There are disclosed methods of use and pharmaceutical compositions for two related genera of low molecular weight compounds comprising optionally substituted iminoquinone or orthoquinone ring systems. The compounds have MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) antagonist activity and find utility as such. For example, the compounds are useful for treating a variety of diseases involving inflammatory activity or pro-inflammatory cytokine responses, such as autoimmune diseases (including rheumatiod arthritis, insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis, graft versus host disease, lupus syndromes), asthma, arthritis, EAE, ARDS, psoriasis, interleukin-2 toxicity, proliferative vascular disease, and various forms of sepsis and septic shock, and other conditions characterized by underlying MIF responses including, for instance, tumor growth and neovascularization (angiogenesis).

The present invention provides methods of use and pharmaceutical compositions for related genera of low molecular weight compounds comprising optionally substituted iminoquinone and orthoquinoid ring systems. The compounds have MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) antagonist activity and find utility as such. For example, the MIF antagonists are useful in methods for treating a variety of diseases involving inflammatory activity or pro-inflammatory cytokine responses, such as autoimmune diseases, asthma, arthritis, EAE, ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and various forms of sepsis and septic shock, and other conditions characterized by underlying MIF responses including, for instance, tumor growth and neovascularization.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is one of the earliest described cytokines, and is an immunoregulatory protein with a wide variety of cellular and biological activities (for reviews see: Swope and Lolis, Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 139:1-32, 1999; Metz and Bucala, Adv. Immunol. 66:197-223, 1997; and Bucala, FASEB J. 14:1607-1613, 1996). Originally, MIF was found to be secreted by activated lymphoid cells, to inhibit the random migration of macrophages, and to be associated with delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions (George and Vaughan, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 111:514-521, 1962; Weiser et al., J. Immunol. 126:1958-1962, 1981; Bloom and Bennett, Science, 153:80-82, 1966; David, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 56:72-77, 1966). MIF was also shown to enhance macrophage adherence, phagocytosis and tumoricidal activity (Nathan et al., J. Exp. Med. 137:275-288, 1973; Nathan et al., J. Exp. Med. 133:1356-1376, 1971; Churchill et al., J. Immunol. 115:781-785, 1975). Unfortunately, many of these early studies used mixed-culture supernatants that were shown later to contain other cytokines, such as IFN-xcex3 and IL-4 that also have macrophage migration inhibitory activity (McInnes and Rennick, J. Exp. Med. 167:598-611, 1988; Thurman et al., J. Immunol. 134:305-309, 1985) making the historical attribution of specific biological activities to the single protein now defined as MIF somewhat problematic. The availability of recombinant MIF has allowed for confirmation of these biological activities, and for the identification of additional activities.
Recombinant human MIF was originally cloned from a human T cell library (Weiser et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86: 7522-7526, 1989), and was shown to activate blood-derived macrophages to kill intracellular parasites and tumor cells in vitro, to stimulate IL-1xcex3 and TNFxcex1 expression, and to induce nitric oxide synthesis (Weiser et al., J. Immunol. 147:2006-2011, 1991; Pozzi et al., Cellular Immunol. 145:372-379, 1992; Weiser et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:8049-8052, 1992; Cunha et al., J. Immunol. 150:1908-1912, 1993). While the conclusions available from several of these early reports are confounded by the presence of a bioactive mitogenic contaminant in the recombinant MIF preparations used, the potent pro-inflammatory activities of MIF have been re-defined in other studies that do not suffer from this complicating factor (reviewed in Bucala, The FASEB Journal 10:1607-1613, 1996).
More recent MIF studies have capitalized on the production of recombinant MIF in purified form as well as the development of MIF-specific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to establish the biological role of MIF in a variety of normal homeostatic and pathophysiological settings (reviewed in Rice et al., Annual Reports in Medicinal Chemistry 33:243-252, 1998). Among the most important insights of these later reports has been the recognition that MIF not only is a cytokine product of the immune system, but also is a hormone-like product of the endocrine system, particularly the pituitary gland. This work has underscored the potent activity of MIF as a counter-regulator of the anti-inflammatory effects of the glucocorticoids (both those endogenously released and those therapeutically administered), with the effect that the normal activities of glucocorticoids to limit and suppress the severity of inflammatory responses are inhibited by MIF. The endogenous MIF response is thus seen as a cause or an exacerbative factor in a variety of inflammatory diseases and conditions (reviewed in Donnelly and Bucala, Molecular Medicine Today 3:502-507, 1997).
MIF is now known to have several biological functions beyond its long-hypothesized association with delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. For example, as mentioned above, MIF released by macrophages and T cells acts as a pituitary mediator in response to physiological concentrations of glucocorticoids (Bucala, FASEB J. 14:1607-1613, 1996). This leads to an overriding effect of glucocoticoid immunosuppressive activity through alterations in TNF-xcex1, IL-1xcex2, IL-6, and IL-8 levels. Additional biological activities of MIF include the regulation of stimulated T cells (Bacher et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:7849-7854, 1996), the control of IgE synthesis (Mikayama et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:10056-60, 1993), the functional inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor protein (Hudson et al., J. Exp. Med. 190:1375-1382, 1999), the regulation of glucose and carbohydrate metabolism (Sakaue et al., Mol. Med. 5:361-371, 1999), and the attenuation of tumor cell growth and tumor angiogenesis (Chesney et al., Mol Med. 5:181-191, 1999; Shimizu et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 264:751-758, 1999).
MIF shares significant sequence homology (36% identity) with D-dopachrome tautomerase, and MIF has enzymatic activity to catalyze the tautomerization of the non-physiological substrates D-dopachrome (Rosengren et al., Mol. Med. 2:143-149, 1996) and L-dopachrome methyl ester (Bendrat et al., Biochemistry, 36:15356-15362, 1997) (FIG. 1A). Additionally, phenylpyruvic acid and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (Rosengren et al., FEBS Letter, 417:85-88, 1997), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylaminechrome and norepinephrinechrome (Matsunaga et al., J. Biol. Chem., 274:3268-3271, 1999) are MIF substrates, although it is not known if tautomerization of any of these agents comprises a natural function for MIF.
The three-dimensional crystal structure of human MIF reveals that the protein exists as a homotrimer (Lolis et al., Proc. Ass. Am. Phys. 108:415-419, 1996) and is structurally related to 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase, 5-(carboxymethyl)-2-hydroxymuconate isomerase, chorismate mutase, and to D-dopachrome tautomerase (Swope et al., EMBO J. 17:3534-3541, 1998; Sugimoto et al., Biochemistry, 38:3268-3279, 1999). Recently, the crystal structure has been reported for the complex formed between human MIF and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (Lubetsky et al., Biochemistry, 38:7346-54, 1999). It was found that the substrate binds to a hydrophobic cavity at the amino terminus and interacts with Pro-1, Lys-32, and Ile-64 in one of the subunits, and with Tyr-95 and Asn-97 in an adjacent subunit. Similar interactions between murine MIF and (E)-2-fluoro-p-hydroxycinnamate have been reported (Taylor et al., Biochemistry, 38:7444-7452, 1999). Solution studies using NMR provide further evidence of the interaction between p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid and Pro-1 in the amino-terminal hydrophobic cavity (Swope et al., EMBO J., 17:3534-3541, 1998).
Mutation studies provide convincing evidence that Pro-I is involved in the catalytic function of MIF. Deletion of Pro-1 or replacement of Pro-1 with Ser (Bendrat et al., Biochemistry, 36:15356-15362, 1997), Gly (Swope et al., EMBO J., 17:3534-3541, 1998), or Phe (Hermanowski-Vosatka et al., Biochemistry, 38:12841-12849, 1999), and addition of an N-terminal peptide tag to Pro-1 (Bendrat et al., Biochemistry, 36:15356-15362, 1997) abrogated the catalytic activity of MIF in assays using L-dopachrome methyl ester and p-hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid. A similar loss in activity was found by inserting Ala between Pro-1 and Met-2 (Lubetsky et al., Biochemistry, 38:7346-54, 1999), and by derivatization of Pro-1 with 3-bromopyruvate (Stamps et al., Biochemistry 37:10195-10202, 1998).
The connection between the enzyme and biological activities, however, remains unclear. The Pro to Ser MIF mutant showed glucocorticoid counter-regulatory activity (Bendrat et al., Biochemistry, 36:15356-15362, 1997) and was fully capable, as was the Pro to Phe mutant, of inhibiting monocyte chemotaxis (Hermanowski-Vosatka et al., Biochemistry, 38:12841-12849, 1999). In contrast, the Pro to Gly MIF mutant was greatly impaired in its activity to stimulate superoxide generation in activated neutrophils (Swope et al., EMBO J., 17:3534-3541, 1998). These results suggest that specific biological activities of enzymatically inactive MIF mutants may be differentially sensitive to specific mutations, reflected in differential effects in specific assays that are used to assess biological function.
There is a need in the art to discover and develop small organic molecules that function as MIF antagonists and further posses the benefits of small organic molecule therapeutics versus larger, oligomeric protein-(e.g., antibody) and nucleic acid-based (e.g., anti-sense) therapeutic agents. The therapeutic potential of low molecular weight MIF inhibitors is substantial, given the activities of anti-MIF antibodies in models of endotoxin- and exotoxin-induced toxic shock (Bernhagen et al., Nature, 365:756-759, 1993; Kobayashi et al., Hepatology, 29:1752-1759, 1999; Calandra et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 95:11383-11388, 1998; and Makita et al., Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 158:573-579, 1998), T-cell activation (Bacher et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 93:7849-7854, 1996), autoimmune diseases (e.g., graft versus host disease, insulin-dependent diabetes, and various forms of lupus) including rheumatoid arthritis (Kitaichi et al., Curr. Eye Res., 20:109-114, 2000; Leech et al., Arthritis Rheum., 42:1601-1608, 1999), wound healing(Abe et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1500:1-9, 2000), and angiogenesis (Shimizu et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 264:751-758, 1999). Low molecular weight anti-MIF antagonists (drugs) may offer clinical advantages over neutralizing antibodies and nucleic acid-based agents because the drug-like therapeutics may be orally active or generally more easily administered, have better bioavailabilities, have improved biodistributions, and should be much cheaper to produce. Prior to the present invention, the only published report of potent low molecular weight MIF inhibitors concerned some commonly found long chain fatty acids that reversibly inhibited the dopachrome tautomerase activity of mouse MIF (Bendrat et al., Biochemistry, 36:15356-15362, 1997). These fatty acids were never tested for their effects in biological assays of MIF activity.
The enzyme activity (tautomerase) of MIF and the substrates it accepts provide an enzymatic activity assay for designing low molecular weight agents that bind to MIF and disrupt its biological activity. The present invention provides methods of use for two related genera of such compounds having either iminoquinone-related or orthoquinoid-type structures. The iminoquinone-derived compounds are related to acetaminophen and some of its active metabolites. These agents react covalently with MIF, block its enzymatic activity, and have effects on MIF biological activity.
The present invention provides a method for treating inflammatory disorders including, but not limited to, arthritis, proliferative vascular disease, EAE, ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), cytokine-mediated toxicity, sepsis, septic shock, psoriasis, interleukin-2 toxicity, asthma, MIF-mediated conditions, autoimmune disorders (including but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis, graft versus host disease, lupus syndromes), tumor growth or angiogenesis, or any condition characterized by local or systemic MIF release or synthesis, comprising administering an effective amount of a compound of formula I or formula II wherein formula I is:
wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are independently H, CH3, CH2CH3, OH, OCH3, OCH2CH3, or halo (Br, Cl, F, or I) and R5 is independently H, CH3, CH2CH3, OH, OCH3, OCH2CH3, or NR6R7 wherein R6 and R7 are independently H or C1-4alkyl; and wherein formula II is:
wherein R1, R2 and R3 are independently as defined above and R8 is (CHxe2x95x90CH)nxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94R5 wherein n=0, 1, 2, or 3 and R5 is independently as defined above for formula I.
Preferably for formula I: R5 is CH3; and R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. More preferably for formula I: R5 is CH3; R1 and R4 are H; and R2 and R3, independently are H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. Even more preferably for formula I: R5 is CH3; R1, R2 and R4 are H; and R3 is OH. Preferably for formula II: n is 1 and R5 is OH; and R1, R2 and R3, independently are H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. More preferably for formula II: n is 1 and R5 is OH; R1 is H; and R2 and R3, independently are H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. Even more preferably for formula II: n is 1 and R5 is OH; and R1, R2 and R3 are H.
The present invention further provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a quinone-related compound, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluant, wherein the compound comprises a compound of formula I or II wherein formula I is:
wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are independently H, CH3, CH2CH3, OH, OCH3, OCH2CH3, or halo (Br, Cl, F, or I) and R5 is independently H, CH3, CH2CH3, OH, OCH3, OCH2CH3, or NR6R7 wherein R6 and R7 are independently H or C1-4alkyl; and wherein formula II is:
wherein R1, R2 and R3 are independently as defined above and R8 is (CHxe2x95x90CH),xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94R5 wherein n=0, 1, 2, or 3 and R5 is independently as defined above for formula I.
Preferably for formula I: R5 is CH3; and R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. More preferably for formula I: R5 is CH3; R1 and R4 are H; and R2 and R3, independently are H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. Even more preferably for formula I: R5 is CH3; R1, R2 and R4 are H; and R3 is OH. Preferably for formula II: n is 1 and R5 is OH; and R1, R2 and R3, independently are H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. More preferably for formula II: n is 1 and R5 is OH; R1 is H; and R2 and R3, independently are H, OH, CH3, OCH3 or OCH2CH3. Even more preferably for formula II: n is 1 and R5 is OH; and R1, R2 and R3 are H.
Preferably, the pharmaceutical composition further comprises a steroid, a glucocorticoid, anti-TNFxcex1 antibody, anti-IL-1 antibody, anti-IFN-xcex3 antibody, IL-1RA, IL-10 or combinations thereof.
The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a quinone-related compound, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, wherein the quinone-related compound forms a stable covalent interaction with an amino acid residue of a MIF protein. Preferably, the compound is a substituted iminoquinone compound or a substituted orthoquinone compound. Preferably, the pharmaceutical composition further comprises a steroid, a glucocorticoid, anti-TNFxcex1 antibody, anti-IL-1 antibody, anti-IFN-xcex3 antibody, IL-1RA, IL-10 or combinations thereof.
The present invention provides a method for treating inflammatory disorders (including, but not limited to, arthritis, proliferative vascular disease, EAE, ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), cytokine-mediated toxicity, sepsis, septic shock, psoriasis, interleukin-2 toxicity, asthma, MIF-mediated conditions, autoimmune disorders (including but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, insulin-dependent diabetes, multiple sclerosis, graft versus host disease, lupus syndromes), tumor growth or angiogenesis, or any condition characterized by local or systemic MIF release or synthesis, comprising administering an effective amount of a quinone-related compound, wherein the quinone-related compound forms a stable covalent interaction with an amino acid residue of a MIF protein. Preferably, the compound is a substituted iminoquinone compound or a substituted orthoquinone compound.

Compounds having MIF antagonist activity

The Picower Institute for Medical Research


Pollutant decomposition device, including at least one outer transparent sheet and at least one inner transparent sheet being arranged such that a gap is formed between them and such that the gap is in communication with a surrounding gaseous composition on one side of the device such that the gaseous composition can pass through the gap. The device further including a photocatalyst arranged in the gap for depolluting the gaseous composition that pass through the gap. To obtain optimum decomposition efficiency the outer transparent sheet has a high degree of ultraviolet transmittance compared with the inner transparent sheet.

Pollution of air inside buildings or other confined spaces often leads to discomfort for the occupants of the building, and in some cases it may even be a health hazard. Examples of pollutants that often are present in indoor environments are gaseous odors, microorganisms and smoke from tobacco.
Conventional treatment of polluted indoor air is focused on removal of solid particles by filtration, adsorption or electrostatic techniques. However, such removal only transfers the pollutants from one space to another, and eventually the cleaning surface or the like is saturated, whereby the cleaning efficiency is lowered. Furthermore, low molecular gaseous components are difficult to remove with such techniques.
Alternatively, polluted air can be cleaned by use of photocatalytic air-cleaners. Polluted air is then passed over a photocatalytic surface, which is irradiated with light. Pollutants that are adsorbed on the photocatalytic surface are then decomposed into harmless, odorless, and less toxic compounds. The process of photocatalysis is well known in the art, and no detailed description is given herein. One well-known photocatalyst is titanium dioxide (TiO2), and other known photocatalysts are ZnO, CdS, WO3, SnO2, ZrO2, Sb2O4, CeO2 and Fe2O3. In general, the resulting photocatalytic activity of these materials is higher when the irradiated light is of high energy (short wavelength), such as light in the ultraviolet spectrum. WO 96/37291, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,045,288 and 4,892,712 all show air cleaners utilizing photocatalysts.
Solar irradiation contains ultraviolet radiation, whereby it may be used as irradiation source in a photocatalytic air cleaning system or pollutant decomposition device. EP 0590 477A1 discloses an example of an air cleaning system in the form of a window of double pane type, wherein the air is passed in-between the two window panes and wherein a photocatalyst is arranged in the intermediate space or on one or both of the intermediate window surfaces. However, such existing systems suffer from a number of disadvantages, which significantly lower the cleaning efficiency of the window, which are overcome by the present invention.


A headphone cable (150) is connected to a headphone set (190) with one, two or more loudspeakers (191, 192). The headphone cable (150) includes at least a first signal wire (151) and at least one reference line (152, 154). An electronic filter unit (110) performs a filtering, e.g. a common mode filtering, which is effective on at least one of the signal wires and reference lines (151, 153). A differential audio signal between a signal wire and a reference line (152, 154) is passed. Common mode signals except signals within a VHF radio band may be attenuated. The electronic filter unit (110) may be arranged in a connector case (129) of a headphone connector (120) provided at a connector end of the headphone cable (150) or in a pluggable filter assembly (130) provided between the mobile electronic device (200) and the headphone cable (150).

Mobile electronic devices provide audio signals that may be reproduced for the user by means of headphones or earplugs. A headphone cable couples the headphones to the mobile electronic device. Mobile electronic devices often provide a VHF (very high frequency) receiver for receiving broadcast radio signals using the headphone cable as an FM antenna to pick up radio signals and to couple them to the VHF receiver.
The headphone cable arrangement 100 of FIG. 1 includes a headphone cable 150. The headphone cable 150 may contain at least two signal wires 151, 153 and at least one reference line 152, 154. The signal wires 151, 153 are embedded in insulating material. The at least one reference line 152, 154 may be a wire or may be plaited in a cable sheath. For example, the headphone cable 150 may include two separated reference wires. The headphone cable 150 may include further signal wires, for example a signal wire for control of a mobile electronic device connected to the headphone cable arrangement 100 or signals for providing noise cancellation.
In this example, a headphone set 190 including a first and a second loudspeaker 191, 192 is connected to a headphone end of the headphone cable 150. In other examples, e.g. in the case of surround sound applications and active speaker being connected to the phone, multiple (i.e. more than two) loudspeakers might be connected to the headphone end. The loudspeakers 191, 192 may be integrated in headphones, earphones, earplugs or separate active speaker boxes. According to an embodiment, the headphone set 190 may be adapted to provide noise cancellation. The first signal wire 151 is connected to a first terminal 194 of the first loudspeaker 191, and a first reference line 152 may be connected to a second terminal 195 of the first loudspeaker 191. The second signal wire 153 is connected to a first terminal 196 of the second loudspeaker 192, and a second reference line 154 may be connected to a second terminal 195 of the second loudspeaker 192. The signal wires 151, 153 supply audio signals to the first and second loudspeakers 191, 192. The audio signals may be differential signals applied between the respective signal wire 151, 153 and corresponding reference lines 152, 154. At least one of the signal wires 151, 153 or reference lines 152, 154, for example one of the reference lines 152, 154 or both or a shield connected to the second terminals 195 of the first and second loudspeakers 191, 192, is operated to pick up broadcast VHF radio signals.
An electronic filter unit 110 performs a filtering which is effective on at least one of the signal wires 151, 153 and reference lines 152, 154, for example on that or those signal wire(s)/reference line(s) which is/are operated as VHF antenna. The electronic filter unit 110 is arranged at a connector end of the headphone cable 150. The electronic filter unit 110 passes frequencies of a VHF radio band, whereas at least frequencies beyond the VHF radio band or frequencies below the VHF radio band are attenuated. According to an embodiment, the electronic filter unit 110 attenuates a frequency band below the VHF radio broadcast band. The attenuated frequency band may or may not contain the audible frequency band of 15 Hz to 15 kHz. The filtering may provide a common mode filtering. The VHF radio band has an upper frequency limit of 108 MHz or less.
According to an embodiment, the electronic filter unit 110 filters frequencies above the upper frequency limit of the audible signal and below the lower frequency limit of the VHF radio band, for example frequencies below 87.5 MHz or lower. According to another embodiment, the lower frequency limit of the passed VHF radio band is 87.5 MHz and the upper frequency limit is 108 MHz. Since some regions do not use the complete VHF radio band, the electronic filter unit 110 may be tuned more exactly to the respective region and may pass a VHF radio band with a lower frequency limit above 87.5 MHz and/or an upper frequency limit below 108 MHz. According to another embodiment, the passed VHF radio band has a lower frequency limit of 76 MHz and an upper frequency limit of 90 MHz. In accordance with another embodiment, the electronic filter unit 110 is or contains a common mode band-stop effective in a frequency range between the upper frequency limit of the audible frequency band and the lower frequency limit of the VHF radio band.
For data transmission in powerline networks PLC (power line communication) modems use VHF frequencies near the VHF radio band, for example close to the lower frequency limit or the higher frequency limit of the VHF radio band. Some mobile electronic devices with an FM tuner functionality do not provide filtering for suppressing out-of-band noise and may not filter sufficiently strong signals emitted from PLC networks close to the VHF radio band. The headphone cable arrangement 100 with the integrated electronic filter unit 110 suppresses disturbances resulting from, for example, PLC modems and removes such interferences.
Loud signals appearing at frequencies outside the VHF radio band, which is 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz in Europe and 76 MHz to 90 MHz in Japan, may cause interference to FM broadcast radio reception when not sufficiently filtered. Where PLC modems use high feeding limits and the radio receiver does not implement out-of-band filters, which is the case for some smart phones or walkman types, the electronic filter unit 110 in the headphone cable arrangement 100 attenuates signals outside the VHF radio band.
The electronic filter unit 110 may be effective in a single one of the signal wires/reference lines 151-154 or in more than one of the signal wires and reference lines 151-154. According to an embodiment, the electronic filter unit 110 is in the same way effective for all of the signal wires and reference lines 151-154.
According to an embodiment, the electronic filter unit 110 is a common mode low-pass filter with a cut-off frequency of 90 MHz or higher. According to another embodiment, the electronic filter unit 110 is a common mode high-pass filter, which attenuates frequencies below the VHF radio band. The electronic filter unit 110 may be a combination of a band-stop filter and a low-pass filter, for example a combination of a common mode band-stop filter and a common mode low-pass filter.
FIG. 2 refers to an embodiment with an electronic filter unit 110 integrated in a headphone connector 120 provided at a connector end of the headphone cable 150. A first signal line 151 of the headphone cable 150 is connected via a low-resistance path to a first terminal of the headphone connector 120. A second signal line 153 is connected via a low-resistance path to a second terminal of the headphone connector 120. At least one reference line 152, 154 is connected to a third terminal of the headphone connector 120. According to an embodiment two reference wires are connected to the same third terminal via the electronic filter unit 110.
The headphone connector 120 comprises a connector case 129 housing the electronic filter unit 110 and encapsulating the connections between the respective signal wires/reference lines 151-154 and the electronic filter unit 110 and the connections between the electronic filter unit 110 and the terminals of the headphone connector 120. A terminal portion 121 provides terminal contacts, which provide electric contact to a matching connector integrated in a mobile electronic device. According to an embodiment, the terminal portion 121 is a jack plug protruding from the connector case 129 such that the terminal contacts are arranged outside the connector case 129. For example, the headphone connector 120 may be of the TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) type. According to another embodiment, the headphone connector 120 may be a TRRS (tip-ring-ring-sleeve) connector with reference lines connected to different terminal contacts or with a further control wire integrated in the headphone cable 150 and connected to an additional terminal connector. The headphone connector 120 may e.g. be a stereo plug, a mini-jack, a mini-stereo jack, a headphone jack, a telephone connector or a bottom plug, for example a 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm TRS or TRRS jack plug.
FIG. 3A refers to a headphone cable arrangement comprising a standard, non-modified headphone cable including a standard jack plug and an adapter-like pluggable filter assembly 130. The pluggable filter assembly 130 comprises an assembly case 139 with a first pluggable assembly connector 131 adapted to be plugged and coupled to a standard connector of a mobile electronic device and a second pluggable assembly connector 132 that matches and is pluggable to the connector of a standard headphone cable. The assembly case 139 houses the electronic filter unit 110 and the connections between the electronic filter unit 110 and the first assembly connector 131 and the second assembly connector 132. Second terminal contacts 132a, 132b, 132c provide contact to the signal wires and reference lines of the headphone cable. According to an embodiment, the first assembly connector 131 is a male connector, for example a jack plug, and the second assembly connector 132 is a female connector, for example a jack socket.
FIG. 3B shows a pluggable filter assembly 130 to be inserted between a standard headphone cable and a mobile electronic device. The integrated electronic filter unit 110 attenuates signals outside the VHF radio band, for example below the VHF radio band. The filter assembly 130 has a female jack (jack socket) on the one side and a male jack (jack plug) on the other side.
FIG. 3C shows an embodiment combining the pluggable filter assembly 130 of FIG. 3A with a standard headphone cable set 105 to form a headphone cable arrangement 110. The pluggable filter assembly 130 corresponds to the filter assembly of FIG. 3A. The standard headphone cable 105 comprises a headphone cable 150 with a headphone set 190 providing a first and a second loudspeaker 191, 192 provided at a headphone end and a standard headphone connector 125 at a connector end of the headphone cable 150. The standard headphone connector 125 houses connections between the signal wires/reference lines of the headphone cable 150 and the terminals of a terminal portion 121 of the standard headphone connector 125. The first assembly connector 131 of the pluggable filter assembly 130 is pluggable and matches with a headphone connector in a mobile electronic device and the second assembly connector 132 is pluggable and matches with the standard headphone connector 121. According to an embodiment, the standard headphone connector 121 may be of the same type as the first assembly connector 131. According to other embodiments, the first assembly connector 131 and the headphone connector 121 are different, for example have different sizes or types.
FIG. 4 shows a headphone cable arrangement 100 in electrical and mechanical contact with an electronic mobile device 200. The mobile electronic device 200 may be a cell phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a walkman, a tablet computer, or a handheld computer and includes a radio receiving unit adapted to receive radio broadcast signals of the VHF radio band. For example, the electronic mobile device 200 comprises a VHF input stage 206 that selects and amplifies radio frequency signals of the VHF radio band. A high-pass filter with a capacitive element 217 arranged in series and an inductive element 216 arranged in parallel connects the input of the VHF input stage 206 with a contact of a headphone connector 220, which may be a female jack socket, by way of example.
The mobile electronic device 200 is further adapted to output left-channel and right-channel audio signals via audio frequency amplifiers 202, 204 to further contacts of the headphone connector 220. Inductive elements 212, 214 may be arranged in series between the outputs of the audio frequency amplifiers 202, 204 and the contacts, respectively, in order to decouple the audio frequency amplifiers 202, 204 from high frequencies.
The headphone cable 150 is effective as an antenna and picks up radio signals of the VHF radio band. The capacitive element 217 provides a high frequency connection for the received VHF radio signals and supplies the signals to the VHF input stage 206. The audio frequency amplifiers 202, 204 output audio signals via the headphone cable 150 to headphones connected to a headphone end of the headphone cable 150.
The headphone cable arrangement 100 includes an electronic filter unit 110 which may be effective as a band stop for frequencies below the VHF radio band, for example between the audible frequency band and the VHF radio band.
In FIG. 5, reference sign 501 indicates a characteristic curve of an electronic filter unit being effective as a high-pass with a cut-off frequency at or below the lower frequency limit f2 of the VHF radio band. Reference sign 504 refers to the characteristic curve of an electronic filter unit being effective as a low-pass with a cut-off frequency at or below the upper frequency limit f3 of the VHF radio band. The cut-off frequency may be 108.5 MHz or lower, for example 90 MHz. Reference sign 502 shows the characteristic curve of an embodiment of an electronic filter unit being effective as a band-stop filter attenuating frequencies between the upper frequency limit f1 of the audible frequency range and the lower frequency limit f2 of the VHF radio band. According to an embodiment, the lower frequency limit f2 of the VHF radio band is 80 MHz or higher. According to another embodiment, the lower frequency limit f2 of the VHF radio band is 76 MHz. The upper edge of the audible frequency is 15 or 20 kHz. Reference sign 503 refers to the characteristic curve of an electronic filter unit combining the filter characteristics of a low-pass and a band-stop filter.
The audible frequencies, for example up to 18 kHz, are not attenuated because the cable is used as headphone cable. Further, the VHF radio band is not attenuated. All other frequencies are suppressed. The VHF radio band has a width between 14 MHz and 21 MHz. The VHF radio band contains a frequency of 90 MHz. For example, the VHF band is from 87.5 MHz to 108 MHz or a subrange thereof or between 76 MHz and 90 MHz. Conventionally, the audio signals supplied to a headphone cable are differential mode signals. If the headphone cable is effective as an antenna, the received VHF signals are common mode signals on all wires. The electronic filter unit could be a common mode VHF band-pass that attenuates all common mode signals except the VHF band, a common mode low-pass with cut frequency above the upper frequency limit of the VHF radio band or a high-pass with a cut-off frequency at or below the lower frequency edge of the VHF radio bands.
According to an embodiment, the electronic filter unit may be implemented as band-pass using passive components as shown in FIG. 6. According to an embodiment, several filters may be cascaded to improve the attenuation.
Options to realize filters with the shape as characterized in FIG. 5 are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIG. 9 each of two signal/reference lines (151+152, 153+154) are filtered using a filter unit 810 as shown in FIG. 8. The filter unit 810 attenuates unwanted frequencies as described above.
FIG. 10 shows a filter unit where the Common Mode signals are separated from the signals lines using a CM-choke 1001. The signal lines are low-pass filtered to select the audio frequencies using e.g. additional chokes 1002 for each line. The CM path is filtered by a filter unit 110 and shown in FIG. 6. Here only the FM broadcast frequencies remain in the CM path after the band pass 110. Finally the CM path is added again to the other lines using a 2nd CM choke 1001.
FIG. 7 refers to a method of operating a headphone cable arrangement for a mobile electronic device. A headphone cable of a headphone cable arrangement connected to a mobile electronic device that comprises a VHF receiver stage and audio amplifiers picks up radio signals of a VHF radio band (702). The headphone cable arrangement filters signals, for example common mode signals, wherein frequencies within a VHF radio band are passed and at least some of the frequencies below or above the VHF radio band are rejected (704). The filtered signal is supplied to the VHF receiver stage of the mobile electronic device (706). Audio signals are transmitted from the audio amplifiers to a headphone set of the headphone cable arrangement.
According to an embodiment a headphone cable arrangement includes a headphone cable with one or more signal wires and at least one reference line. At a headphone end, the headphone cable is adapted to be connected with one or more loudspeakers, wherein a first signal wire of the one or more signal wires is adapted to be connected to a first one of the one or more loudspeakers. An electronic filter unit is configured to perform a filtering effective on at least one of the signal wires and reference lines, wherein frequencies of a VHF radio band are passed and at least one frequency band below or above the VHF radio band is attenuated. The electronic filter unit is arranged at a connector end of the headphone cable. The headphone cable arrangement may include a headphone connector provided at the connector end of the headphone cable. According to a first alternative, the one or more signal wires and reference lines are connected to terminal contacts of the headphone connector via the electronic filter unit. According to another alternative, the one or more signal wires and reference lines are connected directly to the terminal contacts and the electronic filter unit is provided in a pluggable filter assembly pluggable between the headphone connector of, for example a handheld portable electronic device, and the headphone connector of the headphone cable.

Headphone cable arrangement, filter assembly, and method of filtering signals in headphone cable arrangements


A clamp for securing a surgical appliance post to a rail mounted on the side of a surgical table which clamp may be placed over and on the rail at any desired location by providing the clamp body with a passageway transverse the body of the clamp and parallel to the rail, the passageway having a lip on one edge of a width about the dimension of the rail for engaging the backside of the rail, and the passageway having a width greater than the rail on the opposite edge. A clamping device such as a screw or cam is mounted on the outermost portion of the clamp and is arranged to engage and secure the post as well as bind the clamp body to the rail. Additionally, the clamping arrangement of one of the preferred embodiments provides a means by which an appliance post may be gripped at any chosen angle rather than limited to a fixed orientation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention resides in the field of clamping devices for apparatus used in conjunction with surgical tables for medical operations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Surgical tables for medical operations are almost universally equipped with a rail disposed about their edges to which may be affixed a post holding clamp. The rails are spaced apart from the table edge a standard distance and are of uniform dimension. The prior art clamps used with these rails have a channel oriented to the longitudinal axis of the rail which channel is slightly larger than the rail to allow the clamp to be slid along and positioned on the rail at a desired location. Gaps are provided in the rail to allow the clamp to be put on and taken off the rail as the need arises. The present invention eliminates the need for such gaps by providing, in the clamp body, a rail engaging passageway of different dimensions on each edge allowing the clamp to be placed on the rail at any desired location.

Surgical appliance post clamp for surgical tables


A semiconductor device includes a substrate and a plurality of active pillars disposed on the substrate and spaced apart from each other by trenches. Each of the active pillars includes a buried metal silicide pattern and an active region stacked on the buried metal silicide pattern, and the active region includes impurity junction regions.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same and, more particularly, to semiconductor devices having buried metal silicide layers and methods of fabricating the same.
As digital home appliances become smaller in size and mobile systems become wide-spread, semiconductor devices employed in the digital home appliances and the mobile systems have been continuously scaled down. Attempts to increase the device integration density in dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices or flash memory devices including memory cells have typically resulted in the reduction of areas (planar areas) that the memory cells occupy. In general, a unit memory cell of the DRAM devices includes a cell transistor and a cell capacitor. The DRAM cell transistors may be formed in and/or on a semiconductor substrate and the DRAM cell capacitors may be stacked on the DRAM cell transistors to increase the integration density of the DRAM devices.
The DRAM cell transistors may be electrically connected to the DRAM cell capacitors through storage node contact plugs which are disposed between source regions of the DRAM cell transistors and bottom electrodes of the DRAM cell capacitors. Further, drain regions of the DRAM cell transistors may be electrically connected to bit lines through bit line contact plugs, and gate electrodes of the DRAM cell transistors may be electrically connected to word lines. Therefore, the bit lines and the word lines for transmitting electric signals may be disposed between the DRAM cell transistors and the DRAM cell capacitors. Thus, there may be some limitations in increasing the cell capacitance due to the presence of the bit lines and the word lines. Moreover, most of the DRAM cell transistors may be formed to have a planar configuration. In such a case, if a width of the word lines is reduced to increase the integration density of the DRAM devices, electrical resistance of the word lines may increase. As a result, RC delay time of the word lines may increase to degrade the performance of the DRAM devices. In addition, if the planar type cell transistors are scaled down, leakage current of the planar type cell transistors may abruptly increase to degrade the cell characteristics of the DRAM devices. Accordingly, vertical transistors have been proposed to solve or overcome the disadvantages of the planar transistors.

Semiconductor devices having buried metal silicide layers and methods of fabricating the same


An additive dispenser of a washing appliance is provided herein. The additive dispenser may include a water inlet and a drawer frame. The water inlet may be positioned upstream from a wash chamber. The drawer frame may define a compartment to receive an additive pod. The compartment may be positioned in downstream fluid communication with the water inlet. The drawer frame may include a sidewall at least partially enclosing the compartment.

Modern washing appliances, such as washing machine appliances and dishwasher appliances, often include an additive dispenser to dispense a wash fluid therefrom. Prior to use of a washing appliance, a wash additive, such as detergent, may be placed within the additive dispenser (e.g., by a user) to be selectively added to a wash chamber during a wash cycle of the appliance. For example, washing machine appliances generally include a tub for containing water or wash fluid (e.g., water and detergent, bleach, or other wash additives), as well as a basket that is rotatably mounted within the tub and defines a wash chamber for receipt of articles for washing. During normal operation of such washing machine appliances, the wash liquid is directed into the tub and onto articles within the wash chamber and basket.
Increasingly, there is a desire by consumers to use discrete additive pods with washing appliances. The additive pods are often filled with a premeasured volume of one or more wash additives (e.g., detergents, softeners, rinse aids, etc.). For instance, a granular wash additive and liquid wash additive may both be encased within a water-soluble casing to form a discrete additive pod. Since they are generally self-contained and eliminate the need for measuring exact amounts of wash additives, additive pods may make using a washing appliance easier. Moreover, use of an additive pod may ensure that the correct amount of wash additive is used for a given wash load.
In spite of these advantages, using additive pods can also present certain drawbacks. For example, in some systems, it may be difficult to ensure that the additive pod dissolves completely. This may be especially true during a cold-water wash cycle. If the additive pod does not dissolve completely, remnants of the additive pod may accumulate within the additive dispenser. Along with being unsightly, the residue may degrade performance of the appliance over time. Moreover, the residue is generally wasteful since it can result in some volume of the wash additive not being used for an intended wash cycle.
As a result, there is a need for improved additive dispensers. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide an additive dispenser for a washing appliance that can ensure improved dissolution of an additive pod during a wash cycle.

Additive dispenser for dissolving an additive pod within a washing appliance


Disclosed is a radiation detector assembly which can easily make a decision as to whether an energy calibration is needed. The radiation detector assembly detects radiations, creates pulse signals having pulse heights corresponding to the energies of the radiations, converts the pulse heights of the pulse signals into energies, and creates a radiation spectrum. The radiation detector assembly includes a qualitative analysis portion for assigning peaks appearing in the radiation spectrum, a conversion value calculating portion for calculating energy conversion values for converting the pulse heights into the radiation energies based on the assigned peaks, and an energy calibration decision portion for making a decision as to whether an energy calibration is needed, based on the calculated energy conversion values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation detector assembly and also to a sample analyzer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radiation detector assemblies are apparatus for detecting radiations (such as X-rays and gamma rays (γ-rays)) and constructing radiation spectra. Known radiation detector assemblies of this type include energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (EDS) and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectrometers (WDS).
In an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer, a distribution of pulse heights is created by a multichannel analyzer (MCA). Since this is a distribution of pulse heights at this moment, an X-ray spectrum is not yet completed. Accordingly, the pulse heights are converted into X-ray energies, thus producing an X-ray spectrum. Generally, the following formula (1) is used in converting pulse heights (ch) into X-ray energies (E):E=gain×ch+offset  (1)
In the energy-dispersive detector, an energy calibration is done, for example, by making a measurement on a reference sample containing a known element and used for energy calibration and by finding the gain and offset included in Eq. (1) above.
For example, in an X-ray fluorescent analyzer using an energy-dispersive detector, energy positions may deviate due to aging of the detector and signal processing circuitry in the stage following the detector. That is, positions taken along the horizontal axis of the X-ray fluorescent spectrum may deviate. If energy position deviations increase to some extent, and if a spectral line of a certain element is present, the difference between the energy corresponding to the spectral line and the theoretical energy corresponding to the element is increased. This creates the danger that the spectral line will not be identified as corresponding to the element or that the spectral line might be misidentified as corresponding to other element, i.e., an incorrect elemental assignment is made. Accordingly, in order to correct for deviation of energy position as described above, an energy calibration is done.
For example, JP-A-10-48161 discloses an X-ray fluorescent analyzer having a shutter to which a reference sample for energy calibration is directly attached. Thus, the reference sample is kept in the instrument. This eliminates the labor to exchange the reference sample. Hence, this analyzer permits an energy calibration to be done quickly and easily.
In the past, the analyzer himself or herself has made a decision as to whether an energy calibration routine as described above is needed. In particular, the use time and number of uses of the instrument are managed. It is determined that an energy calibration is needed whenever a given operating time has passed or a given number of uses are reached. Then, an energy calibration using a sample for energy calibration is carried out.
With this method, however, it is not always possible to appropriately determine whether the condition needs an energy calibration. Therefore, an energy calibration may be carried out in spite of the condition in which no calibration is necessary.
Furthermore, if the frequency of energy calibration operations is lowered in an attempt to avoid unwanted energy calibration operations, then there is the danger that the energy position deviation might exceed the tolerable range, for example, during continuous measurement on plural samples. In this case, it is not obvious when the energy position deviation exceeded the tolerable range. Consequently, all the results of measurements already obtained are discarded because they are regarded as unreliable. Alternatively, it may be necessary to perform a work for evaluating whether each individual measurement result is correct or not.

Radiation detector assembly and sample analyzer


Various concepts for media content streaming are described. Some allow for streaming spatial scene content in a spatially unequal manner so that the visible quality for the user is increased, or the processing complexity or used bandwidth at the streaming retrieval site is decreased. Others allow for streaming spatial scene content in a manner enlarging the applicability to further application scenarios.

The present application is concerned with spatially unequal streaming such as occurring in virtual reality (VR) streaming.
VR streaming typically involves transmission of a very high-resolution video. The resolving capacity of the human fovea is around 60 pixels per degree. If transmission of the full sphere with 360°×180° is considered, one would end up by sending a resolution of around 22 k×11 k pixels. Since, sending such high resolution would lead to tremendously high bandwidth requirements, another solution is to send only the viewport shown at the Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), which have FoV of 90°×90°: leading to around a 6 k×6 k pixels video. A trade-off between sending the whole video at the highest resolution and sending only the viewport is to send the viewport at high resolution and some neighboring data (or the rest of the spherical video) at lower resolution or lower quality.
In a DASH scenario, an omni-directional video (aka spherical video) can be offered in such a way that the mixed resolution or mixed quality video described before is controlled by the DASH client. The DASH client only needs to know information that describes how the content is offered.
One example could be to offer different representations with different projections that have asymmetric characteristics, such as different quality and distortion for different parts of the video. Each representation would correspond to a given viewport and would have the viewport encoded with a higher quality/resolution than the rest of the content. Knowing the orientation information (direction of the viewport for which the content has been encoded with a higher quality/resolution) the DASH client can chose one or another representation dynamically to match the viewing direction of the user at any time.
A more flexible option for a DASH client to select such asymmetric characteristic for the omni-directional video would be when the video is split into several spatial regions, with each region being available at different resolution or quality. One option could be to split it into rectangular regions (aka tiles) based on a grid, but other options could be foreseen. In such a case, the DASH client would need some signaling about the different qualities into which the different regions are offered and it could download the different regions at different qualities so that the viewport shown to the user is at a better quality than the other non-shown content.
In any of the previous cases, when user interaction happens and the viewport is changed, the DASH client will need some time to react to user movement and download the content in such a way that matches the new viewport. During the time between the user moves and the DASH client adapts its requests to match the new viewport, the user will see in the viewport some regions in high quality and low quality simultaneously. Though the acceptable quality/resolution difference is content dependent, the quality the user sees is in any case degraded.
Thus, it would be favorable to have a concept at hand which alleviates, or renders more efficient, or even increases the visible quality for the user with respect to partial presentation of spatial scene content streamed by adaptive streaming.
Thus, the object of the present invention to provide concepts for streaming spatial scene content in a spatially unequal manner so that the visible quality for the user is increased, or the processing complexity or used bandwidth at the streaming retrieval site is decreased, or to provide concepts for streaming spatial scene content in a manner enlarging the applicability to further application scenarios.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.


A method for attenuating the low-frequency noise generated at the outlet (18) of an exhaust line (14). A signal representing the noise to be attenuated is defined; a first high-frequency acoustic wave (F1) is emitted from a first transducer (22) into an attenuation region (26) of the exhaust line (14), the first acoustic wave having a carrier frequency higher than 50 kHz; and a second high-frequency acoustic wave (F1+Δfcb) is emitted by a second transducer (24) into the attenuation region (26) of the exhaust line, the second acoustic wave having the carrier frequency of the first high-frequency acoustic wave (F1) and containing a low-frequency counter-noise signal (Δfcb) which is out of phase with the signal representing the noise to be attenuated.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for attenuating the noise generated at the outlet of an exhaust line.
Eighty percent of the noise emitted by a motor vehicle powered by a heat engine is caused by the engine. The exhaust system of the vehicle therefore has to be designed to reduce the sound level detected by residents.
The provision of an active noise control device in the exhaust line is known. This device allows the noise that is to be attenuated to be neutralized by causing interference between the noise to be attenuated and a counter-noise, which has the same frequency and the same amplitude but is in opposition of phase. The counter-noise is produced electronically using signal processing algorithms, in order to generate destructive interference with the noise to be attenuated.
The sound wave forming the counter-noise is generated by electromagnetic loudspeakers. In the known solutions, the loudspeakers directly produce a sound wave having the characteristics of the counter-noise. In order to be effective, said loudspeakers have to have an electrical power from 100 to 150 W and a mass of between 2 and 4 kg.
The current active noise control solutions are therefore relatively heavy and bulky.

Method and device for attenuating the noise generated at the outlet of an exhaust line


An optical hinge (20) provides one or more free space optical communication links through the hinge (17) of an instrument (10). The optical links include a transmitter (24) in one section (14) of the instrument (10) and a receiver (34) in the other section (16) of the instrument (10). An optical coupler (27) connects the transmitter (24) to the receiver (34) through a hinge (17).

Portable computers 10 (See FIG. 1) use a ribbon cable 12 to connect a processor in a keyboard section 14 to a display 16, through a hinge 17. The hinge 17 allows the display section 16 to be tilted to a variety of positions for improved viewing. Graphics intensive applications have resulted in the ribbon cable 12 carrying faster data rates at higher clock speeds. The transmission lines of a ribbon cable emit Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI). At higher data rates the transmission lines act like antennas and typically emit higher EMI levels. A number of modifications can be made to the prior art ribbon cables to decrease the amount of EMI they emit. However, most of these modifications require increased shielding adding to the weight of the computer.
Thus there exists a need for a system that can provide a high data rate communication path with lower EMI, low weight and that operates through a hinge of an instrument, such as a portable computer.


A removable winch handle assembly for engaging a winch gear within a gearbox comprises: a handle receiver having at least a portion thereof exposed outside the gearbox, a seal between the handle receiver and the gear box, an engagement mechanism in the gearbox, the engagement mechanism coupled to the handle receiver to rotate with the handle receiver, wherein rotation of the engagement mechanism engages the winch gear, and a winch handle selectively coupled to the handle receiver, wherein, rotation of the winch handle causes rotation of the handle receiver when attached, the winch handle detachable from the handle receiver, wherein the gearbox opening is sealed by the seal when the winch handle is detached from the handle receiver.

A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) a rope or wire rope (also called a "cable" or "wire cable"). One type of winch, in particular, is motorized and is attached to the front of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) or truck. Such a winch is highly desirable when an SUV is disabled (stuck). For example, if an SUV is in a low stream or muddy bog, the SUV may not be able to achieve sufficient traction in order to move. Many other types of wet conditions, including submersed conditions, can also result in a disabled SUV.
A winch for SUV applications (for example) comprises a spool on which the cable is wound, a motor to rotate the spool, one or more gears to transfer power from the motor to the spool, and a clutch mechanism to disengage the spool from the motor.
During normal operation of an SUV, the winch is typically attached to the front of the SUV in a powered down state with the cable fully wound around the spool. In this configuration, the spool is fully engaged with the motor. When the spool is fully engaged with the motor, if the motor is energized, the spool can spin, but if the motor is not energized, then the drag of the motor (and the locked state of gears between the spool and the motor) prevents the spool from spinning. If the spool is prevented from spinning, then an operator is prevented from unwinding the cable from the spool by pulling on the cable (while the motor is not energized).
To free an SUV that is stuck, the cable is desirably unwound from the spool, and the cable is attached to a large heavy and/or immovable object such as a rock or a tree. In order to unwind the cable from the spool, the clutch is provided. The purpose of the clutch is to disengage the motor from the spool so that the cable can be unwound. Once the cable has been unwound and attached to the heavy and/or immovable object, the clutch is operated to re-engage the motor and the spool. After the motor and spool are re-engaged, the motor can be operated in order to provide torque to the spool so that tension is placed on the cable as the cable is wound about the spool. The tension on the cable provides sufficient force so that the SUV is freed from its stuck state and driving of the SUV can resume.
Operation of the mechanism that engages/disengages the motor and the spool is illustrated in prior art FIG. 1 and prior art FIG. 2. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate clutch engagement pivot 125. Button 160 extends from the bottom of clutch engagement pivot 125 and is offset relative to the axis of rotation of clutch engagement pivot 125. When clutch engagement pivot 125 is rotated, there is an axial movement of button 160. Button 160 engages channel 175 that is formed in engagement gear 170. Thus, when clutch engagement pivot 125 is rotated, engagement gear 170 slides laterally and engages a plurality of other gears (for example planetary gears) that transfer torque to the spool (not shown) and cause the spool to rotate. In this manner the motor is engaged with the spool, with the result of a) when the motor rotates, the spool rotates, and b) when the motor is not powered, rotation of the spool is prevented.
Such a system is referred to as a clutch, because it couples and decouples (engages and disengages) the motor from the spool.
When the motor is not coupled to (or engaged with) the spool, the spool is in a "free spin" mode. In this mode, the cable can readily be unwound from the spool by hand.
Thus, if an SUV (equipped with a winch) is stuck and cannot be driven for whatever reason, the clutch is rotated to disengage the spool from the motor, the cable is unwound from the spool and attached to an immovable object, the clutch is rotated to engage the spool and the motor, the motor is energized to apply torque to the spool, the spool rotates to place tension on the cable, the SUV is pulled out of its stuck state (with or without assistance from the SUV's engine), the cable is detached from the inanimate object, the motor is actuated again to fully wound the cable about the spool, the motor is powered down, and the SUV is driven away.
Winches, unfortunately, are prone to vandalism. The cables, for example, are very pricey. A thief may approach an unattended SUV, turn the clutch knob, unroll the cable from the spool, unbolt the cable, and sell the cable as stolen goods. Or, someone seeking to perform mischief may unroll the cable from the spool, and leave the cable in an unrolled state on the street. If the SUV owner does not notice the cable lying in the street, the SUV owner may simply start to drive his SUV, and drag the cable along the street. Such an occurrence may result in damage to the cable, damage to other vehicles, or may even cause an accident.

Removable winch handle assembly and method thereof


An apparatus comprises a vehicle door closeout panel. The closeout panel comprises a pelvis bolster having a plurality of load points. Each load point is determined based on a respective one of a plurality of vehicle seat track positions and is configured to receive a respective load determined according to the seat track position by which the load point was determined.

Vehicle door storage space is typically formed using two plastic panels: a cover panel and a closeout panel. The cover panel is visible to a vehicle occupant. Cover panel design is generally consistent with the vehicle styling theme. The closeout panel has a portion behind the cover panel which is not visible to occupants. This portion and the cover panel often form a storage space. A side impact pelvis bolster is also often packaged in the same area. Current designs do not provide optimal pelvis bolster configurations while minimizing limitations on available storage space.


To effectively prevent uneven wear of a moving mover 70 and to stabilize the control characteristics by a valve. Rotation force is exerted to the mover 70 by the fluid flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber, or vice versa, which are formed at the opposite ends of the mover 70. With respect to a flow passageway 110 formed within an anchor 72 and for allowing passage of the fluid therethrough, there are provided a passageway portion 111 which is disposed along the axial direction and another passageway portion 112 which crosses the axial direction. By this, rotation force is generated at the time the fluid passes from the former passageway portion 111 to the latter passageway portion 112 (or vice versa) which crosses the axial direction.

In general, an electromagnetic flow rate control valve comprises a circular cylindrical solenoid which generates magnetic field when electric current is supplied thereto and a mover which moves in the axial direction under the effect of electromagnetic force when the solenoid is magnetized. The mover is located in an internal space of a housing and normally, it has a circular columnar configuration. The circular columnar mover has closed first and second chambers which are defined in opposite end portions thereof. In case of a valve for controlling the flow rate of fluid, the fluid enters the internal space of the housing where the fluid fills the first and second chambers which are defined in the opposite end portions of the mover. Thus, in order to make it possible for the mover to move smoothly without encountering resistance, there is provided a passageway in the mover, which passageway intercommunicates the first and second chambers.
Problem(s) to be Solved by the Invention
A flow rate control valve of the type just mentioned above can be applied to a wide range of technical field. In one application, the flow rate control valve is used with the axial direction of the valve displaced from the perpendicular direction. For example, in case the flow rate control valve is used in a diesel engine of a vehicle, the valve must be placed with its axis held in a horizontal or semi-horizontal state because of its positional relation with the pump driven by the engine. The moving mover is supported at a plural spots, normally at two spots, which are away from each other in the axial direction. Thus, there is such a fear that sliding wear (uneven wear) occurs especially at the contact area of the supporting points, thus making it impossible for the mover to slidingly move in a correct manner. Moreover, in some instances, the mover must be supported in a cantilever fashion, namely, supported at one spot in the axial direction. Here again, there is a fear that uneven wear occurs. If such a situation should occur, the correct flow rate controlling would be interrupted. In addition, in case of a common rail system (pressure accumulation type injection system), for example, inferior pressure controlling would occur with a result that foreign engine noises are generated. With respect to a flow rate control valve and a common rail system of the type as just mentioned above, reference is made, for example, to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-94097 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-221130. As shown in those Laid-Open publications, a fuel injection system including a flow rate control valve of this type (i.e., amount control throttle valve) normally comprises a low pressure feed pump for pumping up fuel oil as fluid from a fuel tank, an amount control throttle valve for controlling the amount of fuel oil fed by the feed pump, under the effect of throttling action and a supply pump for boosting the fuel oil, which has been controlled in amount by the amount control throttle valve, to higher pressure by movement of a plunger and supplying the same to fuel injection means. The amount control throttle valve has an overflow valve attached thereto. Therefore, excessive fuel oil is returned to the fuel tank by the overflow valve. As the supply pump for executing a pumping action in accordance with reciprocal motion of the plunger, there can, of course, be listed not only a pump of an axial type explicitly shown in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-221130 but also a pump of a radial type as disclosed, for example, by National Patent Publication No. 2001-500593 (corresponding to International Publication No. WO99/02861). Although the above-mentioned uneven wear is more manifest when the mover is placed in a horizontal posture, an ordinary person skilled in the art would know that uneven wear is liable to occur even when the mover is placed in a vertical posture. The reason is that the mover tends to be offset sideways under the effect of electromagnetic force.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to prevent uneven wear of a moving mover and to stabilize the controlling characteristics by a valve.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a technique which can easily be put in practice simply by exchanging an existing part or parts.
Further objects of the present invention will become more manifest from the description to follow.
Means for Solving the Invention
In the present invention, a moving mover is positively caused to rotate about its axis so that wear will occur evenly without allowing it to occur locally concentrically. As rotation means for rotating the mover, the inventor(s) of the present invention paid attention to the flow of fluid in the mover which flows from a first chamber to a second chamber, or vice versa, when the mover is in a moving position.
A stroke which a flow rate control valve of this type makes, including a flow rate control valve for controlling an amount of fluid, is approximately several mm to approximately 5 mm (for example, 3 mm) at most. Moreover, the pressure of the fluid passing through the valve is low. In this respect, the pressure of the fluid around the flow rate control valve in question is relatively low in comparison with the fluid, which is high in pressure, in a common rail as an accumulator. Even such low pressure fluid, in fact, flows in accordance with the movement of the mover. The present invention has adopted an original idea in that the mover is caused to rotate by using of a work of flowing fluid.
The rotation means for making the fluid work, rotation force is exerted to the mover by the fluid flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber, or vice versa. Firstly, with respect to a flow passageway which is formed within the mover and for allowing the fluid to flow therethrough, there are provided a passageway portion along the axial direction and another passageway portion crossing with the axial direction. In doing so, rotation force can be utilized, which is generated when the fluid passes from the former passageway portion to the latter crossing passageway portion (or vice versa). Accordingly, in order to generate effective rotation action, it is preferred that a plurality of flow passageways are provided and they are arranged in symmetrical relation about the axis. A single flow passageway, however, may be also employed.
Secondly, it is also accepted that the passageway for flowing the fluid from the first chamber to the second chamber, or vice versa, comprises a helical groove provided at the outer peripheral surface of the mover. The helical groove may be provided over the entire area from one end of the mover to the other end, or it may also be provided in combination with the passageway within the mover. For example, that portion which supports the mover, may be designed as an internal passageway and the helical groove is formed in the remaining portion which does not support the mover, such that the helical groove and the internal passageway are communicated with each other. Since the fluid passing through the helical groove is increased in so-called length of the arm in moment, it is expected that a larger rotation force is generated. Of course, it is also accepted that the first idea in which the rotation means is provided within the mover is combined with the second idea in which the passageway is provided at the outer peripheral surface of the mover.
Thirdly, it is also an interesting alternative that a spacer disposed at one end face portion of the mover has a function acting as the rotation means. Normally, the spacer at one end of the mover is separated from the mover. This spacer is purposely designed to be integral with the mover at one end face portion of the mover. Moreover, for example, there is provided a slantwise hole extending from the upper surface of the spacer to the lower surface, and/or the spacer is provided with a fan to be formed into a fan type spacer. Then, by passing the fluid into the slantwise hole or fan from the passageway on the side of the mover, rotation force can be exerted to the mover which is integral with the spacer. In the alternative, by providing a cam groove at the outer peripheral surface of the mover and a pin-like cam on the side of a bearing for carrying the mover, rotation force can also be exerted to the mover.
As in the present invention, it is desirous to provide a construction or supporting form which is designed such that the mover itself can rotate easily when it is required to be rotated. In this respect, a mover including a flow passageway which is offset from the axis, is not desirable because its gravity is offset from the axis. It is preferred that a plurality of flow passageways are provided, the mover is constructed in such a manner as to be symmetrical about the axis and the location of the gravity of the mover is aligned with the axis (i.e., center of rotation), so that the mover can rotate smoothly.

Fluid flow rate control valve, anchor for mover and fuel injection system


A loudspeaker includes a cylindrical sound case provided with a plurality of radial ribs thereby dividing interior of the cylindrical sound case into a plurality of chambers and a common circular space at a central portion and therefore forming a plurality of resonance chambers, a sound coil assembly including cylindrical member which is open at one side and formed with a curved surface at another, the curved surface having a center through hole, the cylindrical member being dimensioned so that the cylindrical member will be tightly engaged with the ribs when fitted into the sound case thus forming a plurality of resonance chambers, a collar having a tubular reel at one end and a curved diaphragm at another end being arranged inside the cylindrical member, and a magnet assembly including a circular iron member having a central recess in which is fitted a magnet and a magnetism permeable disc.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which can be effectively reduced in size without decreasing its output power and can be arranged at any position as required.
2. Description of the Prior Art
So far as we know, the conventional loudspeaker utilizes a resonance box to carry out its amplifying purpose and is now widely used by the public. In our general impression, loudspeakers are either shaped as a horn or a cylinder which is connected with an audio frequency amplifier and a sound source to produce amplified sound. Further, if it is desired to have larger output power from a loudspeaker, then it will be necessary to have a larger resonance box for the loudspeaker.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art horn type loudspeaker which comprises a base and a head pivotally mounted on the base so that the loudspeaker can be easily adjusted in orientation.
However, the collapsible structure of the conventional loudspeaker cannot effectively reduce the volume thereof. Hence, the conventional loudspeaker is bulky in volume thereby making it difficult for transportation and stowage. In addition, the conventional loudspeaker is difficult to be mounted within the engine chamber of a car.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which can obviate and nitigate the above-noted drawbacks.
This invention is related to an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which can be effectively reduced in size without decreasing its output power.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which can be arranged at any position as required.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which is low cost
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which has a steady and loud output.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the structure of a loudspeaker which includes loudspeaker includes a cylindrical sound case provided with a plurality of radial ribs thereby dividing interior of the cylindrical sound case into a plurality of chambers and a common circular space at a central portion and therefore forming a plurality of resonance chambers, a sound coil assembly including cylindrical member which is open at one side and formed with a curved surface at another, the curved surface having a center through hole, the cylindrical member being dimensioned so that the cylindncal member will be tightly engaged with the ribs when fitted into the sound case thus forming a plurality of resonance chambers, a collar having a tubular reel at one end and a curved diaphragm at another end being arranged inside the cylindrical member, and a magnet assembly including a circular iron member having a central recess in which is fitted a magnet and a magnetism permeable disc.
The foregoing objects and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.


A high pressure fitting for filling a cylinder with a pressurized gas. The fitting comprises a fill port adaptor in combination with a flow controller system. The fill port adaptor has a movable injection port, a cradle and a locking clamp. The flow controller system has an inlet cooperatively adapted to receive the movable injection port. The flow controller and the fill port adaptor are open for flow of gas when the injection port is received in the inlet and closed for flow of gas when not so received. The locking clamp is adapted to lock the flow controller system in said cradle.

There are a number of instances where the provision of oxygen-enriched air, sometimes referred to as oxygen, is required to be provided at a low pressure. One particular situation where such low pressure oxygen-enriched air is required is in the health care field, both in the health care field within various institutions as well as within a patient's home. In such situations, it may be necessary to provide a continuous flow of low pressure oxygen-enriched air to a patient on an on-going basis. While such patients may be able to withstand the absence of the flow of oxygen-enriched air for short periods of time, such patients frequently are unable to withstand the absence of such a flow of oxygen-enriched air for longer periods of time without suffering major health problems. In particular, such patients are normally not able to move from one location to another without oxygen-enriched air.
Systems for the provision of a flow of low pressure oxygen-enriched air include distillation processes, adsorption separation processes and membrane separation processes. One such process is a so-called pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process which has the advantage of being able to provide oxygen-enriched air in a short period of time after the supply of a suitable feed gas e.g. compressed air, to the apparatus. An example of a pressure swing adsorption process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,391 of Y. Noguchi, which issued Aug. 14, 1990.
A typical pressure swing adsorption process applied to the provision of oxygen-enriched air could comprise the following steps:
a) introducing air under pressure into a cylinder having an adsorption column of an adsorbent which selectively adsorbs nitrogen, PA1 b) continuing the introduction of the air into the cylinder such that a zone of the adsorbed gas (nitrogen) moves forward through the cylinder, PA1 c) collecting the desired gas (oxygen) that passes from the cylinder, PA1 d) terminating the introduction of air to the cylinder, PA1 e) terminating the collection of oxygen from the cylinder, PA1 f) discharging a portion of the pressurized gas remaining in the cylinder, and PA1 g) returning a portion of the oxygen back into the cylinder to flow through the column in the opposite direction to desorb the gas (nitrogen) adsorbed on the adsorbent and to purge the desorbed gas (nitrogen) from the cylinder. PA1 said fill port adaptor having a movable injection port, a cradle and a locking clamp; PA1 said flow controller system having an inlet cooperatively adapted to receive said movable injection port, said flow controller and said fill port adaptor being open for flow of gas when said injection port is received in said inlet and closed for flow of gas when not so received; PA1 means to attach the flow controller system to a cylinder; and PA1 said locking clamp being adapted to lock the flow controller system in said cradle.
Steps (a)-(e) effect the separation of nitrogen from the air so as to provide oxygen-enriched air, whereas steps (f) and (g) effect regeneration of the column used in the process. This permits continuous and long-term use of the pressure swing adsorption process to provide oxygen-enriched air.
One of the disadvantages of known processes for the supply of oxygen-enriched air at low pressure is that such processes lack the flexibility to allow the patient to be located at a fixed location but also to be able to move from that location with relative ease with an assurance that the source of oxygen-enriched air is sufficient. For instance, the patient may wish or need to be able to move from a bed or other similar location, e.g. to use toilet facilities, prepare meals, go to another room or change locations for other reasons. Such mobility with existing processes generally requires a patient to be disconnected from a first source of low pressure oxygen-enriched air and to be reconnected to a second system for provision of such air and which is mobile e.g. a cylinder of oxygen-enriched air. The patient would want an assurance that the source of oxygen-enriched air is sufficient, which would be of particular concern if the patient wished to be mobile for an extended period of time e.g. a day or weekend, without having to re-fill the mobile, or ambulatory, cylinder at a dealer or distributor.

Integrated high pressure fill port and flow controller for cylinder recharger


Apply a one component spray polyurethane foam formulation through a dispensing accessory that has a removable nozzle by independently feeding the one component spray polyurethane foam formulation and a supplementary propellant into the dispensing accessory so that they combine in the removable nozzle and are expelled from the removable nozzle at a flow rate that is greater than 40 grams of foam formulation per 15 seconds.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for spraying one component polyurethane onto a substrate in a manner that is particularly useful for applying adhesives for flexible roof membranes.
Introduction
Spray polyurethane (SPU) foam is available from either one-component (1C) or two-component (2C) SPU foam formulations. Both 1C and 2C SPU formulations are typically available in pressurized vessels and are self-propelled through an applicator when dispensed onto a substrate.
A 1C formulation consists as a single mixture that includes a blowing agent and all reactants except moisture. Prior to use, 1C formulations are maintained under pressure to prevent escape of the blowing agent. 1C SPU formulations typically come in pressurized containers (for example, aerosol-type cans or cylinders) that are pressurized with a blowing agent, which also serves as a propellant that expels the 1C formulation from the pressurized container. To apply a 1C SPU formulation the pressurized container is attached to a nozzle, applicator gun or other dispensing accessory that allows triggered opening of the pressurized container. Upon opening of the pressurized container the 1C SPU foam formulation is self-propelled from the can by the blowing agent through the dispensing accessory. Upon release from the can, the blowing agent also froths the formulation into foam while reactants in the formulation react with atmospheric moisture to cure into a polymeric material. 1C SPU foam formulations provide a particular challenge due to their reactivity with atmospheric moisture. For instance, applicators used to dispense 1C SPU foam formulations tend to plug after use when moisture in the air cures residual 1C SPU foam formulation in the applicator accessory. Therefore, applicators (that is, dispensing accessories) must either be disposed of after use or promptly and extensively cleaned to remove 1C SPU foam formulation so that it does not cure in the applicator.
2C SPU foam formulations consist of two mixtures that are maintained apart until application of the SPU. The two mixtures are typically maintained under pressure with at least one of them containing a blowing agent and both containing a component that acts as a propellant. Upon application of a 2C SPU foam formulation, the pressurized mixtures are self-propelled through an applicator accessory (typically a gun-type applicator) where they are blended together just prior to exiting the applicator. Upon blending together, the two mixtures begin to react to form polymer as the blowing agent froths the reactants. As with the 1C SPU formulations, the applicator used to spray a 2C SPU foam formulation is typically disposed of after use or it must be promptly and thoroughly cleaned to prevent curing of the SPU foam formulation within the applicator. If not promptly and thoroughly cleaned the applicator becomes plugged and non-functional.
One application for SPU foam formulations is as an adhesive for flexible roofing membranes. Flexible roofing membranes are commonly applied over a substrate such as foam insulation board as a barrier material on flat or low-slope roofs. SPU foam formulations are a common adhesive used to adhere a flexible roofing membrane to a substrate in such an application. For example, 1C SPU foam formulations are commonly applied as beads in a pattern on a substrate and then a flexible roofing membrane is applied over the substrates and SPU foam formulation (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,228 and the INSTA STIK™ Roofing STD Technical Data Sheet number 291-92025-0512; INSTA STIK is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company). The SPU foam formulation beads adhere the roofing membrane to the substrate. However the pattern of SPU foam formulation beads tends to be apparent as ridges in the roofing membrane and some find that undesirable. It is also possible for flexible roofing membranes to bubble or blister between beads of SPU foam adhesive, particularly as temperatures change. The resulting expansion and contraction of the roofing membrane between adhesive beads can serve to undesirably work the membrane free from adhesive beads over time. Therefore, it is desirable to find a way to economically dispense SPU foam formulation over an entire substrate so that there is no longer a bead pattern to impart into the roofing membrane and the entire roofing membrane would be adhered to a substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,812 ('812) discloses a method of membrane application in roof construction that includes spraying a layer of adhesive onto a roof substrate and setting a roofing membrane over the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer in '812 can be a 2C SPU foam formulation or a 1C SPU foam formulation. '812 teaching requires an adhesive layer thickness that corresponds to one pound of adhesive per 8 to 12 square feet of substrate surface (408-613 grams per square meter of substrate surface). This is a relatively thick coating of adhesive. Thinner adhesive coatings are more desirable for a number of reasons including less cost and more efficient use of adhesive. Thinner coatings are particularly desirable for 1C SPU foam formulations, which require atmospheric moisture to cure. Moisture takes more time to penetrate into a thick coating so thick 1C SPU foam formulation layers take more time to fully cure than thin 1C SPU foam formulation layers. Longer cure times can result in less homogeneity in the adhesive layer, which can correspond to weaker adhesion. Thinner SPU foam formulation layers can also cure more quickly in low humidity environments because less moisture is needed to penetrate into the coating.
It is desirable to discover a way to apply a thin (less than 400 grams per square meter) layer of a 1C SPU foam formulation on a substrate for use as an adhesive layer for a flexible roofing membrane. It is further desirable to discover a way to apply such a layer of 1C SPU foam formulation in a manner that does not require either prompt and thorough cleaning of the applicator or disposal of the applicator.

One component spray polyurethane application


In encoding digital data, scrambling is executed after error correction encoding is completed. In decoding digital data, error correction processing is executed after descrambling is completed. In the error correction processing, after syndrome calculation is performed, syndrome s0 is used to determine the location and value of an error; the error value is subtracted from each syndrome value; and the result is divided by a fixed value. This process realizes a digital data encoding and decoding system providing substantially the same correcting ability as a conventional process except that error propagation occurs through descrambling.

The present invention relates to information reproducing techniques for information recording media. In particular, the present invention relates to an information reproducing technique for an optical disk.
DVDs with a capacity of 4.7 gigabytes and above are becoming common as high density and high capacity optical disks to replace CDs. In addition, the next generation of optical disks using blue lasers is currently being standardized. Recording and reproduction technologies in this field are advancing toward still higher density, and there is a demand for superior signal processing techniques.
Among the signal processing techniques employed for such familiar optical disks as CDs and DVDs, is one referred to as "scramble." This signal processing is characterized in that the length of data composed of pits, spaces, marks and the like on an optical disk is changed randomly at long intervals. These changes are intended to reduce crosstalk and adverse effects on the servo error signal due to adjacent identical data, to obtain a good data reproduction waveform and a steady tracking servo.
Moreover, in the case of phase-change disks such as CD-RW, DVD-RAM and DVD-RW, writing to the same place a number of times deteriorates the disk material and may result in a situation where data cannot be recorded or reproduced properly. One solution to this problem is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-216358. This method superimposes different data on recorded data each time the data is written to change the written data each time.
This invention provides an improved solution in which when recording a disk, scrambling is performed after error correction encoding in the process of data processing.

Data reproducing method and data reproducing apparatus


A friction surfacing apparatus and method for depositing one or more metals, metal alloys, or other materials is disclosed. The friction surfacing apparatus includes a pin tool holder, a non-consumable shoulder having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, the inside diameter terminating at an end wall and includes an angled side wall that forms a substantially frustoconical opening at one end, and a consumable pin tool coupled to the pin tool holder and at least partially protruding from the end wall of the shoulder. The shoulder is maintained at a predetermined distance from a surface of a workpiece such that the consumable pin tool deposits pin tool material onto the surface of the workpiece during a friction surfacing operation.

The invention relates generally to an apparatus and a method for friction surfacing, and in particular to an apparatus and a method for friction surfacing using a consumable pin tool.
Friction stir welding is a solid-state joining technique that is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Typically, friction stir welding is used to join difficult-to-weld metals, metal alloys (such as aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, nickel alloys, and the like), and other materials. For example, certain aluminum alloys are sensitive in a plasticized heat-affected zone, where the base metal reaches temperatures between solidus and liquidus during welding. In this zone, partial melting at grain boundaries forms a network containing brittle compounds. As a result, weld ductility is substantially reduced.
Friction stir welding is not to be confused with friction surfacing. In friction stir welding, a pin tool is plunged into a rigidly clamped workpiece and traversed along the joint to be welded. As the pin tool is traversed along the joint to be welded, the two materials are joined by way of frictional heating and plasticizing the workpiece with a pin tool, and mechanical mixing (stirring) material from the leading edge of the pin tool to the trailing edge of the pin tool.
By contrast, in friction surfacing, frictional heating plasticizes a consumable pin tool, which is forged onto the substrate surface. In friction surfacing, there is no mechanical mixing (stirring) between the workpiece material and the deposit material.

Apparatus and method for friction surfacing using a consumable pin tool


An annular prism capable of causing light (or other radiation) to either converge or diverge is defined by an annulus of material which is transparent to the light (or other radiation). The annulus tapers radially towards either its outer periphery or its central aperture. If the annulus tapers towards its outer periphery, light converges. If the annulus tapers towards its central aperture, light diverges. The degree of tapering determines the degree of convergence or divergence. A cross section of the annulus formed by a plane containing a principal axis of the annulus viewed on only one side of the principal axis may have a triangular shape. In some embodiments, a segment of the annulus may be missing, resulting in a penannular prism which causes light (or other radiation) to converge or diverge about the principal axis of the incomplete annulus for some angular measure less than 360 degrees.

In the field of optics, the use of lenses is commonplace. As is well known in the art, a lens is a piece of glass, plastic, or other transparent material with opposite surfaces, either or both of which are curved, by means of which light rays are refracted so that they converge or diverge to form an image. The shape of a lens determines whether the lens will cause light travelling parallel to the principal axis of the lens to converge or diverge. More particularly, lenses that are thicker at their center and thinner at their periphery cause light to converge. Such converging lenses are commonly used to correct hyperopia (farsightedness), an abnormal condition of the eye in which vision is better for distant objects than for near objects as a result of improper focusing of the image of a near object behind the retina rather than on it.
In contrast, lenses that are thinner at their center and thicker at their periphery, on the other hand, cause light to diverge. Such diverging lenses are commonly used to correct myopia (nearsightedness), a condition in which vision is better for near objects than for distant objects as a result of improper focusing of the image from a distant object in front of the retina rather than on it.
Lenses may also be used to converge or diverge forms of radiation other than light.
A novel approach towards converging or diverging light or other radiation would be desirable.