A passenger restraining harness and support assembly for use with a bench seat mounted in a vehicle. The bench seat includes a frame having a seat support portion with a front portion and a rear portion, a seatback portion coupled to the seat support portion, and legs or supports anchoring the seat to the vehicle. A harness support assembly includes a tower member with a slotted bottom end pivotally coupled to the rear of the seat support, a connecting member having one end adapted to fit into the slot in the tower member and a second end connected to the front of the seat support portion, a belt guide connected to the top of the tower member, and an anchor wing connected to the connecting member. A belt or harness attaches to the support assembly.

The present invention is in the field of seat belts used to provide a protective passenger environment.
Conventional seat belt systems combining a lap belt and an upper torso belt are well known. These three-point restraint systems are usually used with seats offering rigid support for the belts. As typically used in a vehicle, the three-point restraint system consists of single belt having its opposite ends mounted to a pair of retractors with a seat belt tongue connected to the belt intermediate to the belt ends. The tongue may be swung across the person and engaged with a buckle affixed to the seat thereby positioning one portion of the belt across the lap and another portion of the belt across the upper torso. In some systems, only one end of the belt is mounted to a retractor while the other end is anchored to the seat or vehicle. Seat belts are active restraint devices, requiring a passenger to actively engage the restraints for them to be effective.
School bus passenger seats usually do not employ active restraint safety devices, but instead rely on a passive restraint seat design. School bus passenger seats are built to specifications conforming to the safety standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT. These are codified as 49 C.F.R. Ch. V, .sctn. 571.222, Standard No. 222, and require that the seat back bend or deflect forward when a force is applied to the rear of the seat back. The code further specifies that 4000 W inch-pounds of energy must be absorbed within a maximum forward deflection of the seat back of 14 inches and 2800 W inch-pounds be absorbed within a maximum rearward deflection of the seat back of 10 inches where W represents the number of seating positions for which the seat is designed. 49 C.F.R., Ch. V, .sctn. 571.222, S5.1.3-5.1.4. The code specifies a passive restraint system, and does not require any sort of active restraints, such as a two-point passenger restraining lap belt or a three-point passenger restraining lap belt and torso harness combination. Children riding the school bus are protected in head-on collisions by the seat back in front of them deflecting forward and absorbing some of their forward momentum.
Vehicles with deforming or deflecting seats provide special problems regarding the integration of active restraint seat belt systems. Passive restraint systems are designed to protect a passenger who has been thrown forward by having the impacted seat back deflect upon impact of the thrown passenger and absorb some of their momentum. In a school bus seat combining active and passive restraint systems, both of the restraint systems have to be able to perform their functions and the seat must still conform to the regulations set forth in 49 C.F.R.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,476, there is disclosed an automotive seat having a tower frame associated with the harness to transmit impact loads to the floor. Despite the prior devices, there is still a need for increased protection for children riding the school bus in an emergency or crash situation. The addition of an active restraint system, such as a three-point lap belt and torso harness combination, would provide enhanced passenger protection in a head-on crash as well as providing passenger protection in a broadside collision and/or roll situation. Disclosed herein is a three-point lap belt and torso harness passenger restraint system that is compatible with the pivoting and deflecting seats required by 49 C.F.R.
A further need is to provide a restraint system for a school bus seat that is operable to remove slack in the belt during rapid vehicle deceleration. The conventional method is to employ pretensioner devices connected to the belt which rapidly withdraw the belt once a pyrotechnic charge fires upon sensed vehicle deceleration. Such pretensioner devices may be mounted beneath the seat. In the case of a school bus seat, the addition of a pretensioner device reduces storage space beneath the seat. In lieu of a pretensioner device, we have devised a device built into the seat to automatically take up slack in the belt as the restrained passenger moves forward with the tower frame assembly during vehicle deceleration.
One embodiment of the present invention is a three-point lap belt and torso harness passenger restraint system for a school bus having forward-facing bench seats fastened to the vehicle floor and having forward pivoting and deflecting seat backs, comprising a lap belt and torso harness combination connected to a support structure positioned within the bench seat and coupled to the floor of the vehicle. The support structure includes a connecting member connected to the seat support and a tower member pivotally coupled to the seat support. The tower member includes a vertical slot that accepts one end of the connecting member, and both the tower member and the connecting members have coincident apertures through which a portion of the seat support may extend. The tower member lies in the plane of the seat back and is adapted to pivot through a predetermined angle around the rear of the seat support. The relative dimensions of the intersecting slot and connecting member determine the pivot angle.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a three-point lap belt and torso harness passenger restraint system for use with attached school bus seats having forward deflecting seat backs, comprises a three-point harness combination connected to a support structure coupled to the seat support and the vehicle. The support structure includes a connecting member connected to the seat support, a tower member connected to the connecting member and pivotally coupled to seat support, and a crossbar member connected to the front and rear portions of the seat support. The lower end of the tower member is connected to the connecting member, and the tower member is intermediately pivotally mounted to a seat support member. The tower member extends into the seat back and is adapted to pivot through a predetermined angle in response to a force acting thereon. As in the previous embodiment, a belt or harness system attached to the pivoting support structure allows a passenger to pivot forward sufficiently to allow the seat back to deflect according to specification, while holding the passenger in the seat.
In another embodiment of the present invention a restraint apparatus for a passenger in a vehicle having a seat frame mountable to the vehicle. The frame includes a seat portion and a back portion. The back portion has a bottom end portion, and a top end portion with the back portion pivotable forwardly about the bottom end portion toward the seat portion upon crash force applied to the back portion. A retractor has a web extending therefrom through a web guide. The web has a chest portion and a lap portion positionable across a passenger located on the seat portion. The retractor has an unlocked position and a locked position. A first lock is mounted to the web and a second lock is mounted adjacent to the seat portion and lockingly engaged with the first lock. A tower is mounted to the frame and movable with the back portion. A web tensioning arm is mounted to the frame and is moved by the tower to engage the web to take up slack in the web as the arm moves upon crash of the vehicle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an active restraint system compatible with existing passive restraint school bus seats and the present Federal safety regulations.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an active restraint system for school bus passengers.


The invention relates to a method defining particular exceptional situations in the operation of an HCCI internal combustion engine, whereby an HCCI operation is either suppressed or enforced.

When an internal combustion engine is operated in the HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) operating mode, which is sometimes also referred to as CAI (Controlled Auto Ignition), ATAC (Active Thermo Atmosphere Combustion) or TS (Toyota Soken), the air-fuel mixture is ignited not by externally applied (spark) ignition, but by controlled self-ignition.
The HCCI combustion process can be triggered for example by a high proportion of hot residual exhaust gases and/or by a high compression and/or a high inlet air temperature. A prerequisite for the self-ignition is a sufficiently high energy level in the cylinder. Internal combustion engines which can be operated in the HCCI operating mode, which engines may be spark ignition engines or diesel engines, are known; see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,260,520, 6,390,054, DE 199 27 479 and WO 98/10179.
Compared with a conventional combustion process based on externally applied (spark) ignition, HCCI combustion has the advantage of reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions. The internal combustion engine is therefore operated largely in the HCCI operating mode. However, in certain operating ranges such as, for example, at high engine speeds or under heavy load this is not possible, so that it is then necessary to switch over to an operating mode using externally applied (spark) ignition, in particular to a homogeneously stoichiometric mode of operation. The switchover between said operating modes is performed taking into account variables such as fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and drivability as a function of corresponding operating parameters such as, for example, load and engine speed.
During the operation of the internal combustion engine, however, exceptional situations can arise in which this customary "switchover strategy" leads to a disadvantageous mode of operation.

Method for control of an HCCI internal combustion engine in exceptional situations


A method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving image data and control characters across an interface that is subject to noise for output to a printer. The image data and the control characters are transmitted across the interface to a receiver device. A determination is made as to whether or not a line of image data has been sufficiently transferred to the receiver device and, if the current line of image data has not been sufficiently transferred, there is provided for output to the printer a prior sufficiently received line of image data in replacement of the current line of image data so that the prior line of image data is printed at least twice in succession.

For high-speed data communication over a communication link between a digital front-end and an electronic writer located inside a hostile environment (from an EMI sense), such as in an electrophotographic printer, sparking of high-voltage chargers either due to contamination on the charger itself or due to hole formation on the photosensitive drum can cause image data corruption and image artifacts on the prints. Typically printing systems stop verifying the integrity of the control signals and image data at the output of the digital front-end. As the speed of the printer goes up, the exposure control and image integrity become more critical and are more susceptible to corruption. As noted in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0024907, to improve the reliability of data transmitted in a high-speed communications link under a hostile environment redundant control words per line may be used in the transmitted data to ensure that the start of line signal is recognized even if there is some corruption to control words so as to prevent system crash in printing. The typical digital front-end trusts the image data arrives at the print head uncorrupted. If image corruption does occur and image artifacts are then created on the print, the system has no means of knowing about the corruption or of determining if the system has a need for maintenance prior to waiting for the printed output being so poor that the operator initiates a call for service.
From the foregoing discussion, it is apparent that there remains a need within the art for a method and apparatus that can maintain printer performance while maintaining exposure control and image integrity wherein data is transmitted in a noisy environment that does cause some corruption and also provide early identification of the need for service or maintenance.

Apparatus and method for printing validated image data in a noisy environment


A detachable plaque for a cap having a visor and an adjoining crown portion is provided. The plaque generally comprises a flexible plastic sheet-like member having a live hinge or crease which defines a boundary between an upper portion of the sheet-like member and the lower portion of the sheet-like member, a first coupling or mating device incorporated on the upper portion of the sheet-like member for detachably engaging a mating member on the crown portion of the cap, and a second coupling or mating device incorporated on the lower portion of the sheet-like member for detachably engaging a second mating member on the visor of the cap. The first and second coupling means may be snaps and/or snap receivers, sockets and/or domed plugs, Velcro hook and/or loop fasteners, etc. In accord with one embodiment of the invention, the flexible plastic sheet has an aperture in at least the upper portion for receiving a piece of cardboard or paper on which a message or information is printed.

The present invention relates broadly to detachable plaques. More particularly, the invention relates to plaques which are suitable for detachably mating with visored caps having mating snaps or other mating means.
Visored caps having a crown portion with a snap receiver and a visor portion having a snap have been well known in the art for some time. The snap receiver and snap are provided in such a fashion that when they are mated together the visor is adjacent the crown, and when they are not mated, the visor assumes a typically perpendicular position relative the crown.
Visored caps without snaps are also well known in the art. The caps are known for numerous purposes, including, but not limited to use in sports, use as an advertising mechanism, use for protection from the sun, etc. Often, printing will be applied to the cap to identify the owner of the cap as belonging to a group, team, organization, etc. While such caps are often relatively inexpensive, should the group, team, or organization wish to change its insignia, or should the owner of the cap wish to change his/her affiliation, there is no recourse but to obtain a new cap and discard the old cap.


A nuclear fuel includes a net neutron-producing material, a neutron-consuming material, and a neutron-moderating material. Upon exposure of the net-producing material, the neutron-moderating material, and the neutron-consuming material to a neutron source, a ratio of the net neutron-producing material to the neutron-consuming material and a ratio of the net neutron-producing material to the neutron moderating material are operable to convert neutrons into charged particles without producing net neutrons.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
The potential low operational costs and overall economic competitiveness of nuclear power is marginalized by the use of traditional, dynamic heat to electric energy conversion methods. The use of these auxiliary systems causes traditional power plants to suffer significant operational and maintenance costs, which lowers the economic effectiveness and efficiency of such plants. One alternative to cumbersome dynamic heat to electric energy conversion systems is Thermionic Energy Conversion (TEC)—a direct heat to electric energy conversion process which generates electricity from thermionic emission. TEC provides an opportunity for low maintenance, autonomous electrical power generation and illustrates the potential for economically competitive advanced nuclear reactors.
Some examples of TEC systems utilize an interelectrode plasma to conduct thermionically-emitted electrons from a "hot" side (i.e., an emitter) of the system to a "cold" side (i.e., a collector) of the system. Though all demonstrable TEC systems use emitted electrons to ionize a plasma of low ionic potential (e.g., cesium), this method limits device efficiency. Previous efforts explored using fission fragments from an unclad fuel element to ionize the interelectrode plasma. However, these previous efforts required enough fuel to sustain a chain reaction, i.e. for a critical system.

System and method for energy conversion using an aneutronic nuclear fuel


Apparatus having a dilatation mechanism is provided wherein a plurality of radially expanding members are coupled to a plunger. The radially expanding members deflect outwardly in response to application of an hydraulic load to the plunger. The apparatus may be used in dilating vessels to treat obstructive vascular disease, or used in delivery systems to deploy vascular prostheses such as stents and grafts. Methods of using the apparatus are also provided.

Millions of people worldwide are afflicted each year with obstructive vascular disease, such as arteriosclerosis. Conventionally, stenosis of the arteries, such as the coronary arteries, has involved bypass surgery, wherein a synthetic graft or vessel harvested elsewhere in the body is exchanged for the stenosed artery.
In the last twenty years, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) has gained wide acceptance as a less traumatic method of treating such disease. In this method, a dilatation device, typically a polyethylene balloon is disposed in the afflicted vessel, such as a coronary artery, and inflated to disrupt the plaque lining the vessel and restore patency to the vessel.
In a large number of cases, to prevent the vessel from later restenosing, a vascular prosthesis "stent") is deployed in the vessel to maintain the patency of the vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,762 to Palmaz describes one such commercially available stent, which consists of a slotted tubular member. The stent is deployed by plastically deforming the tubular member with a balloon disposed within the interior of the stent.
While use of inflatable balloons in angioplasty and to alleviate other obstructive disease have provided significant benefits to patients, some drawbacks have been recognized for such devices. For example, balloons have been observed to occasionally rupture, and may cause a life-threatening dissection of the vessel. More generally, however, an inflated balloon tends to apply a high compressive load on the endothelial cells lining the vessel. This load may result in damage to the vessel lining, and may even accelerate restenosis. Thus, it would be desirable to provide dilatation apparatus having reduced contact with the vessel lining to preserve more of the endothelium intact.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,070 to Parodi recognizes that conventional smooth-walled balloon dilatation devices may lead to extensive damage to the endothelial layer. That patent proposes a dilatation element comprising a series of balloon elements that form ribs when inflated, thus reducing overall contact with the vessel lining compared to smooth-walled balloons. A drawback of the device described in that patent, however, is the complex structure of the balloon member, which renders it impracticable to manufacture.
Another method of reducing contact between the dilatation member and the vessel lining involves constructing the dilatation member with a series of fixed-width bands. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,794 to Van Patten describes an arterial dilatation element comprising four flexure beams captured between two ferrules. An actuator wire runs to the proximal end of the device, and the flexure beams are made to bow outward by reducing the length of the actuator wire. U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,310 to Garnic et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,667 to Ham et al., describe devices intended for use as temporary stents to maintain the patency of a vessel for a brief period following dilatation, and which employ a wire mesh and spiral band, respectively, that are actuated by pulling a core member that extends to the proximal end of the devices.
While the dilatation and stenting elements of the aforementioned patents provide reduced contact between the vessel lining and the dilatation element, it is believed that a drawback common to these devices is the inability to transmit sufficient force to the dilatation elements by the actuator wire or core member to effectively disrupt the plaque lining the vessel. In addition, it is believed to develop very high compressive loads with such dilatation elements, the actuator wire or core members may need to be too thick t o readily negotiate tortuous vascular anatomy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,000 to Hershenson describes a screw-operated expanding mandrel enclosed within an elastomeric tube. The screw arrangement in the dilatation element of the Hershenson device may develop the necessary compressive force to disrupt plaque. However, the quadrant-shaped mandrel portions and elastomeric covering employed in that device are expected to provide a compressive force similar to that encountered with smooth-walled balloons.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide dilatation mechanisms, and methods of use, that are capable of developing the high compressive forces required to disrupt plaque resulting from obstructive disease, but which have reduced contact with the endothelium compared to smooth-walled balloon dilatation elements.
It further would be desirable to provide dilatation mechanisms and methods suitable for use in deploying vascular prostheses, but which have a lower risk of rupture.
It still further would be desirable to provide dilation mechanisms having reduced contact with the endothelium, compared to smooth-walled balloon dilatation elements, but which have an uncomplicated design and are easy to manufacture.

Hydraulically actuated dilatation mechanism for vessel dilatation and vascular prosthesis delivery and methods of use


The subject invention includes constituent separation apparatuses that include a fluid pathway and a pair of spaced-apart electrodes positioned within the pathway for detecting current flow within a mobile phase present in the pathway. Coupled to the pair of spaced-apart electrodes is a mix ratio determinator for determining the mix ratio of the mobile phase from the detected current flow. Also provided are methods that include contacting a mobile phase with an apparatus for separating constituents of a mobile phase, detecting the current flow of the mobile phase when the mobile phase is in contact with the apparatus and determining the mix ratio of the mobile phase from the detected current flow. The mix ratio may be adjusted based on the determined mix ratio. Algorithms for practicing the subject methods are also provided on computer readable mediums. Systems and kits for practicing the subject methods are also provided.

The goal of many analytical chemistry protocols is to separate a sample (blood, tears, urine, water from a well, etc.) into its individual components or constituents so that each component may be evaluated without any interference from other components. A variety of techniques have been developed for this task and include electrophoretic protocols, chromatographic protocols, and the like. Once the constituents have been separated, they can be detected by various techniques, e.g., refractive index, electrochemical, or ultraviolet-absorbance, which can indicate the presence of a given constituent. The amount of constituent may be determined by the intensity of the signal produced in a detector. A detector is employed to measure a signal peak as each constituent exits the column and may be "on-line" or "off-line" (i.e., integral with the separation apparatus or a separate component thereof, respectively). By comparing the time it takes for the peak to show up (also referred to as the retention time) with the retention times for a mixture of known compounds, the constituents of unknown sample mixtures can be identified. By measuring the signal intensity (also referred to as the response) and comparing it to the response of a known amount of that particular analyte, the amount of analyte in the mixture can be determined.
For example, one technique that is often employed to separate various constituents of a sample from each other is chromatography, where liquid chromatography ("LC") is often employed. Liquid chromatography is an analytical chromatographic technique that is useful for separating ions or molecules that are dissolved in a liquid or solvent. If the sample solution is in contact with a second solid or liquid phase, the different solutes will interact with the other phase to differing degrees due to differences in adsorption, ion-exchange, partitioning, or size. These differences allow the mixture components to be separated from each other by using these differences to determine the transit time of the solutes through a column. Chromatography may be coupled with a suitable on- or off-line detection system that can characterize each type of separated constituent. One liquid chromatography protocol that is often employed due to its versatility is high performance liquid chromatography ("HPLC"). Generally, HPLC includes passing a sample of constituents in a high pressure fluid or solvent (called the mobile phase) through a tube or column. The column is packed with a stationary phase. The stationary phase is typically composed of a substrate or matrix such as particles, e.g., porous beads or the like. The pore sizes can be varied to allow certain sized analytes to pass through at different rates. As the constituents pass through the column they interact with the mobile and stationary phases at different rates. The difference in rates is due to the difference in one or more physical properties of the constituents, e.g., different polarities. The constituents that have the least amount of interaction with the stationary phase, or the most amount of interaction with the mobile phase, will thus exit the column faster.
One particularly useful mode of HPLC—particularly for the separation of highly polar or ionizable constituents, is reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography ("RP-HPLC"). RP-HPLC primarily operates on the basis of hydrophilicity and lipophilicity to separate various constituents of a liquid medium from each other. The stationary phase includes a substrate (which may be a plurality of particles) that has bound chemical moieties (i.e., a bonded phase), such as hydrophobic chains, e.g., bound alkyl chains, and the like, which facilitate the separation of the constituents. Accordingly, the greater the hydrophobicity of the bound chemical moieties, the greater is the tendency of the hydrophobic constituents in the mobile phase to be retained in the column while the hydrophilic constituents are eluted more rapidly from the column than the hydrophobic constituents.
Regardless of the analytical protocol or technique employed, oftentimes the sample of interest is associated with a fluid, i.e., a mobile phase, prior to the actual separation step, e.g., prior to being contacted with a matrix or solid phase such as a chromatographic column or channel or the like, e.g., a capillary channel such as employed in a microfluidic device. The mobile phase is often a particular ratio mix of two or more fluids and in many instances the mix ratio of the fluids of the mobile phase changes over the course of a particular protocol, e.g., to provide a gradient of the mobile phase over time. For example, in many protocols a mobile phase is composed of a mix of an organic solvent and an aqueous solvent, where in certain instances it may be desirable to vary the ratio of the two solvents over the course of the protocol to provide a gradient, e.g., gradually or step-wise. Accordingly, regardless of the type of analytical protocol employed, it is critical to the outcome of the protocol to know and maintain a particular mix ratio of the mobile phase at any given time point during a protocol.
However, it is difficult to determine the mix ratio of the mobile phase, e.g., prior to, during and/or after the separation step, to ensure the proper mix ratio is employed and/or to monitor the mix ratio, where such is particularly relevant in gradient elution wherein the mix ratio changes over time throughout a protocol and it is important to understand what the particular mix ratio is at a given time point of time. Although the mix ratio is known at the source (e.g., the pump that is used to deliver the fluid to the system), there is a delay between the setting of the mix ratio at the source and the time the ratio reaches the separation apparatus or a particular area of the separation apparatus such as the area where separation actually takes place, e.g., a separation column or channel. Accordingly, in order to know the exact conditions of a given separation protocol, the mix ratio must be measured at (i.e., on) the device itself- in other words in "real time".
Accordingly, there continues to be an interest in the development of new methods and apparatuses for determining the mix ratio of a mobile phase. Of particular interest is the development of such methods and apparatuses that determine the mix ratio directly on a separation apparatus itself, are easy to use, and have a high degree of precision.
References of interest include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,399,036; 4,908,112; 5,770,029; 5,755,942; 5,746,901; 5,681,751; 5,658,413; 5,653,939; 5,653,859; 5,645,702; 5,605,662; 5,571,410; 5,543,838; 5,480,614; 6,046,056; 6,143,248; 6,158,712; 6,296,452; 6,375,901; 6,431,212; 6,495,016; 6,533,553; 6,561,224; and U.S. patent applicant Ser. Nos. 2003/0000835 and 2001/0048958. Also of interest are: Knox et al. (1987) Chromatographia 24:135); Peters et al. (1998) Anal. Chem. 70:2288); Hadd, et al., Microchip device for performing enzyme assays. Analytical Chemistry 69, 3407–3412 (1997); Macounova, et al. Concentration and separation of proteins in microfluidic channels on the basis of transverse IEF. Analytical Chemisty 73, 1627–1633 (2001); and Bucholz, et al. Microchannel DNA sequencing matrices with a thermally controlled "viscosity switch". Analytical Chemisty 73, 157–164 (2001).

Devices and methods for separating constituents


A circuit and device protects connected equipment from a broad range of unsafe conditions of over-voltage and under-voltage by disconnecting the line voltage before surge protection components, generally MOVs, are damaged from sustained surges. However, nuisance tripping of the protective circuit is avoiding by discriminating surges that are properly handled by the MOVs and components in the load or protective device. Further, the devise are protected from sustained high voltage line conditions, which would ordinarily result in repeated cycling between the on and off states as the line voltages fluctuates slightly at or about the trip threshold, as the circuit has a deliberate hysteresis such that the turn on voltage is about 10 to 20 V lower than the shut off threshold.

The present invention relates to transient voltage surge suppressors (TVSS) for protecting electrical equipment connected to alternating current (AC) electrical power lines, and in particular, to TVSS circuits for protecting electrical loads from sustained excessive AC voltages.
Electrical power lines are often subject to surges and other transients of high current or voltage caused by various events, such as lightning, switching on or off significant electrical loads, or even occasional short circuits. Such surges or transients can cause permanent damage to electrical equipment connected to the power line, particularly equipment in which electronic devices are responsible for the consumption and use of the power. Transient voltage surge suppressors have long been used to detect and attempt to divert such surges and transients before they reach the devices connected to the power line. The TVSS industry and marketplace generally focus on the limiting of transients of short duration, such as those resulting from lightning strikes. However, additional relatively common conditions exist which can produce sustained over-voltage conditions whereby the AC voltage presented via the power lines is significantly higher than that for which the connected electrical equipment is designed and capable of operating without damage. For example, poor voltage regulation by the electrical utility provider, improper wiring of the facility, use of standby generators, or incorrect or defective bonding of neutral and ground line connections can all lead to sustained AC over-voltage.
Under such sustained over-voltage conditions, conventional TVSS devices, which use voltage-limiting components (e.g., metal oxide varistors or "MOV"s) to limit transients of short duration, will either be ineffective (if their limiting, or "let-through," voltage is more than the peak value of the power line voltage) or simply burn out, since MOV voltage limiters overheat in a very short time when absorbing the excessive power associated with the over-voltage.
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide an over-voltage protection circuit that disconnects a surge suppressor circuit and the load from the power source before the surge suppressor components are damaged, and then restores the load when the over-voltage conditions is abated.
Another object is to provide an under voltage protection circuit that disconnects a surge suppressor circuit and the load from the power source before the critical components in the device that constitutes the load are damaged, and then restores power to the load when the under-voltage conditions is abated.
Another object is to provide a variable voltage/time response, which varies in proportional to propensity for the condition to damage a MOV or other surge suppressor components, wherein the threshold for disconnecting the power from the surge suppressor circuit and load varies with the total energy in the voltage transient.
It is another objective to also disconnect the load and surge protector components under more sustained over voltage conditions, which would result in damage to the MOV, and/or require a thermal fuse coupled to the MOV.
Yet a further object is to provide a combined over and under voltage protection circuit, with the over voltage protection circuit having the aforementioned variable voltage/time response.
An additional object is to provide an over voltage protection circuit of the aforementioned character that precludes cycling of the disconnection circuit between the open and closed state at or near the trip threshold.


A premix burner has a mixing section (3) for a heat generator, sectional conical shells (5) which complement one another to form a swirl body, enclose a conically widening swirl space (6), and mutually define tangential air-inlet slots (7), along which feeds (8) for gaseous fuel are provided in a distributed manner, having at least one fuel feed (11) for liquid fuel, this fuel feed (11) being arranged along a burner axis (A) passing centrally through the swirl space (6), and having a mixing tube (4) adjoining the swirl body downstream via a transition piece (2). At least one additional fuel feed (13) for liquid fuel is provided in the region of the swirl body, the transition piece (2), and/or the mixing tube (4).

1. Field of Endeavor
The invention relates to a premix burner having a mixing section for a heat generator, preferably for a combustion chamber for operating a gas turbine plant, having sectional conical shells which complement one another to form a swirl body, enclose a conically widening swirl space and mutually define tangential air-inlet slots, along which feeds for gaseous fuel are provided in a distributed manner, having at least one fuel feed for liquid fuel, this fuel feed being arranged along a burner axis passing centrally through the swirl space, and having a mixing tube adjoining the swirl body downstream via a transition piece.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Premix burners of the generic type have been successfully used for many years for the firing of combustion chambers for driving gas turbine plants and constitute largely perfected components with regard to their burner characteristics. Depending on use and desired burner outputs, premix burners of the generic type are available which are optimized both with regard to burner output and from the aspect of reduced pollutant emission.
A premix burner without a mixing tube, which premix burner is to be briefly referred to on account of the development history, can be gathered from EP 0 321 809 B1 and essentially includes two hollow, conical sectional bodies which are nested one inside the other in the direction of flow and whose respective longitudinal symmetry axes run offset from one another, so that the adjacent walls of the sectional bodies form tangential slots in their longitudinal extent for a combustion air flow. Liquid fuel is normally sprayed via a central nozzle into the swirl space enclosed by the sectional bodies, whereas gaseous fuel is introduced via the further nozzles present in longitudinal extent in the region of the tangential air-inlet slots.
The burner concept of the foregoing premix burner is based on the generation of a closed swirl flow inside the conically widening swirl space. However, on account of the increasing swirl in the direction of flow inside the swirl space, the swirl flow becomes unstable and turns into an annular swirl flow having a backflow zone in the flow core. The location at which the swirl flow, due to breakdown, turns into an annular swirl flow having a backflow zone, with a "backflow bubble" being formed, is essentially determined by the cone angle which is inscribed by the sectional conical shells, and by the slot width of the air-inlet slots. In principle, during the selection for dimensioning, the slot width and the cone angle, which ultimately determines the overall length of the burner, narrow limits are imposed, so that a desired flow zone can arise which leads to the formation of a swirl flow which breaks down in the burner orifice region into an annular swirl flow while forming a spatially stable backflow zone in which the fuel/air mixture ignites while forming a spatially stable flame. A reduction in the size of the air-inlet slots leads to an upstream displacement of the backflow zone, as a result of which, however, the mixture of fuel and air is ignited sooner and further upstream.
On the other hand, in order to position the backflow zone further downstream, i.e., in order to obtain a longer premix or evaporation section, a mixing section, transmitting the swirl flow, in the form of a mixing tube is provided downstream of the swirl body as described in detail, for example, in EP 0 704 657 B1. Disclosed in that publication is a swirl body which consists of four conical sectional bodies and adjoining which downstream is a mixing section serving for further intermixing of the fuel/air mixture. For the continuous transfer of the swirl flow, discharging from the swirl body, into the mixing section, transition passages running in the direction of flow are provided between the swirl body and the mixing section, these transition passages serving to transfer the swirl flow formed in the swirl body into the mixing section arranged downstream of the transition passages.
However, the provision of a mixing tube inevitably reduces the size of the backflow bubble, especially since the swirl of the flow is to be selected in such a way that the flow does not break down inside the mixing tube. The swirl is consequently too small at the end of the mixing tube for a large backflow bubble to be able to form. Even tests for enlarging the backflow bubble in which the inner contour of the mixing tube provides a diffuser angle opening in a divergent manner in the direction of flow showed that such measures lead to the upstream drifting of the flame. Furthermore, additional problems arise with regard to flow separations close to the wall along the mixing tube, these flow separations having an adverse effect on the intermixing of the fuel/air mixture.
In addition to the mechanical design of the burner, the feeding of fuel also has a decisive effect on the flow dynamics of the swirl flow forming inside the swirl body and of the backflow bubble forming as far as possible in a stable manner in the space downstream of the swirl body. Thus, a rich fuel/air mixture forming along the burner axis is found during typical feeding of liquid fuel along the burner axis at the location of the cone tip of the conically widening swirl space, in particular in premix burners of a larger type of construction, as a result of which the risk of "flashback" into the region of the swirl flow increases. Such flashbacks firstly lead inevitably to increased NOX emissions, especially since the fully intermixed portions of the fuel/air mixture are burned as a result. Secondly, flashback phenomena in particular are dangerous and are therefore to be avoided since they may lead to thermal and mechanical loads and consequently to irreversible damage to the structure of the premix burner.
A further very important, environmental aspect relates to the emission behavior of such premix burners. It is known from various publications, for example from Combust. Sci. and Tech. 1992, Vol. 87, pp. 329-362, that, although the size of the backflow bubble in the case of a perfectly premixed flame has no effect on the NOX emissions, it is able to considerably influence the CO, UHC emissions and the extinction limit; i.e., the larger the backflow zone, the lower the CO, UHC emissions and the extinction limit. With a flame stabilization zone or backflow bubble forming to a greater extent, a larger load range in the premix burner can therefore be covered, especially since the flame is extinguished at far lower temperatures than in the case of a small backflow bubble. The reasons for this are the heat exchange between the backflow bubble and the ignitable fuel/air mixture and also the stabilization of the flame front in the flow zone.
The above comments show that a variation in output in the sense of an increase in output of a gas turbine plant merely by scaling up the overall size of a hitherto known premix burner leads to a multiplicity of problems and thus inevitably necessitates a completely new design of a conically designed premix burner known up to now. It is necessary to provide a remedy here and to search for measures in order to also permit desired scaling of gas turbine plants with the premix burners currently in operation and having a mixing section arranged downstream, and this with only slight constructional changes to existing premix burner systems.


Systems and methods of automatically adjusting brightness of a digital image are provided. A particular method includes accessing data including a first digital image and identifying text and background in the first digital image. The method also includes calculating an average pixel value exclusive of the text and the background for the first digital image. The method further includes adjusting a brightness setting associated with the first digital image based on the calculated average pixel value.

Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) is well known for inspecting parts or materials for defects such as porosity or inclusions like gas bubbles or foreign material. For example, x-rays are used for NDE of manufactured parts for systems (such as piping systems), structures, and vehicles (such as ships, land vehicles, and air vehicles, e.g., aircraft and spacecraft). As a further and more specific example, because aluminum castings are used extensively in aircraft manufacturing, inspection costs for NDE of aluminum castings represent a significant percentage of total inspection costs for an aircraft.
Such use of x-rays is sometimes referred to as radiography. Traditionally, radiography techniques entailed placing a part to be examined for defects between an x-ray source and a silver-halide film. However, traditional silver-halide film techniques are costly and time-consuming.
A reduction in costs and time associated with traditional silver-halide film techniques has been achieved with digital radiography techniques. Digital radiography encompasses a wide range of technologies, including flat panel technologies, computed radiography, and a variety of scintillator and digital camera-based technologies. In switching from traditional film radiography to digital radiography, costs associated with purchasing film, processing film, and chemical waste disposal can be eliminated. In addition, significant savings can be realized through cycle time reduction and automation that digital radiography offers.
A major hurdle to implementation of digital radiography for a number of industrial uses is a lack of digital reference images. Many differences result in a radiographic image captured on film versus a radiographic image captured by any of the numerous digital modalities currently available. As a result, direct comparison of digital radiographs to current reference radiographs captured on film leads to different characterizations of severity levels between the various digital modalities and between digital and film radiography.
An attempt has been made within the aluminum casting industry to address these differences by converting existing film reference radiographs (ASTM E155 Reference Radiographs for Inspection of Aluminum and Magnesium Castings) to digital images. However, traditional film reference radiographs such as ASTM E155 do not translate directly into the domain of digital radiography. The existing reference radiographs have proved inadequate for two main reasons: (1) the difference in spatial resolution between radiographic film and the digital radiographic systems; and (2) the difference in dynamic range between film and many of the digital detectors.
Regarding the first shortcoming in use of existing film reference radiographs, the grain size of common radiographic film ranges in size from about 3 microns (μm) to about 10 μm, while pixel spacing for digital radiographic systems that are suitable for inspection of aluminum castings, without use of geometric magnification, range from about 50 μm to about 139 μm. These differences in resolution do not seem to affect the detection of a discontinuity. However, these differences in resolution do affect the grading of the severity level of a discontinuity. For example, FIG. 1 is a film radiograph 10 of plate three of elongated porosity ¼″ (ASTM E155) that was digitized with a pixel spacing of 140 μm; FIG. 2 is a film radiograph 20 of plate five of the same series digitized with a pixel spacing of 50 μm; and FIG. 3 is a film radiograph 30 that is the same as the film radiograph 10 (FIG. 1) only digitized at 50 μM. It can be seen through a comparison of the film radiographs 10, 20, and 30 that a difference in resolution of a detector (or in this case digitization pixel size) between 50 μm and 140 μm results in a shift of approximately two plates in the apparent severity level.
Regarding the second shortcoming in use of existing film reference radiographs, the difference in dynamic range between film and many of the digital detectors has shown that use of ASTM E155 reference radiographs is inadequate for the grading of the severity level of aluminum castings. The wide dynamic range of digital detectors, coupled with the limitation on a number of gray level intensities that humans can differentiate, makes it necessary to step through the data of a given image with a series of windows. This is currently done by adjusting the contrast (window width) and then changing the brightness (window level) in a series of steps to view the data.
The shortcoming with this approach arises when the contrast of a production radiograph taken with a digital detector is adjusted. When using a high contrast, the discontinuity looks worse (that is, a higher plate number). When using a low contrast, the discontinuity may not be visible at all. For example, this effect is shown in FIGS. 4-6. All of the images are from a single 16 bit dynamic range digital radiograph of the ASTM E155 hardware for ¼″ elongated porosity in aluminum. FIGS. 4 and 6 are digital radiographs 40 and 60, respectively, with the same contrast setting and FIG. 5 is a digital radiograph 50 at a slightly higher contrast setting. In comparing the digital radiograph 40 (FIG. 4) to the digital radiograph 50 (FIG. 5), there is a noticeable difference even though they are both of plate two and from the same radiograph. Instead, the digital radiograph 50 (FIG. 5) looks more like the digital radiograph 60 (FIG. 6). However, the digital radiograph 60 (FIG. 6) is of plate seven-a difference of five severity levels from plate 2 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).
Because it has not been possible to normalize contrast of the standard reference image relative to the part's image using known methods, direct comparisons between the standard reference image and the part's image have not been possible. Development of digital reference images would therefore be useful to capture the savings offered by digital radiography. However, there is an unmet need in the art for methodologies to use a set of digital reference images.

System and method for comparing images with different contrast levels


A lens includes a reflective inside surface including a first inside surface portion having an optical surface which focuses an incident beam of a first image so that objects in the first image appears at a first virtual distance, and at least a second inside surface portion having an optical surface which focuses an incident beam of a second image so that objects in the second image to appear at a second virtual distance that is further than the first virtual distance. The lens is a passive lens. The lens can be used in an optical see-through head mounted display (HMD) apparatus to allow a user of the HMD to focus on nearby virtual objects coming from the first inside surface portion while viewing nearby external-world objects and to focus on more distant virtual objects coming from the second inside surface portion while viewing more distant external-world objects.

For virtual reality and augmented reality (AR) applications, such as head mounted display (HMD) applications, the optical position of the computer-generated (virtual) objects is generally fixed at one particular distance, such as for either near-viewing or for distance viewing. In the case where the optical position is set for distance viewing and close-in work (viewing) needs to be accomplished by the user of the HMD, the eye of the user has to refocus continually between the distant virtual object and the close-in physical object. Simply adjusting the convergence of the eyes optically to reflect a three-dimensional (3D) position is insufficient to compensate for the overlay of virtual objects with physical objects that occurs in optical see-through AR glasses.


A connector includes: a first connector terminal to which a first electric cable is to be connected; a second connector terminal to which a second electric cable is to be connected; a sidewall that surrounds the first connector terminal and the second connector terminal; a protection cover; and an interlock mechanism. The interlock mechanism includes an interlock connector and an interlock pin. The interlock connector is disposed between the first connector terminal and the second connector terminal, and the interlock pin is provided at the protection cover and is positioned such that the interlock pin is inserted into the interlock connector when the protection cover is attached to the sidewall.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector including an interlock mechanism that is used in a high-voltage unit to secure the safety in maintenance and inspection of the high voltage unit, and a vehicle including the connector or a plurality of the connectors.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, in hybrid vehicle structures and electric motor vehicle structures, a breaker device and a high-voltage unit are placed in a space isolated from the occupant compartment and luggage compartment of the vehicle, and the space is closed by covering it with a lid for maintenance. For maintenance and inspection of a high-voltage unit, an appropriate safety measure or measures must be taken to ensure that a person who performs maintenance and inspection of the high voltage unit (will be referred to as "worker" where necessary) is sufficiently protected from high voltages.
Japanese Patent Application Publications No. 2005-143200 (JP-A-2005-143200) and No. 2004-112902 (JP-A-2004-112902) each describe a connector for which an interlock mechanism is provided. The interlock mechanism interrupts, for protection from high voltages, a corresponding circuit when a protection cover is detached. FIG. 5 shows an example of a set of connectors for which an interlock mechanism is provided. Referring to FIG. 5, connectors are provided on a side face of a high-voltage unit case 1600 in which an inverter circuit is disposed. The inverter circuit is connected to, for example, a front motor generator, a rear motor generator, and a starter generator, which are examples of "electric rotational devices", via respective three-phase power cables.
More specifically, the front motor generator is connected to a first connector 1510 via a three-phase power cable, and the first connector 1510 includes a U-phase terminal 1510U, a V-phase terminal 1510V, and a W-phase terminal 1510W. The rear motor generator is connected to a second connector 1520 via a three-phase power cable, and the second connector 1520 includes a U-phase terminal 1520U, a V-phase terminal 1520V, and a W-phase terminal 1520W. The starter generator is connected to a third connector 1530 via a three-phase power cable, and the third connector 1530 includes a U-phase terminal 1530U, a V-phase terminal 1530V, and a W-phase terminal 1530W.
The first connector 1510, the second connector 1520, and the third connector 1530 are surrounded by a single sidewall 1550. A protection cover 1560 is attached to the sidewall 1550 so as to cover the first connector 1510, the second connector 1520, and the third connector 1530. The protection cover 1560 is detachable from the sidewall 1550.
Further, an interlock mechanism is provided. The interlock mechanism interrupts currents flowing to the first connector 1510, the second connector 1520, and the third connector 1530, when the protection cover 1560 is detached from the side face of the high-voltage unit case 1600. An interlock connector 1541 is provided near the first connector 1510, and an interlock pin (not shown) is provided at the protection cover 1560. The currents are allowed to flow by inserting the interlock pin into the interlock connector 1541.
In the connectors with the above-described configuration, the currents flowing to the connectors are interrupted by detaching the protection cover 1560 to remove the interlock pin from the interlock connector 1541. Thus, workers are protected from high voltages.
In the structure described above, however, the three connectors are surrounded by the common sidewall 1550, and therefore, there are various design restrictions, which make it difficult to reduce the size of the high-voltage unit case. On the other hand, for the purpose of increasing the design flexibility, a sidewall and an interlock mechanism may be provided at each connector. However, if the interlock mechanism is simply provided at each connector, the connector size is increased by the region in which the interlock mechanism is provided.

Connector and vehicle including connector


A COB (Chip On Board) package type bi-directional transceiver module is disclosed to include a photosensitive member bonded to a printed circuit board by COB (Chip On Board) package and adapted for receiving a first optical signal, and a light source installed by TO-can package and adapted for transmitting a second optical signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bidirectional transceiver module and more particularly, to a COB package type bi-directional transceiver module, which has the photo diode bonded to the printed circuit board by COB (chip on board) package and the laser diode installed by means of TO package.
2. Description of the Related Art
A bi-directional WDM (wavelength division multiplexer) transceiver module is capable of transmitting and receiving two light sources of different wavelengths (1550/1330 nm) through a SMF (Single Mode Fiber), achieving bi-directional transmission operation. This bi-directional transmission design increases the use of the bandwidth of a fiber. In comparison to the design of conventional bi-directional fiber optic transmission modules, this bi-directional transmission design saves one fiber optic, minimizes module size, and increases the use of bandwidth in high density main distribution facility room.
FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a bi-directional WDM transceiver module according to the prior art. According to this design, the bi-directional WDM transceiver module comprises a laser diode 11, a photo diode 12, a WDM (wavelength division multiplexer) 13, a filter 14, and a module housing 17 houses the members. The bi-directional WDM transceiver module is connectable to a SMF (Single Mode Fiber) 16 through a fiber optic connector 15 (for example, a receptacle, pigtail, or the like) for bi-directional transmission of signal. The bi-directional WDM transceiver module uses the laser diode 11 as light source that receives electric signal from driver and converts the signal into optical signal of wavelength λ1 (for example, 1550 nm) for transmission. The bi-directional WDM transceiver module uses the photo diode 12 as photosensitive means to receive optical signal of wavelength λ2 (for example, 1310 nm) and to convert the signal into an electric signal, for enabling the electric signal to be amplified by a TIA (Transimpedance Amplifier) for output. The WDM 13 is adapted to separate the light sources of wavelength λ1 and wavelength λ2, for enabling optical signal of λ1 from laser diode 11 to pass through WDM 13 to the SMF 16 for output. Optical signal of λ2 from SMF 16 is reflected onto the filter 14 by the WDM 13 and then sent received by the photo diode 12. Therefore, the bi-directional WDM transceiver module achieves bi-directional transmission operation.
The manufacturing of the aforesaid prior art bi-directional WDM transceiver module is started from the laser diode 11 which is housed in a TO package, and then the ferrule of the fiber optic connector 15 is aligned to the laser diode 11 and welded on the module housing 17, and then the photo diode 12, which is also housed in a TO package, and the other components are mounted in the module housing 17, completing OSA (Optical Sub-assembly) manufacturing process, forming a structure of bi-directional transceiver as shown in FIG. 2. During the manufacturing process of the bi-directional transceiver, the LD adopts TO packaging, and the photo diode can also adopts TO packaging.
In order to satisfy heavy bandwidth requirement for telecommunication and network, optical communication networks will become more and more popular in city areas. However, due to limited land space and heavy rent for office in city areas, there is a limitation to the expansion of trucking space. Therefore, it is important to provide more number of transmission ports with same size of telecommunication and network facility. The most effective and direct way to solve the problem is to reduce the size of the bi-directional transceiver so that more transmission ports can be provided in a limited space.


A fluid vibrating type flowmeter has a nozzle disposed in a flow passage and defining a nozzle outlet plane extending perpendicular to the flow passage, an enlarged passage disposed downstream of the nozzle and including divergent inner wall surfaces symmetric about an axis of the nozzle, a target disposed centrally of the enlarged passage for obstructing straight movement of streams jetting out of the nozzle, and a constructed passage disposed downstream of the enlarged passage and having a smaller passage width than a rear end of the enlarged passage. Each of the divergent inner wall surfaces includes a main arcuate section continuous from the nozzle outlet plane, a straight diverging wall section continuous from the main arcuate section, and an auxiliary arcuate section continuous at an upstream end thereof from the straight diverging wall section and at a downstream end thereof with the constricted passage. The straight diverging wall section is formed as a common tangent of the main arcuate section and auxiliary arcuate section. The main arcuate section has a radium R and the auxiliary arcuate section has a radius r, these radii being in relations expressed by ##EQU1## wherein L is a distance between the nozzle outlet plane and the center of the auxiliary arcuate section, and x is a distance between the center of the auxiliary arcuate section and a passage axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid vibrating type flowmeters for measuring flow rates of various fluids (gases and liquids), such as gas meters, and more particularly to a fluid vibrating type flowmeter including a nozzle mounted in a flow passage and defining an outlet plane extending perpendicular to the flow passage, an enlarged passage continuous with a nozzle outlet and having diverging passage walls symmetric about an axis of the nozzle, a target disposed centrally of the enlarged passage for blocking straight movement of streams jetting out of the nozzle, and a constricted passage disposed downstream of the enlarged passage and having a smaller passage width than the enlarged passage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluid vibrating type flowmeters of the type noted above which have been proposed heretofore include a flowmeter as shown in FIG. 12. The operating principle of this fluid vibrating type flowmeter will be described briefly first. Streams jetting out through a nozzle outlet plane 11 are divided into main jet streams L1 flowing round a target 20 and out through a constricted passage, and return steam L2 branching from the main jet streams L1 and impinging upon downstream positions of the enlarged passage or a narrowing section defining the constricted passage to flow backward through the flow passage. With this type of flowmeter, when fluid jets out of the nozzle, the jet streams are drawn by Coanda effect to one of side walls 50 and 51 extending along the flowing direction. That is, the jet streams are diverted to either side wall 50 or 51 instead of flowing straight. Then, the return flows L2 are generated which impart a fluid energy in a direction perpendicular to the straight flowing direction of the jet streams in the vicinity of the nozzle outlet plane. As a result, the jet streams will in the next step flow along the opposite side wall 50 or 51. Thus, the return flows L2 act as control flows for controlling the jet streams in the vicinity of the nozzle outlet, whereby the streams jetting out of the nozzle flow alternately along opposite sides of the target (the presence of the target effectively induces vibrations on a low flow rate side). With the flowmeter having only the target in the enlarged passage as shown in FIG. 12, vortices formed downstream of the target also influence such vibrations. Generally, the cycles of vibrations are proportional to the rate of fluid flow through the flowmeter. The rate of fluid flow through the passage is measured by using this phenomenon.
In the flowmeter including the enlarged passage having a substantially box-like configuration as shown in FIG. 12, mechanisms for detecting pressure or flow rate are arranged in a pair of measuring positions 55 immediately downstream of the nozzle outlet plane and opposed to each other across the jet streams. Flow rate is detected by measuring the number of vibrations based on the pressure differences or flow rate variations resulting from the phenomenon of the jet streams flowing alternately along the opposite sides of the target.
In the case of a gas meter, for example, allowable measurement errors (differences between an actual flow rate and detection values provided by a measuring device) generally are .+-.2.5% for a range of flow rates from 0.15 to 0.6 m.sup.3 per hour, and .+-.1.5% for a range of flow rates from 0.6 to 3 m.sup.3 per hour (which are shown in broken lines in FIG. 13). When measurement is taken with a flowmeter including an enlarged passage having a box-like configuration as shown in FIG. 12, errors occur as shown in a solid line in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 shows measurement errors (%) occurring with respect to correct detection values when flow rate is varied (0.1 to 5 m.sup.3 per hour). Such errors are hereinafter referred to as flow rate/device difference characteristics. In this measurement, the errors occurring for a very low flow rate range (0.15 to 0.4 m.sup.3 per hour) are .+-.4.4% far exceeding the allowable measurement criterion, and measurement values meeting the allowable measurement criterion are obtained only for the range of 0.4 to 2.1 m.sup.3 per hour. The values shown as .DELTA.E in the drawings are values showing Emax (maximum value on the positive side-Emin (maximum value on the negative side) in flow rate/device difference characteristics, which form the basis for determining measurement stability. (In the embodiments and experiments discussed hereinafter, all tests of flow rate/device difference characteristics of flowmeters are carried out as in the above example, i.e. using air as a gas and covering a flow rate range up to 5 m.sup.3 per hour. This is based on consideration of variations in Reynolds number occurring with other types of gases such as propane gas when measurement is taken for 3 m.sup.3 per hour which is an upper flow rate limit of the allowance criterion.)
According to the allowance criterion, such numeric values are 5% for a low flow rate range and 3% for a high flow rate range. That is, the above conventional construction cannot be employed in a measuring instrument, and the prior art has room for improvement with respect to measuring precision.
With a view to solving the above problem, various configurations are conceivable for fluid vibrating type flowmeters satisfying the allowance criterion. It is desirable that principal pertinent dimensions are geometrically standardized for manufacture of such flowmeters.


Methods and systems for a gasifier solids removal system are provided. The system includes a down flow combustor including an inlet and an outlet and a combustion zone extending therebetween, the combustor configured to direct a flow of process material including syngas, flowable slag, and particulates in a first downward direction, a plurality of flow passages in serial flow communication including a first flow passage and a second flow passage, wherein the process material flow reverses direction flowing from the first passage to the second passage, and a plurality of entrainment separation stages in serial flow communication with at least one of the plurality of flow passages.

This invention relates generally to integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power generation systems, and more specifically to advanced methods and apparatus for removing solids from a gasifier.
At least some known IGCC systems include a gasification system that is integrated with at least one power producing turbine system. For example, known gasifiers convert a mixture of fuel, air or oxygen, steam, and/or limestone into an output of partially combusted gas, sometimes referred to as "syngas". The hot combustion gases are supplied to the combustor of a gas turbine engine, which powers a generator that supplies electrical power to a power grid. Exhaust from at least some known gas turbine engines is supplied to a heat recovery steam generator that generates steam for driving a steam turbine. Power generated by the steam turbine also drives an electrical generator that provides electrical power to the power grid.
At least some know gasification systems use three separate vessels, and a large radiant cooler to gasify bottoms, recover heat and remove solids from the syngas to make the syngas useable by other systems. Such additional vessels and ancillary equipment needed to support operation of the vessels add to the complexity, the capital expense, and operational manpower of the system.

Methods and systems for advanced gasifier solids removal


A catalyst for selectively opening cyclic paraffins has been developed. The catalyst comprises a Group VIII metal, such as platinum, a modifier component, such as niobium or ytterbium, a molecular sieve, such as UZM-16 and a refractory inorganic oxide such as alumina. The Group VIII metal and modifier component are preferably deposited on the refractory inorganic oxide. A process for using the catalyst is also disclosed.

Olefins are used in various reactions to produce important chemical compounds. Accordingly, demand for olefins is ever increasing and therefore new processes or increased efficiencies in existing processes are required. One of the main processes used in preparing light olefins is naphtha steam cracking. It is known that the efficiency of steam cracking depends on the specific composition of the naphtha feed. Specifically it has been demonstrated that converting naphthenes to acyclic paraffins, e.g. n-paraffins significantly improves olefin yield from the steam cracker. There is, therefore, a need for an improved ring opening catalyst.
Improved ring opening catalysts are also necessary because of increasing demand for environmentally friendly products and clean burning high performance fuels. In this case naphthene rings are opened to give acyclic paraffins which in turn can be isomerized. These isomerized paraffins have improved characteristics than the corresponding naphthenes.
An increased amount of paraffins is also required in providing reformulated gasoline. Reformulated gasoline differs from the traditional product in having a lower vapor pressure, lower final boiling point, increased content of oxygenates, and lower content of olefins, benzene and aromatics.
Reduction in gasoline benzene content often has been addressed by changing the cut point between light and heavy naphtha, directing more of the potential benzene formers to isomerization instead of to reforming. No benzene is formed in isomerization, wherein benzene is converted to C6 naphthenes and C6 naphthenes are isomerized toward an equilibrium mixture of cyclohexane and methylcyclopentane or converted to paraffins through ring opening. It is believed that such C6 cyclics are preferentially adsorbed on catalyst sites relative to paraffins, and the cyclics thus have a significant effect on catalyst activity for isomerization of paraffins. Refiners thus face the problem of maintaining the performance of light-naphtha isomerization units which process an increased concentration of feedstock cyclics.
Catalysts which are useful for ring opening are known and include a high chloride platinum component dispersed on a refractory inorganic oxide which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,155. U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,624 describes a catalyst for the selective opening of 5 and 6 membered rings which consists of a transition metal catalyst selected from the group consisting of carbides, nitrides, oxycarbides, oxynitrides, and oxycarbonitrides. The transition metal is selected from the group consisting of metals from Group IVA, VA, VIA of the Periodic Table of the Elements. U.S. Pat. No. 6,235,962 B1 discloses a catalyst for ring opening which comprises a carrier consisting of alumina, a metal modifier selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium and lanthanum, and at least one catalytically active metal selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, rhenium, iridium, ruthenium, and cobalt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,730 discloses a process for ring opening and isomerization of hydrocarbons where the catalyst comprises an aluminosilicate zeolite such as Zeolite Y or Zeolite Beta and a hydrogenation component. U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,026 discloses a process for conversion of cyclic hydrocarbons to non-cyclic paraffin hydrocarbons where the catalyst comprises a hydrogenation-dehydrogenation component and an acidic solid component comprising a group IVB metal oxide modified with an oxyanion of a group VIB metal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,511 discloses a catalyst for conversion of cyclic hydrocarbons to paraffins where the catalyst comprises rhodium or ruthenium on a halogen promoted refractory oxide. U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,876 discloses a ring opening catalyst which comprises a large pore crystalline molecular sieve component with a faujasite structure and an alpha acidity of less than one and a Group VIII noble metal. U.S. Publication No. 2002/43481 A1 discloses a catalyst for naphthalene ring opening which comprises at least one Group VIII metal selected from iridium, platinum, rhodium and ruthenium on a refractory inorganic oxide substrate containing at least one of an alkali metal and alkaline earth metal. Finally U.S. Publication No. 2002/40175 A1 discloses a naphthene ring opening catalyst comprising a Group VIII metal selected from iridium, platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and combinations thereof. With the metal being supported on the substrate comprising at least one of a Group IB, IIB, and IVA metal.
Applicants have developed an improved catalyst which takes cyclic paraffins such as methylcyclohexane and converts them to normal or branched paraffins of substantially the same carbon number. The catalyst comprises a Group VIII (IUPAC 8-10) metal component, a molecular sieve, a modifier component and a refractory inorganic oxide. The molecular sieves include those having 8, 10 or 12 ring pores and which promote minimal or no cracking, while preferred Group VIII metals include platinum and palladium and modifiers include niobium and titanium.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Dual functional catalyst for selective opening of cyclic paraffins and process for using the catalyst


Embodiments described herein provide a method for resource unit signaling with reduced data bits in a wireless local area network. At a wireless transceiver, a data frame may be obtained for transmission. The data frame includes a first preamble portion and a second preamble portion compliant with a wireless local area network communication protocol. When an available resource unit for transmitting the data frame is less than an allowed bandwidth, the first preamble portion and the second preamble portion may be configured with resource unit signaling bits. When the available resource unit is greater than or equal to the allowed bandwidth, the resource unit may be virtually divided into a plurality of channels. At least one of the first preamble portion and the second preamble portion may be configured with a first number of bits representing a number of users spatially multiplexed on a channel from the plurality of channels.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors hereof, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure.
When operating in an infrastructure mode, wireless local area networks (WLANs) typically include an access point (AP) and one or more client stations. These WLANs operate in either a unicast mode or a multicast mode. In the unicast mode, the AP transmits information to one client station at a time. In the multicast mode, the same information is concurrently transmitted to a group of client stations. Development of WLAN standards such as the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n standards has improved data throughput by allowing transmissions across frequency bandwidth. In such implementations, a group of client stations can share the same bandwidth for data transmission. For example, the 802.11ax standards adopts orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) to support multiple users in the same bandwidth, and each user is scheduled with a resource unit (RU) occupying a number of subcarriers in frequency.
A resource allocation mechanism is needed to allocate the available RU to each client for transmitting data frames to the AP. For example, the AP and/or the client station need to know how much bandwidth out of a channel is allocated to a specific user. Specifically, when a large number of client stations share a transmission channel to transmit with a low-cost AP (e.g., home use), the existing resource allocation signaling mechanism may be inefficient in terms of bandwidth utilization. For example, the existing resource allocation signaling mechanism requires a large amount of resource allocation signaling information transmitted with a data frame. The data bits used for signaling may take up a significant amount of bandwidth, which reduces transmission efficiency and complicates the scheduler.

Systems and methods for providing resource signaling within a wireless local area network (WLAN)


A photopolymerizable composition for forming a bezel pattern developed to be applied on a display substrate, a method for forming a bezel pattern using the same, a bezel pattern manufactured thereby, a display substrate comprising a bezel pattern manufactured thereby, and a rework method for removing a bezel pattern having a defective printed pattern are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the composition includes a colorant, an epoxy monomer, an oxetane monomer, a vinyl monomer, a cationic photopolymerization initiator, an adhesion promoter and a diluting solvent, the oxetane monomer comprises a monofunctional oxetane monomer and a difunctional oxetane monomer. The composition is suitable for manufacturing a bezel pattern that is easily removed, has sufficient adhesion to a display substrate, and good curing sensitivity and pencil hardness, without requiring a high-temperature heating process.

Metal wiring for driving a device is located around OLED display substrate or LCD display substrate used for a TV, a monitor, and the like. Conventionally, a separate plastic casing serving as a bezel is provided on the outside of the substrate to cover the wiring. However, in recent years, a method of directly printing a bezel pattern on a substrate by using a printing method such as an ink jet is used instead of using a separate bezel structure in order to attain lightening and thinning.
The composition for a bezel printing allows for an inkjet process at a temperature close to room temperature, and can be processed only by light exposure at room temperature without a high temperature process so as not to affect a substrate and a display material. Particularly, a cationic photopolymerizable composition comprising a colorant, a cationic photopolymerizable monomer such as an epoxy compound, a diluting solvent, a photoinitiator and other additive is known to have excellent adhesion properties to a glass substrate (See, Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2014-0072070 and 10-2015-0138094 by the present applicant).
When a printed matter is defective, generally the printed matter itself can be destroyed, but it is economically disadvantageous to destroy an expensive display substrate. Therefore, it is necessary to remove a poorly printed photopolymerizable composition on the display substrate and then recycle it. Since the photopolymerizable composition printed on the display substrate is in a liquid state, it is not difficult to remove it through ordinary solvent cleaning until immediately after printing and curing through an exposure process. However, there is a disadvantage that it is difficult to handle the display substrate in a state where the liquid composition is applied on four sides on a processing line requiring high cleanliness.
In addition, in order to shorten the processing time, it is generally preferable to carry out the defect inspection after completing all the printing and exposure processes, rather than inspecting the coating defect immediately after printing. Therefore, the bezel pattern that has been exposed and cured must be removed.
Since the bezel pattern formed from the cationic photopolymerizable composition according to the applications by the present applicant described above is based on an epoxy compound having excellent chemical resistance, it is difficult to remove the bezel pattern once it is cured. Generally, in order to remove the epoxy compound, a process of blending an abrasive or a method of immersing in a releasing agent which penetrates into the epoxy network structure may be used, but it may damage the display substrate. Therefore, the process or the method is difficult to use.
On the other hand, a free radical photopolymerizable composition based on an acrylic compound is easy to be removed even after curing. However, since the volume shrinkage during polymerization of the composition is large, a high-temperature heating process is essential for sufficient adhesion to a glass substrate of a display.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a composition for manufacturing a bezel pattern which is easy to be removed even after curing, and which has a sufficient adhesion to a display substrate without requiring a high-temperature heating process.

Photopolymerizable composition for forming bezel pattern, method for forming bezel pattern using same, and bezel pattern manufactured thereby


A wireless communications device receives information about the locations of other wireless communications devices from those other wireless communications devices, uses the location information to determine what directions those other wireless communications devices are from it, and creates a directional transmission to focus the transmission in the direction of one or more of those other wireless communications devices.

In a typical system involving wireless communications devices, a central wireless device (e.g., a base station, access point, etc.) may communicate directly with multiple mobile wireless devices (e.g., cell phones, wireless computers, personal data assistants, etc.). Because the mobile wireless devices may be located in any direction from the central wireless device, the central wireless device may transmit signals in a substantially omnidirectional or sectorized manner, so that the mobile wireless devices may be able to receive the signals regardless of which direction they are from the central wireless device. However, much of the transmission is directed to locations in which no mobile devices are located. This may result in radio frequency and bandwidth utilization inefficiencies.

Directional transmissions to multiple wireless devices


A seal system is utilized with flat, rough, and/or ribbed wall surfaces and includes a top dock pad and two substantially parallel side dock pads, which substantially frame a doorway at a loading dock. The dock pads are secured to the wall by a plurality of mounting brackets. The dock pads include a first foam layer coupled to a rear portion of a backing structure. The first foam layer operates to accommodate, or substantially “fill-in”, any surface irregularities of the building wall surface, such as a rough wall texture and rib surfaces, to provide an airtight or substantially airtight seal between the building and the seal structure. The dock pads also include a second foam layer coupled to a front portion of the backing structure. The second foam layer is employed to create an effective seal between the building and a rear portion of a vehicle.

Loading docks are common features of warehouses, retail stores, and other structures where trucks load and unload cargo. A typical loading dock has an opening ranging from 6 to 9 feet in width and 7 to 13 feet in height. A rubber bumper is typically placed along the bottom side of the opening to mitigate damage to the cargo body when trucks or trailers back up to the loading dock.
While the rubber bumper ensures that the cargo body does not come in contact with the building, it also creates gaps between the side and top walls of the cargo body and the building structure. Left unblocked, these gaps may allow environment effects, such as heat, cold, rain, and/or snow, as well as bugs, rodents, and other small animals into the building. To mitigate this, pads are typically installed along the edges of the loading dock. The pads act to fill these gaps and maintain a seal between the loading dock and the cargo body. A typical pad contains a foam rubber core secured to a wood frame and wrapped in a tough waterproof exterior covering. The wrapped pad and frame are then typically mounted to the loading dock doorway using metal brackets. An example of loading dock pads are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,424, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
While door seals are easily installed on smooth-sided buildings, buildings with uneven exteriors pose difficulties in installation. One common building exterior type contains regularly spaced ridges. The use of prior art door seal mountings generally requires cutting out sections of the ridges during installation of the door seal. This is generally needed because the ridge interferes with the mounting of a bracket used to hold the mounting in place. Even if a seal mount can be attached without cutting the ridge, for example, by welding the mount instead of using fastening brackets, the ridge often obscures the side of the mounting. In such an occluded position, it becomes difficult or impossible to secure the frame and seal in the mount by usual methods, for example, by passing lag screws through the side of the mount and into the frame.


A novel crystalline form of sitagliptin sulfate is provided. In addition, a method for obtaining the crystalline form, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the novel crystalline form and the crystalline form for use as a medicament are provided.

Sitagliptin, the chemical name of which is (2R)-4-oxo-4-[3-(trifluoromethyl)-5,6-dihydro[1,2,4]triazol[4,3-α]pyrazin-7(8H)-yl]-1-(2,4,5-trifluorophenyl)butan-2-amine, is a member of a class of antihyperglycemic agents called dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-IV) inhibitors which improve blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes patients by increasing the concentrations of incretin hormones. These hormones, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), are released by the intestine throughout the day and their concentrations increase in response to food intake. The activity of GLP-1 and of GIP is limited by the DPP-IV enzyme which quickly hydrolyzes incretins and transforms them into inactive products. Sitagliptin prevents this incretin hydrolysis by DPP-IV, so plasma concentrations of active forms of GLP-1 and GIP increase. As a result, sitagliptin increases insulin release and reduces the concentration of glucagon in a glucose dependent manner.

Sitagliptin was commercially authorized by the European Medicines Agency in March 2007. The medicinal product is currently marketed under the name Januvia®, being formulated with the dihydrogen phosphate salt of sitagliptin.
European patent EP 1412357 B1 (WO 2003/004498 A2) protects sitagliptin and its pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Likewise, in relation to the marketed medicinal product, a subsequent European patent EP 1654263 B1 (WO 2005/003135 A2) (MERCK; Jul. 18, 2004) specifically protects the dihydrogen phosphate salt of sitagliptin.
It is known by the person skilled in the art that different salts of one and the same pharmaceutically active substance can have different physical properties (melting point, solubility, hygroscopicity, etc). Even the existence of different crystalline forms of one and the same salt of one and the same pharmaceutically active substance can also have considerably different physical properties. Said differences can accordingly influence the pharmaceutical properties of the medicinal product formulated with the crystalline forms, without the person skilled in the art being able to predict a priori the existence of these crystalline forms or the different physical characteristics that they may have.
In this respect, several documents of the state of the art have described the existence of different crystalline forms of the addition salt of sitagliptin with sulfuric acid.
International application WO 2009/085990 A2 describes the production of an anhydrous crystalline form of sitagliptin sulfate salt and its characterization by means of DSC (Differential Scanning calorimetry), TGA (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis) and XRPD (X-Ray Powder Diffraction). However and in the hands of the inventors of the present application, said crystalline form is hygroscopic under the conditions of the European Pharmacopeia Ed. 6.0 Section 5.11 (24 hours at 80% RH and 25° C.), readily reaching a water proportion corresponding to a dihydrate form.
International application WO 2010/000469 A2 describes the production of an ethanol solvate (Form I) and of a crystalline form of sitagliptin sulfate salt (Form II). Both forms were characterized by means of DSC and XRPD, Form II having a water content corresponding to a monohydrate compound. This same form quickly reaches greater degrees of hydration (Table 21 of the application) under 43% and 75% relative humidity conditions, indicating the hygroscopic characteristics thereof.
International application WO 2010/092090 A2 describes the production of a crystalline form of sitagliptin sulfate salt, the characterization of which by means of XRPD is consistent with the crystalline form described in International application WO 2009/085990 A2.
Finally, international applications WO 2010/117738 A1 and WO 2011/123641 A1 describe the production of 19 crystalline forms (called S1 to S20 except form S15 which is not described) of sitagliptin sulfate salt (some of them, for example S4 and S5, being those previously described in the applications indicated above). The crystalline forms of these two applications are mainly characterized by means of their corresponding XRPD. According to the inventors, forms S7 and S13 are isopropanol solvate and methanol solvate, respectively. Crystalline form S14 is a monohydrate, crystalline form S16 is a sesquihydrate and crystalline forms S1, S9 and S11 are dihydrates. Despite not further describing physical properties of the remaining crystalline forms, there is data relating to same which indicate that crystalline forms S2 and S6 are transformed into form S9 under 100% relative humidity conditions, crystalline forms S13 and S16 and S18 are transformed into crystalline forms S14, S17 and S14, respectively, when the wet compound residual solvent is dried in a standard manner, crystalline form S17 is transformed into form S14 by being kept at a temperature of 50° C. (24 hours) or form S14 is transformed into form S1 or into a mixture of forms S1 and S11 when they are subjected to an environment with a high relative humidity. They also describe that under standard wet compound residual solvent drying conditions, crystalline form S11 is transformed into form S12, crystalline form S16 is transformed into crystalline form S17, which in turn is transformed into crystalline form S14, crystalline form S18 is transformed into crystalline form S14. Furthermore, patent application WO 2011/123641 A1 states that crystalline forms S7 and S10 filter slowly.
Based on what is described in the state of the art, it is necessary to obtain a crystalline form of the addition salt of sitagliptin with sulfuric acid with physical characteristics that allows it to be formulated in pharmaceutical compositions with assured stability.


An agent engine includes a definition process, the definition process operable to define a data set associated with an objective, a library storing a set of components, the components comprising at least one of a pre-programmed application, object, algorithm, function, and data set definition, and an agent generator process, the agent generator process operable to define at least one agent that includes at least one component from the library, the at least one generated agent defined to perform a function related to the objective.

An agent (a "proxy") refers to a set of code executable by a computer processor that may be used to perform one or more specific function(s) and also to learn from the agent's performance of those functions. Learning refers to a capability included in the agent that may be used to determine whether improvements may be made to the agent when performing subsequent actions.
Typically, the generation of an agent is performed manually, by a programmer. The programmer is given a set of input and output criteria and then creates the agent program to perform the specified functions (e.g. corresponding to the input/output criteria).


A rod-type closure for locking switch cabinet doors or like doors or flaps comprises a flat strip rod which is arranged so as to be guided parallel to a door edge, arranged in a bevel space, and having at least one locking part arranged thereon. The closure further comprises a closure element arranged on a door frame for receiving the locking part such that it locks. It further includes an actuating device for longitudinal displacement of the flat strip rod between an opening position and a locking position. The flat strip rod forming the locking part is offset out of its longitudinal plane along at least a part of its longitudinal extension thereby forming an offset portion. The flat strip profile in or adjacent to the offset portion, together with one of its offset or non-offset narrow edges forming a locking surface over which is engaged a hook part of the closure element arranged parallel to the plane of the flat strip rod.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a rod-type closure for locking preferably switch cabinet doors or the like doors or flaps, comprising a flat strip rod which is arranged so as to be guided parallel to the door edge, preferably in the bevel space, and has at least one locking part arranged thereon, further comprising a closure element arranged on the door frame for receiving the locking part such that it locks, and with an actuating device for the longitudinal displacement of the flat strip rod between an opening position and a locking position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A rod-type closure of this kind is already known from EP 0 261 268.
In sheet-metal cabinets with leaf-type cabinet doors which are provided with an angled edge and accordingly form a bevel space, the requirements for the closing action of the rod-type closure are especially high because such doors have only limited stability. Cabinet doors of this type can warp and deform under certain conditions. Moreover, these doors are exposed to particularly high stresses in certain applications. For example, when used as doors of electric switch cabinets containing high-voltage switches, arcing can occasionally occur inside the cabinet, resulting in explosive release of arc gases which leads to high pressure loading of the doors.
For this reason it is important that rod-type closures provided for such sheet-metal cabinets are constructed in such a way that they connect the door securely with the body of the cabinet so that the door can also receive the loads mentioned above. In this regard, the shape and bearing of the locking rods with their locking parts deserve particular attention.
According to EP 0 261 268, the flat strip rod has pins making up the locking part, these pins being round in cross section and attached to the flat strip material, for example, by riveting. During the closing process, these pins move into a bracket with a U-shaped section or profile.
In a rod-type closure known from DE 42 10 586 A1 which is similar to the type mentioned above, a 90-degree turn serves as a locking part of the flat strip rod, while a hook-shaped structural component part is used as closure element.
A disadvantage in the first reference cited above consists in its relatively complicated construction which should be simplified while retaining the advantages already achieved. The other reference has the disadvantage that the starting region formed by the turn in the flat strip rod in the locking area causes problems in that the rear engagement formed in this way leads to high friction and accordingly also to high wear and impedes movement during the moving in process. Another disadvantage consists in that the turn extends toward both sides and accordingly results in a relatively broad construction, although only one of these two sides is usable, so that there is an unnecessary waste of space. Further, the rotational loading of the rod is quite extensive, which likewise increases the friction in the rod guides and further increases the forces needed for actuating.