A gas sensor 1 has a catheter 3 to which a gas sensor body 4 and a signal guide member 5 for guiding a detection signal of the gas sensor body 4 are attached. The other end of the signal guide member 5 is connected to a connector 6. The gas sensor 1 is airtightly received in the reception body in the state where a connection terminal of the connector 6 is exposed to the outside. The reception body 2 is filled with a mixed gas containing a gas to be measured by a predetermined concentration. At the time of calibration, the connection terminal of the connector 6 is connected to a measurement amplifier while the reception body 2 is not opened and calibration is performed, and at the time of measurement, the reception body 2 is opened and the gas sensor 1 is taken out to perform ordinary measurement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas sensor package which receives a gas sensor having a gas sensor body to be arranged at a measurement position, a signal guide member for leading a detection signal of the gas sensor body to another means, and a connector attached to a top end of the signal guide member.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, calibration of a gas sensor of this kind was performed in a condition that a gas sensor body was immersed in a calibration liquid which was received in an ampoule and which was available on the market.
In the case of performing such calibration, however, there was a defect that the work was troublesome and it was necessary to take a gas sensor out of a package at the time of calibration, so that the gas sensor could not be kept clean till the time of actual measurement. There was another defect that if calibration was performed in a condition that a gas sensor body was immersed in a calibration liquid, it took a long time before a detection signal became stabilized.


An engine control device for controlling an air-fuel ratio of an engine, wherein an air-fuel ratio is set at 24 when an output torque of the engine is not more than a first point. It is changed from the value of 24 toward a stoichiometric ratio in accordance with a magnitude of the output torque when the output torque of the engine is in a range of from the first point to a second point and it is set at the stoichiometric ratio (14.7) when the output torque of the engine is more than the second point.

In recent years, there is growing interest in a lean burn engine for improving the fuel consumption of automobiles, and various types of lean burn engines have been proposed, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 6-88562.
A lean burn engine is not necessarily operated in a lean burn state over the entire operating region but is operated at an air-fuel ratio switched between a lean ratio state and a stoichiometric ratio state in accordance with an operational condition.
The lean burn engine described in the above document, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 6-88562, is operated at an air-fuel ratio switched from a lean ratio state to a stoichiometric ratio state when an engine load is more than a load limit in the lean ratio state. The load limit in the lean ratio state is lower than that of the stoichiometric ratio state. The reason for this is as follows:
Since a necessary fuel amount is little changed when an engine load or an engine torque is not changed, a necessary intake air amount is increased linearly with an air-fuel ratio at the same engine torque. Accordingly, the lean ratio state requires an air mount larger than the stoichiometric ratio state does.
On the other hand, the limit of the maximum intake air amount upon full open of a throttle valve is determined on the basis of an engine speed because the engine structure is not changed, so that the operable load limit in the lean ratio state is made smaller than that in the stoichiometric ratio state. The engine is not operated in the lean ratio state when the engine load is more than the load limit in the lean ratio state. As a result, in the related art, when the engine load is more than the load limit in the lean ratio state, the engine is operated in the stoichiometric ratio state switched from the lean ratio state. Such a technique fails to sufficiently take into consideration the enlargement of the lean burn operating region, and to obtain the fuel consumption of an engine expected to be improved due to lean burn operation of the engine.
Namely, in the related art, since the lean burn operation is directly switched to the stoichiometric burn operation when an engine load is more than a load limit in the lean ratio state, the ratio of the stoichiometric burn operation to the lean burn operation becomes large in the case of an engine of an automobile, that is, in the case where a load constant state such as cruising operation and a high load state such as accelerating operation are frequently repeated. As a result, it fails to sufficiently improve the fuel consumption of an engine due to lean burn operation.


Memory bus attached Input/Output (‘I/O’) subsystem management in a computing system, the computing system including an I/O subsystem communicatively coupled to a memory bus, including: detecting, by an I/O subsystem device driver, a hibernation request; setting, by the I/O subsystem device driver, a predetermined memory address to a value indicating that the I/O subsystem is not to service system requests; detecting, by the I/O subsystem device driver, that the I/O subsystem device driver has been restarted; and setting, by the I/O subsystem device driver, the predetermined memory address to a value indicating that the I/O subsystem can resume servicing system requests.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for memory bus attached Input/Output ('I/O') subsystem management in a computing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Modern computing systems include an increasing number of processors, slots for memory modules, and memory channels. Modern computing systems also include a limited number of I/O channels. As such, some modern computing systems may be able to incorporate devices that would previously be coupled to an I/O channel to a memory channel instead. By coupling such devices to a memory channel, modern computing systems may take advantage of the increase in speed of a memory channel relative to an I/O channel.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Memory bus attached input/output (‘I/O’) subsystem management in a computing system

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display is disclosed. In one aspect, the OLED display includes a display substrate including a display area displaying an image and a peripheral area surrounding the display area. The OLED display also includes an encapsulation substrate facing the display substrate and a sealant bonding the display substrate to the encapsulation substrate. The display substrate includes a substrate, a scan driver formed over the substrate in the peripheral area and including a common voltage line applying a common voltage to the display area. The display substrate also includes a pixel defining layer formed above the common voltage line. The sealant is formed over the scan driver and contacts an upper surface of the pixel defining layer.

1. Field
The described technology generally relates to an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays include a display substrate having a display area that can display an image and a peripheral area surrounding the display area which contains driving circuitry. OLED displays also include an encapsulation substrate formed over the display substrate to seal the display area.
The display area of the standard OLED display includes a number of pixels arranged in a matrix and connected to scan and data lines. Each pixel includes an OLED which includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic emission layer interposed therebetween. The standard OLED display also includes scan and data lines extending into the display area, a common voltage line, and scan and data drivers that process signals received from an external source and apply the processed signals to these lines.
A sealant can be used to bond the display substrate to the encapsulation substrate. The sealant is typically formed on the scan driver circuitry in the peripheral area in order to reduce the overall width of the peripheral area. However, when the sealant is cured, heat produced in the curing process can cause defects in the wiring of the scan driver.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only intended to facilitate the understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


The liquid crystal composition includes at least one compound selected from a group of compounds represented by formula (1) as a first component, has a positive dielectric anisotropy, and has a nematic phase, and a liquid crystal display element containing the composition:

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a liquid crystal composition suitable for use in an active matrix (AM) element, and an AM element including the composition. In particular, the invention relates mainly to a composition having a nematic phase and a composition having a positive dielectric anisotropy.
2. Related Art
On a liquid crystal display element, classification based on an operating mode of liquid crystals includes phase change (PC), twisted nematic (TN), super twisted nematic (STN), electrically controlled birefringence (ECB), optically compensated bend (OCB), in-plane switching (IPS), vertical alignment and so forth. Classification based on a driving mode includes a passive matrix (PM) and an active matrix (AM). PM is further classified into static, multiplex and so forth, and AM is classified into a thin film transistor (TFT), a metal insular metal (MIM) and so forth. TFT is further classified into amorphous silicon and polycrystal silicon. The latter is classified into a high temperature type and a low temperature type according to a production process. Classification based on a light source is a reflection type utilizing a natural light, a transmission type utilizing a backlight and a semi-transmission type utilizing both the natural light and the backlight.
These elements include a liquid crystal composition having suitable characteristics. The liquid crystal composition has a nematic phase. General characteristics of the composition should be improved to obtain an AM element having good general characteristics. Table 1 below summarizes a relationship between the two general characteristics. The general characteristics of the composition will be explained further based on a commercially available AM element. A temperature range of a nematic phase relates to the temperature range in which the element can be used. A desirable range at a higher limit temperature of the nematic phase is approximately 70° C. or more and a desirable range at a lower limit temperature is approximately −20° C. or less. The viscosity of the composition relates to the response time of the element. A short response time is desirable for displaying a moving image. Accordingly, a small viscosity of the composition is desirable. A small viscosity at a low temperature is more desirable.
TABLE 1General characteristics of a liquid crystal compositionand an AM elementGeneral characteristicsGeneral characteristicsNoof a compositionof an AM Element1Temperature range of aUsable temperature range is widenematic phase is wide2Viscosity is small1)Response time is short3Optical anisotropy is suitableContrast ratio is large4Threshold voltage is lowElectric power consumptionis small and a contrast ratio is large5Specific resistance is largeVoltage holding ratio islarge and a contrast ratio is largeNote1)A liquid crystal composition can be injected into a cell in a short time.
The optical anisotropy of the composition relates to the contrast ratio of the element. A product (Δn·d) of the optical anisotropy (Δn) of the composition and the cell gap (d) of the element is designed to be approximately 0.45 micrometers to maximize the contrast ratio of the element. Accordingly, the optical anisotropy of the composition is in the range from approximately 0.08 to approximately 0.12. In recent years, Δn·d is designed to be from approximately 0.38 to approximately 0.42 micrometers to decrease the response time of the device. In this case, the optical anisotropy of the composition is in the range from approximately 0.10 to approximately 0.15. A low threshold voltage in the composition contributes to a small electric power consumption and a large contrast ratio of the element. Accordingly, a low threshold voltage is desirable. A large specific resistance of the composition contributes to a large voltage holding ratio and a large contrast ratio of the element. Accordingly, a composition having a large specific resistance not only room temperature but also high temperature in the initial stage is desirable. A composition having a large specific resistance not only room temperature but also high temperature even after it has been used for a long time is desirable.
The conventional compositions are disclosed in the following documents. JP S60-51135 A/1985 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,465, EP 0 132 377A2), JP H01-500860 T/1989 (WO88/02130A2), JP H01-503455 T/1989 (WO87/07890A2), JP H04-279695 A/1992, JP H09-183974 A/1997 (GB 2 300 642 A), JP H10-501019 T/1998 (WO95/33802A1), and WO 2004/035710/2004. JP H01-503455 T/1989 (WO87/07890A2), JP H04-279695 A/1992 and JP H10-501019 T/1998 (WO95/33802A1) relate to a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition (a composition containing a smectic phase). JP H01-500860 T/1989 (WO88/02130A2) and JP H09-183974 A/1997 (GB 2 300 642 A) relate to a liquid crystal composition containing a nematic phase and having a negative dielectric anisotropy. On the other hand, JP S60-51135 A/1985 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,465, EP 0 132 377A2) and WO 2004/035710/2004 relate to a liquid crystal composition containing a nematic phase having a positive dielectric anisotropy.
A desirable AM element has such characteristics as a large usable temperature range, a short response time and a large contrast ratio. The response time is desirably as shorter by 1 msec as possible. Therefore, a composition having such characteristics as a high higher limit temperature of the nematic phase, a low lower limit temperature of the nematic phase, a small viscosity, a suitable optical anisotropy, a low threshold voltage and a large specific resistance is desirable.

Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal display element

Abstract: wherein R11 and R12 are alkyls having different carbon numbers.


Disclosed are devices for dispensing air treatment chemicals. There is a substrate bearing a first volatile air treatment chemical that is capable of being dispensed from the substrate when the substrate is heated, and an indicator unit holding a volatile indicator chemical separate from the first volatile air treatment chemical such that the volatile indicator chemical is capable of being dispensed from the unit when the unit is heated. The extent of dispensing of the first volatile air treatment chemical can be indicated by a visible cue whose appearance results from the dispensing of the volatile indicator chemical. In one form the unit also holds a second air treatment chemical. In another the indicator unit is a replaceable cartridge positionable more remote from the heater than the substrate.

The present invention relates to devices that dispense a volatile air treatment chemical by heating a substrate impregnated with, or coated with, the chemical. More particularly it relates to indicators used with such devices to indicate when the treatment chemical has been used up.
Substrates (particularly porous substrates) have previously been used as carriers for air treatment chemicals such as insect control agents (insecticides, insect repellents, insect growth regulators, insect attractants, synergists, etc.), fragrances and deodorizers. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,111,477; 5,647,052 and 6,663,838. The disclosure of these patents, and of all other patents referred to herein, are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Upon heating the substrate a volatile air treatment chemical is caused to be dispensed from the substrate. The heating source is typically an electrical heater, but may instead be a flame.
A variety of air treating functions can be achieved with such devices. For example, a porous substrate impregnated with volatile insecticide can be used to prevent mosquito biting in a confined bedroom. Alternatively, a deodorizing or desired odor or odor control material can be dispensed to overcome malodors or to provide a desired fragrance.
A disadvantage associated with such devices is that the consumer may not be aware of when the substrate has been exhausted. Unlike systems that have a wick extending into a visible reservoir, substrate-type systems often do not visibly change significantly as the active chemical is dispensed.
While it is possible to include a suggested useful life on the packaging for such products, consumers may not read or remember that information. Further, given the wide range of heater performance to which such substrates may be exposed, providing suggested useful life information may not be accurate. This can lead to use of the substrate after its effective useful life (with resulting consumer dissatisfaction). Alternatively, it can lead to premature disposal of a still useful substrate (and thus unnecessary cost and waste).
Hence, there have been efforts to better inform consumers regarding the extent of use-up of such substrates. Some such efforts use a chemical indicator that undergoes a visual change as the substrate is heated. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,508 (evaporation of an air treatment chemical causes a pH change and thus a color change); U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,917 (evaporation of a solvent leads to a color change); and U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,670 (evaporation of a dye leads to a color change).
However, this typically involved mixing a chemical needed for the indicator to work directly with the air treatment chemical. Care therefore needed to be taken to avoid selecting incompatible chemicals. Also, an indicator chemical could affect the volatization properties of the air treatment chemical. Further, coordinating the visual cue provided by the volatization of the indicator chemical with the rate of use of the air treatment chemical was difficult, particularly because both the indicator and the treatment chemical were being exposed to similar conditions, even though they might have different dispensing properties.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,647,502 (limited duration bulb) and 6,663,838 (consumable candle) there was some discussion of coordinating the disappearance or destruction of a separate mechanical element with the useful life of the air treatment chemical. For example, when a candle that was one such heating device was used up, that also provided an indication that the substrate needed to be replaced. However, the candle system is not applicable to non-flame environments, and the use of limited duration bulbs can be relatively expensive.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,636 there was a further teaching of a separately manufactured visual indicator that could be associated with an air treatment product. However, structures for using this concept were not described in detail in this patent, nor were ways of creating a joint replaceable cartridge using these features, nor were ways of positioning the indicator at a different distance from the heater than the air treatment chemical, nor were ways of providing additional air treatment functionality.
Thus, a need exists for improved air treatment devices with an automatic use-up indicator.

Air treatment devices with use-up indicators


Machine-read bar code data is received from a network access apparatus (64). A priority level is determined based on the bar code data. The priority level is assigned for the network access apparatus (64) to interact with a computer via a computer network (12).

The present invention relates to methods and systems for navigating a computer network.
Two commonly-used techniques for navigating to destinations of a computer network, such as the enternet, include: (a) manually entering a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) into a command line of a Web browser, and (b) clicking on a hyperlink displayed by a Web browser. Manually entering URLs having a long sequence of characters may be undesirable for some end users.
Various recently-proposed techniques for navigating to destinations of the Internet use bar codes to obviate manual entering of URLs. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,930,767, 5,938,726, 5,940,595, 5,969,324, 5,986,651, 5,995,105, 6,032,195 and 6,081,827, which are assigned to Motorola, Inc. and are hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure, disclose various approaches to computer network navigation using bar codes.
Regardless of whether a user manually enters a URL, clicks on a hyperlink or swipes a bar code, interaction with the destination may have a less than desired performance. International Business Machines (IBM) has announced a bandwidth allocation technology which allows information to be prioritized according to different levels of priority. The bandwidth allocation technology runs on a network processor within a computer network element such as a router or a switch.

Method and system for assigning a computer interaction priority based on a machine-readable code


Nitramines are one of the more expensive and often the more plentiful ingredients found in energetic materials, such as solid rocket motor propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. By treating aluminized energetic material with an aqueous nitric acid solution containing not more than 55% by weight aqueous nitric acid at a weight ratio of aqueous nitric acid to energetic material of about 4:1 to about 6:1, most constituents of conventional aluminized energetic materials are digested into solution, with the exception of nitramines, which remain substantially insoluble in the aqueous nitric acid and can be recovered without requiring recrystallization of the nitramines. A mineral acid other than nitric acid, preferably hydrochloric acid, may be added to increase the rate of aluminum digestion. Treatment of the energetic material can be performed without volatile organic solvents, thus obviating ecological, cost, and safety concerns raised by the use of volatile organic solvents.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the recovery of nitramines from aluminized energetic materials. This invention is particularly useful for recovering nitramines from aluminized energetic materials such as solid propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics.
2. State of the Art
Energetic materials have found widespread use, perhaps no more extensively than in military applications, where energetic materials are used to make composite propellants for ballistic missiles and explosive compositions for munitions and ordnances. An example of a propellant commonly found in rocket motors and missiles is Class 1.1 solid propellants. Like most other energetic materials used in military applications, Class 1.1 solid propellants are formed from a composition comprising a combination of one or more of the following: polymeric binders, plasticizers, ballistic additives, chemical stabilizers, curing agents and catalysts, metal powders, and inorganic and/or organic oxidizers.
Demilitarization in the United States and abroad has created a need for an economical, reliable, non-hazardous, and environmentally friendly method for disposing of the stockpile of surplus tactical missiles and explosives existing worldwide. Additionally, a growing number of larger rocket motors, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), are being and will have to be demilitarized due to international treaties, such as the START treaties. The disposal of such energetic materials is the subject of various publications and U.S. patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,822 to Roth and U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,179 to Hunter et al. However, these U.S. patents focus on disposing of explosive materials by "desensitizing" or "destroying" the materials.
The degradation of energetic materials into an unusable state is not the most economical alternative of disposal, since many energetic materials are both expensive and reusable. For example, one class of organic oxidizer that has found wide acceptance in the rocket propulsion, explosive, and pyrotechnic arts comprises nitramines. Common nitramines include, for example, cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (also known as HMX and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraaza-cyclooctane), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (also known as RDX and 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triaza-cyclohexane), TEX (4,10-dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazatetracyclo-[5.5.0.05,903,11]-dodecane), HNIW (also known as CL-20) (2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazatetracyclo[5.5.0.05,903,11]-dodecane), and combinations thereof. Nitramines are commonly among the most expensive and highly energetic ingredients of conventional energetic compositions. Further, nitramines are sometimes present in energetic compositions in relatively high concentrations, such as on the order of up to about 50% by weight of solid rocket motor propellants and up to about 98% by weight of explosives. These factors make the successful and efficient recovery of nitramines in high yields for subsequent re-use highly desirable.
A method for the extraction and recovery of nitramine oxidizers from solid propellants is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,995 to Melvin, which discloses the use of a liquid ammonia extraction agent for extracting the nitramines HMX and RDX from rocket motor solid propellants. The use of liquid ammonia in nitramine recovery techniques introduces several complexities and expenses, especially in a closed system, including high capital expenditures required as outlay to obtain equipment capable of operating at the high-pressures (5 to 40 Kpsi) at which liquid ammonia is handled. The presence of liquid ammonia also creates other problems, such as worker safety issues, since contact between the ammonia and human skin can cause severe chemical burns to the handler. Additionally, liquid ammonia is combustible, and presents a severe inhalation hazard if not handled correctly. Another disadvantage of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,995 process is that subjecting energetic materials, such as Class 1.1 propellants containing nitramine oxidizers, to the pressurized environments described in the '995 patent increases the risk of accidental detonation, as well as the accompanying catastrophic consequences that an accidental detonation or explosion often has on human life and property. Yet another disadvantage of the process of U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,995 is that nitramines are dissolved in liquid ammonia, requiring recrystallization of the nitramines. However, the recrystallized nitramines have different particle sizes than the nitramine particles found in the propellant. Also, if recrystallization is not performed under the right conditions, the polymorph of the nitramine changes during recrystallization.
Another method for recovering ingredients from a pyrotechnic material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,627 to Tompa et al., in which the pyrotechnic containing a cured polymeric binder is decomposed under mild conditions. The method involves heating the pyrotechnic material to a temperature of from about 50° C. to about 160° C. in a liquid medium comprising an active hydrogen-containing compound capable of cleaving the chemical bonds contained in the polymer. Representative liquid media include mineral acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid and perchloric acid, as well as primary amines, secondary amines, ammonia, and water. The process is expedited by modifying the liquid medium via the addition of an organic solvent. Organic solvents reportedly suitable in the process are toluene, xylene, dioxane, and tetrahydrofuran. The organic solvent functions either to swell the organic polymeric binder present in the pyrotechnic material or to dissolve filler material present in the pyrotechnic material. The decomposition technique is carried out at 80° to 120° C. In practice, however, these organic solvents raise a host of ecological and safety concerns, including flammability, VOC emissions, environmentally sound and cost-effective waste disposal, and handling expenses. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,265 to Tompa et al. reports that the use of mineral acids and water in the manner prescribed by the '627 patent produces low yields of about 36%. Indeed, example 5 of the '627 patent reports that under the basic conditions of its process RDX may be destroyed.
Two additional approaches for reclaiming nitramines from propellants having polymeric binders are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,265 to Tompa et al. The first approach utilizes a solution of 2-aminoethanol in a mixture of an aromatic solvent and an alcohol to dissolve the propellant binder. The 2-aminoethanol breaks down or dissolves the polymeric binder. Examples of aromatic solvents suitable for the first approach include benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene, and diethylbenzene. Examples of alcohols suitable for the first approach include ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, and mixtures thereof. The second approach is performed with a solution of a mineral acid other than nitric acid, an organic solvent, and water. For the second approach, examples of suitable mineral acids are hydrochloric, sulfuric and phosphoric acid; examples of organic solvents are acetone, methylethylketone, tetrahydrofuran, and mixtures thereof. The mineral acid and organic solvent combine to break down or dissolve the polymeric binder. After dissolution of the pyrotechnic binder is completed in the 2-aminoethanol or the mineral acid process, the nitramine and metals, if present, are removed by filtration and the nitramine is extracted in acetone. Although relatively high yields are reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,265, the presence of aromatic and organic solvents raise ecological and safety concerns over such issues as flammability, volatile emissions, and waste disposal. Also, the nitramine is recovered with aluminum fuel particulates. Consequently, separation of the aluminum requires dissolving, filtering, and recrystallizing of the nitramine. As mentioned above, recrystallization can cause the polymorph and size of the nitramine particles to change.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,063,960 discloses the recovery of nitroamines and reformulation of by-products. The '960 patent generally focuses on non-aluminized propellants, with the exception of its mention of VTG-5A and WAY, both of which are aluminized propellants. According to the '960 patent, the propellants are treated with 60-70% nitric acid in a preferred ratio of nitric acid solution to feed of 1.0:1.0 l/kg. This feed ratio calculates to a weight ratio of less than 1.5:1. Although these conditions are adequate to recover nitramines from non-aluminized propellants containing conventional binders, in the case of an aluminized propellant a substantial proportion of aluminum would not be dissolved under these conditions. Accordingly, in the event that an aluminized propellant were treated by the '960 process, separation of the aluminum would require additional steps of dissolving, filtering, and recrystallizing of the nitramine.
Thus, it would be a significant improvement in the art to develop a method in which nitramines are recovered from aluminized energetic materials without recrystallizing the nitramines and in which there is no need for the use of either liquid ammonia under increased pressure or hazardous organic solvents that are volatile and/or flammable.

Method for recovery of nitramines from aluminized energetic materials


A system for storing and deploying a number of elements sequentially in connected but spaced-apart relationship is described. Adjacent elements are joined together temporarily by connectors which overlay adjacent elements. The connectors are bound to the elements by a plurality of cables, one of which is wound around each element and the overlying connectors. One end of each cable is connected to the element around which it is wound and the other end is connected to the next preceding element. When tension is applied between the cable of the first element and the last element, for example, by connecting an underwater tug to the cable and connecting a drogue to the last element, the cables unwind one by one releasing the connectors and extending the elements in a straight line, spaced apart by the length of the connecting cables.

Linear arrays for underwater surveillance typically comprise a plurality of elements, a dozen or more, spaced apart by predetermined distances but joined together by flexible cables. Such arrays may be installed in many ways. For example, they may be held in a fixed position beneath the surface by being fastened to two anchors or other stationary objects. They may be suspended by surface or subsurface floats or combinations thereof. They may be towed by a surface vessel. They may be towed or at least held in a straight line, by a subsurface tug or thruster.
The storage, transportation and deployment of linear arrays presents problems. During storage, the assembly should occupy a minimum amount of space which, as a practical matter, means that the cables joining the elements together must be coiled or wound up in some fashion. It should be possible to deploy the array readily for example, by dropping it from a surface vessel or aircraft. Upon entering the water it should descend to the predetermined depth and then extend. Heretofore, considerable difficulty has been experienced in getting the elements to extend from their compact storage configuration to their fully extended operable position. A major difficulty has been that after entering the water, the elements tend to separate from each other in a random fashion with the result that the connecting cables frequently become entangled causing degraded performance unless considerable time and effort is expanded to straighten the array.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide an improved system for storing and deploying a plurality of spaced apart, connected elements.


An aircraft seat assembly configured in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention offers a light weight and comfortable seat cushioning system that also provides energy-absorption and enhanced passenger maneuverability in extreme conditions such as may be experienced in a hard landing situation. The cushioning system includes a crushable, energy-absorbing layer, a main cushioning layer, a smaller ishial insert layer which may be the same as the main cushioning material and a semi-dynamic pneumatic cell which uses a dual action breather valve to vary its inflation with changes in cabin pressure. The seat cushion may be finished with a covering of cloth or upholstery.

Commercial aircraft utilize a variety of passenger seating configurations and designs. Historically, aircraft passenger seats have been manufactured using heavy and bulky materials that satisfy certain structural design requirements and passenger comfort requirements. Such components can contribute a significant amount to the overall weight of an aircraft, particularly when the aircraft includes seats for hundreds of passengers. Weight reduction is becoming increasingly important in modern aircraft design. A reduction in the weight of the aircraft structure may allow the aircraft to carry more fuel, thus extending the flight range. A reduction in the weight of the aircraft structure may also allow the aircraft to carry additional passengers or cargo, thus increasing the potential profitability of the aircraft.
The amount of legroom and personal space in a commercial aircraft influences the overall comfort of the passenger. In practice, the bulky materials and thick padding utilized in conventional aircraft passenger seats consume precious cabin space that could otherwise be used for increased legroom or used for additional rows of seats. Such bulky materials are usually necessary for structural support and thick padding is often necessary to provide sufficient cushioning for the seated passengers.
Since modern commercial aircraft design places extreme importance on the benefits of lightweight components, design constraints are often placed upon other desirable features such as comfort and convenience. This is particularly apparent in aircraft seat design because the aircraft is typically configured with hundreds of such seats and customer comfort is of paramount concern. Conventional economy class seat cushion designs have relied almost completely on foamed rubber cushioning schemes which suffer from a variety of shortcomings, including compromises made between durability and comfort. In the seating scheme of a typical airplane, the thickness and density of the foams used in the cushion and backrest are carefully balanced between passenger comfort and the overall weight of the seat cushion.
Aircraft passenger seat cushion design can be improved in a variety ways depending upon which of several benefits are featured. One such improved design featuring substantial weight reduction in a composite assembly is disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/383,867, filed May 17, 2006 which is incorporated herein by reference.
Further improvements are possible in accordance with the present seat cushion design and these improvements can be readily incorporated in the aforementioned composite seat design, as well as other conventional seat designs. With the subject seat cushion design, even an economy class seat can be enhanced in terms of safety, comfort and weight. The present improved design also offers additional design choices to aircraft purchasers by improving this important aspect of seating design.
These improvements are achieved, in part, by utilizing a crushable, energy-absorbent element not heretofore utilized in a seat cushion assembly. This crushable element serves to improve passenger safety and maneuverability in hard landing scenarios. The energy-absorbent, crushable, enhanced maneuverability component is combined with the seat cushion assembly and serves to reduce the forces that may be transferred from a seat structure to the spine, pelvis and femur of the passenger, thereby enhancing the passenger's ability to rapidly exit the aircraft in some emergency situations.
It will be appreciated that the subject improved cushion design also achieves weight reduction, enhanced comfort and an improved margin of safety through its unique combination of cushioning and crushable elements.
Prior conventional seat design approaches, particularly for economy seating, attempted to improve seating cushions by combining different foam densities and types to specific regions of the cushion. The desire to relieve pressure and discomfort related to long term sitting is achieved by judicious selection of foam materials, but this alone is insufficient to enhance safety and maneuverability in a hard landing situation.
Varying the variety and quantity of foam cushioning materials can yield improvements in comfort, but this will not necessarily furnish a meaningful or substantial weight savings. Furthermore, the reliance on foam as the sole supporting element of a relatively comfortable seat cushion generally means such foam will lack sufficient durability required for long in-service life and will offer little or no safety and maneuverability improvements.
Aircraft cushions heretofore have not had a specific component designed to crush under very specific and tightly controlled load conditions, thereby enhancing safety and maneuverability of passengers by absorbing sudden energy spikes and permanently crushing a portion of the seat cushion under emergency situations. This crushing mechanism minimizes the transfer of large energy spikes to the legs, pelvis and spine of a seated passenger, greatly enhancing the ability for rapid emergency egress.
Thus, the new cushion design maintains and improves current comfort levels and meets all anthropometric seating requirements while reducing the overall weight of the seating system and improving safety.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved passenger seat cushion for aircraft applications. In addition, it is desirable to have a passenger seat cushion design having an improved combination of comfort and safety features. Other desirable features and characteristics of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.


Error-transparent quantum gates may be implemented with one or two logical qubits, each having a plurality of coupled physical qubits. Error-transparent quantum gates implement Hamiltonians that commute with the Hamiltonian for single errors in the logical qubits, and thus can operate successfully even in the presence of single errors. As a result, error-transparent quantum gates may operate with higher fidelity than their error-opaque counterparts. Each of the logical qubits may be, for example, a very small logical qubit (VSLQ) formed from a cluster of transmons or other superconducting qubits.

One of the largest obstacles to building a quantum computer is gate error, where the physical evolution of the state of a qubit or group of qubits during a gate operation does not match the intended unitary transformation. Gate error stems from a combination of control errors and random single qubit errors from interaction with the environment. While great strides have been made in mitigating control errors, intrinsic qubit error remains a serious problem that sets the primary limit for gate fidelity in modern superconducting qubit architectures. Simultaneously, recent developments of small error-corrected logical qubit devices promise significant increases in logical state lifetime, but translating those improvements into increases in gate fidelity is a complex challenge.

Systems and methods for passive quantum error correction

THE ADMINISTRATORS OF THE TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND


A base station apparatus is capable of adjusting antenna gains in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction of the plurality of antennas included in the base station apparatus, by adjusting a phase and an amplitude of a signal addressed and transmitted to a terminal apparatus, stores a codebook which is shared with the terminal apparatus and describes a plurality of linear filters associated with antenna gains in the horizontal direction and antenna gains in the vertical direction, acquires control information indicating at least one out of a plurality of linear filters described in the codebook, of which notification is sent from the terminal apparatus, performs precoding on the signal addressed to the terminal apparatus, based on the control information and the first codebook, and transmits the signal subjected to the precoding.

The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication technology, and in particular, a technology for performing codebook-based closed loop type multiple input multiple output transmission.
In long term evolution (LTE) which has been standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as the 3.9 generation wireless transmission system, a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology performing wireless transmission using a plurality of transmission and reception antennas has been specified in order to significantly improve frequency use efficiency from the third-generation wireless transmission method. It is possible to realize improvement of the transmission speed, without increasing the frequency bandwidth, due to a spatial division multiplexing technology that is one of MIMO technologies. In order to achieve a peak transmission rate of 1 Gbps on downlink (referring to communication from a base station apparatus to a terminal apparatus) transmission in the LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) that is the developed version of LTE, a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) capable of spatially multiplexing eight streams at maximum is considered. the SU-MIMO is MIMO transmission between a base station apparatus having a plurality of transmission antennas and a single terminal apparatus having a plurality of reception antennas.
The MIMO transmission is roughly divided into closed-loop type MIMO transmission in which a transmission apparatus (base station apparatus) requires channel information (CSI) and open-loop type MIMO transmission in which CSI is not required, and it is reported that the achievable frequency use efficiency in the closed-loop type MIMO is greater than in the open-loop type MIMO. However, in the case of a wireless communication system based on frequency division duplex using different carrier frequencies in the uplink and downlink, it is necessary to feed back the CSI from the terminal apparatus in order for the base station apparatus to achieve the CSI, and thus there is a problem of a significant increase in the overhead.
Thus, in LTE, a codebook-based closed-loop type MIMO transmission capable of significantly suppressing the amount of overhead related to the notification of CSI is supported. In the codebook-based closed-loop type MIMO, a codebook describing a plurality of linear filters is previously shared between the base station apparatus and the terminal apparatus, and the terminal apparatus extracts a desired transmission filter from the codebook described above and notifies the base station apparatus of the number (index). The base station apparatus performs precoding on the transmission data, based on the linear filter of which notification is sent, and then performs MIMO transmission. Since the notification of the CSI is sent based on the codebook, it is possible to more significantly suppress the amount of overhead, as compared to a method in which the terminal apparatus directly quantizes the CSI and notifies the base station apparatus of the CSI.
Further, in NPL 1, for the purpose of suppressing an increase in overhead due to an increase in the number of transmission antennas, a codebook of a double codebook structure is suggested. This realizes MIMO transmission of multiple streams while suppressing an increase in the overhead to the minimum by using two codebooks: a first codebook corresponding to an antenna gain in the same polarized wave, and a second codebook corresponding to a phase difference between the polarized waves on the assumption of using polarized transmission and reception antennas.
Meanwhile, a plurality of terminal apparatuses which are simultaneously connected are regarded as a virtual large-scale antenna array, and LTE supports multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) which spatially multiplexes a transmission signal from the base station apparatus to each terminal apparatus. Similar to the SU-MIMO, even in the MU-MIMO, the terminal apparatuses notify the base station apparatus of the desired linear filters from the codebook, and the base station apparatus determines whether to perform the MU-MIMO in which the data addressed to the plurality of terminal apparatuses is spatially multiplexed, based on the linear filters of which notification is sent from the plurality of terminal apparatuses, and transmits the spatially multiplexed data.
However, in the codebook-based MU-MIMO in which the terminal apparatus does not report the CSI itself, an opportunity to perform spatial multiplexing is not significantly improved. Thus, a technology called BPMI feedback in which the terminal apparatus notifies the base station apparatus of Best companion PMI (BPMI) representing the linear filter having the best compatibility with the desired linear filter for spatial multiplexing, in addition to the desired linear filter is discussed in NPL 2. This is a method in which the base station apparatus acquires the desired linear filter and the BPMI of which notification is sent from the plurality of terminal apparatuses, and spatially multiplexes the terminal apparatuses of which the desired linear filters thereof are the BPMIs of the opponent terminal apparatuses, and this enables improvement of the opportunity to perform spatial multiplexing of a codebook-based MU-MIMO.
However, the MIMO transmission considered in LTE is 2D-MIMO considering only an antenna gain in the horizontal direction. Meanwhile, for the purpose of improving the opportunity to perform spatial multiplexing in the MU-MIMO described above, 3D-MIMO also considering an antenna gain in the vertical direction is discussed in NPL 3 and the like. If the space resource in the vertical direction is used, more efficient suppression of inter-user interference is possible, such that the improvement of the opportunity to perform spatial multiplexing of MU-MIMO and the improvement of the frequency use efficiency of SU-MIMO can be expected.

Base station apparatus, terminal apparatus, wireless communication system and integrated circuit

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


Assigning meanings to spoken utterances in a speech recognition system. A plurality of speech rules is generated, each of the of speech rules comprising a language model and an expression associated with the language model. At one interval (e.g. upon the detection of speech in the system), a current language model is generated from each language model in the speech rules for use by a recognizer. When a sequence of words is received from the recognizer, a set of speech rules which match the sequence of words received from the recognizer is determined. Each expression associated with the language model in each of the set of speech rules is evaluated, and actions are performed in the system according to the expressions associated with each language model in the set of speech rules.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to speech recognition systems. More specifically, this invention relates to the generation of language model(s) and the interpretation of speech based upon specified sets of these language model(s).
2. Background of Related Art
To increase the utility of computer systems, many manufacturers have been seeking to achieve the goal of speaker independent speech recognition. This technology would allow the computer system to be able to recognize and respond to words spoken by virtually anyone who uses it. Unfortunately, the performance of processors in personal computer systems and the techniques used to implement the technology have been typically inadequate for handling the complexity of such speech recognition tasks.
One problem is simply the complexity of the algorithms used for speech recognition. Even the fastest personal computers have difficulty performing all of the computation required for speech recognition in real time (the time it takes for a human to speak the utterance being recognized), so that there is a noticeable delay between the time the user has finished speaking and the time the computer generates a response. If that time delay is too large, the usefulness and acceptance of the computer system will be greatly diminished.
Another problem with speech recognition systems is accuracy. In general, as the number of utterances that a speech recognition system is programmed to recognize increases, the computation required to perform that recognition also increases, and the accuracy with which it distinguishes among those utterances decreases.
One problem is due to the large vocabulary required for interpreting spoken commands. These tasks will typically require a search of the entire vocabulary in order to determine the words being spoken. For example, this vocabulary may comprise all the words in a specified language, including any specialized words. Such vocabularies must also include plurals, all conjugations of verbs (regular and irregular), among other items, creating a very large vocabulary to be recognized. This requires a very large database search. It also mandates the use of very high performance search capabilities by using a high performance processor, or the use of a special search techniques. Even assuming all these things, typical prior art search techniques and processors have been inadequate for full "natural language" speech recognition, that is, recognizing speech in a manner in which people normally speak to each other. It is desirable to provide a system which provides some natural language capabilities (e.g., allowing people to speak in a manner in which they might normally speak) but yet avoid the overhead associated with full natural language systems.
Another problem posed by speech recognition systems is the dynamic adding of additional words to the vocabulary that may be recognized depending on data contained within the computer. In other words, prior art speech recognition systems have not provided a means for recognizing additional words which have pronunciations which are unknown to the system.
Another prior art problem posed by speech recognition systems is the transformation of the spoken commands being recognized into data to be used by the system, or actions to be performed. For example, a person may speak a date as a sequence of many words such as "the third Friday of next month", while the computer system requires a specific numeric representation of that date, e.g., the number of seconds since Jan. 1, 1900. In summary, prior art speech recognition systems suffer from many deficiencies that prohibit incorporating such technology into non-dedicated devices such as a personal computer.

Assigning meanings to utterances in a speech recognition system


Information delivery system and methods detects and organizes information into canonical topics, such as who, what, when, where, price, etc., and facilitates a user to persistently subscribe to topics, web users, web resources, event streams, etc. The system facilitates a user to register devices and applications on which to receive information, as it becomes available, related to the subscription(s). The system facilitates users to specify preferences for the topics, web users, web resources, and registrations, which prioritize delivery of information. The system senses information, aggregates the user's registrations, subscriptions, and preferences, and filters information a topic-interest basis. The system notifies a user based on the preferences.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of information processing. More specifically, the present invention relates to the worldwide delivery of information of any type to anyone at any place and time.
2. Background Information
Nowadays there is a great demand for information, especially considering that more people recognize how empowering information can be. Sometimes the information we seek is for work; many times it is for entertainment. Take the case of Miguel, an avid fan of the musical group R.E.M. Miguel wants to know any and everything about REM. He wants to know biographical information on the band members, concert dates, trivia, new music release dates, etc.
To find information, Miguel can surf the net in hopes of stumbling across information about R.E.M. He will likely find information related to the musical group R.E.M., such as official R.E.M. websites, unofficial R.E.M. websites, newsgroups for R.E.M. discussions, etc. Miguel will also find several websites on resource and environmental management, R.E. Mahler graphic arts, etc.
The problem is that this process of accessing information from the web can be time consuming and frustrating. For example, Miguel can sift through all this information and eliminate the websites on resource and environmental management and R.E. Mahler graphic arts. After a while, however, all Miguel wants is new information on the musical group R.E.M. There is no easy way for Miguel to know when there is new information about R.E.M, however. To get any new information, Miguel has to go to the same web pages, which don't really change very often and sift through them looking for the new information. He can surf for new websites, but will likely pull up websites on resource and environmental management and R.E. Mahler graphic arts again. The process of accessing information from the web can be even more troublesome when trying to access obscure information. What should be an empowering experience suddenly becomes quite disconcerting.
Timely delivery of information is also crucial, especially when trying to fit entertainment into our busy schedules. Suppose that R.E.M. has announced that they are playing a concert in Miguel's hometown this summer. Anyone who knows anything about R.E.M. knows that the concerts sell out very quickly, sometimes in a matter of hours. Miguel needs to know as soon as the concert is announced to make sure he gets tickets.
If he has subscribed to an official R.E.M. website he should get an email sent to his mailbox. However, any email sent is only as timely as Miguel is in checking it. If Miguel is not online, he misses the email. If Miguel is not checking this particular mailbox, he misses the email. Even if Miguel is checking his mailbox regularly, sometimes email delays can be several days such that by the time Miguel gets the email, the concert is sold out. Because Miguel did not have a more timely way to get his information, the concert event of a lifetime turns into a huge disappointment.
The advent of cell phones, computers, pagers, and other personal communication devices allows us to conduct our affairs in a more decentralized fashion. Miguel could be at home for the evening, in Hong Kong for a few days, or at a football game on Sunday afternoon. He still wants this information delivered to him regardless of where he is. What is needed therefore is delivery of any type of information to anyone at any time and at any place.

Delivery of any type of information to anyone anytime anywhere


A method for coordinating transmissions between different communications apparatuses in a communications system. The method obtains a sub-frame indicator carried in a first control signal transmitted in a control region of a first sub-frame received from an evolved node B (eNB), wherein the sub-frame indicator indicates resource allocation of one or more sub-frame following the first sub-frame. The method then determines whether a second sub-frame following the first sub-frame and received from the eNB is an almost blank sub-frame according to the sub-frame indicator. When the second sub-frame is not the almost blank sub-frame, obtaining information regarding a start position of a data region of the second sub-frame from a second control signal transmitted in a control region of the second sub-frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wireless network communications, and more particularly to uplink/downlink transmission coordination between different cells to avoid inter-cell interference in wireless communications systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to mobile communication technology advancements in recent years, various communications services, such as voice call services, data transfer services, and video call services, etc., may be provided to users regardless of their locations. Most mobile communications systems are multiple access systems in which access and wireless network resources are allocated to multiple users. The multiple access technologies employed by the mobile communications systems include the 1x Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (1x CDMA 2000) technology, the 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (1x EVDO) technology, the Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology, and the Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology. Evolved from the LTE, the LTE Advanced is a major enhancement of the LTE standard. The LTE Advanced should be compatible with LTE equipment, and should share frequency bands with the LTE communications system. One of the important LTE Advanced benefits is its ability to take advantage of advanced topology networks, wherein optimized heterogeneous networks have a mix of macros with low power nodes such as picocells, femtocells and new relay nodes.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary heterogeneous network (HetNet) deployment. Within the coverage area 100 of a macro evolved node B (eNB) 101, several low power nodes having smaller coverage areas are deployed so as to improve the overall system capacity. As shown in the figure, a pico eNB (also called a picocell) 102, a femto eNB (also called a femtocell) 103 and a relay eNB 104 are deployed with the coverage area 100 of the macro eNB 101. However, such HetNet deployment may cause undesired inter-cell interference. For example, suppose that the user equipment (UE) 202 camps on the pico eNB 102 as a serving cell. When the UE 202 moves to the cell edge of pico eNB 102, the signal transmitted by the macro eNB 101 adjacent to the UE 202 may become a strong interference to the UE 202 since the power of the signal transmitted by the pico eNB 102 may be weak when the signal reaching the UE 202. For another example, when a UE 201 not belong to the closed subscriber group (CSG) of the femto eNB 103 moves to the coverage area thereof, the signal transmitted by the femto eNB 103 may also become a strong interference to the UE 201. For yet another example, the signal transmitted by the macro eNB 101 may also be an interference to the UE 203 when the relay eNB 104 is transmitting signal or data to the UE 203 at the same time.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, methods and apparatus for uplink/downlink transmission coordination between different cells to avoid inter-cell interference in wireless Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communications systems are provided.

Method for coordinating transmissions between different communications apparatuses and communication sapparatuses utilizing the same


Necked nonwoven webs having improved cross-directional uniformity are made by a process which includes the step (prior to neck stretching) of corrugating the nonwoven web to reduce its width from an initial width A to a reduced corrugated width B. The cross-directional uniformity is optimized as the corrugated width B approaches the ultimate width C of the necked nonwoven web.

This invention is related to a process for making necked nonwoven webs and laminates having more uniform basis weights and stretching properties in the cross direction.
Necked nonwoven webs, including necked spunbond webs, meltblown webs, combinations and the like, are often made using a process which is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. A nonwoven, web 12 having a starting width A is passed in its machine direction between a first nip 16, which can be a first pair of nip rollers traveling at a first surface velocity, and a second nip 26, which can be a second pair of nip rollers traveling at a second surface velocity which is faster than the first surface velocity. The surface velocity difference between the first and second nips results in formation of a narrower ("necked") nonwoven web 22 having a necked width C which is less than the starting width A.
The necked nonwoven web 22 generally includes fibers which are closer together and more aligned in the machine direction than the fibers of the starting nonwoven web 12, which can be more randomly aligned. The necking may be performed with the aid of heat applied below the melting temperature of the fibers, for instance, by placing an oven or other heat source between the first and second nips. The necked nonwoven web 22 may also be heat set, either during or after the necking process, so that the necked web becomes somewhat stable. A nonwoven web which is stable in the necked condition is said to be "reversibly necked". A reversibly necked nonwoven web can be easily extended in the cross direction by applying a small extension force, and tends to return to its narrower, necked configuration when the extension force is released.
The starting nonwoven web 12 includes edge regions 13 and 15, and a central region 11. The necked nonwoven web 22 includes edge regions 23 and 25, and a central region 21. Because the necking causes the nonwoven fibers to become closer together and more aligned, without noticeably stretching or narrowing the individual fibers, the necked nonwoven web 22 generally has a higher basis weight than the starting nonwoven web 12.
As can be easily seen from FIG. 1, the nonwoven fibers in the edge regions 13 and 15 of the starting nonwoven web travel a greater distance between the first nip 16 and the second nip 26 of the necking process, than the fibers in the central region 11. This results in more extension of the web at the edges and increased fiber gathering and necking in the edge regions.
A second and independent cause of greater necking at the web edges results from the curvature of the web edges under tension. From biaxial stress analysis as shown in FIG. 2C, it can be shown that the web tension in the curved edge regions 13 and 15 creates a cross-directional stress field which is greater at the center region than at the edges. This cross-directional stress field counteracts the compressive forces which cause necking of the web, counteracting more forces at the center region 11 and less forces at the edge regions 13 and 15.
Consequently, the fibers in the edge regions 23 and 25 of the necked nonwoven web are generally more aligned and closer together than the fibers in the central region 21. As a result, the necked nonwoven web may be nonuniform in the cross direction, having a higher basis weight in both edge regions than in the central region, and having greater cross-directional extendibility in both edge regions than the central region.
Various techniques for producing necked nonwoven webs having improved cross-directional uniformity are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,803,009 and 6,900,147, both issued to Morman et al. The disclosed techniques involve modifications to the necking process and/or material being necked. There is a need or desire for a necking process which achieves cross-directional uniformity in a self-regulating and self-controlling fashion without requiring modification of existing necking equipment or compositional modifications to the material being necked.

Process for making necked nonwoven webs having improved cross-directional uniformity


Method and apparatus for providing dual anti-theft locks protecting an elongate object stored on a load bar of a load carrier. A bracket is attached to a retainer using connecting fasteners secured by connecting knobs to firmly attach the apparatus to the load bar when the load bar lies between the bracket and the retainer. A lever extending from the retainer controls a first locking mechanism having a gripper cable for wrapping the elongate object tightly against the retainer. The lever also controls a second locking mechanism coupling the lever to at least one latch that prevents rotation of one or more connecting knobs to prevent removal of the apparatus from the load bar. A lock limits movement of the lever to prevent or allow release of the elongate object from the retainer and the apparatus from the load bar.

Recreational activities involving a variety of water sports typically require participants to transport required equipment therefore. Depending on the size or quantity of the articles or pieces of sports equipment to be transported, it may be necessary to use a carrier arrangement as large as a boat trailer, for example, or as small as a clamping device that may be attached to a load carrier, such as a sports equipment rack for an automobile or similar small vehicle.
Vehicle mounted sports equipment racks are known devices for carrying equipment. Suitable vehicle mounting points for sports equipment racks typically include the rear of a vehicle or the roof of a vehicle. Rear mounted racks and roof racks may be used to transport bicycles, snow skis, snowboards, surfboards, small water craft such as canoes and kayaks and associated accessories including oars, paddles and the like, and such equipment is typically secured to the sport equipment rack by means of clamping assemblies.
For sports such as canoeing or kayaking, there may also be a need to transport a selection or variety of paddles, depending upon the intended use of the watercraft, e.g., for negotiating a relatively calm stretch of water, such as a lake, or surviving the challenges of white water rapids. The need to carry an array of paddles can increase the number of clamping accessories that may be needed. Rack structures that support canoes, kayaks and related components are available from an array of sources and available devices typically have clamping assemblies for securing one or more elongate objects to the load bars of the roof rack. While such clamping assemblies are generally sufficient for transporting paddles, oars and the like, these known assemblies generally do not prevent theft of such equipment. Because improvements in design and selection of materials used for canoe and kayak paddles have caused these types sporting accessories to become increasingly expensive and prone to theft, it is desirable to provide a sports equipment rack that securely retains these types of objects while, at the same time, deterring theft.
While locking shackles are currently available to prevent of minimize theft of elongate objects such as canoe and kayak oars and paddles, masts, fishing rods and the like, many of the known locking shackles do not prevent theft; it is still possible to remove both the shackle together with the equipment from a load bar.
Another problem with known clamping devices and shackles is that they typically comprise hard surfaces that have a tendency to damage equipment during transport, e.g., as may occur as the result of vibration; such damage can include marring or scratching of equipment surfaces, which can compromise the integrity of equipment or performance. Because paddles oars and the like can be expensive, it also is desirable to prevent such damage.
In view of the above-described deficiencies associated with the known clamping devices and securing assemblies, there is a longfelt need to provide an apparatus for a vehicle load carrier that engages an elongate object to secure it to a vehicle load carrier while simultaneously deterring theft of the object and apparatus and preventing and/or minimizing damage to the equipment during transport.

Securement arrangement for elongate articles


Aspects of the invention overcome a monolithic approach to conventional low-frequency LPTs by using a high-frequency solid-state alternating current ac/ac modular power-conversion approach. Embodiments of the invention enable the ability to incorporate new technologies without in all cases redoing a LPT design from scratch. Furthermore, given that LPTs are for the long term, aspects of the invention ensure that they are durable, efficient, and fault tolerant with overloading capability.

In general, a large-power-transformer (LPT) system is a conventional approach and is illustrated in FIG. 1 as a prior art, such as evidenced by a June 2020 publication of "Large power transformers and the U.S. Electric Grid" by the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability of U.S. Department of Energy ("June 2012 Publication"). As illustrated in FIG. 1, individual parts are not interchangeable with each other and their high costs (at reduced unit volume) prohibit extensive spare inventories of parts. For example, bushings, oil conservators, radiators and fans, windings and cores and tanks are discrete parts. As such, on average, only a limited amount of PTs are manufactured for individual designs. This is because if a change or modification is needed, the conventional LPT could not be modified easily and modification may need to wait for a while before the update, modification or replacement is installed. This prior approach poses a further challenge since given that the several existing LPTs are reaching their end of service lives. For example, the average age of installed LPTs in the United States is well over few decades, with multiple LPTs estimated to be 25 years or older. In addition, the loss of plurality of such LPTs, that form the backbone of U.S. power grid, will clearly run into the problem of energy security related to the non-availability of sufficient spares exacerbated further by the fact that these spares are not interchangeable for installations at different locations. Also, typical voltage ratings of conventional LPT may be illustrated in the following table:
TABLE 1Typical voltage ratings of conventional LPT.Low SideHigh34523016113811569354SidekVkVkVkVkVkVkVkV7659111437115kV5003107164369433153kV345—182726918513610336kV230——8722662842256528kV161———4416233614158kV138————365112935476kV115—————390213337kV
Furthermore, procurement and manufacturing of LPTs is a complex process that requires prequalification of manufacturers, a competitive bidding process, the purchase of raw materials, and special modes of transportation due to its size and weight. The result is the possibility of extended lead times that may stretch beyond 20 months if the manufacturer has difficulty obtaining certain key parts or materials. Key industry sources—including the Energy Sector Specific Plan, the National Infrastructure Advisory Council's "Framework for Establishing Critical Infrastructure Resilience Goals and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's Critical Infrastructure Strategic Roadmap have identified the limited availability of spare LPTs as a potential issue for critical infrastructure resilience in the United States, and both the public and private sectors have been undertaking a variety of efforts to address this concern. See also June 2012 Publication.
Due to the significant capital expenditure, long lead time, and unique specifications associated with the procurement and manufacturing of a replacement LPT, there is an opportunity to research more flexible and adaptable LPT designs. Although the costs and pricing vary by manufacturer and by size, a LPT may cost millions of dollars and weigh around hundreds of tons. FIG. 2 illustrates a table showing a typical overview of the cost and weights of major parts of the LPT, which is supported by the June 2012 Publication.
Two raw materials—copper and electrical steel—often account for over half the total cost of an LPT, see also June 2012 Publication. For example, manufacturers have estimated that the cost of raw materials accounted for 57 to 67 percent of the total cost of LPTs sold in the United States between 2008 and 2010. Of the total material cost, about 18 to 27 percent was for copper and 22 to 24 percent was for electrical steel. The average prices of both copper and steel have increased significantly over the years, as shown in FIG. 3, which have clear implications for conventional LPTs and supported by the June 2012 Publication. Electrical steel is used for the core of a power transformer and is critical to the efficiency and performance of the equipment. In addition, copper is used for the windings. In recent years, the price volatility of these two commodities in the global market has affected the manufacturing conditions and procurement strategy for LPTs.
Transportation is also an important element of the total LPT cost, because an LPT may weigh hundreds of tons and often requires long-distance transport. Transporting an LPT is a massive challenge with transporting conventional bulky and heavy low frequency (LF) (60-Hz as well as 50 Hz) LPTs. These items have large dimensions and heavy weight pose unique requirements to ensure safe and efficient transportation. Current road, rail, and port conditions are such that transportation is taking more time and becoming more expensive.
Therefore, an improved approach is required as conventional low-frequency LPTs typically follow a monolithic approach to design due to historical reasons that need to transition to more modular and flexible (e.g., in voltage, current, power flow) designs with ability to seamlessly/near-seamlessly scale. Given that the cost of raw materials has continued to increase, existing LPTs are high in transportability and transportation cost.


An amplification circuit is composed of a differential operational amplifier internally containing a current source circuit and having an inverted input connected to an output thereof through a parallel circuit composed of a first switch and a first capacitor. The inverted input is connected to one end of a second capacitor having the other end connected to a signal input terminal through a second switch. A non-inverted input of the differential operational amplifier is connected to a first reference voltage, and the other end of second capacitor is connected through a third switch to a second reference voltage. There is provided a current source generation circuit having a pair of input terminals connected to the non-inverted input and the inverted input of the differential operational amplifier, respectively, and an output connected to supply the internal current source circuit with a voltage value corresponding to a voltage difference between the non-inverted input and the inverted input of the differential operational amplifier, Thus, a slew rate controllable amplification circuit can be realized in which when a large slew rate is required, the current value of the internal current source circuit of the differential operational amplifier can be temporarily increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amplification circuit composed of a differential operational amplifier, and more specifically to an amplification circuit having a controllable slew rate which can be changed in accordance with a given necessary condition.
2. Description of Related Art
In the prior art, this type of amplification circuit comprises, as shown in FIG. 1, a differential operational amplifier 1 internally containing a current source circuit 10, switches SW71 to SW73, and capacitors C71 and C72, as basic amplification circuits. A slew rate of this amplification circuit is determined by a current value generated in the internal current source circuit 10 on the basis of a fixed output value of a constant current source circuit 70 connected to the internal current source circuit 10. In addition, the shown amplification circuit comprises a signal input terminal TIS7 for receiving an input signal, a reference voltage input terminal TIV7 for receiving a reference voltage, and a signal output terminal TOS7 for outputting an output signal.
As shown in the drawing, an inverted input and an output of the differential operational amplifier 1 are interconnected through a parallel circuit composed of the switch SW1 and the capacitor C71. The inverted input of the differential operational amplifier 1 is connected to one end of the capacitor C72 having the other end connected to the signal input terminal TIS7 through the switch SW72 in series to the capacitor C72. A non-inverted input of the differential operational amplifier 1 is connected to the reference voltage input terminal TIV7, and the output of the differential operational amplifier 1 is connected to the output terminal TOS7. The switch SW73 is connected between the non-inverted input or the differential operational amplifier 1 and the other end of die capacitor C72. Thus, the basic amplification circuit is constructed.
Furthermore, as shown in the drawing, the internal current source circuit 10 internally contained in the differential operational amplifier 1 is connected to a output of the constant current source circuit 70, so that the value of a current flowing through the internal current source circuit 10 remains constant. In this construction, a slew rate of the differential operational amplifier 1 changes in accordance with the value of the current flowing through the internal current source circuit 10. The larger the value of the current is, the larger the slew rate is. Therefore, in order to obtain a large slew rate, the constant current source circuit 70 outputting a large current value is used.
Now, an operation of the amplification circuit shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
When the switches SW71 and SW72 are in a closed condition and the switch SW73 is an open condition, the capacitor C71 is reset, and the capacitor C72 is charged with electric charges of the amount corresponding to an input voltage applied to the signal input terminal TIS7.
In a next period, the switches SW71 and SW72 are brought into an open condition and the switch SW73 is brought into a closed condition, so that the electric charge stored in the capacitor C72 is re-distributed between the capacitor C71 and the capacitor C72, and on the signal output terminal TOS7 there appears an output voltage in accordance with the value of the voltage applied to the signal input terminal TIS7 and the ratio in capacitance between the capacitor C71 and the capacitor C72.
In the prior art amplification circuit mentioned above, since the internal current source circuit internally contained in the differential operational amplifier is connected to the output of the constant current source circuit, and therefore, since the slew rate of the differential operational amplifier changes in accordance with the value of the current flowing through the internal current source circuit, a constant current source circuit capable of giving a large current is always required in order to temporarily obtain a large slew rate. Namely, in order to maintain the large slew rate, a consumed electric power of the circuit inevitably increases.

Slew rate controllable amplification circuit


A development apparatus has: a housing in which a developer supplying/collecting unit and a developer stirring unit are arranged with a circular passage for carrying developer; a developer carrying member placed at a front side of the developer supplying/collecting unit; a developer supplying/collecting section for carrying the developer; and two developer stirring sections arranged in the front-and-rear direction so as to face, wherein, a toner supplying opening is formed above a position where the two developer stirring sections face and at an upstream side in a developer carrying direction, the two developer stirring sections are rotated at the facing position to move peripheries in a forward direction, the developer carrying direction by the two developer stirring sections is substantially opposite to one by the developer supplying/collecting section, and developer carrying capability of the two developer stirring sections is set to be made equal to that of the developer supplying/collecting section.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates to a development apparatus and an image formation apparatus comprising such development apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In a type of image formation apparatus using an electrographic system, for example, a development method in which, with the use of two-component developer composed of toner and carrier, the friction-charged toner is carried to a development area by an appropriate stirring means, and the toner is absorbed on an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrying member for forming a toner image, is used. In such development method with the use of two-component developer, in order to maintain even toner density in the developer, new toner is replenished according to toner consumption amount.
In such image formation apparatus, it is required to obtain more high-quality images. In response to the request, for example, toner having small particle diameter has been used. Further, in connection with the toner having smaller particle diameter, particle diameter of the carrier is also requested to become smaller.
Accordingly, while it is possible to form high-quality images with the use of toner having small particle diameter and carrier having small particle diameter, it is difficult to sufficiently stir developer due to the decrease of flowability of the developer itself. As a result, the newly replenished toner is supplied to the development area without reaching to a state of having predetermined electrostatic charging amount, and thereby there is a problem such as toner fog and toner blurring easily happening.
And such problem frequently happens when an image with high dot area percent is continuously output such as a case of forming a color image.
On the other hand, these days, in conjunction with the increase of social consciousness regarding environmental safeguard, for example, resource saving, such as toner recycling or the like, has been attempted.
However, since toner collected after once having been used for development has inferior electrostatic charging characteristic to unused toner, there is a problem of toner fog and toner blurring due to insufficient toner electrostatic charging amount.
According to such problem, conventionally, a number of arts improving stirring efficiency of developer have been proposed. For example, structuring to have a stirring means having high developer carrying capability with a member serving as an auxiliary stirring member has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Application Publications (Unexamined) Nos. Tokukai-Hei 7-13420, Tokukai-Hei 9-166918 and Tokukai-Hei 9-288412).
However, in any of the above-mentioned arts, while stirring efficiency of developer is improved, circulation carrying speed of developer in the development apparatus decreases. As a result, toner density of developer supplied to the developer carrying member with respect to a rotation axis direction of the developer carrying member becomes uneven, and, in particular, when an image having high dot area percent is to be output continuously, it is easy that image density unevenness significantly happens, and thereby there is a problem that it is difficult to securely form a high-quality image.
As mentioned, if one tries to prevent the occurrence of toner fog and toner blurring by improving stirring capability of developer so as to make replenished new toner have sufficient electrostatic charging amount, there is a problem that it becomes easy that image density unevenness happens due to the decrease of carrying capability of developer. Consequently, the actuality is, it is difficult to solve two problems at the same time, the two problems that the occurrence of toner fog and toner blurring, and the occurrence of image density unevenness.

Development apparatus and image formation apparatus

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


It is provided a control device of a hybrid vehicle having a damper device disposed in a power transmission path between an engine and an electric motor, the damper device having different torsion characteristics between torsion in positive direction in which drive power is transmitted from the engine toward the electric motor and torsion in negative direction in which drive power is transmitted from the electric motor toward the engine, the control device being configured to increase rotation of the engine with the electric motor to start the engine, the torsion characteristic in the negative direction of the damper device including a plurality of torsion characteristics having torsional rigidity varying depending on an angle of the torsion, and at start of the engine, the plurality of torsion characteristics being selectively used depending on an engine rotation speed to increase the engine rotation speed.

A hybrid vehicle is well known that has a structure with a damper device interposed in a power transmission path between an engine and an electric motor. A damper for hybrid driving device described in Patent Document 1 is an example thereof. Such a damper device generally has a damper characteristic set such that a resonance rotation range is equal to or less than an engine rotation range during driving of a vehicle so as to suppress torsional resonance in the engine rotation range during driving of the vehicle as described in Patent Document 2, for example. Patent Document 3 describes that a torsional characteristic of a damper device is changed in stages to reduce variation of torsional rigidity from a low torque range to a high torque range.


In a fabricating method for an end face light emitting type LED array, p-type regions are formed by diffusing impurities into portions of a semiconductor substrate, using a diffusion prevention film as a mask. Subsequently, using the diffusion prevention film as a mask again, the semiconductor substrate is etched to form a concave portion therein so that light-emission end faces are formed on a side of the concave portion. With this arrangement, a positional misalignment between the p-type regions and the light-emission end faces is prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating an end face light emitting type LED (light-emitting diode), one type of LED's to be used, for example, in an electrophotographic printer as a light source and in others, and further relates to a light-emitting diode array device including an array of the end face light emitting type LED's.
2. Description of the Prior Art
LED's have been widely used in the form of LED arrays each including a plurality of the LED's. One type of these LED arrays is called an end face light emitting type LED array. Structures and fabricating methods of the end face light emitting type LED arrays are disclosed, for example, in Japanese First (unexamined) Patent Publications Nos. 2-125765 and 5-31955.
The former publication discloses a method, wherein a semiconductor wafer in the laminated form of an n-side electrode, an n-type GaAs buffer layer, an n-type AlGaAs layer, a p-type AlGaAs region and a p-side electrode is diced into a plurality of end face light emitting type LED arrays. In the end face light emitting type LED array of this type, by applying the forward voltage across an pn junction between the p-type AlGaAs region and the n-type AlGaAs layer to allow the current to flow therethrough, the electric energy can be directly converted into light.
The latter publication discloses a method, wherein light-emission end faces are formed on a semiconductor wafer having a double hetero structure by means of the dry etching using chlorine gas.
However, in the conventional end face light emitting type LED array fabricating methods, there have been the following problems:
In each of the former and latter fabricating methods, when forming the light-emission end faces after the formation of the p-type regions working as light-emission layers, the light-emission end faces are formed in a manner which has no close relationship with the formation of the p-type regions. Specifically, the light-emission end faces are formed by dicing the semiconductor wafer into the LED arrays using a dicing machine with a high-speed rotating diamond blade, or the light-emission end faces are formed on a side of a concave portion which is formed by etching end portions of the LED's using the photolithography and dry etching techniques.
In these conventional fabricating methods, a positional misalignment of the light-emission end faces may occur due to insufficient alignment accuracy during the dicing process and insufficient accuracy of the dicing device or due to misalignment of masks in the photolithography. If such a positional misalignment of the light-emission end faces occurs, sizes of the p-type regions in a plan view of the semiconductor wafer are subjected to change. Thus, for achieving uniform emitted-light quantities, it is necessary to feed the current in proportion to sizes of the p-type regions. Accordingly, particularly in case of a constant-current driven type LED, since the supplied current is constant, unevenness in emitted-light quantity is caused.

Method of fabricating an end face light emitting type light-emitting diode and a light-emitting diode array device


A customizable attachable article with integrated pocket and beverage container kit includes a printable and attachable article having a main body that includes an adhesive material and removable covering layer disposed along the back surface, and a pocket disposed along the front surface. The kit also includes a disposable beverage container positioned within the pocket, and an elongated straw having a first end located within the beverage container, and a second end located above the pocket.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Each year, millions of individuals pack venues across the globe to view events ranging from sports to music festivals. While in attendance, these individuals typically purchase a variety of beverages ranging from soda to alcohol, for example. However, many event venues do not provide beverage holders that are integrated into the seats; therefore, it is not uncommon for users to spill a recently purchased beverage all over themselves or other event goers. Such a happenstance causes distress to the user, who must now purchase another beverage, and can also be a hazard to others who may slip and become injured from the spilled beverage.
In addition to the above, many event goers want to keep their hands free so as to be able to fully participate in the festivities. For this reason, there has been a rise in the number of event goers who bring their own attachable water bottles and/or hydration backpacks, for example. Unfortunately, these products are often not allowed at events that prefer to require all event goers purchase beverages and other themed souvenirs from vendors at the event.
As noted above, merchandise sold at events typically include event specific designs that incorporate details such as the performer/team names, color schemes, dates and the like. These products must be finalized weeks in advance to ensure that all event merchandise items can be manufactured and shipped to the venue in time for the event. Additionally, great care must be taken by merchants to accurately anticipate crowd levels, projected sales, and other such factors to ensure they are not left with unsold merchandise after the event has concluded.
Although there are known products such as iron-on patches, for example, which can include event details and be created on-demand during the event, these items are not generally popular, as they cannot be customized to suit the end user (e.g., to include a user's name), and cannot be secured to the users existing clothing without permanently altering the same.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a customizable and attachable article with an integrated pocket for a disposable beverage container, and a kit which includes the article and the beverage container, that can allow users to enjoy beverages at events without suffering from the above noted drawbacks.
It would be further beneficial if the article can be customized to include both event details and customer-desired details that can be worn by users without causing permanent damage to their existing clothing.

Customizable attachable article with integrated pocket and beverage container kit