A submersible, single phase electromagnetic pumping assembly (10) for liquid metal is made, which contains a submersible pump section (16) and a nonsubmersible pump section (18) connected by a hollow conduit (20) where single phase electromagnetic windings (22 and 24) are disposed in each pump section, providing a two stage pumping assembly, and an eddy current blocking electromagnetic winding (22 and 24), providing liquid flow orifices unoccupied by the structure within each pump section near the winding, and where the single phase coils can create a pulsed, standing magnetic wave within each liquid flow orifice.

Hundreds of millions of aluminum die-cast parts are made in the United States every year. These parts are produced by many manufacturers on a number of different types of casting machines, but quality and yield of the die-cast parts are concerns common to all manufacturers. For those areas of the market where quality is a primary concern, particularly for suppliers to the automotive industry, new improved die-casting processes need to be improved to the extent that die-cast pieces can replace aluminum forgings.
Molten metal transfer for aluminum die casting and other processes generally includes two operations: transfer of the molten metal from the melting furnace to the holding furnace, and transfer from the holding furnace to the shot chamber of the die-casting machine. Two important facts in the final quality of the die-cast pieces are the cleanliness of the aluminum transferred into the die and the amount of entrapped air. The processes used to transfer metal between work stations and to introduce the metal into the die strongly affect these two factors. Prolonged contact of the molten aluminum with oxygen will generate oxides which float on top of the aluminum melt, and poor metal handling can cause the presence of these oxides in finished pieces. Poor metal handling can also cause gases to become mixed with the aluminum during freezing in the die to make a solid part, which results in internal voids and weakened parts.
Usually, a single large-volume melting furnace is used to supply molten metal to smaller holding furnaces at die casting machines. The transfer mechanism must be able to provide a continuous supply of molten metal to the holding furnaces. This transfer is usually accomplished by manual or mechanized ladling. Some problems associated with transfer ladles are the buildup of dross and agitation, leading to non-metallic inclusions in the product, and the labor intensive nature of such transfer. Electromagnetic pumps have been used to some extent but those available have proven to be rather fragile and somewhat costly to maintain.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,592 (Olich et al.), teaches a self-priming, low friction, electromagnetic, partial-immersion pump for molten metals. There, a rotating magnetic field, perpendicular to molten aluminum flow, generates currents in the molten metal and with an inlet swirl inducer causes rotation of the molten metal about the axis of the pump structure, which comprises a high permeability stainless steel cylinder covered with ceramic mat and silicon carbide. All the core and windings operate outside the molten metal bath, while part of the swirl inducer is immersed. The currents produced, interact with the magnetic field and a torpedo inductor to provide a forward propelling force in the molten metal. A single set of polyphased, solid, small winding wires, and an iron core, are energized to commence pumping action of the traveling magnetic wave type created by multiple windings and balanced polyphase excitation. Air is circulated through the entire pump and around the metal windings and core as a coolant, to keep the environment near the windings and core below their Curie Temperature, in order to maintain the magnetic properties of the core.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,170 (Del Vecchio et al.), monophase electromagnetic field operations are detailed for flow control devices used to control molten metal flow. Here, a variety of torpedo vane styles are utilized. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,237 (Hans), teaches an induction, complete-immersing pump, utilizing electromagnetic fields to pump liquid aluminum. Inert gas, preferably nitrogen, fed down the length of the pump through a gas feed line, is used to cool the metal and present copper oxidation. All the windings and the core within the housing are immersed in the molten metal bath, and liquid aluminum is drawn through a porous ceramic plate by the electromagnetic forces. The use of small wire induction coils would be difficult to cool and indicates use of polyphase excitation. Here, a major amount of magnetic material must be cooled below its Curie Temperature, here, by the expensive means of an oxygen flushing, metal cooling inert gas.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,267 (Yamada), teaches an exterior, electromagnetic pump for supplying molten aluminum to a casting machine. The pump is completely exterior to the molten aluminum bath. The machine has a cylindrical core of ferromagnetic material surrounded by a supported ceramic core protection tube to prevent core erosion by the molten metal. A traveling magnetic field is utilized here, which propels the core in the axial direction against the end of the ceramic core protection tube, and could lead to cracking of the ceramic if clearances are too large.
Use of magnetic materials in the Olich et al., Hans, and Yamada pumps, limits the use of those devices to applications where temperatures do not exceed the Curie Temperature of the magnetic material, or else cooling of the magnetic materials must be provided, and where the saturation flux-density must be kept at a high level.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,933 (Motomura), a molten metal supply system for an injection mold is taught, where an electromagnetic pump has two, separately controlled, sets of coils, that is, immersed coils for heating the molten metal and non-immersed coils for pumping the molten metal. A polyphase power supply is used. Because of the polyphase nature of the groups of windings, insulation requirements of the small wires will limit machine operation to much lower temperatures than the molten material being pumped, and so, significant cooling would be required. U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,705 (Kuznetsov) is another example of pumping molten metal using a polyphase electromagnet pump. Here, a strip casting operation is taught, and a detailed description of traveling waves associated with such polyphase electromagnetic pumps is presented.
None of these pumps provide a simple, co pact self-priming device, where the immersed stage can operate without cooling. It is one of the main objects of this invention to provide a simple, compact, dual stage, self-priming electromagnetic pump, where the immersible stage utilizes only standing magnetic waves and can be operated without cooling if required.

Submersible single phase electromagnetic pumping assembly for liquid metal


Described herein are embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of the following parameters: a low and back club head center of gravity position, a high moment of inertia, a large Ixy product of inertia, and low aerodynamic drag. Methods of manufacturing the embodiments of golf club heads having a balance of club head center of gravity position, moment of inertia, product of inertia, and aerodynamic drag are also described herein.

Various golf club head design parameters, such as volume, center of gravity position and product of inertia, affect impact performance characteristics (e.g. spin, launch angle, speed, forgiveness) and swing performance characteristics (e.g. aerodynamic drag, ability to square the club head at impact). Often, club head designs that improve impact performance characteristics can adversely affect swing performance characteristics (e.g. aerodynamic drag), or club head designs that improve swing performance characteristics can adversely affect impact performance characteristics. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a club head having enhanced impact performance characteristics balanced with enhanced swing characteristics.
Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.

Club head having balanced impact and swing performance characteristics


An embodiment of the invention includes an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, an intake pipe, and an afterburner. As the intake valve communicates an exhaust gas stream to an EGR valve, an afterburner affixed to an inside wall of the intake pipe captures and burns large particles contained in the exhaust gas stream to prevent obstruction of the EGR valve.

The reduction of vehicle gas emissions is a common goal in the design of modern motor vehicles. A popular device used to reduce vehicle emissions is the exhaust gas recirculation valve or EGR valve. EGR valves operate by returning a part of the engine's exhaust to the engine intake for reintroduction into the combustion cycle. By returning the exhaust to the engine's combustion cycle, the combustion temperature is lowered, thus reducing the formation of nitrogen oxides, compounds that are implicated in the formation of photochemical smog.
Although EGR valves are effective at reducing undesirable gas emissions, large solid particles, predominantly carbon particles, in the exhaust can cause the valve to stick open or closed. When the valve sticks open, it produces a vacuum leak in the engine, causing drivability problems with the engine, such as stalling at idle, and in severe cases can cause the car's power brakes to fail. When the valve sticks closed, combustion temperature is raised, increasing pollutants and sometimes causing spark knock and engine damage. As a result, the obstructed EGR must be removed for cleaning or replaced. Even worse, the EGR valve can be obstructed again and again, resulting in recurring maintenance problems.
There have been some attempts to prevent obstructing and clogging of the EGR valves with various types of filters. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,781 discloses a stainless steel filter affixed to a gasket to provide a barrier to large carbon particles in the exhaust gas. However, these filters eventually are obstructed and clogged with large carbon particles as well.


A coded lighting system comprises a set of light sources and a remote control unit or an arrangement. The set of light sources emits coded light. In order to do so each light source is associated with a unique identifier. The remote control unit or the arrangement comprises an image sensor which captures images comprising light emitted by at least one of the light sources in the set of light sources. By analyzing the captured images the remote control unit or the arrangement is able to associate light sources affecting a particular region and/or object. The remote control unit or the arrangement is thereby able to transmit a control signal comprising updated light settings to the set of light sources.

The advent of integrated lighting installations, consisting of an ever growing number of individually controllable light sources, luminaires, lighting arrangements and the like with advanced rendering capabilities, may be regarded as transforming lighting systems for both professional and consumer markets. This brings a need for an intuitive control capable of fully exploiting the rendering capabilities of the complete lighting infrastructure. Several approaches have been proposed to control light sources, luminaires, lighting arrangements and the like.
A first example involves wall-mounted control. At commissioning time a set of wall-mounted controls are installed, each of them controlling an individual or group of light sources or luminaires, possibly with optimized controls for each type of control within the set.
A second example involves having a separate remote control unit for each individual light source or luminaire. This may be regarded, by means of the remote control unit, as a more or less straight forward extension of the above disclosed wall switch control.
A third example involves iterative selection of the individual light sources or luminaires. A user is provided with a simple remote control unit capable of controlling all light sources or luminaires which the remote control unit has been commissioned with. The remote control unit is able to control a single luminaire at a time, but it may also allow a user to browse through all the luminaires, for example by manipulation of a user interface provided on the remote control unit (e.g. by using "previous" or "next" buttons). A digital version of such a concept has also been developed, which adopts a touch screen device as a remote control unit, so that, once a light source or luminaire is selected, a light control optimized for such a light source or luminaire is displayed to the user (e.g. color temperature for a light source or luminaire with tunable white; or a color wheel for an RGB light) by means of the touch screen on the remote control unit.
A fourth example involves the concept of point and control; this approach exploits the principle of coded light and a remote control unit capable of detecting the code of the light source or luminaire toward which the remote control unit is pointed and thereby to identify the light source or luminaire emitting the coded light. Such a remote control unit typically comprises one or more photodiodes for detecting the coded light emitted by the light source or luminaire. In general, coded light has been proposed to enable advanced control of light sources. Coded light is based on embedding of data, inter alia invisible identifiers, in the light output of the light sources. Coded light may thus be defined as the embedding of data and identifiers in the light output of a visible light source, f.i. applying CDMA modulation techniques, wherein the embedded data and/or identifier preferably do not influence the primary lighting function of the light source. Hence, any modulation of the emitted light pertaining to data and/or identifier should be invisible to humans. This allows for applications such as interactive scene setting, commissioning and re-commissioning of networked lighting systems. Coded light may be used in communications applications wherein one or more light sources in a coded lighting system are configured to emit coded light and thereby communicate information to a receiver.
The point and control approach shows the advantage of using coded light as a means to be able to select a luminaire by simply pointing towards it. As noted above, this approach employs a photodiode in order to detect the Coded Light message of each luminaire. It has been proposed to detect and decode coded light by means of a standard camera.
International application WO 2009/010926 relates to a method for processing light in a structure where the light sources emit light carrying individual codes. A camera is arranged in a camera position of the structure and registers images of spots of the light. WO 2009/010926 is based on an insight that by using a camera for registering images of the light emitted from the light sources after installation thereof, and recognizing the individual codes in the registered images, it is possible to obtain a fast and at least substantially automatic determination of light source properties. The camera may comprise an image detector comprising a matrix of detector elements each generating one pixel of the registered image. The camera registers images of illuminated areas at a frequency that corresponds to, or is adapted to, the modulation frequency of CDMA modulation. Thereby it is possible for the camera to generate images that capture different CDMA codes of the different illuminated areas.


An apparatus and method for managing health data through a user terminal are provided. The method includes inputting a user terminal number for identifying the user terminal, and information of a medical instrument for measuring the health data to a management server interworked with the user terminal, receiving, by a receiver, a security type table mapped onto the user terminal number and comprising a security type code for instructing the health data which the medical instrument has measured to be stored in a first memory without security or in a second memory with security, from the management server, and storing the health data in the first memory or the second memory, which the security type code instructs, through determining the security type code of the security type table when the health data is received from the medical instrument.

As interest in healthcare continues to increase, necessities for management of health data are also gradually increasing. Further, in recent years, demands for services by which smart phone users can manage their own health data through a smart phone are increasing together with a rapid increase in the number of smart phone users.
Services by which health data measured through a medical instrument, such as a body weight scale, a blood pressure meter, a blood sugar meter, a electrocardiograph, or a blood analyzer is transferred to an Information Technology (IT) device, such as a smart phone by applying a Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and users manage their own health data are currently used. In addition, demands for the services are expected to continuously increase together with an increase in the number of smart phones in use.
Meanwhile, according to types of health data, some can be made available to anyone, whereas others should be made available to a specific group, such as a medical team. However, since the health data is currently available to be shared with anyone, the private health data is not shared with only the medical team but with other persons, which causes problems, such as private information exposure on the Internet, or improper use of the private health data by companies hiring employees. Moreover, when a smart phone storing the health data is lost, problems in management of private health data can occur.
Therefore, a need exists for a method capable of addressing the problems in management of the health data.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for managing health data


Methods are described herein for producing male-sterile plants by underexpressing the allene oxide synthase (CYP74A) gene. Fertility is restored in the plants by treatment with jasmonic acid. Hybrid seed production is simplified and improved by this invention. The present invention also includes plants transformed with an allene oxide synthase coding sequence.

Production of hybrid seed for commercial sale is a large industry. Hybrid plants, grown from hybrid seed, benefit from the heterotic effects of crossing two genetically distinct breeding lines (i.e., hybrid vigor). Typically, the agricultural performance of such hybrid offspring is superior to both parents, for example, in vigor, and yield. This improved performance of hybrid seed varieties, relative to open-pollinated varieties, makes hybrid seed more attractive for farmers to cultivate. To produce hybrid seed that is not contaminated with selfed seed pollination, methods must be employed to ensure cross-pollination and not self-pollination. Historically, pollination control mechanisms have been mechanical, chemical, and/or genetic.
Simple mechanical methods for hybrid seed production typically can only be used if the selected plant species has spatially separate male and female flowers or if the species has separate male and female plants. For example, corn plants have pollen producing male flowers in an inflorescence at the apex of the plant and female flowers in the axils of leaves along the stem. Out-crossing can be insured by mechanical de-tasselling of female plants. Such de-tasselling prevents selfing. However, most major crop plants have both functional male and female organs within the same flower. Accordingly, emasculation of these crop plants is not a simple procedure. It is possible to hand remove the pollen forming organs before pollen is shed, however, this is a labor intensive and expensive form of hybrid seed production.
A second method for the production of hybrid seed is to use chemicals that block or kill viable pollen formation. Such chemicals (gametocides) are used to provide temporary male-sterility. Commercial production of hybrid seed using gametocides is limited by (i) the expense and availability of the chemicals, and (ii) the reliability and length of action of the applications. When plants have extended flowering periods, gametocides are typically not effective because new flowers are produced that are not affected by previous treatment. Repeated application of chemicals is impractical primarily because cost becomes prohibitive.
Other methods of commercial hybrid seed production for field crops rely on a genetic methods of pollination control. In such methods, plants that are used as females (i) fail to make pollen, (ii) fail to shed pollen, or (iii) produce pollen biochemically unable to provide self-fertilization. Plants unable to biochemically self-pollinate are termed self-incompatible plants. Numerous difficulties are associated with the use of self-incompatibilities, including, propagation and availability of the self-incompatible female line, and stability of the self-incompatibility. Self-incompatible systems that can be deactivated are often vulnerable to stressful climatic conditions, where such environmental stresses reduce the effectiveness of the biochemical self-pollination block.
Further methods of commercial hybrid seed production include systems of pollen control based on genetic mechanisms that cause male sterility. Such systems are generally of two types: (i) nuclear or genic male sterility—the failure of pollen formation because of, typically, mutations in one or more nuclear genes; or (ii) cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)—pollen formation is blocked or aborted as the result of a defect in a cytoplasmic organelle, typically, the mitochondria.
Nuclear sterility can be either dominant or recessive. Dominant sterility can only be used for hybrid seed formation when propagation of the female line is possible, for example, using in vitro clonal propagation. Recessive sterility can be used when sterile and fertile plants are easily discriminated, for example, based on plant phenotypes. Commercial utility of nuclear sterility systems is limited by the expense of clonal propagation and roguing the female rows of self-fertile plants.
Many successful hybridization schemes involve the use of cytoplasmic male sterility. For example, a specific mutation in the mitochondria can, when in a selected nuclear background, lead to the failure of mature pollen formation. Alternately, the nuclear background can compensate for the cytoplasmic mutation resulting in normal pollen formation. A nuclear trait that allows pollen formation in plants having CMS mitochondria, that is, restoration of fertility, is typically called a "restorer gene." Generally the use of CMS for commercial seed production involves the use of three breeding lines, (i) a male-sterile line (female parent), (ii) a maintainer-line isogenic to the male-sterile line but which contains fully functional mitochondria, and (iii) the male parent line. The male parent line may carry a specific restorer gene(s). In this case the male parent line is usually designated a "restorer line" that imparts fertility to the hybrid seed.
For crops for which seed recovery from the hybrid is unimportant, for example, vegetables, a CMS system can be used without restoration. However, for crops wherein the fruit or seed of the hybrid is the commercial product, then the fertility of the hybrid seed must be restored by specific restorer genes in the male parent or the male-sterile hybrid must be pollinated. Pollination of non-restored hybrids is typically achieved by including, with the hybrid plants, a small percentage of male fertile plants. These male fertile plants effect pollination. In most species, the CMS trait is inherited maternally. This is one restriction of such systems.
A desirable system for hybrid seed production in any crop would be a form of genic male sterility that could be regulated to allow controlled male fertility for the propagation of the female line. The invention described herein provides such a system.

Methods of making male-sterile plants by underexpressing allene oxide synthase

The Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona


Methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for determining data structure and field types of a data source that is to be processed by an application. Actions include receiving the data source, providing base data associated with the data source, determining a number of fields of the data source and, for each field, a field type based on the data source and the base data, generating data structure data, the data structure data comprising the number of fields and field types, and providing the data structure data to the application.

To assist enterprise operations, data can be analyzed and/or manipulated. For example, business intelligence users may access and read data in order to perform analytics and/or data manipulation. In enterprise settings, such as a corporation, data sources may already have a defined data structure (e.g., defined by an information technology (IT) group within the enterprise) as well as business definitions. In some instances, an IT group within the enterprise can provide sufficient information to make a data source understandable and consumable. In some instances, a data source can be self-descriptive (e.g., such as an online analytical processing (OLAP) data source).
In some instances, however, insufficient information is available to make a data source readily consumable. For example, an external data source (e.g., outside of the enterprise) might not be sufficiently self-descriptive. Consequently, applications within the enterprise may need to be instructed as to the structure of the data source. For example, an application can prompt a user for additional information regarding the data source, requiring the user to be a priori knowledgeable about the data source.

Automatic file structure and field data type detection


A respiratory mask including a base plate adapted for connection to a gas source and a bladder secured to the base plate to form a generally fluid tight seal with the base plate, and defining at least one internal chamber with the base plate for receiving a fluidizing medium to fill the bladder and form a resilient cushion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to gas flow delivery systems and, more particularly, gas flow delivery systems that utilize a respiratory mask to deliver a gas to a patient.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gas flow delivery systems are used to deliver a flow of gas to an airway of a subject. Examples of gas flow delivery systems in the medical field include a ventilator or respirator, which replaces or supplements a patient's respiration, and a pressure support system, which provides a flow of gas to an airway of a patient at an elevated pressure to treat a medical disorder, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Pressure support systems include, but are not limited, to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, which deliver a constant positive pressure to the airway of a patient over multiple respiratory cycles, and variable pressure devices where the pressure of the flow of gas delivered to the patient is variable.
Variable pressure devices include auto-titrating devices that are capable of changing a base pressure or pressure profile delivered to the patient based on a monitored condition of the patient. Other variable pressure devices change the pressure of the flow of gas during a respiratory cycle. These devices include the following: a proportional assist ventilation (PAV®), a proportional positive airway pressure (PPAP) device, a C-Flex™ device, a Bi-Flex™ device, and a BiPAP® device manufactured and distributed by Respironics, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa. The BiPAP® device is a bi-level pressure support system in which the pressure provided to the patient varies with the patient's respiratory cycle so that a higher pressure is delivered during inspiration than during expiration.
A typical gas flow delivery system comprises a pressure/flow generating system that produces a flow of gas for delivery to a patient and a system for communicating the flow of gas to the patient. The latter system typically includes a flexible conduit having one end coupled to the pressure/flow generating device and a second end portion that couples to an airway of the patient through a patient interface. The conduit, which is also referred to as a patient circuit, carries the flow of gas from the pressure generating device during operation of the system. The patient interface device, typically in the form of a nasal, oral, or nasal/oral mask, is coupled to the second end portion of the conduit to communicate the flow of gas from the patient circuit to the airway of the patient.
Patient interfaces utilizing an inflatable contact rim, or cuff, are generally known. In general, such rims are inflated to a desired pressure through the use of pressurizing air but remain resiliently elastic and can, therefore, conform accurately to a wearer's face. In this manner, a desired close contact between the mask and the wearer's face is achieved.
The inflatable rims typically take the form of an "inner-tube" type inflatable structure. Such inflatable rims are typically manufactured either by the folding of a unitary film or by a blow molding or "slush" molding process. Typically, no matter which process is used to form the inflatable rim, special measures (e.g., gluing or welding) are necessary for the circumferential closure of the resulting molded material, so that an isolated interior space is formed. A special closure device must be provided (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,264) so that the air remains in this interior space after inflating the rim, and this also increases the total cost of the mask. Finally, a further disadvantage is that the resulting mask is not always in a ready-to-use condition because the rim typically first has to be inflated and the closure device has to be actuated.
Respiratory masks having a non-gaseous "filling" substance in the rim, such as a gel or liquid, are known in the art for maintaining the rim in a constant ready-to-use condition, (e.g., held in a taut or resiliently elastic state by the filling substance). However, this type or rim has the same manufacturing disadvantages discussed previously, with only the closure device being eliminated. Finally, non-inflatable rims for respiratory masks have traditionally been manufactured by vulcanization, which is also relatively expensive. Patents disclosing various versions of each of the foregoing types of mask rim configurations are described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 790,057 discloses an early inhaler anesthesia mask having a generally inward curvature with an adaptation for the bridge of the nose of a patient. U.S. Pat. No. 1,206,045 discloses a nasal inhaler with a hard, gas tight support shell with a "flange" formed of plastic material situated between the shell and the patient as a sealing means. U.S. Pat. No. 2,313,999 generally discloses a double-shelled mask formed from flexible rubber. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,535,938; 2,625,155; 2,765,788; and 3,042,035 generally disclose masks with a relatively hard material forming the sealing flange of the mask. The downward pressure applied to the masks disclosed by these patents tends to increase the seal between the wearer's face and the flange by causing a reaction of opposing skin and muscles, but with increasing discomfort to the wearer. U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,757 discloses an inflatable cuff type mask with an inflation valve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,357 discloses a modern version of a mask with an inflatable rim. The mask disclosed by this patent includes a faceplate and an air-filled cushion rim attached to the faceplate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,205 discloses an oxygen mask with a flexible clear plastic shell having a flange for improving the seal between the mask and the wearer's face. U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,205 discloses an inflatable rim with a dual lumen configuration. U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,981 discloses a nose inhaler having only a firm rubber foam material for engaging the wearer's nose. U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,617 discloses a scavenging mask that cooperates with a mask having an inflatable rim. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,401 discloses a valve assembly generally representative of inflating valves for inflatable rims. U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,051 discloses a CPAP device with an inflatable rim that is inflated under air pressure provided by a balloon.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D293,613 discloses an inflatable rim type mask with an inflating valve located at the nose bridge area. U.S. Design Pat. No. D323,908 discloses an inflatable rim type mask with an extension of the support shell or base located just superior to the bridge of the nose, for supporting one or more fingers of an anesthesiologist or nurse during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,745 shows an inflatable rim-type mask adapted specifically for use in CPR applications and which is collapsible to a thin profile when not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,094 discloses a mask with an inflatable rim generally including a faceplate with a circumferential rim or flange and an air-fillable rim adhered or otherwise secured to the flange of the faceplate. U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,853 discloses a mask with an inflatable rim generally similar to that disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,852, but further discloses a method of forming the inflatable rim so that the rim may have an increased wall thickness on the flange facing side of the rim and a thinner wall thickness on the patient facing side of the rim. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,650 discloses a face or nose mask with two annular chambers forming a cushion rim. Each of the chambers is air-inflatable and may be continuously pressurized by an external air source.
In view of the foregoing, a need generally exists for an improved respiratory mask in which the components of the mask are easy to manufacture thereby facilitating assembly of the mask. Additionally, a need exists for a respiratory mask that is easy to don and adjust and is comfortable to the wearer. Further, a specific need exists for a respiratory mask having an inflatable contact rim or cushion that exhibits improved sealing characteristics, is easy to inflate and deflate, and which can establish and maintain desired inflation pressures.


A retractable convertible top for a pleasure craft, including a canvas type fabric and stowable linkage mechanism, is described. This convertible top may be fully deployed and retracted automatically to provide a quick and efficient means of providing shelter for the open cabin of a pleasure craft while still allowing easy entrance and egress from the cabin when the top is fully deployed. The convertible top may be fully stowable within a small volume storage bin with watertight covers. The stowage bin may be integrated into the craft. The craft's existing hydraulic and control systems may be utilized to automatically deploy and retract the convertible top.

The use of removable canopies in pleasure craft to protect passengers from the elements, such as rain, wind or sun, can be of great benefit to the pleasure boating community. By providing a removable means of covering an open cabin or deck, or a portion thereof, pleasure boaters may be free to enjoy the use of their craft under a wide variety of weather conditions, while also providing a convenient means of protecting the open cabin or deck from excessive weathering due to prolonged exposure to the elements. Removable canopies may also be of use in other boating fields, such as, but not limited to, rescue boats, racing boats, or any other small craft used for leisure or commercial activities where a removable cover for an open cabin or deck may be advantageous.
Traditionally, removable covers for boating have often taken the form of "Bimini" type tops, which are lightweight structures that can be manually mounted to a watercraft to provide a cover for at least a portion of a boat. These tops may include either soft tops or hard tops, but all generally require manual installation that can only be carried out safely when the boat is at rest and in calm waters. As these tops are generally lightweight, to allow for manual installation and easy carrying and stowage, they are generally structurally relatively weak, and cannot withstand high loading. These bimini style tops also require additional intermediate struts to be manually fitted between the support struts, to lock the bimini top and support structure in position.
More recently, electronically deployable bimini type tops have been incorporated into boats to provide shelter for passengers. For example, the Sunriva 33 pleasure yacht, manufactured by Riva Yachts, incorporates a retractable hood that is housed within the bow of the yacht and can be electronically deployed to cover the passenger section at the bow of the yacht. However, this hood only provides cover for a small section at the prow of the boat, while obstructing the drivers view ahead. The hood is also relatively light-weight, and not designed to be used while the boat is underway.
Another deployable top has been installed into the Aquamajestic 27 sports boat, manufactured by Kencraft Marine Pty Ltd. This top incorporates a remotely operated convertible roof that can deploy over the open cabin of the boat in a similar manner to the deployment of a convertible top on an automobile. However, this cover completely encloses the cabin of the boat, and does not provide passengers with a means of entering or exiting the boat when deployed.


Disclosed is a method for fabricating a transistor of a memory device capable of preventing voids from being created when forming a low-resistant gate electrode. The method includes the steps of forming an active area by etching a semiconductor substrate, forming a field oxide layer in the semiconductor substrate and forming a recess by etching the field oxide layer. A gate insulation layer is formed along an upper surface of the active area and an exposed portion of the active area. A gate electrode is formed on the field oxide layer such that the gate electrode extends across an upper portion of the active area while being overlapped with a channel area and the recess. The first conductive layer to be patterned has the same thickness, so the low-resistant gate electrode is easily fabricated without forming the voids.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of fabricating a transistor having a triple channel in a memory device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, as semiconductor devices have been highly integrated, channel lengths and channel widths of a transistor are significantly shortened. As the semiconductor devices are equipped with a short channel structure, the threshold voltage exerts a serious influence on the channel width. Accordingly, the conventional two-dimensional planar channel structure presents limitations to obtain the target threshold voltage of the transistor required for a specific semiconductor device.
In order to solve the above problem, studies and researches have been actively performed in relation to a three-dimensional transistor for applications in a logic device. In particular, a fin transistor having a triple channel feature has been recently spotlighted as potentially the next-generation nano scale transistor.
Since three surfaces of the triple channel structure of the fin transistor are used as channels, the fin transistor provides the superior ON-OFF characteristics and the superior current drivability, while lowering the back bias dependency of the threshold voltage. For this reason, studies and researches for applying the fin transistor to the logic device have been actively carried out.
FIGS. 1A to 1E are drawn to illustrate the procedure for fabricating a conventional fin transistor.
As shown in FIG. 1A, a trench is formed in an isolation layer of a semiconductor substrate 1 in such a manner that an active area 1a vertically protrudes from a predetermined portion of the semiconductor substrate 1. In addition, a field oxide layer 2 is formed in the trench.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, the field oxide layer 2 is etched by a predetermined thickness through a wet etching process and a dry etching process, thereby exposing the sides of the upper portion of the active area 1a.
After that, as shown in FIG. 1C, a gate insulation layer 3 is formed on the exposed upper portion of the active area 1a.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1D, a first conductive layer 4a of polysilicon and a second conductive layer 4b of a low-resistant material are sequentially deposited on the gate insulation layer 3 and the field oxide layer 2. The second conductive layer 4b includes WSix or W.
After that, as shown in FIG. 1E, predetermined portions of the first and second conductive layers 4a and 4b are sequentially etched, thereby forming a low-resistant gate electrode 4 having a stacked structure of the first and second conductive layers 4a and 4b and extending across the gate insulation layer 3 on the upper portion of the active area 1a while overlapping the channel area. Herein, reference characters S and D represent a source area and a drain area of the fin transistor, respectively.
However, if the fin transistor is fabricated by the above processes, a void V as shown in FIG. 1E may be formed in an "I" section of the low-resistant gate electrode 4 when forming the second conductive layer 4b, because a step difference in height is present between the field oxide layer 2 and the active area 1a that vertically protrudes above the field oxide layer 2. All of these factors contribute to undesirable increase of resistance of the low-resistant gate electrode 4.
To solve the above problem, another conventional fin transistor has been suggested. FIGS. 2A to 2G illustrate a procedure for fabricating another conventional fin transistor.
As shown in FIG. 2A, a trench is formed in an isolation layer of a semiconductor substrate 1 in such a manner that an active area 1a vertically protrudes from a predetermined portion of the semiconductor substrate 1. In addition, a field oxide layer 2 is formed in the trench.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, the field oxide layer 2 is etched by a predetermined thickness through a wet etching process and a dry etching process, thereby exposing the sides of the upper portion of the active area 1a.
After that, as shown in FIG. 2C, a gate insulation layer 3 is formed on the exposed upper portion of the active area 1a.
Then, as shown in FIG. 2D, a first conductive layer 4a of polysilicon is deposited on the gate insulation layer 3 and the field oxide layer 2.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2E, the first conductive layer 4a is planarized through a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. As a result, the first conductive layer 4a would have the thickness of "t1" for the portion above the active area 1a and the thickness of "t1+α" for the portion above the field oxide layer 2. Because the first conductive layer 4a is planarized, the step difference existing between the active area 1a and the field oxide layer 2 can be disregarded. Therefore, formation of a void on the layers that are subsequently deposited on the planarized first conductive layer 4a (for example, a process for depositing a second conductive layer 4b as shown in FIG. 2F) is prevented.
As shown in FIG. 2F, the second conductive layer 4b made from a low-resistant material is deposited on the planarized first conductive layer 4a. The material for the second conductive layer 4b includes WSix or W.
After that, as shown in FIG. 2G, predetermined portions of the first and second conductive layers 4a and 4b are sequentially etched, thereby forming a low-resistant gate electrode 4 having a stacked structure of the first and second conductive layers 4a and 4b and extending across the gate insulation layer 3 on the upper portion of the active area 1a while overlapping the channel area. Herein, reference characters S and D represent a source area and a drain area of the fin transistor, respectively.
If the low-resistant gate electrode 4 is fabricated by depositing an upper layer on a lower layer planarized by the CMP process, it is possible to prevent a void being created in the low-resistant gate electrode 4, but it presents other process problems. That is, since the thickness (t1+α) of the first conductive layer 4a on the field oxide layer 2 is relatively larger than the thickness (t1) of the first conductive layer 4a on the active area 1a, the process for fabricating the low-resistant gate electrode 4 by etching the first and second conductive layers 4a and 4b is difficult, and would lead to lowering of the yield rate of the transistor.

Method of fabricating a transistor having a triple channel in a memory device


Generation of an observer view in a virtual environment in response to real-time input during a simulation is disclosed. In one embodiment, a device initiates a simulation of a virtual environment. Core view data that identifies a core view in the virtual environment is maintained. The core view is associated with an object in the virtual environment. Core view imagery that depicts a portion of the virtual environment based on the core view data is generated. During the simulation, real-time input that includes first observer view data that identifies a first observer view in the virtual environment is received. The first observer view is unassociated with any object in the virtual environment. First observer view imagery that depicts a portion of the virtual environment based on the first observer view data is generated.

A simulation of a virtual environment typically presents a view of the virtual environment to a participant of the simulation. The view may be from the perspective of an object in the virtual environment that represents the participant, such as an entity that moves about the virtual environment in response to input from the participant, or the view may be from the perspective of an object in the virtual environment with which the participant is associated, such as a car, airplane, or the like.
Sometimes it is desirable to generate an additional view in the virtual environment that is not tied to an object in the virtual environment during a simulation. This may be referred to herein as an observer view. An observer view may provide a participant of the simulation a view of the virtual environment that differs from the view of the virtual environment the participant has by virtue of participating in the virtual environment.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult or impossible to know, prior to the initiation of the simulation, where in the virtual environment such an observer view may be useful. Accordingly, there is a need for flexible mechanisms for initiating observer views in a virtual environment based on real-time input received during a simulation.


A fuel vapor processing apparatus may include a container including an atmospheric introduction portion, through which the atmospheric air can be introduce into the container. An adsorption material may be contained in the container and configured to adsorb feel vapor and to allow the adsorbed fuel vapor to be desorbed as the atmospheric air introduced into the container flows through the adsorption material. A heater may directly or indirectly heat a part of the adsorption material located at an upstream end with respect to the flow of the atmospheric air.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention mainly relate to fuel vapor processing apparatus, in which fuel vapor is adsorbed by an adsorption material contained in a container, the fuel vapor adsorbed by the adsorption material is desorbed (or purge) during driving of an engine, find a heater is provided for heating the adsorption material for promoting desorption of fuel vapor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known fuel vapor processing apparatus configured as described above is disclosed in JP-A-2002-332922. The known fuel vapor processing apparatus has a container having an internal space divided into a main adsorption chamber and an auxiliary adsorption chamber. Each of the main and auxiliary adsorption chambers has an ad sorption material contained therein and also has a heater for heating the adsorption material. The main adsorption chamber communicates with a tank port and a purge port. The tank port is connected to a fuel tank that may produce fuel vapor. The purge port communicates with an intake pipe of an engine. The auxiliary adsorption chamber communicates with an atmospheric port for introduction of the atmospheric air. The tank port and the purge port communicating with the main adsorption chamber are positioned adjacent to each other. One side of the main adsorption chamber positioned further from the tank port and the purge port communicates with one side of the auxiliary chamber positioned further from the atmospheric port.
Fuel vapor produced within the fuel tank may enter the main adsorption chamber via the tank port and may be adsorbed by the adsorption material contained in the main adsorption chamber. Apart of the fuel vapor that has not been adsorbed by the adsorption material of the main adsorption chamber may flow from the main adsorption chamber into the auxiliary adsorption chamber and may be adsorbed by the adsorption material contained in the auxiliary adsorption chamber. As the engine is driven, the air may be drawn from, within the container into the engine via the purge port, so that air may flow into the container. In this way, the fuel vapor may be desorbed from the adsorption materials. As she fuel vapor is desorbed from the adsorption materials, the adsorption materials may be cooled to cause reduction in the adsorption ability. However, the heat of the heaters may inhibit such cooling of the adsorption materials.
After the engine has been stopped, desorption of fuel vapor by the flow of air may not occur. However, in this state, it may be necessary to inhibit fuel vapor that has been once adsorbed by the adsorption materials from being released to the atmosphere. To do this, it may be necessary to reduce in advance at least the fuel vapor adsorbed by a part of the adsorption material positioned near the atmospheric air introduction port. In order to enable this reduction, it may be necessary to design the heater to have a large heating capacity for promoting desorption. However, making the heating capacity larger is not preferable because the energy consumption may be increased.
Therefore, there has been a need in the art for a fuel vapor processing apparatus that can increase the fuel vapor desorption ability of a part of the adsorption material positioned nearer to the atmospheric air introduction, portion without need of increasing the heating capacity of the heater.


An exhaust gas turbine for an exhaust gas turbocharger has a nozzle ring having an inner ring and an outer ring supporting a plurality of guide vanes. The nozzle ring is diagonally supported between a covering ring and the inlet casing, with the outer ring bearing against the covering ring and the inner ring bearing against the inlet casing. The outer ring provides an axial expansion gap with gas inlet casing and a radial expansion gap with the gas outlet casing. The nozzle ring is free to expand into the axial and radial gaps as a result of thermal expansion, without causing stress to the adjacent components.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the exhaust gas turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger which is connected to an internal combustion engine.
2. Discussion of Background
During operation of an exhaust gas turbocharger, the exhaust gas turbine of the latter is exposed to relatively high temperatures from the internal combustion engine connected thereto. High thermal stresses thus arise in the turbine-side components, such as for example the gas inlet casing, the nozzle ring, the covering ring and the gas outlet casing. Since each of these components is at a different distance from the internal combustion engine and, moreover, different materials are used, the component temperatures differ accordingly. This results in different thermal expansions with relative movements between the individual components, which may lead to screws breaking, gas leakages and components cracking. The design and arrangement of the separating locations of gas inlet casing, gas outlet casing, nozzle ring and covering ring thus play an important part in the ability of an exhaust gas turbocharger to function.
DE-A1-4223496 has disclosed a screw connection of the nozzle ring to the gas inlet casing. For this connection, the inner ring of the nozzle ring is of thickened design and provided with an additional flange which receives the screws serving for connection to the gas inlet casing.
The one-sided screw connection may lead to irreversible distortions of the nozzle ring in the event of such a solution. Moreover, there is the risk of a bypass flow being formed on the outer ring of the nozzle ring, as a result of which the efficiency of the exhaust gas turbine and thus that of the turbocharger is reduced. Owing to the high generation of heat on the turbine side, the screws serving to fasten the nozzle ring are positioned in a very fixed manner and can only be removed with very great difficulty. The assembly time required to exchange the nozzle ring is therefore considerably lengthened, which is a significant disadvantage for the internal combustion engine which is connected to the exhaust gas turbocharger and is dependent on the latter in terms of its power.
EP-B1-191380 shows the exhaust gas turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger, the nozzle ring of which turbine is clamped against the gas inlet casing by the covering ring. For this purpose, the outer ring of the nozzle ring has an axial projection and the covering ring has a corresponding fastening flange. The latter is connected to the gas inlet casing by means of a plurality of screws. In the peripheral direction, the nozzle ring is fixed on the gas inlet casing by means of positively locking centering bolts.
A drawback which is common to both solutions is that the nozzle ring in each case has an additional component for arranging or accommodating fastening elements. As a result, its production is complicated and thus relatively expensive. Moreover, both the axial projection of the outer ring and the flange of the inner ring are at risk from cracking, owing to the thermal stresses which have already been described above, as a result of which reliable fastening of the nozzle ring and thus the functioning of the turbocharger are not ensured in the long term.

Exhaust gas turbine of an exhaust gas turbocharger


The subject invention pertains to a thermoplastic-lined pipe segment, fitting, or valve bearing a marking on a tab extending radially from a portion of the thermoplastic liner molded over a flange.

Currently available and well known plastic lined piping products comprise a family of pipes, fittings, and valves especially designed for handling corrosive or high purity liquids. Such products generally comprise steel lined with a polymeric material, e.g., polyvinylidene chloride, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, perfluoroalkoxy copolymer, fluorinated ethylene-propylene copolymer and polytetrafluoroethylene. Such products enjoy both the structural integrity of steel and the high chemical resistance characteristic of the selected polymeric liner.
Each pipe, fitting, and valve will contain a flange at or substantially near each end thereof. Adjacent pipes, fittings, and valves within a given pipeline may be joined one to another by the fastening together of such flanges, e.g., by bolting.
Fittings are used to join pipe segments of differing diameter, to join pipe segments which are not positioned end-to-end, to join more than two pipe segments at a particular point, to provide instrument connections and sample ports, etc. Fittings are typically lined by injection molding thermoplastic material into a region defined by the fitting and a mold portion.
To prevent leakage at the flanges, adjacent thermoplastic liner portions must be brought together and sealed. To ensure flange sealability, the sealing surfaces of adjacent thermoplastic liner portions should be free from deformations.
It has recently become well known to identify plastic parts by injection molding such information as the production date into the plastic during fabrication. It would be beneficial to likewise identify the production date of thermoplastic-lined pipe segments, fittings, and valves.
The industry would find great advantage in parts identified by information such as lot number or production date, provided such identification does not interfere with flange sealability.

Marking of lined pipe segments, fittings, or valves


An optical apparatus includes an image sensor that includes a focus detecting pixel and an image pickup pixel, a first focus detector configured to provide a focus detection based upon a phase difference between the pair of image signals detected by the focus detecting pixel of the image sensor, a second focus detector configured to provide a focus detection based upon a contrast value based upon an output of the image pickup pixel of the image sensor, and a controller configured to provide autofocus utilizing the first focus detector when a focus detection precision of the first focus detector is equal to or higher than a first value and an image magnification variation amount calculated from a wobbling amount of the image pickup optical system used for the second focus detector is equal to or higher than a second value.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. ("JP") 2009-3122 discloses an image pickup apparatus that provides phase difference detecting pixels in part of an image sensor and realizes autofocus ("AF") of a phase difference detecting method (so-called "image-pickup-plane phase-difference AF") utilizing them. JP 2010-282085 discloses an image pickup apparatus that uses two focus detecting methods, such as the image-pickup-plane phase-difference AF and a contrast AF (referred to as a "TV-AF" hereinafter). JP 2010-139942 proposes a method for calculating the focus detecting precision of the image-pickup-plane phase-difference AF.
In general, the in-focus precision of the phase difference AF is lower than that of the TV-AF, and the method of JP 2009-3122 is likely to have a lower in-focus precision. According to the method of JP 2010-282085, as a wobbling amount of the focus lens increases, for example, when an F-number is large, an image magnification variation of the live view capturing or an image taken in the motion image capturing can be remarkable and the image quality deteriorates. For example, when an interchangeable lens configured to provide the TV-AF is attached to a camera body configured to provide the image-pickup-plane phase-difference AF, a selection of one of the AF methods becomes an issue.


A vehicle seat allowing an occupant to face in a first direction or a second direction comprising a seat frame and a seat base having a first seat back and a recess portion. Further, the vehicle seat provides a means for pivotally connecting the first seat back to the seat base and provides for the first seat back to be removably positioned within the recess. A back support assembly having a second seat back is operatively associated with said seat base.

The present invention generally relates to vehicle occupant seats, and in particular to new and improved occupant seat assemblies wherein the seat assemblies may be modified to enable an occupant to face opposite the vehicle""s normal forward traveling direction.
Vehicle occupant safety, particularly the safety of small children and infants is a major concern to both vehicle owners as well as vehicle manufacturers. In most vehicles, the occupant seats are oriented in a forward-facing position. Conventional vehicle seats, for example, include backrests engaged by the occupant""s back while disposed on the set facing in the forward direction of normal vehicle travel. In the event of a sudden stop, such as generally occurs in a vehicle front or rear end collision, the occupant will generally be subjected to a sudden force of inertia acting in the direction of vehicle travel. The potential for injury resulting from such collisions has been reduced somewhat by the mandatory use of seat belts. Although seat belts have proven to be relatively safe for adults, the same cannot be said for small children and infants. Moreover, forward-facing vehicle seats, and particularly front seats, subject children to numerous front seat hazards, such as high-pressure air bags, and generally provide inadequate child restraint systems even with contemporary children""s car seat. It is highly important that a vehicle provide the utmost safety for all occupants large and small. It is also important that added vehicle safety remain affordable for car owners as well as manufacturers.
Most forward-facing vehicle seats are fixed in a forward directed position and are incapable of modification to improve safety by reducing the inertia forces imparted to forwardly facing passengers in the event of a collision or the like. Attempts have been made to provide adjustable vehicle passenger seats that may be positioned for forwardly facing or rearwardly facing passenger use. However, known vehicle passenger seats adaptable for both forwardfacing and rearward-facing positions are generally relatively complex and expensive, and require at least a 180 degree seat base rotation.
The known reverse-adjustable vehicle seat designs require a complete redesign of the entire base of the seat in order to incorporate both a forward and rearward-facing feature. Thus, a need exists for a vehicle assembly that overcomes the disadvantages of known vehicle seats and provides safety for infants and small children, as well as adults.
One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat for safer travel, wherein the vehicle seat enables for occupant travel facing in a forward or first position, and is reversible to enable for occupant travel facing in a rearward or second position, such that in a vehicle collision, the back rest substantially offsets forward inertia forces acting on the occupant and provides spinal support protection from high-pressure air bags and shattering windshield glass and the like.
A more particular object of the present invention is to provide a safety vehicle seat enabling occupant travel in a forward-facing or rearward-facing position without rotating the seat base or seat frame and wherein the seat has a first backrest for occupant travel facing in a first direction and a second backrest for occupant travel facing in a second direction.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle safety seat has a slidable back support assembly including a first backrest, to provide occupant travel facing in a forward or first position, a second backrest to enable occupant travel facing, in rearward or second position, and a slide assembly to enable movement of the back support assembly such that an occupant or operator can longitudinally slide the back support assembly along a seat frame into a selection position.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a first vehicle seat backrest is pivotally mounted to a seat frame to enable occupant travel facing in a forward or first position, a second backrest sits on top of the seat frame to enable occupant travel facing in an opposite rearward or second position, and a mounting assembly is mounted to the vehicle floor and to provide releasable support to the second backrest.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a first vehicle seat backrest of the vehicle seat is pivotally mounted to a seat frame for occupant travel facing in a forward or first position and is pivotal into a lowered generally horizontal position, contacting the seat base, and a second backrest is mounted on top of the first backrest and forms a second seat base such that an occupant seated on the second seat base with the occupant""s back resting against the second backrest faces in a rearward or second position.
In still yet another embodiment of the invention, a vehicle seat is provided that enables a child to travel more safely in a vehicle whereby the child may sit on the vehicle seat and face the opposite direction of vehicle travel.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate like elements throughout several views.

Vehicle seat for reversible occupant travel


Technology is provided for a disc drive for use in a disc drive module having two or more opposed disc drives. The disc drive comprises a disc drive housing and a disc tray movable in and out of the disc drive housing between an open position and a closed position. A support tab is pivotably coupled to the disc tray and pivotable between an extended position and a stowed position. The support tab is biased toward the extended position and is mateable with an opposing disc drive when the disc tray is in the open position. A bumper is positioned in the disc drive housing to abut the support tab and rotate the support tab toward the stowed position when the disc tray is moved from the open position to the closed position.

An opposed-drive disc drive module includes a plurality of disc drives arranged in a pair of stacks that face each other in an opposed configuration. Each disc drive has a disc tray that can receive and support one or more selected discs during operation of the module. A disc robot is positioned between the stacks to periodically load and unload the discs into or out of the disc drives. It is often necessary for multiple discs to be temporarily held by a single disc tray during disc handling (e.g., loading and unloading). In conventional opposed-drive disc drive modules, the disc tray is supported during disc handling operations by a support arm that extends linearly from an opposed disc drive. While the support arm is extended, the opposed disc drive is unable to read or write. Accordingly, there is need for a tray support mechanism that allows disc drives to read and write data while supporting an extended disc tray.
The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not necessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed embodiments. Further, the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be expanded or reduced to help improve the understanding of the embodiments. Moreover, while the disclosed technology is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are described in detail below. The intention, however, is not to limit the embodiments described. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the embodiments as defined by the appended claims.

Disc drive including a tray support mechanism and disc drive modules incorporating the same


The invention relates to a method for determining the replacement state of wear of a rope made of a textile fibre material, wherein, in the course of using the rope, the elongation of the rope is monitored over its entire length and the rope is discarded if the elongation of the rope over the entire length exceeds a predetermined maximum value (%). The method according to the invention is characterized in that also the local elongation of a discrete rope section is monitored and the rope is discarded if the local elongation of the rope section exceeds a predetermined maximum value (%), with the maximum value of the local elongation of the rope section being greater than the maximum value of the elongation of the rope over the entire length.

The present invention relates to a method for determining the replacement state of wear of a rope made of a textile fibre material.
Ropes made of a textile fibre material, e.g., synthetic fibre ropes, are used for numerous applications. Especially in the field of materials handling, high-strength fibre ropes are now superior to steel ropes, which previously were used and, respectively, available exclusively, because of several advantages.
During their use, ropes are exposed to various stresses, which, in particular, are mechanical. A person skilled in the art will understand that the "replacement state of wear" ("point of discard") is the point at which the rope can no longer be used or, respectively, can no longer be used to a sufficiently safe extent due to the wear caused by those stresses and, therefore, must be taken out of use.
Of course, the determination of the replacement state of wear is particularly important especially in applications such as, e.g., crane ropes or ropes in lifts.
Various methods are known for detecting the replacement state of wear of a rope made of a textile fibre material.
So far, none of those methods have prevailed on the market. The previously inexistent possibility of safely identifying the replacement state of wear of fibre ropes may be regarded as one of the main reasons as to why, so far, fibre ropes have not yet become accepted for industrial use.
It is inherent to most of the published methods that they detect only one characteristic of the rope at a time (e.g., diameter, elongation or the like). However, since, in most applications, several different damage mechanisms, which influence each other, take effect on a regular basis, such methods are not sufficient for enabling the safe identification and prediction of the replacement state of wear of a fibre rope.
Various methods are known in which one or several additional different fibres (in most cases with a sensor or transfer function) are incorporated into the rope, into the fibre material of the rope, in particular into the load-bearing fibre material, wherein the change in their state is supposed to be indicative of a change in the state of the complete rope assembly.
For example, EP 1 930 497 A describes the use of an indicator fibre which has a lower resistance to abrasion in comparison to the other strands of the rope.
This approach is problematic since the underlying assumption that a single indicator fibre experiences the same strain as the most heavily strained part or section of the rope is not always admissible.
Likewise, methods are known which use the elongation of the rope throughout the service life as an evaluation criterion for the condition of the rope as well as the prediction of the replacement state of wear and determine such in various ways, for example, from EP 0 731 209 A and EP 2 002 051 A. In the latter document, marks are provided on the sheath of a core/sheath rope (e.g., braided rhombi of a differently coloured material), by means of which elongations or twists of the rope can be detected.
From DE 2013 101 326 U1, the use of an electrically conductive sensor thread is known. WO 2003/054290 A1 proposes a ferromagnetic material by means of which it should be possible to identify also local damage to the rope.
Further prior art is known, for example, from US 2003/111298 A1 as well as from US 2005/226584 A1.
Fibre ropes for hoisting applications and on winches (e.g., hoist ropes) are frequently made of high-strength fibre materials (for example, but not exclusively, from UHMWPE, aramid, LCP and/or PBO).
When those materials are used as base materials for the load-bearing elements of the rope (strands), the properties inherent to the materials should be taken into account.
Thus, in particular the creep behaviour of textile fibres is of relevance.
"Creep" is understood to be the irreversible elongation of the material upon application of a load which is lower than the breaking load of the rope over a period of exposure at a certain temperature.
Said creep behaviour is particularly pronounced, for example, in fibres made of UHMWPE (e.g., Dyneema®).
Therefore, in particular the creep behaviour of fibres made of UHMWPE are discussed hereinbelow. However, the explanations apply generally also to other (high-strength or non-high-strength) fibre types.
The fibre data published on UHMWPE clearly show that the creep of UHMWPE fibres, as they are built into ropes, depends on three factors:
1. the tensile stress acting within the material
2. the temperature
3. the duration of exposure (=time)
An increased tensile stress, an increased temperature and an extended duration of exposure will lead, each on its own, to an increased elongation of the material. In this connection, it should be noted that the dependence of the creep rate (=elongation per unit of time) on the tensile stress and the temperature is nonlinear.
Since, in use, the ropes are subjected on a regular basis to unpredictable requirements because of different tensile stresses, temperatures and operating times, they will often fail not with creep as the cause of failure, but due to other dominant damage mechanisms.
Consequently, the ropes have different elongations at the time of the replacement state of wear or, respectively, at the time of failure.
But even if creep is the cause of failure, the ropes have different elongations at the time of the replacement state of wear or, respectively, at the time of failure so that identifying the replacement state of wear based on the elongation of the rope has so far not been possible.
It has been published scientifically that the elongation of UHMWPE fibres as they enter the range of tertiary creep (=rapidly diminishing load-bearing capacity of the fibre due to the rupture of molecular chains) is not constant, but always depends on load, temperature and time. (Vlasblom/Bosman, 2006: Predicting the Creep Lifetime of HMPE Mooring Rope Applications, FIG. 17).
The conclusion drawn from this is that the elongation of the rope up to the replacement state of wear likewise depends on load, temperature and time and is not constant.
In the above-mentioned article by Vlasblom/Bosman, a maximum allowable elongation of the rope over the entire length of 10% is taken as a discard criterion under certain restrictions for standing ropes which are not bent over sheaves during operation. This maximum allowable elongation of the rope is far below the minimum elongation at break of the fibre caused by creep.
For running ropes which are bent over sheaves during operation, such a recommendation does not exist.
Thus, based on the data from literature, a person skilled in the art will currently assume that the following is true:
If creep constitutes the failure mechanism of the fibre, the elongation until break of the fibre is not constant, but always depends on load, temperature and time.
If creep constitutes the failure mechanism of the rope, the elongation until break of the rope is not constant, but always depends on load, temperature and time.
In applications with a non-constant load, temperature and time, the elongation of the fibre or, respectively, the rope is a function of the load spectrum (i.e., the course of load, temperature and time).
The strain history of the fibre/rope thus influences the elongation until break of the fibre/rope.
Thus, in running applications, reaching a certain absolute fibre/rope elongation does not allow a reliable statement about the residual elongation until break of the fibre/rope (as the elongation until break of the fibre/rope is not constant).
Analogously, reaching a certain absolute rope elongation does not allow a reliable statement about the residual elongation until break of the rope and thus the determination of the point in time of the replacement state of wear.
The elongation until break of the rope is different from the elongation until break of the individual fibre. The reason for this is found in the processing of the fibres into the rope (twining, stranding, braiding, twisting, among other things). See Vlasblom/Bosman 2006 FIG. 14.
In addition, with ropes made of different fibre materials A and B, respectively, which each display creep behaviour, it becomes apparent that, from the behaviour (elongation/duration) of the individual fibres A and B, respectively, no analogous conclusion can be drawn to the behaviour of ropes made of the respective fibre material A and B in case of breakage. Hence, for determining the elongation of a rope until break, not only the base material used, but also the construction of the rope would have to be considered.
Thus, the following problems arise:
1. To date, no method for identifying the replacement state of wear is known in which the load-bearing fibre itself provides information about the moment at which the rope is to be discarded.
2. The elongation at break of the fibre is a function of the load spectrum (tensile stress, temperature, time) in a nonlinear way.
3. The elongation at break of a rope constructed from those fibres is a function of the load spectrum (tensile stress, temperature, time) in a nonlinear way.
4. The elongation at break of the rope is different from the elongation at break of the fibre.

Method for determining the replacement state of wear of a rope made of a textile fibre material


A folding boat cleat which is secured to a boat hull includes a base secured to the boat hull, the base including a gap and a cleat head rotatably secured at one end to the base. A spring is secured between the cleat head and the base and operates to bias the cleat head toward an upward or operative position. A slider is secured within the base and includes a latch portion which engages the cleat head when the cleat head is in a folded position within the gap and a thumb portion which allows a user to retract the latch portion and release the cleat head to rotate approximately 90° into an upward or operative position. Preferably, the slider is spring loaded. A torsion coil spring is also preferably used to bias the cleat head towards an upward or operative position. The cleat head preferably includes a plurality of legs.

The present invention relates generally to cleats having a retracted, folded or depressed inoperative position and which are capable of being raised to an upright operative position. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cleat that is easily folded to be flush with the surface of its base in the inoperative position and easily raised and secured to the operative position.
Cleats having a depressed inoperative position which can be moved to an operative position are well known in the art. Such cleats are generally shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,125,779, 5,535,694, and 5,301,627, all to Czipri. Folding cleats have been particularly described in and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,478 to Kafka et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,944 to Burke.
Various such prior art devices initially appear to be flush with the outer surface of a boat on which they are mounted. However, the majority of the device is actually concealed underneath the device surface. Such devices, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,478 to Kafka require extensive holes are cut in the sides of boats on which they are installed. Moreover, the amount of subsurface room that such devices occupy may typically be put to better use. It is therefore desirable to have a folding boat cleat that occupies a minimum amount of interior or subsurface space.
Other folding cleats, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,944 to Burke require a user to manually lift the boat cleat from its space and maintain it in an upright or operative position during use. However, securing a boat typically requires two hands and therefore it is desirable to have a cleat which may be maintained in the operative position without any assistance from the user.
It is therefore a primary feature of the present invention to overcome the problems in the prior art.
It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a foldable boat cleat that takes up a minimum of interior space.
Another feature of the present invention is to provide a foldable boat cleat that is easily operated and secured by a user.
A still further feature of the present invention is the provision of a foldable boat cleat that may be secured in the operative position without any additional effort from the user.
These, as well as other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and claims.


Systems and techniques for measuring the performance of a communications channel is disclosed which includes receiving a signal from the communications channel, filtering the signal, estimating a bias introduced by the filtering of the signal, and computing a parameter of the communications channel as a function of the estimated bias. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Communications systems are used for transmission of information from one device to another. The devices included in the communications system typically have either a transmitter, a receiver, or both. Before transmission, information is encoded by a transmitter's encoder into a format suitable for transmission over a communications channel. The communications channel may be a transmission line or free space between the transmitter and the receiver. As the signal propagates through the channel, the transmitted signal is distorted by imperfections in the channel. Furthermore, the signal experiences degradation from noise interference picked up during transmission. An example of interference commonly encountered in bandlimited channels is called inter-symbol interference (ISI). ISI occurs as a result of the spreading of a transmitted symbol pulse due to the dispersive nature of the channel which results in an overlap of adjacent symbol pulses. At the receiver, the signal is decoded and translated into its original pre-encoded form. Both the transmitter and receiver are designed to minimize the effects of channel imperfections and interference. For the purposes of this disclosure, interference or distortion due to channel imperfections, or any combination thereof will be referred to generally as noise.
Various receiver designs can be implemented to compensate for noise caused by the transmitter and the channel. By way of example, an equalizer is a common choice for dealing with ISI. An equalizer may be implemented with a transversal filter, i.e. a delay line with T-second taps (where T is the symbol duration). The output of the taps are amplified and summed to generate a "soft estimate" of the transmitted symbol. The tap coefficients are set to subtract the interference from symbols that are adjacent in time to the desired symbols. Commonly, an adaptive equalization technique is employed whereby the coefficients are continually and automatically adjusted. The adaptive equalizer uses a prescribed algorithm, such as "least mean square" (LMS) or "recursive least square" (RLS) to estimate the tap coefficients. The "soft estimate" is coupled to a decision making device such as a channel decoder or a slicer. The decision making device applies a threshold operation in order to arrive at a "hard estimate" of the symbol transmitted from the transmitter.
The ability of a receiver to detect a signal in the presence of noise is based on the ratio of the received signal power and the noise power. This ratio is commonly known as the signal-to-noise power ratio (SNR), or the carrier-to-interference ratio (C/I). Industry usage of these terms, or similar terms, is often interchangeable, however, the meaning is the same. Accordingly, any reference to C/I herein will be understood by those skilled in the art to encompass the broad concept of measuring the effects of noise at various points in the communications system.
Typically, the C/I can be computed in the receiver by evaluating soft symbol estimates of a known transmitted symbol sequence. This can be accomplished in the receiver by computing the C/I for the transmitted pilot signal. Since the pilot signal is known, the receiver can compute the C/I based on the soft symbol estimates from the equalizer. The resultant C/I computation can be used for a number of purposes. In communications systems employing a variable rate data request scheme, the receiver can communicate to the transmitter the maximum data rate it can support based on the C/I. Furthermore, if the receiver includes a turbo decoder, then depending on the transmitted constellation, the log likelihood ratio (LLR) computation needs an accurate estimate of the C/I.
When choosing the tap coefficients of the equalizer based on the minimum mean square error criterion, e.g., LMS, RLS, the soft symbol estimates may include a bias in their amplitude. This bias impacts the accuracy of the slicer effectively reducing the received constellation relative to the desired constellation. As a result, system performance is typically worse for larger constellations, such as 16-QAM or 64-QAM constellations as compared to a 4-PSK constellation. Moreover, the severity of this bias increases as the C/I decreases. Accordingly, a C/I computation that accounts for this bias is desirable to improve the receiver's demodulation performance as well as provide a more accurate C/I estimation for supporting variable data rate request schemes and turbo decoding.

Systems and techniques for measuring the performance of a communications system


An apparatus for forming fiber balls uses automated clippers that can cooperate with a wheel that turns and operates in a stop and go sequence to hold gathered segments of lengths of elongate fibers, then present the gathered segments to a clipper, then rotate with the clipped segments of elongate fibers, allowing a knife or blade to extend to cut between adjacent clipped segments to form fiber balls with a clip or clips at a medial portion thereof.

Fiber balls have been used in wastewater and other water treatment systems. In the past, fiber balls have been made from plastic balls and wool bundles as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,148 and from bundled fused fibers as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,587,239. The contents of these documents are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.
Despite the above, there remains a need for alternative, economic fiber ball formation systems.

Apparatus for forming fiber balls with clippers and related methods


Apparatus for inductively melting a quantity of metal without a container includes a first induction coil having a plurality of turns defining a volume for receiving a quantity of metal, the first induction coil being adapted to exert a force on the metal, a second induction coil having a plurality of turns at substantially right angles to the turns of the first induction coil, the second induction coil, being disposed within said volume coaxial with the first induction coil. Both the first and second induction coils have connectors thereon for connecting the coils to at least one power supply for energizing the first and second induction coils. A support is provided for supporting the metal from below, and has an opening through it. The support includes a raised segmented rim around substantially its entire periphery. The support is maintained at a preselected temperature. In an alternate embodiment, structure is also provided for imparting rotational motion to the support.

In the manufacture of metal castings it is important to avoid contamination of the metal with non-metallic inclusions. These inclusions are usually oxide phases, and are usually formed by reaction between the metals being melted and the crucible in which they are melted. It has long been an aim of metal casters to avoid such contamination by using crucibles which have minimum reactivity with the melts. However, some alloys, in particular nickel-based superalloys, which may contain substantial amounts of aluminum, titanium, or hafnium, react vigorously with oxide crucibles and form inclusions during melting.
Heretofore there have been two main methods of avoiding contamination from a crucible in metal smelting. One method is "cold-crucible"melting, in which a water cooled copper crucible is used. The metal charge, which may be melted by induction, electric arc, plasma torch, or electron beam energy sources, freezes against the cooled copper crucible wall. Thereafter, the liquid metal is held within a "skull" of solid metal of its own composition, and does contact the crucible wall.
Another method is levitation melting. In levitation melting, a quantity of metal to be melted is electromagnetically suspended in space while it is heated. U.S. Pat. No. 2,686,864 to Wroughton et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,552 to Mortemer show methods of using induction coils to levitate a quantity of metal and heat it inductively.
Cold crucible melting and levitation melting necessarily consume a great deal of energy. In the case of cold-crucible melting, a substantial amount of energy is required merely to maintain the pool of molten metal within the skull, and much of the heating energy put into the metal must be removed deliberately just to maintain the solid outer portion. With levitation melting, energy is required to keep the metal suspended. In addition, as compared to the surface of a molten bath in a conventional crucible, levitation melting causes the quantity of metal to have a large surface area, which is a source of heat loss by radiation. Additional energy is required to maintain the metal temperature.
For alloys which are mildly reactive with crucibles, such as the nickel-base superalloys referred to above, a process called the "Birlec" process has been used. This process was developed by the Birmingham Electric Company in Great Britain. In the Birlec process, induction is used to melt just enough metal to pour one casting. Instead of pouring metal from the crucible conventionally, however, by tilting it and allowing the melt to flow over its lip, the crucible has an opening in its bottom covered with a "penny or "button" of charge metal. After the charge is melted, heat transfer from the molten charge to the penny melts the penny, allowing the molten metal to fall through the opening into a waiting casting mold below.
By using a small quantity of metal with the proper induction melting frequency and power in the Birlec process, the metal can be "haystacked," or partially levitated, and held away from the crucible sides for much of the melting process, thus minimizing, although not eliminating, contact with the crucible sidewall. Such a process is in use today for the production of single crystal investment castings for the gas turbine industry.
The use of "haystacking" to melt refractory and titanium alloys was tried by the U.S. Army at Watertown Arsenal in the 1950s, using carbon crucibles, but was not successful in eliminating carbon contamination from the crucible, and there was no satisfactory method of controlling the pouring temperature of the metal to the accuracy desired for aerospace work.
These problems have been solved to a large extent by placing the metal charge to be melted within an induction coil, which exerts on the metal an electromagnetic force which is greater near the bottom of the charge than near the top of the charge. The charge is free-standing on a support plate, which has an opening through it through which liquid metal may drain into a mold or other container placed below the support plate as the charge melts. The support is cooled to a preselected temperature. This technique, sometimes referred to as magnetic suspension melting, or MSM, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,014,769 and 5,033,948, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. Familiarity with the MSM process disclosed in those two patents to those skilled in the art is assumed, and that process will not be described in detail herein.
It has been found, however, that while the MSM technique works well for many metals, it is not so effective for certain high-melting temperature metals such as steel, titanium and superalloys. It is believed that, because of magnetohydrodynamic flows within the molten metal, the metal develops instabilities which cause the charge of molten metal to collapse prematurely, before the entire charge becomes molten. In such cases, the molten metal runs off the side of the charge, rather than through the opening in the support plate, as it is intended to.
The present invention solves the problem of instabilities in the molten metal and makes the MSM technique effective for the melting of steels and superalloys.