The present invention provides the following adhesive which is good in durability in bonding a glass plate and a resin composition containing a butyl type rubber. The present invention provides the following adhesive which is particularly suitable as an adhesive for bonding a glass plate and a resin composition containing a butyl type rubber, for a double glazing employing a spacer comprising a resin composition containing a butyl type rubber.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an adhesive for bonding inorganic glass (hereinafter simply referred to as glass unless otherwise specified) and a resin composition containing a butyl type rubber, which is useful for vehicle and building components, particularly an adhesive to be used for production of a double glazing.
2. Background Art
A butyl rubber may be used for bonding glass and another building component or bonding glass and glass for fixation at periphery of window glass for vehicle or periphery of building materials. Further, a butyl rubber may be used for sealing for a gap between glass and another building component or a gap between glass and glass, which is required to have a low moisture permeability. The reason why a butyl rubber is used for such applications is that a butyl rubber has a high adhesion, a low moisture permeability and a high weather resistance.
However, the adhesion of a butyl rubber is likely to be lowered if e.g. moisture penetrates into an interface between a substrate and the butyl rubber. Further, with regard to a composition containing a butyl rubber and various compounding agents blended therewith, the adhesion of the butyl rubber greatly depends on the physical properties of the composition. If the hardness of the composition is made high, for example, the adhesion lowers, whereby good bonding with a substrate can not be secured. A butyl rubber alone or its composition having properties close thereto, has a low modulus of elasticity, whereby it is likely to creep. A composition having a relatively large amount of compound agent blended therewith, has a high modulus of elasticity, whereby it is less likely to creep. However, the adhesion lowers, whereby the bonding with the substrate is insufficient.
When a butyl rubber is used as an edge sealing material for a double glazing, as the hardness of the butyl rubber is low, a spacer made of a metal such as aluminum is usually used, and the butyl rubber is arranged between the spacer and glass as a sealing material. The butyl rubber has a function to seal the interface between a glass plate and the spacer, to secure airtightness.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view illustrating the edge of the above-mentioned conventional double glazing 1. Two glass plates 1a and 1b are faced each other with a metal spacer 2 containing a drying agent 6 interposed therebetween to form a hollow layer 7, which is isolated from the open air by a primary sealing materials 3 made of a butyl type interposed between the metal spacer 2 and the glass plates 1a and 1b. The gap (concave portion) 8 constituted by outer surface of the spacer and inner surface of the periphery of the glass plates facing each other, is sealed by a secondary sealing material 5 made of a cold-setting sealing material represented by a polysulfide type or a silicone type.
A conventional double glazing employs a metal spacer, whereby the production steps of the double glazing are complicated, and it is desired to develop a double glazing having a structure with which the production steps can be more simplified. Heretofore, it has been studied and proposed to employ the folding system of the aluminum spacer for simplification or automatization of the production steps of a double glazing, or to improve the productivity by e.g. automatizing the coating of the cold-setting sealing material for reducing cost.
However, the double glazing using such a cold-setting sealing material requires a long period of time for curing the sealing material after the production of the double glazing, regardless of the type of the spacer to be used. Accordingly, the products can not be forwarded until the completion of the curing. Therefore, it is required to provide a space for curing in a plant, and to store the products for a certain period of time before forwarding, whereby it tends to take long for/ delivery, and the demands of the clients can not always be met. Further, to deal with the demands which will increase in future, more space for curing is required. To avoid this, and to secure an adequate supply of the double glazing, it is considered to be necessary to reduce the above-mentioned time for curing.
In view of reducing cost for producing the double glazing, it has been proposed to use a molded product comprising a partially-vulcanized butyl rubber composition having a drying agent incorporated therein, as a spacer (JP-B-61-20501). However, the hardness of the spacer comprising the butyl rubber-containing resin composition is not sufficient, whereby it is difficult to keep the shape of the double glazing with the spacer alone. To overcome the problem, it is considered to make the hardness of the resin composition high by blending a large amount of filler. However, in the case where the hardness is made high, the stress on the interface between glass and the spacer increases, whereby durable bonding property is not sufficient only with the adhesion of the butyl rubber.
In order to improve the physical properties of a butyl type rubber having a high adhesion by itself, the use of which is not limited to a double glazing, various compounding agents may be blended therewith, and when the composition thus obtained is bonded to glass, bonding property may sometimes be insufficient. In such a case, it is desired to employ a means of improving the bonding property, particularly the durable bonding property, of the composition to glass. The means of improving the bonding property of the resin composition containing a butyl type rubber to glass has not adequately been studied.
The present invention provides the following invention.
An adhesive for bonding inorganic glass and a resin composition containing a butyl type rubber, which comprises, as an effective component, at least one member selected from the group consisting of (A) a mixture of a terminal reactive oligomer having C4 bivalent hydrocarbon groups as repeating units with a chain extender, (B) a reaction product of a terminal reactive oligomer having C4 bivalent hydrocarbon groups as repeating units with a chain extender, (C) a mixture of a polyester polyol with a polyisocyanate and (D) a reaction product of a polyester polyol with a polyisocyanate.

Abstract: Namely, the present invention is an adhesive for bonding inorganic glass and a resin composition containing a butyl type rubber, which comprises, as an effective component, at least one member selected from the group consisting of (A) a mixture of a terminal reactive oligomer having C4 bivalent hydrocarbon groups as repeating units with a chain extender, (B) a reaction product of a terminal reactive oligomer having C4 bivalent hydrocarbon groups as repeating units with a chain extender, (C) a mixture of a polyester polyol with a polyisocyanate and (D) a reaction product of a polyester polyol with a polyisocyanate.


The present invention is systems and methods of self-administering protocols on a blockchain platform. A system and method of self-administered protocols on a blockchain platform, comprising: self-administering one or more of the following actions: consensus, governance, self-forking, view change or finality of transactions on the blockchain platform; operating without a hierarchical structure to make decisions; validating the decision to avoid rogue decisions or attacks; setting of a time period to lapse to finalize the decision; allowing the set time period to lapse; finalizing the decision by saving the state on the blockchain platform. Self-administering also includes the capability of the blockchain platform to prune the state of the smart contracts and the global state of the blockchain platform.

Internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols. Internet is not owned by a single entity and it operates without a central governing body. The same principles of distributed governance were applied to digital currencies by providing ability to perform digital transactions that existed without support from any underlying institution. The digital ledger that records the transactions in a chain using a mathematical hierarchy is called a blockchain.
The current blockchain platform and related applications known to the industry fall short in multiple ways. The blockchain platform operates with no established hierarchy. There is no single authority to validate or authenticate the events occurring on the blockchain platform. Everything is supposedly open, transparent and everyone who is interested can monitor the blockchain platform. In such situations, there is no established mechanisms to resolve inconsistencies or network outages. Without an established set of rules or hierarchy, a distributed and de-centralized platform is vulnerable to chaos and cannot grow efficiently.
Industry implementations show consensus on blockchains is extremely slow. For example, in Bitcoin a transaction is not considered finalized until six subsequent blocks have been accepted, a process which takes roughly one hour. Newer protocols have attempted to address this limitation by introducing consensus algorithms with faster finalization of blocks. One such protocol, Dfinity uses a randomness beacon (implemented via a verifiable random function, or VRF) for ranking different proposed blocks. The designers also introduce the concept of notaries who sign the highest-ranked block in each round. The authors describe notarization as "optimistic consensus"; in most rounds, only one block will be notarized, and in that case the unique notarized block will be finalized soon thereafter. Critically, only notarized blocks will be accepted as part of a chain by miners; this design prevents both selfish mining and the "nothing-at-stake" problem.
Another challenge with blockchain based protocols is that they are difficult to update once launched. Upgrading requires participants to explicitly opt-in to the new version by installing new versions of the protocol. While some systems, for example Tezos, allow a system for upgrading the blockchain client through a community consensus, changes happen automatically and smoothly, however, only one change may be implemented per voting period, and changes must have substantial buy-in from the community.
Typically, a blockchain's consensus algorithm is a variation of dFinity consensus protocol. dFinity assumes all critical messages are received by every miner no later a certain amount of time (upper bound for network relay). By making this assumption, they are able to prove their consensus to be deterministic. However, this may not be practical in an openly deployed blockchain where it is not possible to assume such optimistic conditions on the network and infrastructure of the miners. As a result, the consensus algorithm of blockchain is assumed to have probabilistic finality although the probability increases exponentially as the chain gets extended. While the probabilistic finality is reasonable from a practical standpoint due to its exponential nature, the question is whether we can theoretically make the blockchain's consensus to have deterministic finality.

Systems and methods of self-administered protocols on a blockchain platform


Electrochemical and gas phase hydrogen storage alloy compositions that provide superior performance, especially at low temperature, and excellent cycle life characteristics. The alloys of this invention are AB5 type alloys that include a cycle life enhancement element and a low Co concentration. The preferred cycle life enhancement elements include Zr and Si. The cycle life enhancement elements increase the cycle life of the instant alloys by reducing the pulverization of alloy particles upon repeated cycles of charging-discharging or hydriding-dehydriding. The alloys are characterized by low hysteresis on cycling, where hysteresis is measured in terms of mass concentration difference, a parameter related to the activation energy associated with the incorporation of hydrogen into the alloy. The instant alloys are designed to have a low activation energy for hydrogen incorporation and as a result, provide low hysteresis and a more uniform concentration of absorbed hydrogen within the material. As a result, differential lattice expansion effects associated with the absorption of hydrogen are minimized and the tendency for particle pulverization on cycling is minimized. Alloys having a low Co concentration and long cycle life are thus provided for.

Consumer and industrial applications continue to drive demand for new and efficient batteries for use as energy sources. Important goals include obtaining ever more power from increasingly smaller battery packages in an environmentally respectful fashion. Envisioned applications for batteries include everything from mobile electronics to electric vehicles. Portability, rechargeability over a large number of cycles, low cost, high power, lightweight and consistent performance over widely varying loads are among the key attributes required for batteries. The specific combination of battery performance requirements varies widely with the intended application and the battery components and materials are typically optimized accordingly.
An important developing application area for rechargeable batteries is electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). In these applications, the battery must have the ability to provide high currents in short time periods in order to achieve effective acceleration. High discharge rates are therefore necessary. High battery power over extended time periods are also needed so that vehicles of reasonable size and weight can be maintained in motion for reasonable time intervals without recharging. Rapid recharging over many cycles should also be possible using readily available electrical power sources. The preferred cycle life profile also requires a high number of charge/discharge cycles at a shallow depth of charge/discharge. Progress has been made in the development of batteries for HEV applications and a few HEV automobiles have recently been made available to the U.S. public. Nonetheless, the batteries used in these automobiles represent compromises and trade-offs in relevant performance parameters and new developments are needed to further the capabilities of HEV and EV products.
Nickel metal hydride batteries have emerged as the leading class of rechargeable batteries and are replacing earlier generation nickel-cadmium batteries in many applications. Relative to nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries avoid significant environmental problems (due to the toxicity of cadmium) while providing higher energy densities. HEV and EV products are examples of applications that utilize the high energy density available from nickel metal hydride batteries and are also applications viewed to be impractical in a nickel-cadmium paradigm due to the disposal problems associated with cadmium. Expanded performance of HEV and EV products and the future extension of rechargeable batteries to new applications in the future will greatly depend on improvements in the capabilities of nickel metal hydride batteries.
Nickel metal hydride batteries typically include a nickel hydroxide positive electrode, a negative electrode that incorporates a metal-containing hydrogen storage alloy, a separator made from nylon, polypropylene or other polymers, and an aqueous alkaline electrolyte. The positive and negative electrodes are housed in adjoining battery compartments that are typically separated by a non-woven, felled, nylon or polypropylene separator. Several batteries may also be combined in parallel or series to form larger battery packs capable of providing higher powers, voltages or discharge rates.
The charging and discharging reactions of nickel metal hydride batteries have been discussed in the art and may be summarized as shown below:                Charging:                    positive electrode: Ni(OH)2+OH−→NiOOH+H2O+e−            negative electrode: M+H2O+e−→MH+OH−                        Discharging                    positive electrode: NiOOH+H2O+e−→Ni(OH)2+OH            negative electrode: MH+OH−M+H2O+e−
Much work has been completed over the past decade to improve the performance of nickel metal hydride batteries. Optimization of the batteries ultimately depends on controlling the rate, extent and efficiency of the charging and discharging reactions. Factors relevant to battery performance include the physical state, chemical composition, catalytic activity and other properties of the positive and negative electrode materials, the composition and concentration of the electrolyte, the separator, the operating conditions, and external environmental factors. Various factors related to the performance of the positive nickel hydroxide electrode have been considered, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,348,822; 5,637,423; 5,905,003; 5,948,564; and 6,228,535 by the instant assignee, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Work on suitable negative electrode materials has focused on intermetallic compounds as hydrogen storage alloys since the late 1950's when it was determined that the compound TiNi reversibly absorbed and desorbed hydrogen. Subsequent work has shown that intermetallic compounds having the general formulas AB, AB2, A2B and AB5, where A is a hydride forming element and B is a weak or non-hydride forming element, are able to reversibly absorb and desorb hydrogen. Consequently, most of the effort in developing negative electrodes has focused on hydrogen storage alloys having the AB, AB2, AB5 or A2B formula types.
Desirable properties of hydrogen storage alloys include: good hydrogen storage capabilities to achieve a high energy density and high battery capacity; thermodynamic properties suitable for the reversible absorption and desorption of hydrogen at room temperature; low hydrogen equilibrium pressure; high electrochemical activity; fast discharge kinetics for high rate performance; high oxidation resistance; weak tendency to self-discharge; and reproducible performance over many cycles. The chemical composition, physical state, electrode structure and battery configurations of hydrogen storage alloys as negative electrode materials in nickel metal hydride have been investigated and reported in the prior art. Some of this work is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,716,088; 5,277,999; 5,536,591; 5,616,432; and 6,270,719 to the instant assignee, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Efforts to date indicate that intermetallic compounds are capable of effectively functioning as negative electrode materials in rechargeable batteries, but that important properties are difficult to optimize simultaneously. Hydrogen storage alloys of the AB5 type, for example, generally have high initial activation, good charge stability and relatively long charge-discharge cycle life, but at the same time have low discharge capacity. Furthermore, attempts to increase the cycle life generally lead to reductions in the initial activation. Hydrogen storage alloys of the AB2 type, on the other hand, typically possess high discharge capacity, but frequently suffer from low initial activation and relatively short cycle life. Although recent achievements in atomic engineering are improving the situation, efforts to improve upon the initial activation customarily have come at the expense of cycle life. Other important properties include discharge rate, discharge current, and constancy of output over time. It has proven difficult in most applications to simultaneously optimize all desired battery attributes and as a result, compromises are normally made in which some properties are sacrificed at the expense of others.
One aspect of rechargeable batteries for HEV, EV, 42 V SLI and other applications that has received relatively little attention is low temperature operation. For HEV and EV products it is desirable to have batteries that perform well in harsh winter climates. Similarly, achievement of portable and stationary power sources based on rechargeable batteries that are capable of functioning outdoors in cold climates or in indoor cold environments is also desirable. A basic limitation of virtually every battery technology is a diminution of power and performance at low temperature. The deleterious effects of temperature are especially pronounced below freezing. Like other rechargeable batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries suffer significant degradation in power and performance upon a lowering of temperature. Improvements in the low temperature performance require consideration of the underlying components and principles of operation of nickel metal hydride batteries.
A need exists for improved rechargeable batteries having higher powers and discharge rates at low temperatures. With respect to nickel metal hydride batteries, the barrier to low temperature performance appears to reside primarily in the operating characteristics of the negative hydrogen storage alloy electrode. In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/405,008 ('008 application), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, modifications of nickel metal hydride electrode materials designed to improve the performance under low temperature conditions were disclosed. The '008 application teaches techniques for controlling the porosity of the interface region of nickel metal hydride electrode materials to improve the accessibility of electrochemically active species to catalytic sites. The porosity modifications of the '008 application were motivated by a hypothesis that the ability of electrochemical reactants to reach catalytic sites and the ability of electrochemical products to depart from catalytic sites could be improved by increasing the porosity of the oxide or other matrix supporting the catalytic metal (e.g. nickel) particles utilized in the electrochemical charging and discharging reactions of nickel metal hydride batteries. By increasing the porosity, it was believed that the migration or mobility of electrochemical reactants and products to and away from the catalytic sites could be facilitated, thereby leading to improved performance. Such facilitation was expected to be especially important at conditions utilizing low operating temperatures since these conditions naturally impede the mobility of molecular and ionic species present in electrolyte solution. The materials of the '008 application were shown to exhibit much improved power and discharge rates at low temperatures (e.g. −30° C.). Pertinent details of the materials of the '008 application as they pertain to the instant invention are described hereinbelow.
In addition to high power and high discharge rates, it is desirable to develop a nickel metal hydride negative electrode material having the maximum possible cycle life while still maintaining good overall properties, including low temperature power capability. A need exists to understand the cycle life limitations of metal alloys and to overcome them through new alloy compositions and/or further engineering of alloy microstructure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Hydrogen storage alloys having improved cycle life and low temperature operating characteristics


A fixing structure includes a housing including a first hole, an input member including a second hole, and rotating relative to the housing, depending on input of rotational force, a torsion spring being biased so as to return, to a predetermined reference position, a position of the input member relative to the housing, and a fixing member inserted into the first hole and the second hole in a state where the input member is rotated against biasing force of the torsion spring from the reference position to a predetermined rotational position. The fixing member includes a first insertion portion including a part press-fitted into and fixed to the first hole, and a second insertion portion including a part inserted into the second hole, and fixes the input member at the predetermined rotational position.

Conventionally, a rotation sensor detecting input rotational force has been used. As such a rotation sensor, there is a rotation sensor that includes a housing, an input member to which rotational force is input, a rotational member integrally rotatable together with the input member relative to the housing, and a torsion spring being provided between the housing and the rotational member and returning the input member and the rotational member to a predetermined reference position. In some cases, at the time of being attached to an attachment portion, such a rotation sensor is attached in a state where the input member and the rotational member are fixed at a predetermined rotational position that is set in the housing and that is different from the reference position. An example as a technique used in such attaching is described in JP 2002-350178 A (Reference 1).
Reference 1 describes a reference position setting device that sets an attachment reference position when a movable member moving relative to an attachment portion is attached to the attachment portion. The reference position setting device is configured in such a way that an elongated hole is formed in a fixing member for fixing a lever of a sensor body at a preset position, and that the fixing can be performed while fine adjustment is performed. The fixing is performed by fastening with a screw.
In the technique described in Reference 1, fixing to the sensor body is performed by fastening the fixing member with a screw, and thus, two components (the screw and the fixing member) are necessary. For this reason, there is room for improvement in cost reduction. Further, a projection that engages with the lever is provided so as to protrude from a side surface of the fixing member, and at the time of the fixing, while the projection is made to pass through a lower side of the lever, the projection needs to be engaged with the lever, and fastening needs to be performed with a screw. For this reason, workability for assembling is insufficient, and there is room for improvement. Furthermore, such work is not easily automated, and thus needs to be performed by a worker, and there is room for reduction in manufacturing cost.
A need thus exists for a fixing structure which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.


There is provided a hybrid stepping motor including a rotor including a plurality of rotor small teeth arranged at an equal pitch on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and a stator including a plurality of salient poles, each including a plurality of stator small teeth arranged to face the outer circumferential surface of the rotor via a gap. The stator small teeth have a predetermined stator tooth thickness and are arranged at a predetermined stator tooth pitch. The rotor small teeth have a predetermined rotor tooth thickness and are arranged at a predetermined rotor tooth pitch. A repulsion area ratio which is a ratio of an area of repulsion poles to a total area of all stator small teeth facing the rotor ranges from 0% to a predetermined threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid stepping motor using a permanent magnet for a rotor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, downsizing and power saving of motors have been highly demanded. In motors having the same external size, if a greater torque can be obtained, an electric current supplied to the motors can be reduced, thereby realizing power saving.
The technical history of stepping motors will be described while taking a 1.8 degrees step (200 steps) hybrid stepping motor as an example.
In early 1.8 degrees (200 step) hybrid stepping motor, both of a stator tooth pitch and a rotor tooth pitch are 7.2 degrees. However, in recent hybrid stepping motors, the stator tooth pitch and the rotor tooth pitch are different from each other to reduce vibrations and noises. Specifically, in a recent hybrid stepping motor, the rotor tooth pitch remains 7.2 degrees, but the stator toot pitch is usually 6.6 to 7.0 degrees.
A typical stator has six small teeth in one pole (salient pole). If the stator tooth pitch and the rotor tooth pitch are different from each other, positional relations between six stator small teeth and rotor small teeth are also different from each other. Therefore, in the recent hybrid stepping motor, a facing area of attraction poles (N pole and S pole) would be decreased, whereas a facing area of repulsion poles (N pole and N pole, S pole and S pole) would be increased compared to the early stepping motor, and therefore, a torque would be reduced. Herein, the facing area of attraction poles (N pole and S pole) and the facing area of repulsion poles (N pole and N pole, S pole and S pole) refer to those areas when the motor is in a stopped state after excitation.
In order to increase a torque, the following related-art technique can be used.
JP-A-2002-503078 discloses a hybrid stepping motor where torque per unit volume, i.e., "torque density" is optimized. According to JP-A-2002-503078, the torque density is maximized at an id/od ratio of 0.61. Also, a tooth thickness/a tooth pitch is preferably 0.38 to 0.45, and particularly 0.42.
JP-A-H5-168214 discloses a hybrid stepping motor where a ratio of an inner diameter of a stator to an outer diameter thereof is 0.62 to 0.64 in a case of two-phases and 0.605 to 0.625 in a case of five-phases in order to generate a maximum torque in a rotor. Also, it is described that the ratio of the inner diameter of the stator to the outer diameter is around 0.53 in the conventional stepping motor.
JP-A-2007-318974 discloses a brushless motor where a tooth width of a stator core is 0.14 or more times of an outer diameter of a rotor.
Regarding a torque of stepping motors, static characteristics and dynamic characteristics have factors contrary to each other, and therefore, their parameter cannot be defined in one way. However, any of the above-described motors cannot increase pull-out torque satisfactorily.


The preferred embodiments of the present invention allow for easy shift-down and adjustment of a shift-down amount. According to some examples, a transmission (20) includes an electronically controlled transmission mechanism (21), and a control unit (5) that controls the transmission mechanism (21). The control unit (5) includes a transmission ratio control portion (55), a shift mode selection portion (52) that can select an AT mode and that shifts to a shift-down permission mode when a shift-down permission signal (101) is output in the AT mode, and a shift-down operation amount computation portion (51) that computes a shift-down operation amount based on a vehicle state of a motorcycle (1). The transmission ratio control portion (55) shifts down the transmission ratio of the transmission (20) based on the shift-down operation amount when a throttle (70) is operated in the shift-down permission mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to, among other things, a control device of a straddle-type vehicle, a transmission, and a straddle-type vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
Electronically-controlled transmissions having a transmission gear ratio or a transmission ratio (hereinafter referred to as "transmission ratio") that can be controlled in a continuously variable manner (hereinafter referred to as "ECVT" (Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission)) are known. In an ECVT, the transmission ratio is automatically changed based on a transmission ratio map that indicates the relationship of the transmission ratio and a vehicle running state, such as, e.g., a vehicle speed, an engine speed, or a throttle opening degree. Accordingly, in a vehicle equipped with an ECVT (hereinafter referred to as "ECVT equipped vehicle"), there is no need for a rider speed change operation or clutch operation. As a result, presently, an ECVT is mounted in various types of vehicle.
However, in an ECVT equipped vehicle, the rider is not able to discretionarily change the transmission ratio to a transmission ratio other than that determined automatically in the transmission ratio map. In other words, other than the setting of the transmission ratio map, the transmission ratio cannot be discretionarily changed. Thus, it is comparatively problematic for the rider of an ECVT equipped vehicle to make active use of engine brake based on his/her intentions. More particularly, it is comparatively problematic for the rider to actively use stronger engine brake than that set by the transmission ratio map.
In addition, for example, in an ECVT equipped vehicle, it is also comparatively difficult for the rider to intentionally shift-down more than normal to increase vehicle acceleration, namely, perform a kick down operation, when the rider wishes to overtake another vehicle.
In light of the above circumstances, an ECVT equipped vehicle has been proposed that allows selection of either an AT mode in which the transmission ratio is automatically and continuously changed, or an MT mode in which the transmission ratio is manually changed by an operation of the rider. More specifically, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 2950957, an ECVT equipped vehicle is proposed in which the transmission ratio of the continuously variable transmission can be manually set in accordance with a position of a deceleration lever. Moreover, for example, in JP S62-175228, A, an ECVT equipped vehicle is proposed that is provided with a switch for forcibly changing the transmission ratio or manually performing shift-down.
In a known ECVT equipped vehicle in which it is possible to switch between the AT mode and the MT mode, in the AT mode, when the rider intentionally shifts down to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle, it is necessary for a complicated and troublesome operation to be performed. More particularly, in the AT mode, in order for the rider to intentionally shift-down to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle, it is necessary for the rider to perform operations at least three times, namely:
1. an operation for switching from the AT mode to the MT mode,
2. an operation for shifting down in the MT mode, and
3. an operation for switching from the MT mode to the AT mode.
Furthermore, when performing a shift-down operation in the MT mode, until the transmission ratio of the transmission becomes the most suitable transmission ratio, on some occasions, the rider himself/herself must operate the operation switch multiple times to adjust the transmission ratio. In other words, there is a problem, namely, the shift-down operation is complicated because the rider himself/herself must perform operations and adjustments related to the amount of the shift-down of the transmission ratio of the transmission.
Moreover, for example, even in the case of one type of MT mode, namely, even in an automatic MT mode in which the transmission ratio of the ECVT is automatically changed between a plurality of transmission ratios that are pre-set in a simulated, stepped manner, the problem of a complicated shift-down operation similarly occurs.
Also, even in the manual MT mode in which the transmission ratio of the ECVT is changed between the plurality of transmission ratios that are pre-set by operation of the rider, for example, when the rider wishes to shift-down a great amount, it is necessary for him/her to perform the shift-down operation multiple times. As a result, even in the case of the manual MT mode, similarly, the problem of a complicated shift-down operation for a suitable amount of shift-down sometimes occurs.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. For example, certain features of the preferred embodiments of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages and/or providing certain advantages, such as, e.g., disadvantages and/or advantages discussed herein, while retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.

Control device of straddle-type vehicle, transmission, and straddle-type vehicle


The embodiments of the present invention provide for methods, devices, and systems adapted to reduce flickers introduced in the encoding process, particularly during the generation of intra-coded pictures. The method provides for the determination of flicker areas within pictures and applying a flicker-control cost function, for example, on those determined flicker areas when selecting an intra-prediction mode.

A video encoder, e.g., a codec, may introduce flicker when operating at low bit rates. A flicker appears as a "pulse" or "jerk" within a video sequence, and is more perceptibly apparent in image regions with little or no motion. Several tools or video-coding processes within an encoding process may produce these flickering artifacts. For example, coarse quantization of the transform coefficients during the encoding process may introduce large deviations from the original image sequence and the loss of high frequency information and detail. Intra-prediction typically estimates pixel data within an image frame from previously decoded spatial neighbors. In some cases, this estimation propagates errors spatially throughout a frame, for example. These flickers furthermore, for example, may occur in videos with all intra-coded frames or those that have intra-coded and inter-coded frames combination. Although coarse quantization and intra-prediction mode selection and estimation are important for coding efficiency, these processes, however, may lead to flickering artifacts and deviations within an image sequence. Without proper management and control, these artifacts may hamper a user's viewing experience. Methods, systems, and devices that address or alleviate these situations are thus highly desirable.

Intra-frame flicker reduction in video coding


A voice activity detector has an input for receiving an outgoing speech signal transmitted from a speech system to a user and an input for receiving an incoming signal from the user. Both the outgoing and incoming signals are divided into time limited frames. A feature is calculated from each frame of the incoming signal and for forming a function of the calculated feature and a threshold. Based on the function, it is determined whether or not the incoming signal includes speech. Means are provided to determine the echo return loss during an outgoing speech signal from the interactive speech system and to control the threshold in dependence on the echo return loss measured.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to voice activity detection.
2. Related Art
There are many automated systems that depend on the detection of speech for operation, for instance automated speech systems and cellular radio coding systems. Such systems monitor transmission paths from users' equipment for the occurrence of speech and, on the occurrence of speech, take appropriate action. Unfortunately transmission paths are rarely free from noise. Systems which are arranged simply to detect activity on the path may therefore incorrectly take action if there is noise present.
The usual noise that is present is line noise (i.e. noise that is present irrespective of whether or not a signal is being transmitted) and background noise from a telephone conversation, such as a dog barking, the sound of the television, the noise of a car's engine etc.
Another source of noise in communications systems is echo. For instance, echoes in a public switch telephone network (PSTN) are essentially caused by electrical and/or acoustic coupling e.g. at the four wire to two wire interface of a conventional exchange box; or the acoustic coupling in a telephone handset, from earpiece to microphone. The acoustic echo is time variant during a call due to the variation of the airpath, i.e. the talker altering the position of their head between the microphone and the loudspeaker. Similarly in telephone kiosks, the interior of the kiosk has a limited damping characteristic and is reverberant which results in resonant behaviour. Again this causes the acoustic echo path to vary if the talker moves around the kiosk or indeed with any air movement. Acoustic echo is becoming a more important issue at this time due to the increased use of hands free telephones. The effect of the overall echo or reflection path is to attenuate, delay and filter a signal.
The echo path is dependent on the line, switching route and phone type. This means that the transfer function of the reflection path can vary between calls since any of the line, switching route and the handset may change from call to call as different switch gear will be selected to make the connection.
Various techniques are known to improve the echo control in human-to-human speech communications systems. There are three main techniques. Firstly insertion losses may be added into the talker's transmission path to reduce the level of the outgoing signal. However the insertion losses may cause the received signal to become intolerably low for the listener. Alternatively, echo suppressors operate on the principle of detecting signal levels in the transmitting and receiving path and then comparing the levels to determine how to operate switchable insertion loss pads. A high attenuation is placed in the transmit path when speech is detected on the received path. Echo suppressors are usually used on longer delay connections such as international telephony links where suitable fixed insertion losses would be insufficient.
Echo cancellers are voice operated devices which use adaptive signal processing to reduce or eliminate echoes by estimating an echo path transfer function. An outgoing signal is fed into the device and the resulting output signal subtracted from the received signal. Provided that the model is representative of the real echo path, the echo should theoretically be cancelled. However, echo cancellers suffer from stability problems and are computationally expensive. Echo cancellers are also very sensitive to noise bursts during training.
One example of an automated speech system is the telephone answering machine, which records messages left by a caller. Generally, when a user calls up an automated speech system, a prompt is played to the user which prompt usually requires a reply. Thus an outgoing signal from the speech system is passed along a transmission line to the loudspeaker of a user's telephone. The user then provides a response to the prompt which is passed to the speech system which then takes appropriate action.
It has been proposed that allowing a caller to an automated speech system to interrupt outgoing prompts from the system greatly enhances the usability of the system for those callers who are familiar with the dialogue of the system. This facility is often termed "barge in" or "over-ridable guidance".
If a user speaks during a prompt, the spoken words may be preceded or corrupted by an echo of the outgoing prompt. Essentially isolated clean vocabulary utterances from the user are transformed into embedded vocabulary utterances (in which the vocabulary word is contaminated with additional sounds). In automated speech systems which involve automated speech recognition, because of the limitations of current speech recognition technology, this results in a reduction in recognition performance.
If a user has never used the service provided by the automated speech system, the user will need to hear the prompts provided by the speech generator in their entirety. However, once a user has become familiar with the service and the information that is required at each stage, the user may wish to provide the required response before the prompt has finished. If a speech recogniser or recording means is turned off until the prompt is finished, no attempt will be made to recognise a user's early response. If, on the other hand, the speech recogniser or recording means is turned on all the time, the input would include both the echo of the outgoing prompt and the response provided by the user. Such a signal would be unlikely to be recognisable by a speech recogniser. Voice activity detectors (VADs) have therefore been developed to detect voice activity on the path.
Known voice activity detectors rely on generating an estimate of the noise in an incoming signal and comparing an incoming signal with the estimate which is either fixed or updated during periods of non-speech. An example of such a voice activated system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,760 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,763.
Voice activity detectors are used to detect speech in the incoming signal, and to interrupt the outgoing prompt and turn on the recogniser when such speech is detected. A user will hear a clipped prompt. This is satisfactory if the user has barged in. If however the voice activity detector has incorrectly detected speech, the user will hear a clipped prompt and have no instructions on to how to proceed with the system. This is clearly undesirable.

Voice activity detection using echo return loss to adapt the detection threshold

British Telecommunications public limited company


An exemplary system includes 1) a programming device configured to be located external to a cochlear implant patient and communicatively coupled to a cochlear implant system associated with the patient, 2) a programming interface device communicatively coupled to the programming device and configured to be located external to the patient, and 3) a receiver communicatively coupled directly to the programming interface device. The programming device directs at least one of the cochlear implant system and the receiver to apply stimulation to the patient, records an evoked response that occurs in response to the stimulation, and performs a predetermined action in accordance with the evoked response. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

The effectiveness of a cochlear implant system may be affected by a number of different factors. For example, surgical complications (e.g., a misalignment of an electrode array within the cochlea, destruction of hair cells during implantation of a cochlear implant, etc.) and post-surgery complications (e.g., residual hearing loss, wax buildup in the ear, infections, and component failure) may be detrimental to cochlear implant system performance. Unfortunately, many of these factors are not readily discernible, thereby making it difficult or impossible to account for them (e.g., by adjusting one or more control parameters governing an operation of the cochlear implant system). Hence, a patient may unknowingly suffer from sub-optimal cochlear implant system performance.
Moreover, some patients already fitted with a cochlear implant system may be candidates for an electro-acoustic stimulation ("EAS") system (i.e., a system that provides both electrical and acoustic stimulation). It would be desirable to objectively test whether a patient is a candidate for an EAS system before upgrading the patient's cochlear implant system to an EAS system.

Programming systems for eliciting evoked responses in a cochlear implant patient and performing predetermined actions in accordance with the evoked responses


An improved method for identifying a bus topology, even when the bus contains one or more loops between nodes. The invention allows the tree identification process to be resolved within a known maximum amount of time. The method uses a superset of a globally unique ID as part of the tree identification process. After a bus reset, nodes repeat a highest priority number constructed from the GUID. At the end of a fixed time, all nodes become stable and their ports are sending either their own priority number which is the highest priority number on the bus, repeating such number, or sending a submission marker. The submission marker is a signal condition or a packet of information that indicates that a port is a child with respect to a sending port. A node becomes a root node if it is sending a priority number that matches its own priority number. Nodes with ports that neither send nor receive a submission marker, mark such ports as xe2x80x9cloop branchesxe2x80x9d and disable them from the bus topology.

The present invention generally relates to communication busses, and more particularly relates to a method for breaking loops during a tree identification process of a system bus.
Bus interconnects allow a wide range of devices, for example computers and peripherals, to share a same media. Communication between attached devices which share the same media can be problematic, however, due to known bus protocols which require a node to arbitrate for control of the bus before transmitting data. Some existing bus architectures provide protocols that define an arbitration process for a bus topology which is tree-like. In such a tree-like topology, a hierarchy of nodes must be specified to accommodate the arbitration process.
To achieve a high speed bus, IEEE 1394 Standards utilize a tree-identification (ID) process using an algorithm that quickly locates peripheral devices connected on the bus. The tree-ID process establishes a hierarchy of nodes, including a root node to accommodate arbitration. The root node is the highest node in the hierarchy. To maintain the hierarchy, the tree-ID process occurs whenever a new device is added to the bus or turned on.
A problem exists with tree-like topologies similar to IEEE 1394 Standards since, by definition, they only work when there is no loop of devices on the bus. A loop occurs whenever more than one path connects any two nodes. According to the Standard, a looped topology will hang the bus during the tree-ID process, thus not all of the nodes can proceed with the tree-ID process. When a looped topology exists, no node will become the root node, and in the absence of a root node, no requests for arbitration will be granted. Unfortunately, nodes are often connected in a loop, even if inadvertently.
Accordingly, in response to the problems discussed above, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of determining system bus hierarchy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method that handles looped topologies within a maximum predetermined time period.

Method of loop breaking tree indentification in a system bus hierarcy


An authentication and authorization method and system are provided. The method includes: receiving an authentication request transmitted from a first device; transmitting the authentication request to an authentication and authorization server subsystem; authenticating the authentication request and generating authentication information; generating an authorization request used to request a second device for authorization according to the authentication information; and authenticating the authorization request, generating an authorization information and transmitting the authorization information to the first device through an authentication and authorization client subsystem so that the first device communicates with the second device directly according to the authorization information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an authentication and authorization method and system, and in particular to an authentication and authorization method and system which can used among applications, components and services.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today, networked environments have become more complicated, and a method of building secure network applications has become an essential factor in all areas of network applications. For example, network device management, communications security between devices, and intelligent terminals access to the applications and services of the system via the network by using an authorization process. The network application is typically composed of multiple components, therefore the mutual authentication and secure communications between these separated components have become indispensable requirements.
However, few independent secure components can be flexibly deployed in different network applications and separated components currently to achieve mutual authentication, authorization and secure communications between different system applications, network devices and distributed network service platforms.
Therefore, an authentication and authorization method and system which may achieve mutual authentication, authorization and secure communications between different system applications, network devices and distributed network service platforms would need to be developed.

Authentication and authorization method and system


Power generating apparatus includes a float mounted on a support pivotally mounted to a base and secured to a beam extending rearwardly of the base to a vertically extending elongated structure carrying a pair of vertically movable gear racks in guideways. Each rack is engaged by a gear wheel driven by movement of the racks and a one-way drive arrangement connects each gear wheel to an output shaft. Driving weights are secured to each rack to drive the racks in opposite directions under the action of gravity forces acting on the weights, thus causing the output shaft to rotate in a given direction. The free end of the beam is connected to a cross-arm vertically moveable on a guide on the elongate structure, the cross-arm having a motion transmitting arrangement to raise each weight during vertical movement of the cross-arm resulting from movement of the float.

A number of proposals have been made for the utilization of wave and/or tidal power for generation of electrical power. Such prior proposals generally include generating apparatus which utilize float means moveable by the wave motion on an open body of water. The movement of the float means is then translated into electrical energy by appropriate mechanical apparatus arranged to drive power generating apparatus. The present invention is directed to an improved form of apparatus based on particular improvements to the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,639 for utilizing the potential energy in water movement, and particularly wave motion, to generate electrical power.


In a distributed system, multiple nodes of a cluster update target data using a cross-domain lock. In the distributed system, data is separated into different domains, where some data elements are part of multiple domains. Multiple nodes each store a copy of the target data, which can be part of a single domain, or part of multiple domains. Where at least one element of the target data is part of two different domains, the nodes use cross-domain locks to lock both domains for at least a portion of the data update, and update the data while the lock is active. After updating the data, the nodes can release the cross-domain lock.

Distributed systems may include multiple nodes storing copies of the same data locally at the nodes. In some distributed systems, there is a strong consistency requirement throughout the system, making it important to implement procedures to maintain consistency of data stored by the nodes. Examples of distributed systems having consistency requirements can include data serving systems where multiple caches access the same storage. Each cache can be considered a node in the distributed system.
One approach to consistency requirements in a distributed system is the Two-Phase Commit Protocol (2PC). 2PC is a blocking protocol that operates from two phases: a vote phase, and a commit phase. It will be understood that there are other ways to maintain consistency within the distributed system. Data consistency operations typically lock the data during updates to prevent access to the data. The locking of the data can prevent data becoming inconsistent while the updates occur, but it can negatively affect system performance during the update process.
Descriptions of certain details and embodiments follow, including a description of the figures, which can depict some or all of the embodiments described below, as well as discussing other potential embodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presented herein.

Cross domain locking in a distributed environment


An oxide thin film having a quartz crystal structure formed on a substrate, the oxide thin film being composed of a single layer or a plurality of layers having a thickness of 5 nm to 50 .mu.m per layer, each of the layer comprising silicon dioxide, germanium dioxide, or a mixture thereof.

Quartz crystal is widely used in an oscillator, a surface acoustic wave device for radiofrequency filters, an optical waveguide, a semiconductor substrate, etc. and is a very important material in industry.
Crystal modifications of silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) include quartz (.ltoreq.867.degree. C.), tridymite (867.degree. to 1,470.degree. C.), and cristobalite (1,470.degree. to 1,723.degree. C.). When these crystals are synthesized in practice, they are not always synthesized in an equilibrium state because of involvement of various factors such as impurities and temperature control, so that the above-described relationship between crystal structure and temperature does not always apply.
Quartz is a low-temperature phase (.ltoreq.870.degree. C.) of silicon dioxide crystals. However, since silicon dioxide has a melting point of 1,730.degree. C., which is far higher than the low-temperature phase transition point, 867.degree. C., it is deemed that solidification of molten silicon dioxide results in a glassy state or a crystal structure other than quartz, e.g., cristobalite which is stable around the melting point. Thus, it is considered that growth of quartz cannot be achieved by a simple high temperature treatment, and growth in low temperatures around the transition point be essential.
Aiming at growth of quartz in low temperatures below the transition point, quartz has conventionally been produced by a hydrothermal process in which crystal is produced from an aqueous solution under high temperature and high pressure conditions in a sealed container, particularly by a hydrothermal temperature differential process utilizing difference in temperature-dependent solubility of silicon dioxide in an alkali solution, in which a single crystal of quartz is made to grow on a seed crystal from an alkali solution of silicon dioxide by making a temperature difference under high temperature and high pressure conditions. The process for producing quartz by the hydrothermal temperature differential process is described, e.g., in Ceramics, vol. 15, 170-175 (1980).
However, the conventional hydrothermal temperature differential process requires large-scaled equipment, and cost saving cannot be afforded without using a huge apparatus and producing a large single crystal. Furthermore, the process only produces lumpy large crystals or particulate powder and cannot be applied as such to the formation of quartz single crystals having an arbitrary shape, such as a thin film. Therefore, quartz for actual use as an oscillator, a vibrator, a surface acoustic wave device for radiofrequency filters, etc. has been mass-produced by slicing a large-sized single quartz crystal produced by the hydrothermal temperature differential process.
With the recent heightening of telecommunication frequency, quartz having a further reduced thickness has been demanded for use as an oscillator, a vibrator or a filter. However, the thinness achieved by slicing of a large single crystal is limited, with the smallest thickness so far reached is 50 .mu.m in practice.
Further, in order to meet the above demand, a method for abrading quartz adhered on a semiconductor substrate into a thin film has been proposed as disclosed in JP-A-5-327383 (the term "JP-A" means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"). Nevertheless, thickness reduction by abrasion is limited and incurs extra cost.

Oxide thin film having quartz crystal structure


An EVEN component selecting unit and an ODD component selecting unit acquire a first signal from a DQ signal based on a rising edge of a DQS signal and a second signal from the DQ signal based on a falling edge of the DQS signal. Variable delay adding units give the first signal a first delay based on a phase difference between an internal clock signal and the rising edge of the DQS signal and give the second signal a second delay based on a phase difference between the internal clock signal and the falling edge of the DQS signal. Data capturing units capture, based on the internal clock signal, data from the first signal to which the first delay is given and the second signal to which the second delay is given.

A memory controller as a signal control circuit includes a DDR memory interface circuit represented, for example, by a double data rate three (DDR3). The DDR memory inputs and outputs data on both a positive edge and a negative edge of a clock signal, thus transferring data at a data transfer rate doubling a clock frequency.
In the DDR memory, the memory controller sends an internal clock signal generated therein to a dual inline memory module (DIMM).
In response to a read request from the memory controller, the DIMM generates a data strobe (DQS) signal from the clock signal and sends the DQS signal together with a data (DQ) signal to the memory interface.
The memory interface receives the DQS signal and the DQ signal. Next, based on phase information (edge) included in the received DQS signal, the memory interface determines optimum timing to capture the DQS signal. The memory controller then captures the DQ signal at the determined timing.
A delay that occurs midway in components through which the DQS signal and the DQ signal are sent, including the memory controller, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a memory device, varies depending on a device operating environment, such as temperature and power source voltage. This results timing at which the DQS signal or the DQ signal reaches the memory controller being varied according to changes in the device operating environment. A recent trend toward higher data transfer rates has been increasingly affecting variations in the delay. For this reason, a current practice is to determine optimum data capture timing by following the variations in the signal arriving timing.
Furthermore, a timing margin for reading the DQ signal is shrinking with the recent increasing trend toward higher-rate memory interfaces. Thus, desirably, accuracy in timing to read the DQ signal is improved.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-232366 discloses a technique that, in order to read data at appropriate timing, considers probabilities of occurrence of 0's and 1's and, based on phase shifts in, and rising and falling edges of, the data signal, adjusts a duty cycle.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-228044 discloses another technique that retains different delay amounts for rising and falling edges, respectively, of the signal, thereby assigning a different delay amount for each of the rising and falling edges.
The DQS signal may, however, be subject to duty deterioration in a level converter that converts an internal voltage of the memory controller into an external voltage or along a transmission path. The DDR memory captures the DQ signal on both the rising and falling edges of the DQS signal. If the duty deterioration occurs at this time in the DQS signal, a reduced timing margin in capturing the DQ signal results, so that a data failure may occur due to the DDR memory's failure to capture the DQ signal accurately.
Even with the use of the known technique of adjusting the duty cycle in consideration of the probabilities of occurrence of 0's and 1's, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-232366, accurately capturing the data on the rising or falling edge of the DQS signal is difficult when the duty is deteriorated.
Similarly, even with the use of the known technique of assigning a different delay amount for each of the rising and falling edges to differentiate the delay amount of the rising edge from that of the falling edge, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-228044, accurately capturing the data on the rising or falling edge of the DQS signal is difficult when the duty deterioration changes.

Signal control circuit, information processing apparatus, and signal control method


Automated system for pothole repair including apparatus mounted upon a vehicle for detecting the presence of a pothole and alerting and/or slowing and/or halting the vehicle responsive to such detection. Sensors measure the size of the pothole and/or monitor the filling of the pothole to automatically terminate the filling operation when completed. The sensor outputs are used to determine either level of repair material or volume thereof. The sensors and dispenser (or dispensers) are automatically moved to the desired locations. The filled cavity may be compacted and/or cured. Filler material may be selectively delivered from one or more than one dispensing nozzle.

Potholes and the like are encountered quite frequently in paved surfaces, such as, roads, highways, driveways, parking lots and any paved surfaces which experience wear due to constant vehicular travel, temperature, weather and the like.
The conventional techniques for road surface and pothole repair necessitate a significant amount of manual activity and, in fact, is quite labor intensive. Typically, one or two operators observe the pothole to be refilled and direct the driver of the vehicle to properly position the vehicle and thereafter manually position a dispenser above the pothole, manually initiate flow, and ultimately manually terminate asphalt or resin flow once the pothole is filled. Separate tampers and/or tamping equipment is also typically utilized.
It is thus an objective of the present invention to significantly reduce the labor intensity of pothole repair and to automate the operation to the greatest practical extent.

Automated pothole sensing and filling apparatus


An arrangement for floor grinding with a floor conditioning device. A tool instrument is used in the floor conditioning device by rotating the floor conditioning device. The instrument is an essentially porous washing, polishing, waxing disk for carrying out basic functions of the floor conditioning device. A grinding instrument is removably coupled in connection with the tool instrument. A fastener couples the grinding instrument with the tool instrument by a fastening frame supported on a front surface of the tool instrument and by an auxiliary frame supported on a back surface of the tool instrument.

At present, in the above mentioned context, various floor conditioning devices are being used for conditioning and maintenance of most heterogeneous floor surfaces. Combination machines in this context refer to usually top-driven or pushable conditioning machines with which e.g. washing of the floor with water is possible to be executed in a way that also water can be sucked from the floor with the machine. There may be several rotating disks in this type of a combination machine. On the other hand, e.g. pushable floor conditioning machines that use one rotating disk are also being used.
Furthermore, for more efficient floor grinding e.g. diamond disks that are coupled removably e.g. to the bottom surface of an ordinary washing, polishing or waxing disk used for floor conditioning are known to be exploited in connection with the above mentioned device types. In this way, thanks to the diamond disks attached to the disk, the same also may be used for more efficient floor grinding in addition to basic washing and conditioning procedures. For their part, in use, there are usually structurally two types of diamond disks, ie. metal bond diamond disks and on the other hand plastic bond diamond disks. Furthermore, at present in this context the diamond disks are known to be connected at simplest by e.g. sticker tape attachment to the bottom surface of a porous tool instrument, like e.g. a washing disk, in addition to which today's novelty are diamond disks attached to the washing disk's bottom surface with glue that, however, do not anymore enable the washing disk to be used in its original purpose after removal of a diamond disk glued thereto.
The rotation speed of e.g. so called slow rotation floor conditioning machines varies typically between 150-500 rpm, whereas in so called fast rotation floor conditioning machines the rotation speed may even be above 900 rpm. Therefore coupling the diamond disks only to the bottom surface of the washing disk always imposes a risk, as the diamond disk may dart at a high speed in case the washing disk is worn out, the sticker tape attachment is so to speak pilled or the glueing of the diamond disk fails, therefore imposing a work safety risk in addition to other possible damages caused.


A system and a method for thermally protecting a high output vehicle alternator are provided. The high output vehicle alternator includes a duty cycle control system. The duty cycle control system includes an alternator temperature signal generator and an alternator rotor speed signal generator in communication with an alternator having a speed limit and a temperature limit. The duty cycle control system regulates the field current supplied to the alternator based on the temperature and rotor speed signals.

A fundamental design goal for a vehicle alternator is to provide maximum power output at the lowest possible rotational speed. Additionally, smaller engine compartments in current vehicles require small alternator size combined with high efficiency. The highly efficient alternators generate high output at low speed, but generate more energy than can be consumed when the vehicle alternator operates at a higher rotational speed. In addition to generating electrical power, the alternator also generates heat. As the rotational speed of the alternator increases, the amount of heat increases, creating a potential failure of the alternator due to the elevated temperatures.
In order to dissipate heat, the alternator is provided with a cooling system. Liquid cooling has been used to help decrease excess heat. Liquid cooling dissipates the heat and provides a means of sealing the alternator's components for increased environmental robustness. However, liquid cooling may not be sufficient to dissipate heat at high alternator output levels. A machine designed to provide maximum output demand at low speed may exceed its thermal limit at high speed.
Air cooling systems also exist to help dissipate heat generated by an alternator. Similar to the liquid cooling systems, the air cooling systems cannot sufficiently cool the alternator at high output levels to prevent potential alternator failure due to excess heat generated during high speed alternator operation.
An additional problem exists with the temperature regulation of an alternator. The alternator itself has a large thermal capacity such that a temperature sensor may not adequately indicate increasing alternator temperature at the time the increase is actually occurring. By the time a temperature sensor indicates that the alternator has reached the thermal limit, the response time necessary to effect a decrease in temperature may be greater than the time required for sufficient cooling to prevent damage to the alternator. Temperature measurement alone is not sufficient to maintain the alternator at a thermally safe operating temperature and thereby prevent alternator failure due to excessive heating of the alternator during high speed operation.
Therefore, a need exists for providing a means for protecting a high output vehicle alternator from damage due to excessive heat.

Thermal protection scheme for high output vehicle alternator


The invention relates to a rolling mill stand including an automatic strip steering and control system, comprising at least two rolls arranged alongside each other and permitting strip to pass between them from an entry side to an exit side, and comprising roll actuating means for adjusting the position of the rolls, wherein the system comprises at least one camera means for viewing the strip on the entry side of the mill and measuring the axial alignment thereof to produce a camera measurement signal which is used as an input signal to control the roll actuating means which acts on the roll to adjust the roll gap and/or tilt angle of the roll. First and second camera means are provided for viewing the strip on the exit and entry sides of the mill. A pair of actuating means are provided one arranged on each side of the rolls. The actuating means may be hydraulic roll gap cylinders. The center line deviation of the strip is measured by a CCD camera or a similar device, using signal processing to provide a measurement and image of the width of the strip and an error signal is then passed through a control system which generates a differential roll gap correction.

Steering performance is well known to be critical in rolling mills such as steckel mills. A steckel mill equipped with hydraulic gap control has the potential for automatic steering control through differential cylinder-adjustment. Conventionally, steckel operators steer the mill by watching for deviations of the strip running line from the centre line of the mill, and adjusting the differential roll gap to counteract this. However, this method can lead to over-steering and as a result the strip carries not only a high risk of cobbles, but also other difficulties, leading to long outages in clearing the line afterwards.
The conventional method of automatic steering is to apply a differential roll gap correction according to a measured differential load. The effectiveness of this method depends on the source of error. If there is a difference in temperature (and thus resistance to deformation) across the stock it generally works well, acting to keep elongation equal at the two edges. The bar then remains straight. If the stock has a wedge profile, with one side larger than the other, however, the system will tend to equalise the edge thicknesses but in doing so produces a cambered bar. A steering system based on load difference is thus limited in performance by an inability to discriminate between these two sources of error.
It is an objective of the invention to provide effective control, thus leading to benefits in mill stability and dimensional variability, particularly in eliminating the problems associated with the rolling of wedge shaped product.

Hot flat rolling mill stand and control method and apparatus therefor


A sputtering chamber component including a front surface, a back surface opposite the front surface, and a sputter trap formed on at least a portion of the back surface, and a coating of metallic particles formed on the sputter trap. The coating has a thickness from about 0.025 mm to about 2.54 mm (0.001 inches to about 0.1 inches) and is substantially free of impurities, and the particles of the coating are substantially diffused.

Physical vapor deposition ("PVD") methodologies are used to form a thin film or layer of material over a variety of substrates. PVD methods can be used in, for example, semiconductor fabrication processes to form metallized layers in the fabrication of integrated circuitry structures and devices. In one PVD process, known as sputtering, atoms are ejected from the surface of a sputtering target by bombardment with gas ions such as plasma. Thus, the sputtering target is the source of material which is deposited onto a substrate.
A diagrammatic view of a portion of an exemplary sputter deposition apparatus 8 is shown in FIG. 1. In one configuration, a sputtering target assembly 10 comprises a backing plate 12 having a target 14 bonded thereto. A substrate 18 such as a semiconductive material wafer is within the sputter deposition apparatus 8 and provided to be spaced from the target 14. As shown, the target 14 is disposed above the substrate 18 and is positioned such that a sputtering surface 16 faces the substrate 18.
In operation, sputtered material 22 is displaced from the surface 16 of the target 14 and forms a thin film 20 on the substrate 18. In some embodiments, suitable substrates 18 include wafers used in semiconductor fabrication. For example, the target 14 is bombarded with energy until atoms from the surface 16 are released into the surrounding atmosphere and subsequently deposited on the substrate 18. In some embodiments, plasma sputtering is used to deposit a thin metal film onto—substrates such as wafers for use in electronics.
Problems can occur in the deposition process if particles are formed, as these particles may fall into or onto a deposited film and disrupt desired properties of the thin film. A sputter trap or particle trap can be included on a sputtering target to capture particles formed during a deposition process. Additionally, there remains a risk that captured particles may flake off of the sputtering target and disrupt the thin film. For example, loosely held particles may flake from a sputter trap during cyclic thermal stress. Accordingly, it is desired to develop a sputter or particle trap that can be applied to a sputtering component, such as a sputtering target, which captures and retains particles formed during a deposition process. Capture and retention of such particles reduces the probability that a particle falls onto the deposited film during the deposition process.

Sputter trap having a thin high purity coating layer and method of making the same


Devices and methods for adjusting resource management procedures based on machine device capability information are disclosed. In one aspect, a method for adjusting resource management procedures in a machine device communicating with a node operating in a communication network includes receiving a first message from the machine device, the first message including machine device capability information, processing the received machine device capability information to determine an adjustment to a resource management procedure, and transmitting a second message to the machine device, the second message including the determined resource management procedure adjustment. The first and second messages may be radio resource control (RRC) messages, such as RRC connection request and setup messages.

Machine Type Communications (MTC) are expected to contribute heavily to connectivity and traffic within the mobile broadband industry. The GSM/EDGE system already serves a rapidly expanding market for MTC. Mobile communications operators have expressed interest in accommodating traffic that serves wireless sensors/devices within modern evolved networks such as those based on LTE. As part of this, it would be incumbent on them to handle MTC traffic served by existing cellular networks such as GSM/EDGE and to provide a transition for such traffic from e.g. GPRS/EDGE to future versions of cellular systems, such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution Advance (LTE-A, or LTE-Advanced).
Wireless sensor networks have gained increasing interest from academia and industry. Such networks have, however, predominantly been built around short range communication links, such as those based on Bluetooth, and more recently on the Zigbee standard. It is of particular interest to examine whether existing and future cellular systems can be modified to efficiently accommodate the traffic from these wireless sensor devices. This is a challenging task considering that (1) the latest versions of existing cellular systems, 3GPP systems, such as High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), LTE, or LTE-A, or IEEE systems, such as 802.16 (WiMax), are conceived primarily with the goal of providing service mainly to mobile broadband users and (2) there is a requirement from operators that these wireless devices (sensors) are low cost and have high energy efficiency.
Signaling mechanisms in existing and future 3GPP and IEEE networks have been conceived with the intention of securing a robust connection/session lasting for long periods of time, and involving transmission of large data volumes. In this respect, signaling mechanisms and protocols involving several long messages amounting to hundreds or thousands of kilobytes of data are not considered as particularly significant overhead when compared to the amount of data traffic exchanged within a session.
However, many wireless sensor devices are expected to transmit with very low activity and with long periods of inactivity between transmissions. Also, such devices typically transmit small amounts of information—typically a few hundred octets of data, indicating, e.g. a measurement, or presence. Some wireless sensor devices serve as actuating receivers, where a short message from the network of a few hundred octets of data may need to be processed and acted on. The existing signaling mechanisms for establishing and maintaining a connection are considered as considerably "heavy" for such device types or application categories, and there is a real concern that the volume of signaling traffic can quickly overwhelm the cellular network. In other words, the signaling overhead is no longer negligible for very small transmissions. In addition, keeping a connection up or reestablishing a connection on wake-up may constitute an undue burden on a device with a targeted battery life that spans years.
In the most common scenario, devices are anticipated to transmit in uplink a single packet containing measurements, warnings, or other types of information to the cellular network. Hence, data transmissions occur mainly in the uplink, while the downlink serves mainly for transmitting feedback and link control information to devices.
In this respect, entire radio network interfaces and radio resource management algorithms require new approaches. However, in order to perform these modifications to radio protocol architectures and to radio resource management, there is a need to have information on the network side regarding some characteristics of machine devices related to their capabilities, including, for example, their mobility pattern, energy supply, and traffic pattern.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and device for adjusting radio resource management procedures based on machine device capability information that can result, for example, in a reduction in energy consumption for the machine device.

Methods and devices for adjusting resource management procedures based on machine device capability information


A mass spectrometer system comprises a chamber having an ion emitting unit to emit metal ions in the chamber with a communicating hole; a neutral molecule introduction unit; another gas introduction unit; a controller controlling a temperature of a region where metal ions attach to the neutral molecules; and a mass analyzer for the neutral molecules with the metal ions, wherein plotting an attachment energy of the metal ions attached to the neutral molecules in the chamber along an abscissa and the temperature of the region where the metal ions attach to the neutral molecules along an ordinate, the controller adjusts the temperature of the region so as to fall within a range obtained by excluding a range corresponding to the temperature of the region from 150 to 200° C. from a range surrounded by the temperatures of the region [° C.]=150×attachment energy [eV], 100×attachment energy [eV]−50, and 20° C., and attachment energies [eV]=2.1 and 0.5.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mass spectrometer system and mass spectrometry method and, more particularly, to an ion attachment mass spectrometry technique of analyzing the mass of neutral molecules having metal ions attached to them.
2. Description of the Related Art
IAMS (Ion Attachment Mass Spectrometry) is mass spectrometry which ionizes neutral gas phase molecules (gas) without dissociating (fragmenting) them (molecular ions) and analyzes the mass of the molecular ions. This method is effective for analysis of an organic material which readily causes decomposition (dissociation, fission, or fragmentation) upon ionization.
Non-patent references 1 to 5 describe ion attachment mass spectrometer systems. Non-patent references 6 and 7 describe the influences of temperatures on ion attachment mass spectrometer systems.
FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of the arrangement of an ion attachment mass spectrometer system (to be abbreviated as a mass spectrometer system hereinafter) for a solid/liquid sample. Referring to FIG. 7, an ion generation source 100 and a sample vaporization chamber 140 are arranged in a first cell 180. A mass analyzer 160 is arranged in a second cell 190. A vacuum pump 170 reduces the pressure in the first cell 180 and the second cell 190. Hence, all the ion generation source 100, sample vaporization chamber 140, and mass analyzer 160 exist in a low-pressure atmosphere having a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.
The ion generation source 100 includes an emitter 120 serving as an ion-emitting unit in a chamber 110. The emitter 120 is a sintered body made of an alumina silicade (an eutectic material of aluminum oxide and silicon oxide) containing an oxide, carbonate, or salt of an alkali metal (e.g., Li) etc. When heated to about 600° C. to 800° C. in a low pressure atmosphere, the emitter 120 generates, from its surface, positively charged alkali metal ions (metal ions) such as Li+. A solid/liquid sample 150 is heated in the sample vaporization chamber 140 serving as a neutral molecule introduction means so as to turn into neutral gas phase molecules (gas), that is, vaporized neutral molecules. The neutral gas phase molecules then move to the ion generation source 100 by, for example, diffusion, gas flow, or buoyancy of themselves and enter the chamber 110.
Next, the ion generation source 100 ionizes the neutral gas phase molecules to generate molecular ions. The metal ions attach to the charge localized portions of the neutral gas phase molecules. The molecules with the metal ions attached (ion-attached molecules) form ions having positive charges as a whole.
However, after metal ion attachment to the neutral gas phase molecules, if the ion-attached molecules are left as they are (keep holding the extra energy), the extra energy dissociates the bond between the metal ions and the neutral gas phase molecules. When the metal ions are separated from the neutral gas phase molecules, the ion-attached molecules return to the original neutral gas phase molecules. To prevent this, a gas such as N2 is introduced into the ion generation source 100 at a pressure of about 50 to 100 Pa (at a flow rate of 5 to 10 sccm) to cause the ion-attached molecules to often collide with the gas molecules. At this time, the extra energy held by the ion-attached molecules moves to the other gas molecules, and the ion-attached molecules stabilize. The other gas is called a three-body gas. A three-body gas cylinder 200 serving as a three-body gas introduction means is connected to the ion generation source 100 via a pipe to introduce the gas into the chamber 110.
The effect of the three-body gas will be explained here with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows the potential energy near the ion-attached molecules. Reference numeral 801 indicates a potential near the molecules; and 802, an ion such as Li+ attached to the molecules. Since the potential 801 has a potential well as shown in FIG. 9, the ion 802 oscillates around a lowest point 803 of the potential. However, when a three-body gas such as nitrogen collides with the ion-attached molecules, the oscillation energy moves to the three-body gas so that the molecules can stably continue existing in the ion-attached state. As a result, the molecules are ionized without being fragmented. That is, molecular ions in the original molecular state are formed.
An ion attachment region 210 where the metal ions attach to the neutral gas phase molecules can be limited to a region where the metal ions emitted from the emitter 120, the neutral gas phase molecules corresponding to the sample component, and the three-body gas introduced from the outside exist simultaneously.
Finally, the ion-attached molecules are transported from the ion generation source 100 (communicating hole 110a of the chamber 110) to the mass analyzer 160 upon receiving the force of an electric field. The mass analyzer 160 fractionates and measures the mass of the ions. To generate the electric field, the potential of the entire ion generation source 100 is set to be positive (e.g., 10 V), and the potential of the entire mass analyzer 160 is set to 0 V most commonly, although not illustrated.
The ion attachment mass spectrometry capable of ionizing original molecules without decomposing them is advantageous because it enables highly accurate, quick, and simple measurement, as will be explained below.
In techniques other than the ion attachment mass spectrometry, various kinds of decomposition peaks appear in a mass spectrum. It is therefore necessary to separate components using a gas chromatograph (GC) or a liquid chromatograph (LC) before mass analysis. To normally separate the components of many samples by GC/LC, a complex and cumbersome preprocess is required for each sample. Normally, the component separation takes several ten min, and the preprocess takes several to several tens of hours.
On the other hand, a mass spectrum measured by the ion attachment mass spectrometry has no decomposition peak but only the original molecular peak. In short, a sample containing n kinds of components exhibits n peaks, and the components can be qualitatively and quantitatively measured based on their mass numbers. It is therefore possible to directly measure even a mixed sample containing a plurality of components without component separation. The ion attachment mass spectrometry requires neither preprocess nor component separation necessary in other techniques. Hence, measurement can end in only several minutes, and highly accurate, quick, and simple measurement can be done.
FIG. 8 illustrates the arrangement of another conventional ion attachment mass spectrometer system for a gas sample. The same reference numerals as in FIG. 7 denote the same parts in FIG. 8. Since the sample is gaseous, no sample vaporization chamber 140 exists. The sample is directly introduced from a sample gas cylinder 220 to the ion generation source 100. The remaining structures, operations, and advantages in measurement are the same as in FIG. 7.
Prior-art references are Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 6-11485, 2001-174437, 2001-351567, 2001-351568, 2002-124208, 2002-170518, and 2002-298776.
Non-patent reference 1 is "Hodge (Analytical Chemistry vol. 48, No. 6, p. 825 (1976))". Non-patent reference 2 is "Bombick (Analytical Chemistry vol. 56, No. 3, p. 396 (1984))". Non-patent reference 3 is "Fujii (Analytical Chemistry vol. 61, No. 9, p. 1026 (1989))". Non-patent reference 4 is "Chemical Physics Letters vol. 191, No. 1.2, p. 162 (1992)". Non-patent reference 5 is "Rapid Communication in Mass Spectrometry vol. 14, p. 1066 (2000)". Non-patent reference 6 is "Analytical Chemistry, vol. 53, p. 475 (2004)". Non-patent reference 7 is "Vacuum, vol. 50, p. 234 (2007)".
In the ionization method using the above-described ion attachment method, if the ion generation source is warmed to general 150° C. to 200° C. to reduce the influence of condensation/adsorption at the ion generation source, the ionization efficiency (sensitivity) greatly lowers in some substances on one hand, and the influence of condensation/adsorption remains in other substances on the other hand.

Mass spectrometer system and mass spectrometry method


An optical submount has a circumscribed 4-faced depression on its bottom surface and a 3-faced depression at an edge of its bottom surface. An optical signal is transmitted through a face of the 3-faced depression and internally reflected from a face of the 4-faced depression. A set of additional depressions and intervening areas on the submount bottom surface act as an alignment mark.

The field of the present invention relates to optical submounts for optoelectronic, optical, or photonic components. In particular, submounts are disclosed herein that (i) include refractive and reflective optical surfaces that are faces of 4-faced or 3-faced depressions on the submount bottom surface or (ii) include alignment marks comprising a set of 4-faced depressions and intervening areas.
Optical submounts are employed in a variety of circumstances to indirectly attach to a substrate and to support an optoelectronic, optical, or photonic component. The submount typically is arranged to redirect light propagating substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate to the supported component (or vice versa). The optical submount can serve one or more additional purposes, including but not limited to: mechanical support, positioning or alignment, heat dissipation, or electrical connection. One example is disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,956 entitled "Optical apparatus using vertical light receiving element" issued Jul. 26, 2005 to Yang et al.

Submount for optoelectronic, optical, or photonic components


An improved mechanism for attaching a feeding tube to a feeding delivery system is presented. The feeding delivery system is attached to an elongated connecting member that is pivotally attached to a bolster. After attachment, the elongated connecting member is rotated to engage another tube at the base of the pivot. Before pivoting, the passageway is blocked by the interference of the elongated connecting member. As the elongated connecting member is rotated, the conduit system aligns and becomes a passageway to and from the stomach. The device provides a three part rigid plastic fit that does not wear out over a number of uses. The device prevents splash events, which occur when a feeding adapter is opened or when the adapter or valve is forced open by a cough or gastric pressure build up.

Gastrostomy feeding devices connect the stomach to the exterior of the body through a stoma site. These devices are inserted and left in for the period of time that access to the stomach is needed, and are used as a conduit for feeding, decompression, delivery of medications, and suctioning of fluids. Gastrostomy feeding ports may rise just above the skin level, or they may be an extended tube-like structure with adapters on the exterior end. In either case, an external bolster is used to hold the tube in place to prevent slippage of the external portion of the tube into the stomach.
Bolsters in the prior art not only provide a mechanism to hold the tube to prevent tube slippage, but also in the tubes that rise just slightly above the skin, these bolsters are charged with connecting to the feeding delivery sets, or syringes used to access the gastrostomy. In this case, a part of the bolster must connect the lumen that traverses the stoma into the stomach with the feeding set or syringe. When this connection is opened, reflux of gastric contents is likely.
Prevention of the leakage of gastric contents and the control of gastric pressures in an acidic environment has become a significant design challenge. Materials must be resilient, soft and resealable over time. Unfortunately, many of the gastrostomy feeding port valves or mechanisms for reflux prevention have failed over time, especially after repeated uses.
Valves have been used as a mechanism to block the unwanted flow of gastric contents outward. The prior art includes check valves, such as those available commercially by Novartis under Russo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,732. This product offers a replacement valve which may be screwed into place. The Button, another commercially available device, offers an external rubber flip cap and a tongue valve placed in the stomach end of the communicating lumen. Over time, both the rubber flip cap and the tongue valve become embrittled, and will fail to function.
Copenhaver, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,734, commercially available as the Passport from Wilson-Cook Medical, Inc., discusses an "s" slit valve, which lies under compression in a rigid plastic lumen. Because it is a rubber valve, it is fraught with the same embrittlement issues, especially after being violated multiple times per day over a long period.
Prior art devices are formed of rigid plastic and fit only feeding delivery set tips and use an adapter to fit the bolus syringe tips, or have been soft rubber or plastic and subject to breakage upon repeated usage. There is a need for a long term indwelling gastrostomy feeding port which does not utilize a soft rubber valve system or soft rubber flip caps, but which serves to control flow to and from the stomach. This required device eliminates the need for rubber valves and rubber flip caps.