Disclosed is a liquid discharge head that comprises: a heat generator that generates a thermal energy for generating a bubble in a liquid; a discharge part as a portion to discharge the liquid; a flow path communicating with the discharge part and having a bubble generation region in which the bubble is generated; a movable member having a free end and is displaced with the growth of the bubble; and a restricting portion to define a displacement amount of the movable member, in which the flow path is formed by joining a substantially flat substrate provided with the heat generator the movable member and a top plate opposing to the substrate and including the restricting portion, and the liquid is discharged from the discharge part by an energy during generation of the bubble, in which the clearance between at least one sidewall of the flow path and the side edge portion of the restricting portion is larger than the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the movable member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge apparatus that discharge a desired liquid by generation of a bubble due to thermal energy or the like, and more particularly, to a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge apparatus having a movable member which is displaced by the use of generation of the bubble.
The term xe2x80x9crecordingxe2x80x9d in the present invention means to attach not only an image such as a character and a figure having a meaning but also an image such as a pattern to a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a recording apparatus such as a printer, an ink-jet recording method, a so-called bubble-jet recording method, has been known, in which energy such as heat is given to a liquid ink in a flow path to generate a bubble, ink is discharged from discharge part by an effort based on a steep volume change with the generation of the bubble, and the ink is adhered to the recording medium to form an image. In the recording apparatus using the bubble-jet recording method, a discharge part for discharging ink, a flow path communicating with the discharge part, and an electro-thermal converter as energy generation means for discharging ink provided in the flow path are generally provided, as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129.
According to such a recording method, a high-resolution image can be recorded in a high-speed and with a low noise, and the discharge part for discharging ink can be arranged in a high density in a head performing the recording method. Therefore, the recording method has many superior aspects that a recorded image or a color image of a high-resolution can be easily obtained by a small apparatus. Thus, the bubble-jet recording method has been used in various office appliances such as a printer, a copier and a facsimile, and furthermore, it has also been used in an industrial system such as a textile printing apparatus.
As bubble-jet technology has been used in products of various directions, the followings have been requested in recent years.
To obtain a high image quality, drive conditions are suggested by which a liquid discharge method and the like having a high discharge speed of ink and capable of performing good ink discharge based on stable bubble generation has been provided. In addition, from the viewpoint of high-speed recording, a recording method has been suggested in which the shape of the flow path is improved to obtain a liquid discharge head having a high filling (refilling) speed of a discharged liquid into the liquid flow path.
Other than the head described above, an invention having a construction to prevent a back wave being loss energy during discharge is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No 6-31918, which pays attention to the back wave (a pressure directed to a direction opposite to the direction toward the discharge part) generated with generation of the bubble. The invention described in the gazette is one that a triangular portion of a triangular plate member is arranged opposing to a heater that generates the bubble. In the invention, the back wave is temporarily controlled by a little amount by the plate member. However, since the invention does not mention a relative relation between the growth of the bubble and the triangular portion nor has such conception, the invention has the following problem.
Specifically, in the invention described in the gazette, an ink droplet shape cannot be stable because the heater is positioned at the bottom of a concave portion and cannot have a communication state in-line with the discharge part. Moreover, since the growth of the bubble is permitted from the periphery of the apex portion of a triangle, the bubble grows from one side of the triangular plate member entirely to the opposite side. Accordingly, normal growth of the bubble in the liquid completes as if the plate member does not exist. Therefore, existence of the plate member is not effective to the bubble that has grown. On the contrary, refill to the heater being positioned at the concave portion causes a turbulent flow in a contraction step of the bubble because the entire plate member is surrounded by the bubble, which causes micro bubbles to accumulate in the concave portion and breaks the principle where discharge is performed based on a growing bubble.
Moreover, the European Patent Publication No. 436047A1 suggests an invention that alternately opens/closes a first valve and a second valve, the first valve blocking the vicinity of the discharge part and a bubble generation section between them and the second valve completely blocking the bubble generation section and an ink supply section between them (refer to FIG. 4 to FIG. 9 of the gazette). However, in the invention, the three chambers are severally divided in two divisions, ink following the liquid droplet tails long during discharge, and thus considerably more satellite dots are produced compared to a normal discharge method where bubble growth, contraction, and bubble disappearance are performed (thus, it is presumed that effect of meniscus withdrawal due to the bubble disappearance cannot be used). Further, although the liquid is supplied to the bubble generation section with the bubble disappearance during refilling, the liquid cannot be supplied to the vicinity of the discharge part until the next bubble growth begins. Accordingly, not only dispersion of the discharged liquid droplets is large, but also discharge response frequency is extremely small, which are not in practical levels.
On the other hand, a number of inventions using a movable member (a plate member or the like having a free end closer to the discharge part side from a fulcrum) that effectively contributes to liquid droplet discharge are suggested by the inventors, which are totally different from the prior art. Among others, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 9-48127 discloses an invention that defines an upper limit of a displacement of the movable member in order to prevent the action of the foregoing movable member from being troubled. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-323420 discloses an invention in which the position of a common liquid chamber in an upstream to the above-described movable member is shifted closer to the free end side of the movable member, that is, to a downstream side utilizing the advantage of the movable member. As a presumption for creating the inventions, the inventors adopted a mode that the growth of the bubble is suddenly released to the discharge part side from a state of temporarily wrapping the bubble by the movable member. Accordingly, no attention is paid to individual element of the whole bubble regarding the formation of the liquid droplet and the relative relation thereof.
As the next step, the inventors disclose an invention in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 10-24588 that a portion of a bubble generation region is released from the above-described movable member, which is an invention (an acoustic wave) where its attention is paid to the bubble growth by pressure wave propagation as an element regarding the liquid discharge. However, since the invention also pays attention only to the growth of the bubble during the liquid discharge, no attention is paid to individual element of the whole bubble regarding the formation of the liquid droplet and the relative relation thereof.
Despite that the front portion (an edge shooter type) of a bubble by a film boiling, which has been conventionally known, greatly influences the discharge, no invention has paid attention to this conventionally for contributing to the formation of the discharged liquid droplet more effectively. The inventors have researched this with much effort for technical resolution.
Furthermore, the inventors have obtained the following effective finding when they paid attention to the displacement of the movable member and the generated bubble.
The finding is that the displacement of the free end of the movable member to the growth of the bubble is defined (restricted) by a restricting portion (a stopper). By restricting the displacement of the movable member by the restricting portion, the growth of the bubble in the upstream of the flow path is defined, and thus energy propagates for effectively discharging the liquid toward the downstream side where the discharge part is formed.
In the liquid discharge head having the foregoing constitution, there has been a case where dissolved gas in the liquid becomes a remained bubble due to change by passage of time, temperature increase by continuous bubble growth, and the like. Specifically, the bubble generated in the flow path due to change by passage of time, temperature increase by continuous bubble growth, and the like tends to be left in the front and rear of the restricting portion. Particularly, there is a portion where the liquid is hard to flow and stagnate in the vicinity of the restricting portion, and there has been a case when the bubble is left fixedly in the portion. In the following description, such a bubble is referred to as the remained bubble, which is distinguished from the bubble for liquid discharge that is grown by heat and disappeared. If the remained bubble is left fixedly in the front and rear of the restricting portion, deterioration of printing may have been caused because a bubble foaming power was absorbed by the remained bubble to reduce a discharge amount and a discharge speed or a discharge direction became unstable.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17A, if a remained bubble 450 exists in the vicinity of a restricting portion 412, the liquid discharge operation shown in FIG. 17B and FIG. 17C, and then the remained bubble 450 does not move and becomes residual even if the refill (refilling of the liquid) is performed as shown in FIG. 17D. This is because the flow of the liquid progresses so as to avoid the vicinity of the restricting portion 412, little flow of the liquid is made in the vicinity of the restricting portion 412, and the remained bubble 450 is also left in the portion without being washed down. As described, when the remained bubble 450 is left in the position, a bubble foaming pressure during bubble generation by heating of a heat generator 410 as shown in FIG. 17E to FIG. 17G is absorbed by the remained bubble residual in the portion, which leads to insufficient liquid discharge.
The object of the present invention is to prevent the remained bubble from being left in the vicinity of the restricting portion and also to prevent reduction of the liquid discharge performance due to a residual remained bubble.
The present invention is a liquid discharge head that comprises: a heat generator that generates a thermal energy for generating a bubble in a liquid; an discharge part as portions to discharge the liquid; a flow path communicating with the discharge part and having a bubble generation region in which the bubble is generated; a movable member having a free end and is displaced with the growth of the bubble; and a restricting portion to define (restrict) a displacement amount of the movable member, in which the flow path is formed by joining a substantially flat substrate provided with the heat generator and the movable member and a top plate opposing to the substrate and including the restricting portion, and the liquid is discharged from the discharge part by an energy during generation of the bubble, characterized in that the clearance between at least one sidewall of the flow path and the side edge portion of the restricting portion is larger than the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the movable member.
According to the above constitution, since the liquid can flow through the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the restricting portion, the foregoing flow of the liquid generated during refilling of the liquid and the like washes down the remained bubble and discharges it from the discharge part even if the remained bubble exists in the vicinity of the restricting portion.
It is preferable that the clearance between the movable member and the restricting portion along the height direction of the flow path, in a non-displacement state of the movable member, is larger than the clearance between the sidewall of the flow path and the side edge portion of the movable member and is smaller than the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the restricting portion.
Moreover, it is preferable that the sum of the clearance between the movable member and the restricting portion along the height direction of the flow path and the clearance between the movable member and the bottom surface of the flow path, in the non-displacement state of the movable member, is smaller than the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the restricting portion.
It is also preferable that the distance between the restricting portion and the bottom surface of the flow path in the height direction of the flow path is 15 xcexcm or more, the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the restricitng portion is 4 xcexcm or more, and the width of the restricting portion is 90% or less of the width of the flow path.
Further, it is preferable that both side edge portions of the restricting portion is convex toward the sidewall and have a shape in which the width continuously becomes narrower from the maximum width portion to the upstream direction and the downstream direction. In this case, the remained bubble moves smoothly along the side edge portion of the restricting portion.
The present invention is also characterized in that the restricting portion is severally formed on the both sidewalls of the flow path, which has a convex shape toward the inside of the flow path, and the clearance between the both restricting portions is larger than the clearance between the sidewall and the side edge portion of the movable member. In such a case, it is preferable that the sidewall has a shape in which the width continuously becomes narrower from the maximum width portion to the upstream direction and the downstream direction.
The liquid discharge apparatus of the present invention includes the liquid discharge head of any one of the foregoing constitutions, and discharges the remained bubble of the dissolved gas in the liquid, which is left in the flow path due to bubble foaming and change by passage of time, during discharge or refilling of the liquid from the discharge part together with the liquid through the clearance between the side edge portion of the restricting portion and the inner wall of the flow path or the clearance between the two restricting portions.
Moreover, the liquid discharge apparatus includes recovery means for recovering the state of the liquid discharge head, and the remained bubble is discharged by the recovery means.
It is to be noted that the terms xe2x80x9cupstreamxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdownstreamxe2x80x9d used in the description of the present invention are expressed as an expression regarding the flow direction of the liquid that directs from a supply source of the liquid toward the discharge part via the bubble generation region (or the movable member), or regarding a constitutional direction.
In addition, the xe2x80x9cdownstream sidexe2x80x9d regarding the bubble itself means the bubble generated in the downstream side relative to the center of the bubble regarding the direction of the flow or the constitutional direction, or the bubble generated in a region downstream side of the area center of the heat generator. In the same manner, the xe2x80x9cupstream sidexe2x80x9d regarding the bubble itself means the bubble generated in the upstream side relative to the center of the bubble regarding the direction of the flow or the constitutional direction, or the bubble generated in a region upstream side of the area center of the heat generator.

Liquid discharge head and apparatus having restricted movement of a movable member


A mounting frame for an electric motor includes tabs projecting laterally from the mounting frame for mounting a stator of the electric motor to a mounting surface. Between the tabs, the mounting frame includes stop areas that define the position of the stator with respect to the mounting surface. In an electric motor having such a mounting frame, the frame is connected directly to the core stack of the stator of the electric motor.

In order to connect the stator of an electric motor to the user-side mounting surface of an application such that the motor axis stands as perpendicularly as possible on the mounting surface, conventional housings for accommodating such a stator are manufactured by milling, for example. Such housings may be expensive, heavy and take up a lot of space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,415 describes a mounting frame for mounting a motor on a mounting surface. This mounting frame, however, may make it difficult to align the motor exactly with respect to the surface since the position of the motor is defined via several mounting tabs, each of which is individually connected to the mounting frame.

Mounting frame for an electric motor and electric motor


Digital media files that are captured using one or more imaging devices and stored in one or more data stores may be compressed, modified or disposed of based on business value scores associated with such files. The business value scores may be generated on any available information that may be known or determined regarding the contents of such files, including records of activity occurring within a vicinity of the imaging devices, or data obtained through an analysis of such files. Moreover, the business value scores may be altered on any basis, including according to one or more functions, and the compression, modification or disposal of such files may be altered accordingly.

Today, video cameras are frequently used for conducting surveillance or monitoring operations. For example, video cameras are commonplace in financial settings such as banks or casinos, where money changes hands in large amounts or at high rates of speed. Video cameras are also often used to monitor the arrival or departure of goods or services in warehouses, fulfillment centers or other like facilities, as well as the travels of persons or objects in locations such as airports, stadiums or other dense environments.
Video cameras may be aligned and configured to capture still or moving mages of actions or events within their respective fields of view, and information regarding the captured images or the actions or events may be recorded and subjected to further analysis in order to identify aspects, elements or features of the content expressed therein. When conducting surveillance or monitoring operations, video cameras may be provided alone or in groups, and programmed to recognize when an action or event has occurred, such as when a frame-to-frame analysis of video imagery suggests that a predetermined threshold has been exceeded or that a predetermined condition has been satisfied, or otherwise implies the occurrence of the action or the event based on information captured by the cameras. Moreover, information and data captured by such cameras may be archived in one or more data stores, where the information or data may be used or recalled for any purpose.
Unlike their film-based ancestors, digital cameras may capture still or moving images in the form of digital computer-based files that may be stored in one or more hard drives, servers or other non-transitory computer-readable media. While digitally stored files may be indexed, accessed or backed up with relative ease, where a large number of cameras are provided in order to monitor various aspects of a location or facility, the amount of digital storage capacity that is required in order to preserve such files for any relevant purpose may be overwhelming. For example, where a facility such as a warehouse or an airport provides a large array of digital cameras for surveillance or monitoring operations, such cameras may capture and store over a petabyte (or a million gigabytes) of video data from such cameras each day.
Moreover, existing systems and methods for archiving digital media files typically merely cause one or more digital media files to be deleted after a predetermined time, or when a capacity level of one or more data stores reaches a predetermined threshold or percentage. Such systems and methods merely treat all media files that are captured from a single imaging device, and every portion of such media files, as having equal value, despite the fact that no two digital media files are created equal from an archiving perspective.


A motor fan for a cleaning apparatus that creates the suction caused by a rotor in a suction device mounted in the cleaning apparatus such that foreign materials are drawn therein has a fan member coupled to the rotor and is provided with a plurality of curved fins thereon and which fins cause the air in a collection compartment to pass through a suction inlet by the suction when the rotor is rotated, and to discharge the sucked air outside a body through outlets and an exhaust outlet. A reinforcing member is provided and is closely engaged with a rear surface of the fan member, and which reinforcing member insertedly receives a shaft of the suction device and firmly is tightened by a nut. The reinforcing member is provided with a hub and a hole is provided in the hub for mounting the reinforcing member on a screw portion of the shaft, and further has a front surface provided with a plurality of bosses thereon, and the bosses are such that the reinforcing member is not separated from the fan member when the fan spins at high speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor fan for a cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to the motor fan whose deformation can be prevented, thereby providing the improved reliability and suction efficiency of the fan, and further, the motor efficiency being guaranteed even if any gap between fins on the fan and a motor housing is not adjusted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, there are now provided various types of a cleaning apparatus adopted to clean a room by sucking the dirt and dust through the suction created by a driving motor mounted in a main body of the cleaning apparatus.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning apparatus includes a main body 1, a dust collection compartment 5, a driving compartment 7, and a suction hose 4. The main body 1 forming a general exterior appearance of the cleaning apparatus further includes a connecting portion 2 and an exhaust outlet 3. The dust collection compartment 5 has a dust collection bag 6 used for collecting dust and foreign materials sucked into the body 1. The driving compartment 7 includes sucking means 10 mounted therein through supporting member 8, for creating the suction. Finally, the suction hose 4 coupled to the body through the connecting portion 2 serves to guide the air flow containing the dirt and dust into the dust collection bag 6 during the operation of the cleaning apparatus.
Further, the sucking means 10 has lower and upper housings 11 and 17, both of which form a general appearance thereof. The lower housing 11 is provided with a rotor 12 therein, which is for creating the rotational force during an application of electric power thereto. The upper housing 17 coupled to the lower housing 11 is provided with a fan or impeller therein that creates the actual suction in the cleaning apparatus by the activated rotor 12. The upper housing 17 also has a suction inlet 18 generally positioned around a hub thereof and a plurality of air outlets 19 formed in an outer surface thereof.
Also, the rotational force from the rotor 12 is transmitted through a shaft 13 coupled thereto to the fan 100, in which the shaft 13 has one end portion to which a male screw 15 is integrally attached, together with a stepped portion 14 on said end portion.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, one side of the fan 100 is provided with many curved fins 110 as integral parts of the fan 100, which cause the air in the dust collection compartment 5 to pass through the suction inlet 18 by the suction when the fan coupled to the rotor is rotated, and to discharge the sucked air outside the body 1 through the outlets 3 and exhaust outlet 19.
The fan 100 includes at central portion or hub thereof a groove 120 to be fitted into the stepped portion 14 and a through hole 130 contiguous to the groove 120, and for inserting the male screw 15.
The groove 120 and stepped portion 14 support a lower part of the fan 100, while an upper part of the fan 100 is assembled by using the screw. Then, nut 16 is used to tighten the screw 15.
However, such a configured fan has several problems. The fan 100 coupled to the shaft 13 only by nut 16 without a separate supporting means suffers from downward load applied thereto. With torque beyond a predetermined pressure being loaded to nut 16 for fastening, heat is generated during rotation of the fan 100 and a supporting intensity is lowered accordingly. This causes deformation being bent toward the curved fins, which damages the fan 100 and reduces a suction efficiency and reliability.
Further, it is generally designed such that the curved fins 100 are spaced a constant interval from a motor cover 24 assembled with the upper housing 17. However, a satisfactory adjustment of the required interval is substantially difficult, thereby causing the drawback that suction efficiency of t he motor is lowered.


A cordless power tool may include tool identification circuitry to provide a tool identification signal to a battery pack. The tool identification signal may be representative of data particular to the cordless power tool. A method may include coupling a battery pack to a cordless power tool, and providing a tool identification signal to the battery pack from the cordless power tool once the battery pack is coupled to the cordless power tool, the tool identification signal representative of data particular to the cordless power tool.

A wide variety of cordless power tools are available that may be utilized in different applications such as construction applications, fire and rescue applications, etc. Some examples of cordless power tools include, but are not limited to, cordless drills, cordless circular saws, cordless reciprocating saws, cordless sanders, cordless screwdrivers, and flashlights. Cordless power tools may utilize a rechargeable battery pack for providing power to operate the tool. The rechargeable battery pack may be readily removed from the cordless power tool and coupled to an external battery charger for charging purposes.
The battery pack may include one or more battery cells. The battery pack may also include monitoring circuitry to monitor parameters such as cell voltage levels, discharge current, and charging current. There are many different cordless power tools and battery packs. A battery pack may be designed for use in several cordless power tools. However, there is no way of notifying the battery pack of any particulars of the cordless power tool. Accordingly, there is a need for tool identification circuitry to notify an inserted battery pack of data particular to that cordless tool.

Cordless power tool with tool identification circuitry


The present invention builds on TASOS as well as recent discoveries in how the human brain manages multiple tasks and deals with new information or stimuli in order to impact a perpetrator's ability to complete a crime, deter, delay, disrupt and distract perpetrators of violent crimes. A sensory overload controller is used to initiate various audible and visual events to deliver sophisticated mental stimulation that challenge a perpetrator's ability to mentally focus and succeed at certain tasks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of safety management, and more specifically, expands on TASOS technologies and provides systems and methods to initiate various events which can disturb a perpetrator's thought process, thereby deterring, delaying, calming, and distracting perpetrators, and disrupting or decreasing the intensity of a potential criminal act, which are collectively coined TASOS II.
2. Description of Related Art
We are constantly reminded of the need for personal and home safety in today's society. The average person will be a victim of one or more crimes in their lifetimes. Meanwhile, significant constraints exist on the current criminal justice system as well as on private security companies to protect people. It follows that alternatives to traditional 911 emergency system responses would be beneficial.
Current personal safety solutions and services are aimed at protecting the user, and typically they do not focus on manipulating how a perpetrator operates except perhaps to play a loud siren or use strobe lights. Simple warnings or notices placed outside of homes and buildings, such as "Protected by ADT" may serve as a slight deterrent to some would-be criminals. Some more sophisticated security devices include motion sensors that simply turn on lights when movement is detected. However, many criminals are not persuaded by such warnings, and are willing to risk criminal prosecution in order to commit their crimes. Current deterrents do not effectively serve their purpose, as criminals still believe that they can control their environment and surrounding effectively to get away with a crime.
Current personal safety solutions do not proactively assess an environment or situation for a threat level, and then administer various events to that environment to confuse the perpetrator and make the perpetrator lose control of the situation. Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods that overcome the deficiencies of traditional safety solutions and services, and that serve to manipulate the thought process of a perpetrator in order to deter, distract or delay them, and thereby disrupt or decrease the intensity of a potential criminal act.

Systems and methods utilizing variable tempo sensory overload to deter, delay, distract or disrupt a perpetrator and decrease an intensity of a potential criminal act


A heat exchanger brazing fixture including a baseplate including a first surface and a second surface located opposite the first surface and a first post including a first end and a second end located opposite the first end. The first post is operably associated with the first surface of the baseplate at the first end. The A heat exchanger brazing fixture further including a top plate operably connected to the first post and separated from the first surface of the baseplate by a selected distance. The top plate being configured to move in a first direction along the first post when a heat exchanger resting upon the first surface of the baseplate expands during a brazing process.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to the field of heat exchangers, and specifically to an apparatus and method for brazing heat exchangers.
Components of a heat exchangers often need to be clamped under constant pressure during a brazing process, which may result in bowing in some of the final sheets of the heat exchanger.


A data processing system records information on magnetic disks in a format in which sector headers, which include embedded servo information, are radially aligned and recorded at a single frequency and data are recorded at various band-related frequencies. The system records sector headers at a frequency which is optimal for the recording of address information in the shortest sector and records the data at frequencies which are optimal for the recording of information in the disk space allocated to the data portion of the various lengths of sectors. The system synchronizes to the headers, using conventional embedded servo synchronization methods, and produces header timing signals. It can then use the same header timing signals to locate and interpret the headers on different tracks, since the header frequency and the location of the headers are the same in every track. The system may record the data portions of the sectors at frequencies which are related to the header frequency by ratios of small integers. The system then uses, in synchronizing to the disk, a phase locked loop which includes a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) that is driven to a reference frequency which is directly related to the header frequency. The system divides-down the frequency of the VCO output signal to produce the timing signals for the header. Also, it uses a version of the output signal of the VCO, which is divided-down by a band-related value, as a timing signal for the data.

Digital data processing systems typically include data storage devices, for example, multi-platter disk drives. Data are recorded on the disks in concentric tracks. The tracks are divided into sectors, and each sector is further divided into a header section and a data section. Data are recorded in (written) or retrieved from (read) the data portions of the sectors while address information, that is, disk surface number, track number and sector number, is stored in the header sections.
Data are read from or written to the disks using read/write heads. Each head is associated with a particular disk surface or portion of a disk surface. As the disks rotate under the heads, data are, for example, read from a particular sector when the associated head is over the data portion of that sector.
To begin a read or write operation the appropriate head is moved to the track containing the desired sector. The system then synchronizes various timers to the disk and precisely positions the head over the center of the track so that it can read the sector addresses rotating under the head, this is commonly referred to as format synchronization or synchronization to the disk. Once the system is synchronized to the disk, it locates the selected sector by reading the sector addresses and then it performs the read or write operation. If the system has used the head in the preceding read or write operation, or if it stays in synchronism with the disk using appropriate timers, for example during idle times, the system need not re-synchronize to the disk. Each time it uses a different head to perform a read or write operation, however, it must synchronize to the disk.
Using prior technology, most data processing systems record information for synchronization either on an extra servo surface or directly on the data surfaces. Such systems are referred to, respectively, as dedicated servo and embedded servo systems. Dedicated servo systems devote an entire disk surface to synchronization information, while embedded-servo systems devote a relatively small portion of each sector to synchronization information. Thus an embedded-only servo system typically records more data on a given number of disks than does a dedicated servo system.
An embedded-servo system must find the synchronization information before it can start synchronizing, and then it must fully synchronize to the disk in the time it takes the located synchronization information to rotate under the head. Otherwise, the system must wait for another sector containing embedded servo information to rotate under the head before it can complete its synchronization.
The speed with which the system can accurately synchronize to the disk affects the speed with which the system can transfer data to or from the drive. Accordingly, a system must balance the amount of disk space given to synchronization information against the amount of time it takes the system to synchronize to the disk.
A known embedded servo system records sector headers at radially aligned disk locations to enable the system to identify and interpret the header information quickly, even if the head is positioned slightly off of the center of a track. Once any header is located, the system can begin to synchronize to the disk using the synchronization information in the header. If the head can not completely synchronize to the recorded information in the time it takes the header to rotate under the head, the system waits a predetermined time for the next header and completes the synchronization process.
Sectors vary in physical length according to their locations along the radius of the disk. Thus, given the same angular extent for all the sectors, a sector located near the center of the disk is relatively short while a sector located at the outer edge of the disk is relatively long. The time it takes any sector to rotate under the head is a constant, however, because the disk rotates at a constant speed. The sectors thus each contain the same amount of data, regardless of their radial positions, assuming they are recorded at the same frequency.
A data signal is recorded on a disk as a series of magnetic flux reversals. The amount of data which can be recorded in a sector depends on how close together the flux reversals can be spaced without interfering with signal interpretation. The system interprets a flux reversal in a particular location in a sector as, for example, a binary ONE. It interprets the absence of a flux reversal in that particular location as a binary ZERO. If the flux reversals are so close together that the system can not determine if a flux reversal is or is not present at the particular location, the system can not accurately interpret the data. The amount of data recorded in any sector of a disk recorded at a single frequency is thus limited by the amount of data, or the density of the signal, which can be recorded in the shortest sector. The amount of data recorded in the shortest sector is commonly referred to as a "data block," and each sector, regardless of length, contains a single data block.
Several mechanisms have been developed to record more information on a disk. One such mechanism involves recording different portions of a disk at different densities, or signal frequencies. This is commonly referred to as "banding," with portions of the disk recorded at the same frequency being in the same "band." Known banded systems record information in the sectors closer to the outer edge of the disk, that is, the physically longer sectors, at a higher frequency than they record information in the sectors located closer to the center of the disk. This enables the system to record more than one data block in each of the longer sectors, and thus, more data on a given disk.
When information is recorded on a disk at different frequencies, one of the problems which must be solved is how to synchronize the system at the various frequencies. Each time a head is switched between bands, the system must resynchronize to the appropriate frequency before it can interpret the header addresses and find the desired sector.
Known banded systems synchronize to the various bands using a dedicated servo surface. However, as discussed, such dedicated servo systems sacrifice an entire disk surface for the synchronization information.

Embedded servo banded format for magnetic disks for use with a data processing system


A sound image localization apparatus for localizing a reproduced sound image at a sound source position convolves an impulse response through each path from an optimal position of localization of a sound source to the left and right ears of the listener into an audio signal to generate an audio signal for localization on the left and right channels. The impulse response is convolved after down sampling the audio signal localized to the position of the sound source behind the listener and thereby the amount of operation required of a signal processor for convoluting the impulse response is greatly reduced without spoiling a spatial localization of the sound image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound image localization apparatus, and is suitably applicable to a sound image localization apparatus for localizing a sound image reproduced by a headphone to an optimal position.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multi-channel audio signals are abundantly used as the sound along with the picture such as a movie. It is presumed that such multi-channel audio signals to be recorded are regenerated with the speaker arranged to both sides of the graphic display plane such as a screen and in the center, and the speaker put on the back of the listener or both sides. A sound field to have a natural broadening for the sound image position of regenerated sound actually heard to be like the position of a sound source in the picture can be established by regenerating those audio signals using a set of speakers arranged to such fixed positions.
However, when such an audio signal is reproduced on a headphone apparatus, the sound image of the regenerated sound is localized in the head of the listener. Because of this, the position of a sound image of the regenerated sound does not align with the position of a sound source in the picture, giving rise to a very unnatural sound field. Also, the position of localization of the audio signal of each channel can not regenerate separately and independently, and therefore more than one musical sound like an orchestra is localized uniformly in the head to compose an unnatural sound field.
To improve unnatural localization of the sound image in such headphone apparatus, a headphone apparatus was proposed in which an impulse response from an optimal position of a speaker to both ears of the listener is measured or calculated, an impulse response concerned is convolved in the audio signal using the digital filter, and the audio signal is regenerated, thereby attaining auditory localization of the natural sound image which just regenerates from the actual speaker (e.g., refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-227350).
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a headphone apparatus 100 for auditorily localizing the sound image of audio signal on one channel. The headphone apparatus 100 converts an analog audio signal SA on one channel inputted via an input terminal 1 into digital form in an analog digital conversion circuit 2 to generate a digital audio signal SD, and supply it to the digital processing circuits 3L and 3R. The digital processing circuits 3L and 3R perform the signal processings of auditory localization for the digital audio signal SD.
When a sound source SP to be localized is in front of the listener M, as shown in FIG. 2, the sound outputted from the sound source SP arrives via a path having the transfer functions HL and HR to the left and right ears of the listener M. The impulse responses on the left and right channels in which the transfer functions HL and HR are transformed into the time axis are measured or calculated in advance.
The digital processing circuits 3L and 3R convolve the impulse responses on the left and right channels into the digital audio signal SD and output the digital audio signals SDL and SDR. In this connection, each of the digital processing circuits 3L and 3R is made up of a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter, as shown in FIG. 3.
The digital analog conversion circuits 4L and 4R convert the digital audio signals SDL and SDR into analog form to generate the analog audio signals SAL and SAR, which are amplified in the corresponding amplifiers 5L and 5R, and supplied to a headphone 6. And the acoustic units (electro-acoustic transducer elements) 6L and 6R of the headphone 6 convert the analog audio signals SAL and SAR into sound and output it.
Accordingly, the left and right reproduced sounds outputted from the headphone 6 become equivalent to the sounds arriving from the sound source SP via the path having the transfer functions HL and HR, as shown in FIG. 2. Thereby, when the listener wears the headphone 6 and listens to the reproduced sound, the sound image is localized at the position of the sound source SP as shown in FIG. 2 (i.e., auditory localization).
Referring to FIG. 4, a headphone apparatus 101 for localizing the sound image of a multi-channel audio signal out of the head will be described below. In this headphone apparatus 101, the audio signals on three channels are localized out of the head to the positions corresponding to the sound sources SPa, SPb and SPc, as shown in FIG. 5. The impulse responses in which the transfer functions HaL and HaR from a sound source SPa to both ears of the listener M, the transfer functions HbL and HbR from a sound source SPb to both ears of the listener M, and the transfer functions HcL and HcR from a sound source SPc to both ears of the listener M are transformed into the time axis are measured or calculated in advance.
In FIG. 4, an analog digital conversion circuit 2a of the headphone apparatus 101 converts an analog audio signal SAa inputted via an input terminal 1a into digital form to generate a digital audio signal SDa, which is supplied to the digital processing circuits 3aL and 3aR at the latter stage. Likewise, an analog digital conversion circuit 2b converts an analog audio signal SAb inputted via an input terminal 1b into digital form to generate a digital audio signal SDb, which is supplied to the digital processing circuits 3bL and 3bR at the latter stage. Also, an analog digital conversion circuit 2c converts an analog audio signal SAc inputted via an input terminal 1c into digital form to generate a digital audio signal SDc, which is supplied to the digital processing circuits 3cL and 3cR at the latter stage.
The digital processing circuits 3aL, 3bL and 3cL convolve an impulse response for the left ear into the digital audio signals SDa, SDb and SDc, and supply the digital audio signals SDaL, SDbL and SDcL to an addition circuit 7L. Likewise, the digital processing circuits 3aR, 3bR and 3cR convolve an impulse response for the right ear into the digital audio signals SDa, SDb and SDc, and supply the digital audio signals SDaR, SDbR and SDcR to an addition circuit 7R. Each of the digital processing circuits 3aL and 3aR, 3bL and 3bR, 3cL and 3cR is made up of the same FIR filter as the digital processing circuits 3L and 3R, as shown in FIG. 1.
The addition circuit 7L adds the digital audio signals SDaL, SDbL and SDcL, into which the impulse response is convolved, to generate a digital audio signal SDL on the left channel. Likewise, the addition circuit 7R adds the digital audio signals SDaR, SDbR and SDcR, into which the impulse response is convolved, to generate a digital audio signal SDR on the right channel.
The digital analog conversion circuits 4L and 4R convert the digital audio signals SDL and SDR into analog form to generate the analog audio signals SAL and SAR, which are amplified by the corresponding amplifiers 5L and 5R, and supplied to the headphone 6. And the acoustic units 6L and 6R of the headphone 6 convert the analog audio signals SAL and SAR into sound and output it.
At this time, the left and right reproduced sounds outputted from the headphone 6 become equivalent to the sounds arriving from the sound sources SPa, SPb and SPc via the paths having the transfer functions HaL and HaR, HbL and HbR, HcL and HcR, as shown in FIG. 5. Thereby, when the listener wears the headphone 6 and listens to the reproduced sounds, the sound images are localized at the positions of the sound sources SPa, SPb and SPc, as shown in FIG. 5. When the audio signals on four or more channels are dealt with, the sound image is auditorily localized in same way.
On the other hand, when the multi-channel audio signal is regenerated on the speakers, there is a problem that a number of speakers corresponding to channels may not be arranged due to the limited area of a listening room. According to an embodiment, there is an attempt for composing a number of sound images around the listener, employing a limited number of speakers.
FIG. 6 shows a speaker apparatus 200 for localizing the sound image at any position, employing two speakers 9L and 9R, in which an analog audio signal SA inputted via an input terminal 1 is converted into digital form by an analog digital conversion circuit 2 to generate a digital audio signal SD which is supplied to the digital processing circuits 8L and 8R.
The digital processing circuits 8L and 8R convolve an impulse response (hereinafter described) for localizing the sound image into the digital audio signal SD and output the digital audio signals SDL and SDR. Each of the digital processing circuits 8L and 8R is made up of the same FIR filter as the digital processing circuits 3L and 3R as shown in FIG. 1.
The digital analog conversion circuits 4L and 4R convert the digital audio signals SDL and SDR into analog form to generate the analog audio signals SAL and SAR, which are amplified by the corresponding amplifiers 5L and 5R, and supplied to the speakers 9L and 9R. And the speakers 9L and 9R convert the analog audio signals SAL and SAR into sound and output it.
The concept of a sound image localization process in the digital processing circuits 8L and 8R will be described below. A case where the sound sources SPL and SPR are disposed left and right forward of the listener M, and a virtual sound source SPx is equivalently revived (localized) at any position by the sound sources SPL and SPR will be considered, as shown in FIG. 7.
Herein, supposing the transfer functions
HLL: transfer function from sound source SPL to the left ear of the listener M
HLR: transfer function from sound source SPL to the right ear of the listener M
HRL: transfer function from sound source SPR to the left ear of the listener M
HRR: transfer function from sound source SPR to the right ear of the listener M
HXL: transfer function from virtual sound source SPX to the left ear of the listener M
HXR: transfer function from virtual sound source SPX to the right ear of the listener M
the sound sources SPL and SPR are given by the following expression.SPL=(HXL×HRR−HXR×HRL)/(HLL×HRR−HLR×HRL)×SPX  (1)SPR=(HXR×HLL−HXL×HLR)/(HLL×HRR−HLR×HRL)×SPX  (2)
Accordingly, the digital processing circuits 8L and 8R convolve an impulse response in which the transfer functions as in the expression (1) or (2) are transformed into the time axis into the digital audio signal SD to localize the sound image at the position of the virtual sound source SPx.
Though in the above description, the sound of audio signal on one channel is localized at any position by two speakers 9L and 9R, the sound of each of multi-channel audio signals may be localized at any position by two speakers, employing the same configuration as the multi-channel headphone apparatus 101, as shown in FIG. 4.
In the above headphone apparatus or speaker apparatus, the sound image is localized at any position by convoluting an impulse response based on the transfer function into the audio signal. However, when each of multi-channel audio signals is regenerated as the sound image having a clear spatial localization at any position, it may be required to convolve the impulse response having a sufficient length for each sound source, causing a problem that the digital processing circuit has an enormous amount of operation, making the configuration of the apparatus complex.
Therefore, there has been a need for a sound image localization apparatus which realizes localization of the sound image with a significantly reduced amount of operation.

Sound image localization apparatus and method and recording medium


A data transmission device has a first module and a second module moveable relative to one another. One of the modules functions as a sending module and the other functions as a receiving module for transmitting data between first and second modules. One of the modules is an electrical line with a defined surge impedance and the other module is a coupling probe for coupling contact-free with the electrical line. A first sending and receiving electronic circuit is connected to the first module. A second sending and receiving electronic circuit is connected to the second module.

The invention relates to a device for transmitting data between a sending module and a receiving module which are moveable relative to one another. From DE-A1-40 06 770 a communication device of this kind for transmitting data between a sending platform and a receiving platform, which are movable relative to one another, is known. On the stationary sending platform a sending antenna is provided which has two identical lengths of a strip line arranged in a circle. Furthermore, a receiving antenna is provided on the receiving platform which is arranged at a predetermined distance from the sending antenna and which is movable about it.
In this communication system a data transmittal is thus only possible from the sending antenna to the receiving antenna and thus only in one direction. Furthermore, due to the circular arrangement of the sending antenna the field of application is further limited. However, it is a particular disadvantage that only a small portion of the transmittal power emitted by the sending antenna reaches the receiving antenna and that due to transmission in a circle about the sending antenna a perturbing radiation must be accepted with which machinery and devices arranged in the vicinity are unfavorably affected.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device for transmitting data of the aforementioned kind with which data can be transmitted not only in both directions alternatingly, but which also allows for any desired arrangement of the sending, respectively, receiving antenna as a track conductor so that extremely versatile application possibilities are provided. Furthermore, the device should be simple in its construction, and thus economical to produce, and not susceptible to soiling. Especially, a broad-band coupling with minimal damping between the sender and the receiver should be possible, and this substantially without loss of radiation.


A transmission includes: a plurality of rotating elements interposed between a driving source and an output portion; a rotating member that rotatably supports one of the rotating elements and is formed at a radially outer portion thereof with a plurality of recesses or protrusions; a support member having a surface, that is facing the rotating member, and a plurality of protrusions or recesses that are formed in a radially inner portion thereof and engage with the recesses or protrusions of the rotating member, the rotating member being mounted in the support member such that the rotating member is not able to rotate; and a friction producing mechanism that is provided between the rotating member and the above-indicated surface of the support member and is arranged to produce a frictional force between the rotating member and the surface of the support member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transmission and a power transmitting system, and in particular to a transmission having a rotating member and a support member that supports the rotating member such that the rotating member is not able to rotate, and a power transmitting system including the transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a hybrid vehicle provided with a power transmitting system that transmits power from an internal combustion engine to driving wheels through engagement of gears, the internal combustion engine, a first motor generator, and a second motor generator connected to the driving wheels via a reduction gear are respectively connected to three rotating elements of a power distribution mechanism. In this type of hybrid vehicle, power of the second motor generator is transmitted to the driving wheels via the reduction gear, so that large power is generated while the size of the second motor generator is reduced.
A known example of the power transmitting system of the related art having the reduction gear is illustrated in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, a second motor generator MG2 includes a stator (not shown) that forms a rotating magnetic field, and a rotor 1 disposed inside the stator and having a plurality of permanent magnets embedded therein.
A stator core of the stator of the second motor generator MG2 is formed by, for example, laminating magnetic steel sheets together, and is fixed to an inner circumferential wall of a case 2 as a support member of the power transmitting system.
The reduction gear is constructed such that a carrier as a rotating member that is one of rotating elements of a planetary gearset is fixed to the case 2, so as to reduce the speed of rotation of the second motor generator MG2. More specifically, the reduction gear includes a sun gear 3 coupled to a rotor shaft 1a formed integrally with the rotor 1, a ring gear 4 that transmits power to driveshafts (as an output portion) of driving wheels (not shown) via a gear mechanism, pinion gears 5 that mesh with the ring gear 4 and the sun gear 3 and transmit rotation of the sun gear 3 to the ring gear 4, and the carrier 6 as the rotating member that rotatably supports the pinion gears 5, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-308094 (JP-A-2005-308094). The ring gear 4 is formed integrally with a ring gear of a power distribution mechanism (not shown), and is operable to transmit power to the driveshafts when power of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the ring gear of the power distribution mechanism.
Also, a plurality of protrusions 6a are formed at a radially outer portion of the carrier 6, and a plurality of recesses 2a are formed in the inner circumferential surface of the case 2. Through engagement of the protrusions 6a of the carrier 6 with the recesses 2a of the case 2, the carrier 6 is mounted in the case 2 such that the carrier 6 is not able to rotate relative to the case 2.
In the power transmitting system having the reduction gear as described above, power of the second motor generator MG2 is transmitted to the ring gear 4 via the sun gear 3 and the pinion gears 4, and then transmitted from the ring gear 4 to the driving wheels, so that the speed of rotation of the second motor generator MG2 (i.e., rotor 1) can be reduced by the reduction gear.
In the reduction gear as described above, however, the width of each of the recesses 2a is required to be larger than the width of each of the protrusions 6a, so that the carrier 6 can be reliably mounted in the case 2. As a result, gaps are formed between the protrusions 6a and the recesses 2a when the carrier 6 is mounted in the case 2.
With the gaps thus formed between the protrusions 6a and the recesses 2a, when torque variations of the internal combustion engine are transmitted from the ring gear 4 to the pinion gears 5, or when torque produced during rotation of the second motor generator MG2 in forward and reverse directions is transmitted to the pinion gears 5 via the sun gear 3, torque may be applied to the carrier 6 that supports the pinion gears 5. As a result, unpleasant sound or noise may occur due to collisions between the protrusions 6a of the carrier 6 and the walls of the recesses 2a of the case 2.

Transmission and power transmitting system


A vehicle seatback assembly includes an outer shell coupled to a seatback carrier via a releasable coupling arrangement. The releasable coupling arrangement can take various forms in order to securely couple the outer shell to the seatback carrier. A seatback frame is disposed between the seatback carrier and the outer shell in assembly. An airbag module is coupled to the seatback frame, and the releasable coupling arrangement is configured to release upon deployment of an airbag from the airbag module to define a peripheral gap between the outer shell and seatback carrier through which the airbag can be deployed.

Vehicle seat assemblies are currently provided having integrated safety features for the protection of the vehicle occupant. Vehicle seat assemblies must be constructed in such a way that the vehicle seat is structurally sound and provides the support necessary for a vehicle occupant. In order to improve the safety features of a vehicle seat, an airbag deployment device may be incorporated into the vehicle seat design. When an airbag deployment device is integrated into the vehicle seat design, the assembly of the vehicle seat must accommodate proper deployment of the airbag deployment device. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seat assembly that can be assembled in an efficient manner while providing coupling features that are configured to allow for proper deployment of an airbag deployment device.

Vehicle seat assembly with side-impact airbag deployment mechanism


The use of pre-sintered soldering plates, referred to as PSPs, frequently proceeds without a continuous, cohesive soldering connection between individual grains in the sinter material and between the sinter and base material. A process soldering of prefabricated, perforated, porous or drilled plates or porous, spongy, laminar material that, can be laid full-surfaced on a base element as a plurality of tiles or as individual porous, drilled or perforated inlay elements designed contour-close on a recess in the base material is provided. To this end, the selected plate materials can be mechanically equal to the base material or otherwise set off for the particular requirements of the component insert. The solder can be offset by specific diffusible, melting-point-lowering components. A mold that has an open, continuous porosity so that melted or fluid solder can flow through from the one surface to the other surface is also provided.

Solder-application processes are used to restore removed material during the repair of components, e.g. turbine blades or vanes. Owing to the use of presintered sheet or flat material (presintered preform=PSP), attachment defects, porosities and other mechanical flaws arise in the soldering result on the substrate over the course of their application.
For the repair of turbine blades or vanes by soldering processes using PSPs, to date use has been made of presintered sheets or flat materials, consisting of high-melting proportions of alloy and low-melting proportions of solder, which, during the soldering process, achieve melt wetting and therefore soldering between the base material (the component) and the high-melting proportions of sinter of the PSP. Depending on the mixing ratios between high-melting and low-melting proportions and also depending on grain morphologies in the sintered material, incomplete wetting both of the sintered material and of the base material often occurs here.

Mould for soldering, arrangement of moulds, a method and a component


A computer-implemented method for discouraging polymorphic malware may comprise: 1) receiving a request to register a file in a registration database, 2) applying a registration tax to the file, 3) determining, based on whether the registration tax for the file has been satisfied, whether to register the file in the registration database, and then 4) determining, based at least in part on whether the file has been registered in the registration database, whether to add the file to an approved-file database. A method for determining whether to allow files on a computing device to execute using such an approved-file database is also disclosed. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

In recent years, malicious software developers have attempted to proliferate malware by creating software that automatically generates thousands or potentially millions variations of a single malicious file (often referred to as "polymorphic malware"). There are many ways to create such obfuscating variants. For example, polymorphic malware can self-mutate or be mutated by manual or automatic processes that are not contained within the threat itself, such as by a process running on a server hosting the malware. Because many existing anti-virus technologies detect malicious files by identifying a unique digital signature or fingerprint for each variation of a malicious file, conventional anti-virus technologies have struggled to protect computing resources from polymorphic-malware threats due to their inability to quickly and correctly identify the digital signatures for each of the potentially millions of variations of a malicious file.
Such deficiencies in conventional anti-virus technologies have lead to the investigation of alternative technologies. One promising area of development is in file "whitelisting," a system in which only applications, files, or programs contained within a defined list may be accessed or executed by a computing system.
Security vendors may create whitelists either manually or automatically, such as through the use of web-spidering techniques. However, given the high number of new applications created and published on a daily basis, many security vendors have struggled with manually creating comprehensive whitelists. Moreover, many automatic techniques for creating whitelists only identify a portion of known legitimate files. Conventional automatic techniques are also prone to falsely identifying illegitimate files as legitimate, and vice-versa, further limiting the viability of a whitelist generated using such a technique.

Systems and methods for discouraging polymorphic malware


When an intermediate potential is required inside a semiconductor device, the constant potential generating circuit can output a stable potential, while maintaining a high driving capability, so that the controllability of the semiconductor device can be improved. The constant potential generating circuit comprises a first output circuit composed of two transistors P16 and N16 for supplying an intermediate output potential V.sub.out to a load; a second output circuit composed of two transistors P11 and N11 for outputting a voltage corresponding to the output potential V.sub.out to a node 13; a resistor R11 interposed between an output point of the output potential V.sub.out and the node 13; and a differential amplifier circuit Ad for comparing the voltage at the node 13 with the reference potential V.sub.ref to apply control signals to the transistors P11, N11, P16 and N16, respectively. In response to the control signals applied from the differential amplifier circuit Ad, the response speed of the second circuit composed of the transistors P11 and N11 is determined higher than that of the first circuit composed of the transistors P16 and N16. Therefore, when the output potential V.sub.out changes relative to the reference potential V.sub.ref, the gate control signals are outputted from the differential amplifier circuit Ad, by comparing the voltage at the node 13 (at which the response speed is high in response to the control signals) with the reference potential V.sub.ref, so that the output potential V.sub.out can be controlled at a stable point at high speed. FIG. 1!

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a constant potential generating circuit and a semiconductor device using the same constant potential generating circuit, and more specifically to a constant potential generating circuit which can increase drive capability and is suitable for control stability, in particular when an intermediate potential is generated, and a semiconductor device using the same constant potential generating circuit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 22 is a circuit diagram showing a prior art constant potential generating circuit device which can increase the capability of outputting any required intermediate potential. In the drawing, a series circuit of a P-channel transistor P11 and an N-channel transistor N11 is connected between a supply potential V.sub.DD and a ground potential V.sub.SS, and any determined intermediate output potential V.sub.out can be outputted from a junction point between the two drains of the transistor P11 and the transistor N11. The output potential V.sub.out is supplied to a load which requires an intermediate potential. On the other hand, a predetermined intermediate reference potential V.sub.ref and the output potential V.sub.out of this circuit are both given to a differential amplifier circuit Ad, and two control voltages are outputted from the differential amplifier circuit Ad to a node 11 and another node 12, respectively. Further, the control voltage at the node 11 is given to the gate of the transistor P11, and the control voltage at the node 12 is given to the gate of the transistor N11.
The operation of the circuit constructed as described above will be described hereinbelow with reference to some waveform diagrams shown in FIGS. 23(a) to 23(c), in which FIG. 23(a) shows the operation obtained when the output potential V.sub.out is higher than the reference potential V.sub.ref ; FIG. 23(b) shows the operation obtained when the output potential V.sub.out is lower than the reference potential V.sub.ref ; and FIG. 23(c) shows the operation obtained when the output potential V.sub.out is oscillated on the basis of the reference potential V.sub.ref.
Now, when the output potential V.sub.out is roughly the same in level as the reference potential V.sub.ref ; that is, when the circuit is at a stable point, the potential at the node 11 is at roughly the supply potential V.sub.DD and the potential at the node 12 is at roughly the ground potential V.sub.SS, so that both the transistors P11 and N11 are turned off.
Here, the differential amplifier circuit Ad compares the output potential V.sub.out with the reference potential V.sub.ref, and controls the gate voltages of the transistor P11 and the transistor N11 in such a way that the output potential V.sub.out becomes equal to the reference potential V.sub.ref.
Now, when the output potential V.sub.out is higher than the reference potential V.sub.ref. as shown in FIG. 23(a), the differential amplifier circuit Ad detects the difference between the two and operates so that the node 12 can be pulled up from a low level. As a result, the transistor N11 is turned on to pull down the level of the output potential V.sub.out.
Consequently, when the output potential level V.sub.out reaches the reference potential level V.sub.ref, the differential amplifier circuit Ad pulls down the node 12 to a low level, with the result that the output potential V.sub.out approaches the reference potential V.sub.ref, and thereby a stable point can be obtained.
Further, when being lowered, if the output potential V.sub.out is dropped excessively below the reference potential V.sub.ref, the differential amplifier circuit Ad operates for correction by pulling down the node 11 from the supply potential V.sub.DD, so that the output potential V.sub.out can be returned up to the reference potential V.sub.ref.
In contrast with this, when the output potential V.sub.out is lower than the reference potential V.sub.ref as shown in FIG. 23(b), the differential amplifier circuit Ad detects the difference between the two and operates so that the node 11 can be pulled down from a high level. As a result, the transistor P11 is turned on to pull up the level of the output potential V.sub.out.
Consequently, when the output potential level V.sub.out reaches the reference potential level V.sub.ref, the differential amplifier circuit Ad pulls up the node 11 to a high level, with the result that the output potential V.sub.out approaches the reference potential V.sub.ref, and thereby a stable point can be obtained.
Further, when being raised, if the output potential V.sub.out rises excessively beyond the reference potential V.sub.ref, the differential amplifier circuit Ad operates for correction by pulling up the node 12 from the ground potential V.sub.SS, so that the output potential V.sub.out can be returned down to the reference potential V.sub.ref.
In the prior art semiconductor device as described above, however, there exists a problem as follows: In the circuit construction as shown in FIG. 22, when the capability of both the transistors P11 and N11 for deciding the output potential V.sub.out is increased, the level change speed of the output potential V.sub.out increases. When the level change speed increases, there exists a possibility such that since the differential amplifier circuit Ad detects the difference between the reference potential V.sub.ref and the output potential V.sub.out, the level change speed at the output potential V.sub.out increases higher than the level control speed at the node 11 or 12. The situation as described above occurs more prominently with increasing driving capability of the transistors P11 and N11 (in order to increase the driving capability of the output potential V.sub.out outputted as an intermediate level). As a result, before converging to the reference potential V.sub.ref, the output potential V.sub.out overshoots or undershoots, with the result that the stabilization of the output potential V.sub.out at the reference potential V.sub.ref is delayed. When this situation becomes extremely, the output potential V.sub.out overshoots and undershoots repeatedly, as shown in FIG. 23(c), and thereby the control voltages at the nodes 11 and 12 both oscillate, with the result that it is impossible to stabilize the level of the output potential V.sub.out.
To overcome this problem, it is necessary to reduce the change speed of the output potential V.sub.out sufficiently slower than the level detection speed of the differential amplifier circuit Ad. For this purpose, it is necessary to lower the driving capability of the transistors P11 and N11 or to change the response speed to the level change of the output potential V.sub.out with respect to time, according to the level difference between the output potential V.sub.out and the reference potential V.sub.ref. However, when the driving capability of the output transistors is lowered, the original object of increasing the driving capability of the intermediate potential cannot be achieved. On the other hand, when the circuit response characteristics are changed according to the level change or with the elapse of time, it is difficult to set the circuit constants, so that the circuit may be operated erroneously, thus resulting in various undesired problems.

Constant potential generating circuit and semiconductor device using same


A non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery including: (a) a positive electrode capable of charging and discharging lithium; (b) a negative electrode capable of charging and discharging lithium; (c) a separator or a lithium ion conductive layer interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode; and (d) a lithium ion conductive non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode contains a mixture of a first positive electrode active material and a second positive electrode active material, the first positive electrode active material includes lithium oxide containing manganese, the lithium oxide further contains aluminum and/or magnesium, and the second positive electrode active material includes LixCo1-y-zMgyAlzO2 where 1≦x≦1.03, 0.005≦y≦0.1 and 0.001≦z<0.02.

Non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable batteries used as a main power source of mobile telecommunication equipment and mobile electronic devices of recent model feature high electromotive force and high energy density. Known examples of positive electrode active materials used therein are composite oxides such as lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) and lithium nickel oxide (LiNiO2). These composite oxides have a potential of 4 V or higher with respect to metallic lithium.
Each of the composite oxides used as the positive electrode active material has advantages and drawbacks. Accordingly, an attempt has been made to use two or more composite oxides in mixture. For example, it has been proposed to use a spinel-type lithium-manganese composite oxide containing a heteroelement in mixture with a spinel-type lithium-manganese composite oxide containing a heteroelement and cobalt (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-315503, claims 1 and 11 and page 4). This publication has also proposed to make the positive electrode active material include a third oxide having favorable electron conductivity.
Further, it has also been proposed to mix a lithium-cobalt composite oxide containing a heteroelement and a lithium-nickel composite oxide (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-319398, claim 1 and page 3).
Among the composite oxides described above, the spinel-type lithium-manganese composite oxide and lithium-nickel composite oxide containing Mn are excellent in safety under high potential, cycle characteristics and heat resistance during overcharge.
According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-315503, the positive electrode active material contains, as main components, both of the spinel-type lithium-manganese composite oxide whose crystal expands due to intercalation of lithium ions and the lithium-nickel composite oxide whose crystal shrinks due to intercalation of lithium ions. Therefore, due to an interaction between them, contact among active material particles with progress of cycles is maintained in stable condition, thereby inhibiting reduction in cycle characteristics.
Accordingly, there arises a problem in that the advantages of the composite oxides are averaged, making their peculiarities indistinct. That is, superiority cannot be gained over a battery using a spinel-type lithium-manganese composite oxide featuring low costs and high safety as a main active material or a battery using a lithium-nickel composite oxide aiming at high capacity as a main active material.
Further, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-319398, the same problem arises when a lithium-cobalt composite oxide containing a heteroelement is mixed with a lithium-nickel composite oxide having high capacity, because the capacity of the lithium-cobalt composite oxide is low. In particular, if the heteroelement contained in the lithium-cobalt composite oxide is other element than magnesium, capacity reduction occurs remarkably.
Still further, there arises another problem when the spinel-type lithium-manganese composite oxide or lithium-nickel composite oxide containing Mn is used as the positive electrode active material. That is, manganese in high potential state at high temperature is apt to be resolved from the positive electrode to an electrolyte. Thus, these oxides have problems in cycle characteristics and shelf life at high temperature.

Non-aqueous electrolyte rechargeable battery

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The invention is directed to amphipathic polymeric particles that serve as both the dispersant and the binder in water based inks, ink compositions containing these particles, and methods for making the particles. The polymeric particles contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties with a pre-determined structure, and have an average diameter of 50 to 500 nm. The amphipathic polymeric particles may be prepared by a side-chain conversion method or a polymerization process involving an ATRP step, with or without a cross-linking agent. This invention improves the stability of polymer and inks by both ionic and steric stabilization of the suspended polymer particles.

Inks are among the oldest known technologies. Historians believe inks were utilized in China and Egypt as early as 2,500 B.C. Nonetheless, significant advances in the ink art continue to occur, especially when formulating compositions for use in more modern dispensers such as ink jet printers.
Inks for use in ink jet printers generally comprise an aqueous carrier and a colorant. The colorant can be a dye or a pigment—the distinction being that dyes are soluble in aqueous and/or organic solvents whereas pigments are relatively insoluble.
Inks containing soluble dyes, however, exhibit numerous problems. These problems include: poor water fastness; poor light fastness; clogging of the ink jet channels as a result of solvent evaporation, changes in the dye solubility, and/or dye crystallization; bleeding and feathering on the printed page; poor thermal stability; and chemical instability, including but not limited to poor oxidation resistance.
Many of these problems are minimized by replacing the dyes with pigments. In general, pigments have superior properties when compared to dyes, including good water fastness, good light fastness, thermal stability, oxidative stability and compatibility with paper. However, difficulties are encountered in maintaining the pigments in a stable and uniform suspension. If the pigments coagulate and/or fall out of suspension, the utility of the ink is greatly diminished, if not completely destroyed.
Polymeric dispersants are often employed to increase the shelf life of the pigment suspensions. Generally speaking, these dispersants contain hydrophobic groups that absorb onto the pigment particle surfaces through acid-base interactions, Van der Waals forces, or physical entanglement or entrapment. In addition, the dispersants contain hydrophilic groups that extend out into the aqueous medium. In this way, the dispersants associate the pigment with the aqueous carrier.
In the dispersant, large particles are undesirable since they clog the ink jet and are difficult to be suspend in water over a long period of time without settlement. Moreover, it is difficult to precisely control the identity, length, weight and distribution of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in the polymer dispersant. When these properties are not controlled, the dispersant may not be able to fully cover the water-insoluble pigments to create an electrostatic layer that prevents aggregation. In some cases, the dispersant may even act as a flocculent which is the opposite desired effect.
Regardless of the colorant employed, the adherence of the ink on the substrate is always a major issue. Colorants must be chemically or physically bound to the treated surface, e.g., paper, in order to prevent bleeding, smearing or rubbing after the ink has dried. Accordingly, polymeric binders are often employed to chemically and/or physically entrap the colorant.
The present inventor has conducted a great deal of research in the field of inks. Much of this work is directed to polymeric dispersants and/or binders. Patents that have issued on this work include the following: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,972,552; 5,973,025; 5,990,202; 6,027,844; 6,057,384; 6,090,193; 6,117,222; 6,248,161 B1; and 6,248,805 B1. However, there remains a need for inks, that can be used in ink jet printers, which exhibit improved shelf-life, water fastness, smear fastness, and light fastness.

Amphipathic polymer particles and methods of manufacturing the same

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An article for allowing a person to exercise the oblique abdominal muscles comprises a rigid member, in accordance with a preferred method of use, is grasped in the hands and held behind the neck. At either end of the rod, an elastic member extends downward with the distal end of each elastic member being held against the floor by the person's foot. As the user swivels the upper body, the elastic members are placed in tension and provide resistance for exercising the oblique abdominal muscles.

Various techniques are known for exercising and toning the many skeletal muscles of the human body. People who exercise often target the abdominal muscles for a variety of practical or aesthetic reasons. Exercises such as sit-ups are effective at toning the rectus abdominis muscles of the abdomen. When contracted, these muscles can make the front of the abdomen rigid or cause flexion of the torso. A device for exercising these muscles is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,045 to Gaston.
While many exercises and implements have been created to develop the rectus abdominis muscles, relatively little attention has been given to exercising the internal and external oblique muscles which wrap the sides of the abdomen above each hip. For some individuals wanting to achieve a desired body shape, this part of the body can be especially difficult to tone. The oblique muscles serve to swivel the upper body with respect to the hips.
One device that is commonly found in gyms provides for a user to sit upright and couple their arms to a yoke that swivels in a vertical axis roughly aligned with the user's spine. The yoke is in turn coupled to an adjustable weight stack or the like so that the user can vary the force required to turn the yoke. This device is large and cumbersome. Furthermore, the use of weights for resistance to motion also introduces inertia, increasing the chance that misuse of the device may result in injury to muscles and other tissues. The inertial effects increase as greater weights are used for resistance. The effectiveness of this device varies from person to person. Some people may properly use the oblique muscles to rotate the yoke whereas other people may rely upon other muscles to coax the yoke around.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,581 to Hartsel teaches a piece of exercise equipment designed to be placed behind a person's head and to hold the person's arms in a position substantially above and behind the chest as exercises are performed. Exercise activities performed while lying on one's back, such as sit-ups or "bicycling", and using the Hartsel invention are intended to strengthen abdominal muscles, including oblique abdominal muscles. To increase resistance, weights may be added to the Hartsel device. In accordance with Hartsel, increasing resistance involves increasing overall mass of the device and increasing the rotational inertia.


A rake includes a frame and at least one arm assembly attached to the frame via an arm member. The arm assembly includes a main beam coupled to the arm member. The main beam includes a first member pivotally attached to a second member, and the angle between the first and second members is adjustable. The arm assembly further includes a first rake wheel unit connected to the first member and a second rake wheel unit connected to the second member. The arm assembly attaches to the frame such that in a work position, the first and second rake wheel units are disposed substantially horizontally extended with respect to frame, and in a transport position, the first and second rake wheel units are disposed substantially vertically above the frame.

1. Field
The embodiments discussed herein relate to a carted rake wheel apparatus including an adjustment unit that allows a user to vary the windrow width.
2. Description of the Related Art
On a carted wheel rake, the raking width, raking wheel angle, and windrow width are important settings for the user. Current carted rake wheel designs have adjustments which allow the raking width, angle, and windrow width to be adjusted collectively, but not each independently. Because the rake wheels are all on one common beam, the width of the front wheel (raking width) and angle of the beam affects the position of the rear wheel (which defines the windrow width).
For example, to maximize the amount of material raked with a carted V rake, the rake is adjusted to make the V as wide as possible. This is done by moving the main beams longitudinally out away from the rake cart. This makes the V wide at the front, but also increases the width of the opening in the back (windrow width). In order to create a windrow that is able, for example, to be subsequently picked up with a harvester, current designs utilize the ability to adjust the overall angle of the main beam with respect to the direction of travel. Increasing the beam angle causes the front to get wider and the back to get narrower, which results in a narrower windrow. Although this is a solution in some conditions, in other conditions, such as heavy, wet crop, and/or windy conditions, a high rake wheel beam angle does not provide adequate raking quality. In these other conditions, the rake wheel beam angle needs to be reduced, and in order to achieve the desired windrow width, the overall raking width will need to be reduced as well.

Carted wheel rake windrow adjustment apparatus


A life vest stowage device (1) comprises a receptacle (2) for stowing a life vest (3). The receptacle (2) has an opening (4) through which the life vest (3) is inserted into and removed from the receptacle (2). A closure is provided, by which the opening (4) can be opened and closed. The closure comprises a tongue (5) on a first side of the opening (4). The tongue (5) is arranged such that it can be folded across the opening (4) to obstruct the opening (4). On a second side of the opening (4), opposite to the first side of the opening (4), there is provided a pocket (6). The pocket (6) is arranged so that the tongue (5) can be inserted into the pocket (6) when the tongue is folded to obstruct the opening (4). With the tongue (5) folded to obstruct the opening (4) and inserted in the pocket (6), first and second strips (7, 16) of a second material are aligned with one another and can be squeezed together so that the closure is substantially flat. This ensures that the tongue (5) is secured in the pocket (6) by a hook and loop fastener and allows a security seal (17) to be applied to the closure.

Aviation regulations require commercial passenger aircraft to carry a life vest (or "life jacket") for each passenger. The life vest must be accessible to the passenger for use in the event of an emergency. In order to comply with these regulations, a life vest is usually stowed under each seat in a commercial passenger aircraft.
Life vest stowage devices are available for stowing life vests under aircraft seats. Regulations require that a passenger is able to remove a life vest from a life vest stowage device by application of a force of no greater than 6 N. They also require that the life vest should remain stowed in the life vest stowage device in the event of the aircraft suffering an impact of up to 16 G. Life vest stowage devices in current use therefore have closures that allow easy removal of a life vest whilst otherwise firmly retaining the life vest in the device.
Security requirements for life vest stowage devices are also becoming increasingly stringent. For example, all unsealed life vest stowage devices must have their life vests removed and be manually searched prior to an aircraft departing to enter or leave United States air space. A life vest is therefore typically secured in a life vest stowage device by a security seal. The security seal can be checked by airline ground crew to see whether or not it has been tampered with, thereby avoiding the need to search life vest stowage devices with intact security seals. With the life vest stowed and the security seal in place, it is important that access cannot be gained to the inside of the life vest stowage device, so that no foreign objects can be secreted inside the device in breach of aircraft security.
In view of the various aviation regulations and security requirements, increasingly complex closures and security seals have come into use. These closures and security seals can be time consuming to handle, leading to increased costs for airlines. There is therefore a need to provide simplified arrangements that require less time for airline ground crew to check and maintain whilst still being in conformity with the appropriate aviation regulations and security requirements.


A method of producing an Al plated steel wire comprises a first step of continuously immersing a material steel wire formed of a steel core into a molten Al plating bath and then withdrawing the material steel wire to a gas phase space. The material steel wire plated with a plating metal is brought into contact with a contact member at the plating bath rising portion to produce the Al plated steel wire, the Al plated steel wire having an average diameter DA (mm) and a minimum diameter DMIN (mm) in the longitudinal direction of the wire satisfying the following expression (1)(DA−DMIN)/DA≤0.10,  (1).The Al plated steel wire is then wound.

A copper wire has been used as various conductive wires including a conductive wire for a wire harness of an automobile. However, contamination with a copper material is not preferred on recycling with iron scrap. Accordingly, from the standpoint of the recycling efficiency, an aluminum wire, which can be melted with iron scrap and has relatively good conductivity, is advantageously applied.
A strand wire is often used as a signal wire or the like used in a wire harness. As a strand wire for a wire harness formed of an aluminum wire, for example, a strand wire containing approximately 10 Al element wires each having a diameter of from 0.25 to 0.30 mm stranded has been subjected to practical use. Although such a large cross sectional area is not necessary from the standpoint of the conductivity for transmitting a signal electric current, an Al element wire is inferior in strength to a Cu element wire and the like, and this level of thickness becomes necessary in consideration of the strength of the strand wire formed only of Al element wires.
As a measure for enhancing the strength of the signal strand wire using Al element wires, it is effective that a steel wire having a larger strength than aluminum is used as a core element wire, around which Al element wires are stranded. The enhancement of the strength of the strand wire enables reduction of the cross sectional area, and lead to reduction in size of a wire harness. As the steel wire for the core element wire, an Al plated steel wire is considered to be promising. The use of an Al plated steel wire avoids bimetallic corrosion, which becomes a problem, for example, in the case using a naked steel wire or a Zn plated steel wire. Furthermore, the material cost is largely decreased as compared to the case using a stainless steel wire.
For the mass production of an Al plated steel wire, a molten Al plating method is effective. It has been considered that it is not easy to form a molten Al plated layer stably on a steel wire having a core wire diameter of 1 mm or less. However, in recent years, molten Al plated steel wires with various depositing amounts can be produced with a continuous line (PTLs 1 to 3).

Method for producing molten Al plated steel wire