling means are resolved.
There are different methods which may be used to achieve the desired results from the transfer means. For example, the transfer means may include a Watts link.
Alternatively, if the roll lever arms of one said second coupling means are arranged to point substantially upwards and the roll lever arms of the other second coupling means on the opposite side of the vehicle point substantially downwards, then the transfer means interconnecting the linkage means may be a member which is substantially aligned with a transverse axis across the vehicle. This arrangement is a lever analogy of the gear arrangement shown in FIG. 3 of the Applicant""s above-mentioned Australian patent application No. 19420/95, which could also be used.
The linkage arrangement may include a flexible connection means at each end thereof for providing the respective connection to each roll lever arm.
According to a first possible arrangement, the first coupling means of at least one pair of laterally adjacent wheel assemblies may include a bounce lever arm for each wheel assembly, the load in each bounce lever arm varying in response to the bounce displacements and loads on the associated wheel assemblies. The first coupling means may further include a connection means interconnecting the bounce lever arm of one wheel assembly with the bounce lever arm of the laterally adjacent wheel assembly.
At least one of the first coupling means may include at least one torsion bar interconnected between at least one wheel mounting and the associated bounce lever arm.
The torsion members of at least one second coupling means may be hollow, a said torsion bar of the first coupling means being located within each said torsion member, with one end of the torsion bar being fixedly connected to the torsion member.
The bounce lever arm may extend from the end of the torsion bar opposite to the fixed end thereof. Alternatively, an aperture may be provided through the wall of the torsion member to provide clearance for the bounce lever arm to extend from the torsion bar. This provides a relatively compact arrangement which can more readily be positioned into a vehicle.
At least one of the torsion members of the second coupling means may include a bar extension from the torsion member, the bar extension forming part of the first coupling means. The bar extension may be integral with or fixedly secured to the torsion member. The bar extension may include a bounce lever arm extending therefrom. The first coupling means may also include a resilient means coupled at each end thereof to the bounce lever arms of laterally spaced bar extensions of the torsion members.
The connection means of the bounce supports may be a relatively rigid member interconnecting the bounce lever arms of laterally adjacent torsion bars.
Alternatively, the connection means interconnecting the bounce lever arms of laterally adjacent torsion bars may include a resilient means.
The resilient means may include a spring member and/or an hydraulic ram in fluid communication with an accumulator.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the first coupling means of at least one pair of said laterally adjacent wheel assemblies may include a pair of fluid rams, the fluid rams being respectively connected to the wheel mounts of laterally adjacent wheel assemblies, the hydraulic rams being connected by a fluid conduit to provide fluid communication therebetween, and an accumulator located on the fluid conduit.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elongate suspension member for a vehicle suspension system including a tubular member, and a torsion bar accommodated within the tubular member, one end of the tubular member being fixedly secured to a wheel assembly, the other end being connected to one end of the torsion bar. A lever arm may extend from the other end of the torsion bar, the lever arm being connected to the lever arm associated with the laterally adjacent wheel assembly.
According to yet another alternative, one end of the vehicle may include different types of the first coupling means described above at different ends of the vehicle.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle incorporating a suspension system including any aspects of the above described invention.
It will be convenient to further describe the invention by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention are possible, and consequently the particularity of the accompanying drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the proceeding description of the invention.


A single separable electrode that includes a plurality of separable electrically connected electrode sections.

Products are sealed in packages for various reasons. These reasons include maintaining sterility of the products, preventing contact of the products with air preventing moisture loss or gain from the product, and for protection during shipping. For any one or more of these reasons, it may be desired to maintain a certain atmosphere within a sealed package. Therefore, opening these packages to determine product viability is not possible since the act of opening the package changes or destroys the desired atmosphere within the package.
To ensure that medical devices in particular are suitable for use, a destruction policy often requires discarding all devices over a certain age. This may be necessary due to the inability to determine the viability of a device inside a sealed package. Such a destruction policy may result in discarding and thereby wasting viable devices.
For example, defibrillation electrode pads may include several electrical connections and a hydrogel that facilitates their operation. The shelf life of electrode pads is determined in part by the length of time it takes for enough water moisture to evaporate out of the hydrogel and escape the pads package. As moisture escapes, the electrical properties of the electrode pads become increasingly compromised.
In one context, where electrode pads are utilized with a defibrillator, a very significant factor includes changes in small and large signal impedance values between a patient's skin and the defibrillator. As the hydrogel dries out, the impedance values increase, making it more difficult to monitor a patient's electrical signals, obtain transthoracic impedance, and deliver energy into the body. Electrical continuity is compromised between the electrode and a patient's skin.
To help ensure that electrode pads will be usable when opened, electrode manufacturers currently print an expiration date on each set of pads. The electrode pads are to be discarded no later than the expiration date. However, the expiration date typically is determined based upon studies of the hydrogel used on the pads, and the amount of water moisture that escapes the package over time under normal as well as strenuous conditions. A safety factor is added to give time for the electrode pads to be shipped from the supplier to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and then from the OEM to the customer. This helps to ensure that the electrode pads are always usable, barring any package damage, when removed from the package before the expiration date.
Calculating the expiration date of electrode pads or other components as described above is a conservative method of ensuring quality. However, as a result, the expiration date may arrive before the pads have actually expired. In fact, electrode pads may be usable for much longer than the expiration date, especially if they are kept at room temperature or in a high humidity environment.
While electrode pads or other components may naturally over time become nonfunctional, at other times an electrode package may be damaged in some way. For example, tiny punctures or slits in the package, which may be too small to be seen by the casual observer or with the naked eye, or tears in the metal packaging layer caused by bonding the package, can allow water moisture to escape. Without noticing damage to the electrode pads' package, a customer typically will not replace electrode pads until the expiration date arrives, when in fact the pads may be unusable long before. In addition, an electrode may be bent or compressed inside its sealed package, thereby causing electrical discontinuities such as broken wires or connections.
The above example only represents one particular example of an electrode pad of a particular use. Electrode pads for other uses may be similarly affected. Also, devices other than electrode pads may be affected by age, storage, and package conditions. Furthermore, factors other than humidity can affect the functionality of a device.

Single separable electrode and self-contained pad viability tester


A method of controlling an electric power source apparatus, which comprises supplying electric power to an electronic device on which a secondary battery is mounted from a power source apparatus having a fuel cell and an auxiliary power source. Electric power is supplied intermittently to a charging terminal of the electronic device by means of a switch for controlling conduction and interruption of an output terminal of the power source apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric power source apparatus using a fuel cell and a method of controlling the apparatus.
2. Related Art
As a result of recent development in electronic technologies, rapid popularization of mobile phones, notebook personal computers (hereinafter referred to as notebook PC), audio-visual apparatuses or mobile terminal devices is going on. These portable devices are driven by secondary batteries. New type of secondary batteries appeared; they were downsized and made high-energy density. The batteries have changed from seal-lead batteries, Ni/Cd batteries, Ni hydrogen batteries to Li ion batteries. In any batteries, development of active materials and high capacity battery structures have been made so as to increase energy density and to realize electric power sources with a longer service time.
In the portable electronic devices, an attempt for low electric power consumption has been made enthusiastically. However, it is necessary to add new functions to meet increasing user's demands. Therefore, there is a tendency that the electric power consumption of the portable electronic devices will increase further. Accordingly, electric power sources with a high energy density and a longer continuous service time are needed.
In order to realize an electric power source with a long continuous service time by secondary batteries, the charging time is a critical issue. Thus, demands for small sized generators that do not need charging are increasing; as a solution of this object, fuel cells have been considered.
Fuel cells that use as fuel hydrogen produced by reforming are widely known. These fuel cells are operated at 80° C. or higher, but fuel cells that use liquid fuel are Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) that directly oxidize methanol at a fuel electrode. DMFC is safe with respect to temperatures; it is applied to mobile electronic devices as disclosed in patent document No. 1.    Patent document No. 1: Japanese patent laid-open 2002-32154
Although fuel cells have volume energy density (WH/L) and weight energy density (Wh/kg) superior to conventional secondary batteries in high density, output density of the fuel cell is low. Accordingly, if fuel cells are mounted on electronic devices that need high outputs, an area for electric generation must be designed for generating the high output. Fuel cells with such a large generation area would have a size and weight approximately equal or more to those of the conventional secondary batteries.
As one application for high output mobile devices there are external charger types. The external battery charger for mobile devices needs a capability capable of outputting electric power equivalent to an AC adapter for the mobile devices; the charger should meet performance of the total output for driving electric power for the mobile device and a secondary battery mounted on the mobile device. However, because of low output density of the fuel cell it is very difficult to realize downsizing and lightweight of the electric power source apparatus when the fuel cell is mounted on the external battery charger for the mobile device. On the other hand, although the fuel cells can be made small-sized and lightweight but have a small generation area and a small output power, the fuel cells used as an exterior battery charger that requires a guaranteed power of the AC adapter for conventional devices are difficult to employ; the system can be applied to devices that are designed not to require an electric power larger than a certain value, which lacks reality.

Electric power source apparatus using fuel cell and method of controlling the same


A cable is moved through a cable fitting (for example, a BUB fitting) into a first opening of the fitting and out of a second opening of the fitting. A roller support structure is mounted on a fitting such that a set of rollers supported by the roller support structure is disposed inside the interior volume of the fitting. A spacer is disposed between the roller support structure and the fitting. An end of a cable is then moved into a first opening of the filling, over the rollers, and out of the fitting through the second opening. Once the cable has rolled over the rollers a desired distance though the fitting, the spacer is removed and the rollers are detached from the roller support structure. The rollers are slipped out around the cable and extracted from the interior volume. The roller support structure is then unmounted from the fitting.

FIG. 1 shows a cable fitting 8 (sometimes referred to as a conduit fitting) which is comprised of a first opening 25, a second opening 26, cover plate retaining holes 21-24 and an interior volume 27 that is disposed between the first opening 25 and the second opening 26. The cable fitting is designed such that a cable can occupy the interior volume 27. The cable fitting also includes cover plate retaining holes 21-24 that permit the mounting of a cover plate to the cover plate plane of the cable fitting 8 once a cable has been installed into the fitting.
FIG. 2 is a diagram describing how a cable 20 is moved through two cable fittings, a first cable fitting 17 and a second cable fitting 18. The cable 20 in this diagram is a three conductor 500 MCM electrical cable which is approximately three inches in diameter, heavy and difficult to maneuver. The cable 20 will be pulled from the cable tray 13, through first cable fitting 17 and then through second cable fitting 18. Conduit 9 is protective tubing which the cable 20 is also pulled through and is located between the cable tray 13 and then connected to the first opening 25 of first cable fitting 17, between the second opening 26 of first cable fitting 17 and first opening of second cable fitting 18. Additional conduit is also attached to the second opening 26 of second cable fitting 18 and extends beyond the second cable fitting 18. In this diagram the first cable fitting 17 is separated from second cable fitting 18 by approximately four-hundred feet. Installation of the cable 20 through first cable fitting 17 and out of second cable fitting 18 requires two cable pulls. The first pull involves pulling enough cable 20 to reach the second cable fitting 18, over four-hundred feet in length, from cable tray 13, through conduit 9, and through the first opening 25 of first cable fitting 17. Three pulling wheels with anchor plates 10-12, a pulling wheel 15 and a tugging machine 16 are used to pull the cable 20 through first cable fitting 17 in the direction of the first pull. Pulling wheel 15 is attached to the bumper of a stationary truck. The pulling wheels with anchor plates 10-12 are anchored into concrete. Tugging machine 16 pulls the cable 20 from the first opening of first cable fitting 17 in the direction of the first pull around pulling wheel 10, then around pulling wheel 15 to pulling wheel 11 and then around pulling wheel 12.
Once the first pull has been completed, the entire length of cable is available to be hand fed back into the second opening 26 of the first cable fitting 17. In order to complete the first pull, anchor locations are necessary for the three pulling wheels with anchor plates 10-12 and pulling wheel 15 anchored to the truck bumper. The entire length of cable is exposed during the first pull and may have to be laid adjacent a roadway and marked with warning tape or cones. Additionally, damage from contact with automobile traffic is possible when the cable is exposed in this manner. To arrange the pulling wheels with anchor plates 10-12, the tugging machine 16, pulling wheel 15 and to handle the heavy cable and feed it back into the first cable fitting 17 requires, approximately, a team of eight persons working one eight hour day.
Once the first pull is completed, a second pull is necessary to pull the cable 20 through the second opening 26 of the first cable fitting 17 through conduit and through the first opening of cable fitting 18. The cable fitting is pulled in the direction of the second pull through the first opening in the second cable fitting 18 by pulling motor 19.
Because pulling the cable through fittings as described is labor intensive, of significant duration and exposes the electrically conducting cable 20 to hazards, another method is desirable to reduce the amount of labor and time required to install cable through cable fittings and one that reduces the possibility of damage to the cable.


A computer system responds to a user query by providing a screen which displays a response that is influenced by prior expressed preferences of the user. The computer system includes a knowledge base of data pertaining to one or more subjects. The system monitors a user's entries and records priority information regarding data preferences of the user. Upon receiving a user's query regarding a selected subject in the knowledge base, the system selects a template for responding to the user's query. The template contains both fixed and variable fields and the system inserts replacement data in the variable fields. The replacement data is selected in accord with recorded priority information relating to the selected subject. The priority information enables a sorting of the replacement data so as to provide data to the user which is inferentially related to the user's prior entry history.

Databases, both local and distributed, contain enormous volumes of information. No longer is the information limited to textual entries, but rather it includes a variety of data that is available in the form of video, audio, photographs, etc. In order to locate a particular subset of data quickly, the user, in general, traces and retraces various search routines through the database "world" until a certain level of familiarity is achieved. At such point, the possibility exists of being able to locate the desired subset of data in a reasonable period of time.
The prior art has attempted to provide various techniques for filtering the breadth of information or for narrowing the scope of search for a particular information subset. Common word searching is one technique which is employed, but requires a high level of skill on the part of the user to be effectively utilized. A common feature of all search techniques is that they rely upon the accumulated knowledge of the user for successful accomplishment of a search task. The systems which incorporate the data do not, themselves, accumulate a history of the user's actions, but rather require the user to acquire the skill to enable a reasonable utilization of the search tools.
In the above-noted Application entitled "Facility for the Intelligent Selection of Information Objects" (Persona), incorporated herein by reference, an automated facility is provided for determining the value of information, based on each user's subjective preferences. A search is executed by comparing the user's preferences with prior characterizations of information objects or sets, which are the subject of the search. Once the comparisons are made, an ordered list is compiled of a set of data sources, starting with a most relevant and ending with the least relevant. By selecting and reviewing only the most relevant references, the probability of locating a pertinent reference is increased, dramatically, while increasing the effectiveness of time spent reviewing the results.
The system set out in the referenced patent application initially provides a set of information objects or a knowledge base; specifies connections between the information objects and associates attribute values with those connections. The system further includes a navigation history, representing the user's previous history of "travel" through the various information objects. The user inserts a profile description which represents a current information preference. The system determines a subset of the information objects, in response to the user's input; any connections that are related to those information objects; and the attributes which are associated with the connections, which are further modified in accordance with user's navigation history information. The system dynamically computes utility values for the connections in the determined subset as a function of the connection attributes and the user profile description. Thereafter, the information objects are ordered in accordance with the computed utility values and are presented to the user in an ordered manner.
When a user interrogates a database, the usual interface is a display screen which provides replies from the database, in response to the user's inquiries. This is the case when the user queries a knowledge base or database site via the world-wide web (WWW). In that instance, the search action commences by the user accessing a home page, followed by sequential accesses to linked subsystems from the home page. Each subsystem responds to a user query by presenting a response screen.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved system and method for responding to user queries to a knowledge base.
It is another object of this invention to provide a system and method for assuring that inquiries to a knowledge base are responded to with display screens which include data that is adaptively selected in accordance with prior expressed preferences of the user.

Dynamic prioritized replacement of language

International Business Machines Corporation


A water bonding device for electrically grounding a swimming pool is described. Embodiments include a bonding electrode installed in a pool skimmer or pump strainer. The bonding electrode typically resides in a skimmer or strainer cavity, and a ground conductor coupled directly to the electrode extends out of the skimmer or strainer through a port. A plug assembly forms a water tight seal against the port and the ground conductor, providing a water tight access point for the ground conductor to enter the pool skimmer or pump strainer. The ground conductor is typically electrically connected to both the bonding electrode and a ground pole residing at ground potential.

The 2008 National Electrical Code (NEC) requires that swimming pool water be electrically bonded in order to place the water at the same electrical potential as ground. Conductivity between the water and ground must be maintained by a solid copper conductor not smaller than #8 AWG. Bonding is also required for various other pool components in order to reduce voltage gradients between and among the pool water and the various components.
At least 9 square inches of bonding electrode surface area must be in contact with the water according to the NEC. However, stray voltage in the ground can create a slight voltage gradient wherein the ground is at higher potential than the pool water. Under such circumstances, the bonding electrode can slowly dissolve into the water through electrolysis, and insufficient bonding electrode surface area can result.
Finding or creating a port of entry for the grounding conductor presents a challenge for pool bonding, as does placing the bonding electrode at a location where it remains in contact with the pool water under varying conditions, such as where the water level drops, during pump failure or malfunction, or where water in pool filtration and recirculation plumbing becomes displaced by air.
Accordingly, an advantageously located replaceable binding electrode that utilizes an existing port of entry for the ground conductor is needed.


A technique for improving electrical signal performance in multilayer circuit boards by eliminating the need for electrically conductive vias is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized as an improved multilayer circuit board having an electrically conductive signal layer disposed beneath at least one dielectric layer. The improvement comprises a cavity in the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the electrically conductive signal layer within the cavity. The cavity is sized to accommodate an electronic component therein such that the electronic component makes electrical contact with the exposed portion of the electrically conductive signal layer, thereby eliminating the need for an electrically conductive via electrically connected to the electrically conductive signal layer and formed through the at least one dielectric layer or any other layer of the multilayer circuit board.

The present invention relates generally to multilayer circuit boards and, more particularly, to an improved multilayer circuit board for improving signal performance by eliminating the need for electrically conductive vias.
The making of electrical connections between electronic components has long been accomplished using printed circuit boards. The first such circuit boards had only a single signal layer on the top surface thereof for routing electrical signals between electronic components mounted thereon. These single signal layer circuit boards have severe limitations with regard to the number of electrical signals that can be routed between electronic components mounted on the same circuit board. That is, the number of electrical signals that can be routed between electronic components mounted on a single signal layer circuit board is limited by the amount of area on the single signal layer. The area limitations associated with single signal layer circuit boards led to the development of multilayer printed circuit boards. Such multilayer printed circuit boards may be either single or double-sided and may have multiple signal layers on the surface of and buried within the multilayer printed circuit boards. Thus, such multilayer printed circuit boards have allowed a large increase in the number of electrical signals that may be routed between electronic components mounted on the same circuit board.
With the advent of multilayer printed circuit boards, however, new problems have arisen. For example, to make electrical connections between different layers in multilayer printed circuit boards, electrically conductive vias are generally used. While these electrically conductive vias allow direct vertical electrical connections to be made between different layers within a multilayer printed circuit board, there are intrinsic parasitics associated with these electrically conductive vias that can adversely affect the performance of signals propagating therethrough. That is, these electrically conductive vias have intrinsic parasitic resistance, capacitance, and inductance, which can adversely affect signals propagating along each electrically conductive via. Because of their adverse affect on signal performance, these intrinsic parasitics can also limit the bandwidth of signals propagating along each electrically conductive via.
To help illustrate the problems associated with electrically conductive vias, FIG. 1 shows a side cross-sectional view of a double-sided multilayer printed circuit board 10 having electrically conductive blind vias (microvias) 12 and electrically conductive buried vias 14 for making electrical connections between different layers in the multilayer printed circuit board 10, and between a first electronic component 16 and a second electronic component 18 mounted on opposite sides of the multilayer printed circuit board 10. The multilayer printed circuit board 10 comprises a primary (top) layer 20, a secondary (bottom) layer 22, and a plurality of intermediate layers 24. The top layer 20 and the bottom layer 22 are typically electrically conductive power/ground plane layers, but also have the separate electrically conductive microvias 12 formed therein for making electrical connections with the electronic components 16 and 18 mounted on the top layer 20 and the bottom layer 22 of the multilayer printed circuit board 10. The intermediate layers 24 alternate between non-electrically conductive dielectric layers and either electrically conductive signal layers or electrically conductive power/ground plane layers. For example, in FIG. 1, layers 26, 28, . . . 46 are non-electrically conductive dielectric layers, layers 48, 52, 56, 58, 62, and 66 are electrically conductive signal layers, and layers 50, 54, 60, and 64 (as well as layers 20 and 22) are electrically conductive power/ground plane layers.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, electrically conductive runs on signal layers 48, 56, and 66 are electrically connected to electrically conductive buried via 14a, and electrically conductive runs on signal layers 48, 62, and 66 are electrically connected to electrically conductive buried via 14b. FIG. 1 also shows a first electrically conductive run on signal layer 48 electrically connecting the electrically conductive microvia 12a to electrically conductive buried via 14a, a second electrically conductive run on signal layer 48 electrically connecting the electrically conductive microvia 12b to electrically conductive buried via 14b, a first electrically conductive run on signal layer 66 electrically connecting the electrically conductive microvia 12c to electrically conductive buried via 14a, and a second electrically conductive run on signal layer 66 electrically connecting the electrically conductive microvia 12d to electrically conductive buried via 14b.
As previously mentioned, both the electrically conductive microvias 12 and the electrically conductive buried vias 14 shown in FIG. 1, as well as other kinds of electrically conductive vias (e.g., supervias, not shown, which are plated through holes connecting the top and bottom layers), have intrinsic parasitic resistance, capacitance, and inductance, which can adversely affect the performance of electrical signals propagating along each electrically conductive via, particularly signals propagating at high speed thereby adversely affecting signal bandwidth. These intrinsic parasitics are compounded by delicate interconnections between electrically conductive vias and electrically conductive signal layer runs, and by varying electroplating thicknesses in via barrels across the board, as well as by transmission line effects resulting from unnecessarily long signal path lengths due to awkward via placements and lengths. That is, anything other than a direct run on the same electrically conductive signal layer results in decreased electrical signal performance.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a technique for improving electrical signal performance in multilayer printed circuit boards by eliminating the need for electrically conductive vias.
According to the present invention, a technique for improving electrical signal performance in multilayer circuit boards by eliminating the need for electrically conductive vias is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the technique is realized as an improved multilayer circuit board having an electrically conductive signal layer disposed beneath at least one dielectric layer. The improvement comprises a cavity in the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the electrically conductive signal layer within the cavity. The cavity is sized to accommodate an electronic component therein such that the electronic component makes electrical contact with the exposed portion of the electrically conductive signal layer, thereby eliminating the need for an electrically conductive via electrically connected to the electrically conductive signal layer and formed through the at least one dielectric layer or any other layer of the multilayer circuit board. The electronic component is typically either an integrated circuit component or a discrete component.
In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, at least the lateral dimensions of the cavity are beneficially sized to directly coincide with at least the lateral dimensions of the electronic component. This alleviates the need for any specialized positioning equipment, which has heretofore typically been required when mounting electronic components on circuit boards.
In accordance with further aspects of the present invention, the cavity is beneficially formed as a channel through which air may be forced for cooling at least the electronic component.
In accordance with still further aspects of the present invention, wherein the electrically conductive signal layer is a first electrically conductive layer, wherein the multilayer circuit board has a second electrically conductive layer disposed above the at least one dielectric layer, and wherein the cavity also extends through the second electrically conductive layer, the improvement further beneficially comprises an electrically conductive shield electrically connected to the second electrically conductive layer for shielding electromagnetic interference to and from the electronic component. The second electrically conductive layer is typically an electrically conductive power/ground plane layer, although the second electrically conductive layer may also be an additional electrically conductive signal layer. Also, wherein the multilayer circuit board has at least one second dielectric layer disposed above the second electrically conductive layer, the improvement further beneficially comprises a second cavity in the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one second dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the second electrically conductive layer within the second cavity where the electrically conductive shield is electrically connected to the second electrically conductive layer. The second cavity is typically sized so as to be larger in lateral dimension than the first cavity.
In accordance with still further aspects of the present invention, wherein the multilayer circuit board is a double-sided multilayer circuit board, wherein the cavity is a first cavity on a first side of the multilayer circuit board, wherein the electrically conductive signal layer is a first electrically conductive signal layer, wherein the at least one dielectric layer is at least one first dielectric layer, wherein the electronic component is a first electronic component, and wherein the multilayer circuit board has a second electrically conductive signal layer disposed beneath at least one second dielectric layer relative to a second side of the multilayer circuit board, the improvement further beneficially comprises a second cavity on the second side of the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one second dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the second electrically conductive signal layer within the second cavity. Similar to above, the second cavity is sized to accommodate a second electronic component therein such that the second electronic component makes electrical contact with the exposed portion of the second electrically conductive signal layer, thereby eliminating the need for an electrically conductive via electrically connected to the second electrically conductive signal layer and formed through the at least one second dielectric layer or any other layer of the multilayer circuit board. Significantly, the second cavity can be located substantially opposite the first cavity in the multilayer circuit board.
In an alternative embodiment, the technique is realized as a method for improving electrical signal performance in multilayer circuit boards by eliminating the need for electrically conducting vias. The method assumes a multilayer circuit board has an electrically conductive signal layer disposed beneath at least one dielectric layer. The method comprises forming a cavity in the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the electrically conductive signal layer within the cavity. The cavity is sized to accommodate an electronic component therein such that the electronic component makes electrical contact with the exposed portion of the electrically conductive signal layer, thereby eliminating the need for an electrically conductive via electrically connected to the electrically conductive signal layer and formed through the at least one dielectric layer or any other layer of the multilayer circuit board.
In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, the cavity may be formed by etching the cavity in the multilayer circuit board. For example, the cavity may be formed by photolithographically etching the cavity in the multilayer circuit board, or plasma etching the cavity in the multilayer circuit board. Alternatively, the cavity may be formed by milling the cavity in the multilayer circuit board. For example, the cavity may be formed by laser ablating the cavity in the multilayer circuit board. Alternatively still, the cavity may be formed by prefabricating the at least one dielectric layer such that the cavity is formed upon assembly of the electrically conductive signal layer and the at least one dielectric layer into the multilayer circuit board.
In accordance with further aspects of the present invention, wherein the electrically conductive signal layer is a first electrically conductive layer, wherein the multilayer circuit board has a second electrically conductive layer disposed above the at least one dielectric layer, and wherein the cavity also extends through the second electrically conductive layer, the method further beneficially comprises electrically connecting an electrically conductive shield to the second electrically conductive layer for shielding electromagnetic interference to and from the electronic component. If the multilayer circuit board has at least one second dielectric layer disposed above the second electrically conductive layer, the method may further beneficially comprise forming a second cavity in the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one second dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the second electrically conductive layer within the second cavity where the electrically conductive shield is electrically connected to the second electrically conductive layer.
In accordance with still further aspects of the present invention, wherein the multilayer circuit board is a double-sided multilayer circuit board, wherein the cavity is a first cavity on a first side of the multilayer circuit board, wherein the electrically conductive signal layer is a first electrically conductive signal layer, wherein the at least one dielectric layer is at least one first dielectric layer, wherein the electronic component is a first electronic component, and wherein the multilayer circuit board has a second electrically conductive signal layer disposed beneath at least one second dielectric layer relative to a second side of the multilayer circuit board, the method further beneficially comprises forming a second cavity on the second side of the multilayer circuit board extending through the at least one second dielectric layer so as to expose at least a portion of the second electrically conductive signal layer within the second cavity. Similar to above, the second cavity is sized to accommodate a second electronic component therein such that the second electronic component makes electrical contact with the exposed portion of the second electrically conductive signal layer, thereby eliminating the need for an electrically conductive via electrically connected to the second electrically conductive signal layer and formed through the at least one second dielectric layer or any other layer of the multilayer circuit board.
The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof as shown in the appended drawings. While the present invention is described below with reference to preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Those of ordinary skill in the art having access to the teachings herein will recognize additional implementations, modifications, and embodiments, as well as other fields of use, which are within the scope of the present invention as disclosed and claimed herein, and with respect to which the present invention could be of significant utility.


An automatic identification system in a computer system having a plurality of hardware instances located on hardware devices in the computer system. The computer system includes a plurality of physical slots each configured to receive a hardware device and referenced by a slot number. The system comprises means for assigning a hardware instance value to each of the plurality of hardware instances, the hardware instance value being unique within the computer system when two or more of the plurality of physical slots are assigned a slot number that is not unique within the computer system. Advantageously, the hardware instance value is unique within the computer system when two or more of the plurality of hardware instances are located on one of the hardware devices or when one or more of the hardware devices is installed in an expansion chassis coupled to the computer system. The hardware instance value is also unique within the computer system when one of the hardware devices includes one or more of the hardware instances coupled to an I/O bus within the hardware device or when one or more of the hardware devices is installed on a system board in the computer system. In one embodiment of the invention, the hardware instance value is a hardware instance number. In another embodiment, the hardware instance value is a hardware instance name that is easily identifiable by the user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer architecture and, more particularly, to a system and method for identifying and configuring computer hardware.
2. Related Art
A computer system is composed of a number of well-known hardware and software components. These components typically include a processor, memory, and communication buses, as well as bus controllers and a data storage device such as a hard disk drive. Generally one or more of the components are mounted on a printed circuit board referred to as a system board or, more commonly, a motherboard.
The functionality of the computer system can be expanded through the use of additional hardware devices. Such hardware devices are typically connected to the computer system through a physical slot on the system board that enables the installed hardware device to communicate with other components in the computer system. Slot numbers are generally used to identify the additional hardware devices to an operating system on the computer system. Thus, through the addition of hardware devices, a more complex computer system can be built.
Many different types of hardware devices are generally available. Hardware devices include, for example, network interface cards, fax/modem cards, sound cards, etc. Like other products, hardware devices are typically offered by different vendors, which often provide different models of each type of hardware device. Also, different versions of the hardware devices are often offered over time to accommodate revisions of a particular device model. These hardware devices are connected to the computer system through one or more input/output (I/O) buses, which may be of many different types including, for example, the well-defined ISA, EISA, and PnPISA buses.
For each additional hardware device installed in the computer system, an associated driver is loaded into the computer memory, and is used by the operating system and application programs to communicate with the associated hardware device. A driver is a software program that serves as an interface between two programs or between a program and a hardware device. Drivers are often specialized; a particular driver supports a single associated hardware device model and is often provided by the hardware device vendor.
Oftentimes, vendors provide generic drivers that can be used to communicate with more than one hardware device model to avoid creating drivers for every available model. Also, operating system manufacturers often provide both, a driver specifically configured for a particular hardware device model, as well as generic drivers which support multiple hardware device models. Although the generic drivers may be used to communicate with a hardware device, they sometimes lack the necessary functionality to enable the operating system or application programs to take advantage of all of the features offered by that hardware device. Using such a driver may not only be less efficient, but it may also unintentionally cause computer system errors or corrupt data.
In addition, problems arise when multiple drivers are installed in the computer system. A hardware device requires particular computer system resources to perform its intended functions. The settings on or within the installed hardware devices which identify the requisite resources may conflict with each other. That is, multiple hardware devices installed in the same computer system may have the same setting for a particular resource. For example, hardware devices typically require the use of a system resource referred to as an I/O port. An I/O port is an address which uniquely identifies a hardware device to the operating system for performing input and output functions from the processor. Since an I/O port address must be uniquely assigned to enable each hardware device to be accurately identified, one hardware device may not use the same I/O port address as another. Conflicting resource settings that cause such a condition must be resolved for the computer system to operate properly. Thus, the installation of drivers and the configuration of hardware devices has traditionally been a source of inefficiencies and errors in computer systems.
Historically, in Intel/IBM PC computer systems, users of a computer system who install and maintain the computer system have manually configured the system to support the various hardware devices that are installed in the system. For example, to add a network interface card to a computer system, the user was required to identify the correct resource settings from documentation provided with the network interface card, and verify that these resource settings did not conflict with resource settings of other installed hardware devices. The user was also required to load the required driver for the network interface card into the memory of the computer system. Thereafter, the functions of the network interface card could be accessed by the operating system and application programs running on the computer system if the resource settings were correctly selected and potential conflicts correctly anticipated.
Due to the complexity of computer systems and the multiple combinations of hardware devices which could be simultaneously present on a computer system, manual configuration has become problematic and time-consuming, even for technically-skilled users. Also, with the increased availability of computer systems to the general public, users with limited technical knowledge have become very numerous. These users generally cannot effectively or efficiently configure the computer systems to include various hardware devices.
As a result, over time, the hardware industry has evolved from manual configuration to software-assisted manual configuration. Software-assisted manual configuration provides the user with a more friendly interface for configuring a computer system and eliminates the requirement for the user to have knowledge of the resource settings. An example of such a software-assisted manual configuration system is the commonly available EISA Configuration Utility (ECU).
The EISA Configuration Utility (ECU) is a software program which identifies the proper resource settings such as hardware interrupts and memory settings for a particular hardware device installed on an EISA type bus. For example, in a computer system which has an EISA bus, a hardware device such as a network interface card is inserted by the user into an available slot. The user must run the ECU, and then manually load the driver for the hardware device, specifying the slot number corresponding to the physical slot where the hardware device is installed.
Although the user does not have to know the hardware interrupts and memory settings for the particular hardware device (since these settings are determined by the ECU), the user must nevertheless select the correct driver for the hardware device and specify the slot number where it was located. This is often time consuming and sometimes results in an incorrect driver being selected. Also, the ECU is only available for hardware devices installed in an EISA bus. There is no corresponding software assistance for other bus types such as IDE or ISA, making this approach extremely limited.
Some hardware systems have evolved from software-assisted manual configuration to rudimentary automatic identification and configuration. However, the existing automatic identification and configuration systems are also limited to a few specific systems and have many drawbacks. An example of such an automatic identification and configuration system is Windows 95.TM. Plug and Play, available from the Microsoft Corporation for use with the Windows 95.TM. operating system. (Windows 95 is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.)
The Plug and Play system searches a list of drivers stored on the hard disk drive to determine which driver is appropriate for an installed hardware device. When the installed hardware devices are to be selected for a particular driver, the system accepts the first driver that it finds in the list that can support the hardware device. Since multiple drivers are often available, there may be drivers other than the one selected that are more appropriate for use with the particular hardware device. Even though there may be a more appropriate driver available, the system will not find that driver and associate it with the hardware device, since the selection process is completed after identifying the first compatible driver. In other words, Plug and Play treats all sufficient drivers as being equally acceptable for use with a hardware device, yielding less than optimal associations between drivers and hardware devices. As noted, this may result in a loss of functionality, data loss or corruption, system errors, etc.
Also, in the Plug and Play system a dialog box appears at the beginning of the configuration sequence to suggest the use of a default driver supplied with operating system. The Plug and Play system also provides the user with the option of selecting the vendor-supplied driver using a floppy disk or CDROM from the hardware device manufacturer. Unfortunately, the Plug and Play system does not qualify which of these drivers should be used with the hardware device. The user must have knowledge of the hardware device and driver, subjecting this approach to the same drawbacks as the software-assisted manual configuration approach described above.
Another drawback of Plug and Play is that it is limited to Intel/IBM PC systems which have the Windows 95 operating system installed, and therefore does not include such operating systems as DOS, Windows.RTM., OS/2.RTM., UNIX.RTM., NetWare.RTM.) and IntranetWare.RTM. (Windows.RTM. is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp., OS/2.RTM. is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, UNIX.RTM. is a registered trademark of X/Open Company, Limited, and NetWare.RTM. and IntranetWare.RTM. are a registered trademark of Novell, Incorporated.)
What is needed, therefore, is a hardware device identification and configuration system which is user-independent and is widely available on all types of computer systems. The system should select the most appropriate available driver to support a particular hardware device. The system should also be backwards compatible with existing operating systems and hardware devices.

System for automatic hardware identification and configuration where instance values are unique within the computer system and resource requirement conflicts are resolved by modifying resource settings


Provided is communication apparatus and method using a transmission medium, in an environment where at least one transmitter and at least one receiver are connected to at least one human body which is a conductive transmission medium, in which the receiver requiring any information data requests a transmission to the transmitter or the transmitter sends a signal indicative of a transmission of required information data, and then, the transmitter provides the required information data to the receiver requiring the corresponding information data, thereby providing a communication environment without interference between the transmission means and the receiving means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for communication using a transmission medium and, more specifically, to an apparatus and method for communication using a transmission medium, communication apparatus and method using a transmission medium, in an environment where at least one transmitter and at least one receiver are connected to at least one human body which is a conductive transmission medium, in which the receiver requiring any information data requests a transmission to the transmitter or the transmitter sends a signal indicative of a transmission of required information data, and then, the transmitter provides the required information data to the receiver requiring the corresponding information data.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, various communication apparatuses such as PDAs, cellular phones, and medical appliances are needed in a private area in modern life. As a method of transmitting a data signal between a transmitter and a receiver located around the human body, there are a wired transmission using a cable and a wireless transmission using light and radio wave. The wired transmission is favorable in terms of security and transmission rate, but unfortunately, it is not portable and inconvenient to use.
In addition, the wireless transmission does not demand burdensome jobs such as cable connection. However, it needs an additional circuit for wireless transmission, and thus, it is difficult to provide at low costs.
To solve the problems, recently, a communication apparatus using a human body as a transmission medium has been proposed. In other words, the communication apparatus using the human body as a transmission medium can provide a communication environment where the additional circuit or the cable connection is required for wireless transmission in a manner that the communication apparatus transmits any information data to a transmission electrode connected to the human body that acts as a transmission path, and information data transmitted through the human body is received at the receiver via a receiving electrode connected to the human body.
The conventional communication apparatus using the human body as a transmission medium described above is limited to one-to-one communication between the transmitter and the receiver. In addition, when a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers communicate with each other around the human body, signals transmitted and received through the human body may be collided so that malfunction of the apparatus may be induced.

Communication apparatus using a transmission medium and method for the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A method for detecting a jammed charge movement flap of an internal combustion engine, a volumetric air flow of the internal combustion engine being ascertained as a measured volumetric air flow and as a modeled volumetric air flow. In the event of a deviation of the measured volumetric air flow from the modeled volumetric air flow which is greater than a predefined value, a jammed charge movement flap is automatically detected.

The present invention is used in particular in a naturally aspirated gasoline engine. This engine has a charge movement flap (also abbreviated as CMF), which increases the movement of the charge to be ignited in the combustion chamber in its closed position. The combustion thus becomes more stable, and more exhaust gas may be recirculated in the event of an external exhaust gas recirculation system. The fuel consumption thus decreases. Since the charge movement is increased, specific operating parameters of the engine are to be adapted in accordance with the current position of the charge movement flap. These are ignition angle, variables of the air mass ascertainment, and advance angle of the injection, for example. An incorrect position of the charge movement flap accordingly also results in the engine being operated using false parameters, it also being possible in this situation that the engine will be damaged in continuous operation. Therefore, a function check of the charge movement flap is essential. Until now, the function check was predominantly fulfilled on the basis of a position feedback using sensors, as described in German Patent Application No. DE 102 08 993, for example. In contrast, German Patent Application No. DE 101 14 375, German Patent Application No. DE 101 14 376, and German Patent Application No. DE 101 64 726 suggest diagnosing the position of the charge movement flap on the basis of a knock control. German Patent Application No. DE 101 64 729 suggests diagnosing the position of the charge movement flap on the basis of uneven running.
In the method according to the related art, a separate test procedure is to be performed to ascertain a malfunction of the charge movement flap.

Method for detecting a jammed charge movement flap of an internal combustion engine


The present disclosure provides a virtual endpoint software system. The virtual endpoint software system may be implemented by a computing system comprising a workstation, processors, and memory. The computing system being configured to instantiate a virtual endpoint software system. The virtual endpoint software system comprises a virtual endpoint tool. The virtual endpoint tool comprises a plurality of virtual endpoint devices wherein each virtual endpoint device is a digital representation of a hardware endpoint device. Each of the plurality of virtual endpoint device is associated with at least one of a plurality of configuration files. In some implementations, each configuration file when executed virtually represents the device functionality and operating conditions of the hardware endpoint device. In addition, the virtual endpoint tool comprises a central engine wherein the central engine comprises at least one processor to process instructions stored in the plurality of configuration files.

Remote support systems of hardware endpoint devices monitor device functionality and respond to devices faults. Remote support systems typically monitor computer network devices (e.g., servers, network switches, etc.) and are sync'd to one or more hardware endpoint devices over a network at all times. Remote support systems are also be configured to operate with device data which can be analyzed to improve device performance. Remote support systems are typically configured to function for specific hardware endpoint devices. When new devices are made available, remote support systems are re-configured to work with these devices as well. As there is a wide array of hardware devices that can be monitored a remote support system for the various hardware device can be typically a costly endeavor.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


A method and apparatus for managing hydrogen deployment within a heterogeneous hydrogen supply environment is provided. An electronic controller monitors hydrogen supply modules, evaluates conditions relating to the hydrogen supply modules, and affects hydrogen deployment. The electronic controller may also monitor hydrogen utilizers within the heterogeneous hydrogen supply environment. Various means for adjusting hydrogen deployment are discussed.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing hydrogen within an environment with heterogeneous hydrogen requirements. The invention further relates to a network of hydrogen supply modules and corresponding method for managing hydrogen deployment.
The developing use of hydrogen as an energy carrier will require broad-based and flexible hydrogen supply systems to provide hydrogen efficiently to a large number of diverse hydrogen consumers.
Numerous hydrogen applications are being developed, including hydrogen-powered fuel cell or internal combustion vehicles, stationary power applications, backup power units, power grid management, power for remote locations, and portable power applications in consumer electronics, business machinery, and recreational equipment. Hydrogen dispensing stations will be needed for vehicle refueling, and smaller refill centers will be needed for portable devices such as computers, power tools, mobile communication devices, and other electronic equipment.
With the numerous hydrogen applications, warehouse distribution centers, airports, seaport docks, truck loading docks, offices, factories, shopping malls, sustainable towns and cities, and industrial environments will require a heterogeneous hydrogen supply environment. A wide range of power production devices, hydrogen storage technologies with different performance characteristics will be in use. In this complex environment, hydrogen will need to be supplied at different pressures, purities, and usage rates within the local environment. Hydrogen supply to several of these sites is further complicated because each of them has a unique usage pattern.
For example hydrogen fuel cells require a much higher purity hydrogen than internal combustion engines (ICEs) that run on hydrogen. Certain impurities, such as carbon monoxide in the hydrogen may poison a typical proton exchange membrane fuel cell but would have no negative impact on an ICE.
Hydrogen storage systems also have different hydrogen requirements. For example, metal hydrogen tanks store hydrogen typically at about 250 psia and have restrictions on impurities, for example less than 2 ppm carbon monoxide. Compressed gas storage tanks can store hydrogen up to about 10,000 psia and can accept higher levels of impurities.
Because the hydrogen volume requirements in these hydrogen applications will vary significantly and because the diverse hydrogen utilizers will be geographically dispersed, the logistics of hydrogen supply under normal conditions will be complex but manageable. Under abnormal conditions, however, hydrogen supply logistics may be especially complex and unpredictable. Abnormal conditions would occur, for example, when onsite hydrogen generators malfunction or are shut down for maintenance, or alternatively when local hydrogen demand temporarily exceeds local supply capability or storage capacity. There is a need to solve the problem of hydrogen management within the diverse heterogeneous hydrogen environment.
More specifically, there is a need for flexible and adaptable hydrogen supply methods to address these problems and supply hydrogen within a heterogeneous hydrogen environment and to address the interconnectivity of the various hydrogen utilizers within a heterogeneous hydrogen environment. Embodiments of the present invention, which are described below and defined by the claims that follow, address this need and offer flexible hydrogen supply alternatives for varied user requirements under both normal and abnormal demand conditions

Intelligent network of hydrogen supply modules