Balanced pH, thermo-irreversible polyoxyalkylene polymer and ionic polysaccharide gels are ideal materials for use as an ablatable mask or coating over the cornea of the eye of a mammal during excimer laser keratectomy. The depth and smoothness of the ablated corneal surface can be controlled by molding the desired surface curvature into the mask surface using a contact lens as a mold which is pressed onto the gel surface coating the cornea.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to surgical correction of corneal astigmatism, myopia, and hyperopia and a corneal contact mask utilized to control the delivery of the light from an excimer laser.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Refractive surgery has been promoted in the United States and Russia over the past few years but its acceptance has been limited because of the poor predictability of the final optical results which include a resulting glare from incisions that encroach upon the optical zone. Techniques that rely upon the surgical production of corneal incisions have yielded inconsistent results because these surgical incisions in the cornea have been found to vary considerably in depth and length.
Laser keratectomy has been shown to be capable of yielding a more accurately controlled depth of corneal excision since each individual laser pulse excises a specific amount (0.2 to 1.0 mm) of corneal tissue. Accordingly, the depth of excised tissue is in theory uniform and predictable, provided that the energy distribution is homogeneous across the laser beam. Since the primary locus of astigmatism is in the cornea, surgical intervention for astigmatism is more important than for the correction of other refractive errors, especially since spectacle or contact lens correction is of limited value in compensating for large astigmatic errors.
The excimer laser was introduced to ophthalmology in 1983 (Trokel, S., et al, "Excimer surgery of the cornea," Am. J. Ophthalmol. 96: 710-715, 1983). The depth of incision with short intense pulses permitted great precision to be achieved in tests on freshly enucleated cow eyes. The photochemical laser-tissue interaction is not thermal, permitting direct breaks of organic molecular bonds without involving optical breakdown in adjacent tissue. Early experimental results in rabbits revealed problems of (1) corneal stromal swelling, probably in response to disturbed water relationships due to compromise of the epithelial barrier and severing of the lamellae and (2) rearrangement of endothelial cells resulting from loss of contact inhibition (Marshall, J., et al, "An ultrastructural study of corneal incisions induced by an excimer laser at 193 nm", Ophthalmology 92: 749-758, 1985). Experiments with freshly enucleated human eyes indicated that flattening obtained by excimer laser ablation correlated with results of clinical scalpel radial keratotomy, but evaluation of the effects on wound healing and possible damage to adjacent structures was not addressed (Cotliar, A. M., et al, "Excimer laser radial keratotomy,"Ophthalmology 92: 206-208, 1985). It was, however, suggested that this laser may become very useful in applications including penetrating and lamellar keratoplasty, keratomileusis, and epikeratophakia. Control of the area and depth of pulses using photolithographed masks resulted in ability to produce narrow cuts (20 .mu.m) and at depths depending on pulse number (Puliafito, C. A., et al, "Excimer laser ablation of the cornea and lens", Ophthalmology 92: 741-748, 1985). These controlled ablations had only very narrow bands of destruction at the adjacent edges. These studies led to the quantitation of laser ablation (Krueger, R. R. and S. L. Trokel, "Quantitation of corneal ablation by ultraviolet laser light", Arch. Ophthalmol. 103: 1741-1742, 1985). Excimer far UV radiation can be controlled to produce minimal adjacent tissue damage providing the angle and depth can be precisely controlled. The remaining problem of effects on healing could then be addressed.
Comparison of 193 nm and 248 nm ablation of precise disc sizes on plastic surfaces, and on rabbit and monkey corneas was undertaken by early workers in the field (Marshall, J., et al, "Photoablative reprofiling of the cornea using an excimer laser: Photorefractive keratectomy", Lasers in Ophthalmol. 1: 21-48, 1986). Properly controlled, healing was not impaired. It was evident, however, that irregularities in final surface contour were due to (1) diffraction of the rays, (2) surface impurities or debris in the target zone, and (3) movement of the target between laser pulses. Initial inhomogeneity in or on the surface results in a high resistance site to the ablation process and shields the underlying tissue.
Ablations applicable to myopic correction have been attained in human eye bank eyes of up to 7.5 mm in diameter using a rotating beam delivery system (Hanna, K. D., et al, "Excimer laser keratectomy for myopia with a rotating-slit delivery system", Arch. Ophthalmol. 106:245-250, 1988). Excimer laser ablation appears to be highly applicable to correction of astigmatism (Seiler, T., et al, "Excimer laser keratectomy for correction of astigmatism", Am. J. Ophthalmol. 105: 177-124, 1988). These investigators observed that corneal thickness increases peripherally and the laser beam is not perpendicular to the surface at the point of irradiance.
Wound healing was assessed in rabbits following excimer laser surface ablation (Hanna, K. D., et al, "Corneal stromal wound healing in rabbits after 193 nm excimer laser surface ablation", Arch. Ophthalmol. 107: 895-901, 1989). Healing appeared to be excellent except when over 85% to 90% of the corneal thickness had been cut. Endothelial cell disruption, junction separation and individual cell dropout occurred with corneal haze development with the deeper cuts. A delivery system designed to deliver predictable depths of cut is, therefore, essential. Similar findings were reported in studies on human blind eyes (Taylor, D. M., et al, "Human excimer laser lamellar Keratectomy", Ophthalmology 96: 654-664, 1989). Attention was directed to the challenges of improved procedures and equipment, the problems of individual variation, and the control of biologic responses to trauma before excimer laser lamellar keratectomy could become a clinically useful means of correcting refractive errors. In living monkey eyes, it was concluded that mild, typical wound healing occurred after excimer laser keratomileusis (Fantes, F. E., et al, "Wound healing after excimer laser keratomileusis [photorefractive keratectomy] in monkeys", Arch. Ophthalmol. 108: 665-675, 1990). All corneas were epithelialized by 7 days. By 6 weeks, mild to moderate haze was apparent with clearing by 6 to 9 months. The epithelium was thickened at 21 days after ablation, but returned to normal by 3 months. Subepithelial fibroblasts were three times the density of normal keratocytes, but returned to nearly normal numbers by 9 months. One conclusion reached was that control of the contour and uniformity of the ablated surface is important for structural and biological responses of the cornea.
It has been observed that less haze and surface irregularities occur with tangential keratectomies of rabbit corneas in comparison to en face methods (Holme, R. J., et al, "A comparison of en face and tangential wide-area excimer surface ablation in the rabbit").
Another concern is the fluorescence spectra associated with ablation of corneal tissue. Wavelengths greater than 400 nm pass to the retina and may be phototoxic to the lens and to the retina. Studies designed to assess these concerns at ablative levels by 193 nm excimer lasers indicate that the fluorescence spectra can be attributed to the irradiated site rather than to luminous ablation products or laser-produced plasma. Thus, the phototoxic risk from the quantum yield of fluorescence from corneal ablation appears to be very slight (Tuft, S., et al, "Characterization of the fluorescence spectra produced by excimer laser irradiation of the cornea", Invest. Ophthalmol. Visual Sci. 31: 1512-1518, 1990).
Review of the literature clearly reveals that far UV vaporization (ablation with an excimer laser at 193 nm, for example) is a feasible means to sculpture or reprofile the cornea to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, corneal scars, corneal densities, etc. The healing appears to parallel or to be equal to healing after scalpel intervention, providing the proper guidelines for pulsing and duration are followed. There remains a need to control the contour and uniformity of the ablated surface. Such control will reduce the adverse structural and biological response of the cornea and insure that a desired corrective change results.
The use of a mask of nearly identical optical density to the cornea that can be preformed on the surface of cornea so as to provide a smooth surface of exact contour would solve many of the problems still remaining which thus far have prevented precise control of laser beam keratotomy. Such a mask would be required to withstand exposure to moist gases directed tangentially to the corneal surface throughout the duration of exposure to the laser to remove ablated debris. The modulation of the beam energy distribution of the laser in a controlled fashion should also be provided by such a corneal mask. The use of a smooth ablatable mask having a known contour and having the density of the cornea would aid in insuring accurate direction and depth of a tangential cut utilizing a laser beam. The ablatable mask of the invention provides such advantages.
In "Pluronic Polyol, a Potential Alloplastic Keratorefractive Material", Journal of Cataract Refractive Surgery, Vol 14, May, 1988, Kim et al disclose the use of a polyol sold under the trademark PLURONIC.RTM. which is described as prepared by condensating propylene oxide on a propylene glycol nucleus followed by the condensating ethylene oxide onto both ends of the poly(oxypropylene) base. These polymers were evaluated as a potential material for alloplastic keratorefractive surgery in which the material in a liquid state was injected into a surgically prepared axial 7 mm mid-stromal corneal bed in rabbits. Post-operative follow-up over a period of three months indicated that the material was well tolerated by the cornea and provided refractive flattening of the cornea so as to obtain about 3 diopters change.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,373, PLURONIC polyols are disclosed as forming aqueous compositions which are liquids when cool and gel upon heating. Adjusting the concentration of the polymer provides the desired sol-gel transition temperature, that is, the lower the concentration of polymer, the higher the sol-gel transition temperature, after crossing a critical concentration minimum, below which a gel will not form. Other polyoxyalkylene gel compositions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,810,503 and 4,879,109.
Ionic polysaccharides have been used in the application of drugs by controlled release. Such ionic polysaccharides as chitosan or sodium alginate are disclosed as useful in providing spherical agglomerates of water-insoluble drugs in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, volume 78, number 11, November 1989, Bodmeier et al. Alginates have also been used as a depot substance in active immunization, as disclosed in the Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, volume 77, (1959), C. R. Amies. Calcium alginate gel formulations have also found use as a matrix material for the controlled release of herbicides, as disclosed in the Journal of Controlled Release, 3 (1986) pages 229-233, Pfister et al. Alginates have also been used to form hydrogel foam wound dressings, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,575.

Ablatable mask of polyoxyalkylene polymer and ionic polysaccharide gel for laser reprofiling of the cornea


A method to determine eccentricity of a rotor in a turbine including: collecting sensor data of rotor eccentricity for a plurality of startup operations; establishing a baseline eccentricity value using the sensor data corresponding to a selected startup operation; determining an eccentricity value using the filtered sensor data for each of a plurality of startup operations subsequent to the selected startup operation; determining a rotor eccentricity difference between the baseline eccentricity value and each of the eccentricity values for the plurality of startup operations subsequent to the selected startup operation, and reporting a rotor eccentricity condition based on the rotor eccentricity difference.

The present invention relates to steam turbines and, in particular, to monitoring eccentricity in the rotor of steam turbines.
The eccentricity of a rotor in a steam turbine is an indicator of the bowing of the rotor shaft and is generally indicative of the vibratory condition of the turbine during transient and steady state operations. The amount of eccentricity in a turbine rotor has a significant impact on the availability, reliability, performance and operational life of a turbine rotor.
Frequent steam turbine startups and shutdowns, which is common in combined steam turbine and gas turbine cycle units, tend to increase rotor eccentricity. An increase in eccentricity beyond a predetermined threshold limit indicates a permanent bow in the rotor. Excessive rotor bow typically results in rotor unbalance, which causes vibration of the rotor, and may lead to rubs between the rotating components and the stationary components of a steam turbine. Rubbing can degrade performance of a steam turbine and increase operating costs.
Current methods of monitoring eccentricity of a steam turbine involve displacement probe sensors mounted on the steam turbine and adjacent the rotor. The sensor data is stored in databases and manually downloaded to a computer for analysis. The probe sensor data is searched to select data associated with specific turbine events (e.g., shut-down, start-up and/or low speed rotor operation). Calculations are performed on the selected data manually to obtain baseline eccentricity values and eccentricity changes from startup to startup. This conventional method is less difficult when the turbine for which baseline eccentricity calculations are performed has relatively few start/stop cycles, but becomes tedious when the turbine has many such cycles. Performing manual calculations for a large volume of displacement sensor data is extremely time consuming and susceptible to error.

System and method for detection of rotor eccentricity baseline shift


A side frame for a loudspeaker rigging system has a frame structure mountable to the side of a loudspeaker, and links associated with the frame structure for linking together the corners of the frame structures of vertically adjacent side frames. The links associated with each side frame structure include a pivot link and splay adjustment link, each of which has a top extended end and a base end. Stow channels, which are preferably located in the bottom corner regions of the frame structure, contain the pivot link and splay adjustment link in the frame structure. A gripping structure associated with at least one, and preferably each link of the pivot and splay adjustment links allows a user to easily maneuver a link from its stowed to its deployed position. The extended end of the splay adjustment link includes at least two, and preferably an array of pin holes which can selectively be matched with one pin hole within a row of pin holes in a bottom corner region of the side frame to permit adjustments of the splay angle over a range of angles. Suitably, two rows of pin holes are provided in the top extended end of the splay adjustment link to permit multiple and incrementally small splay angle adjustments.

The present invention relates to loudspeaker rigging systems and more particularly to rigging hardware for suspending a stacked array of loudspeakers of a sound reinforcement system at a predetermined location relative to an audience. The present invention has particular application in rigging a stacked array of loudspeakers wherein a vertical splay between loudspeakers is desired to achieve a desired coverage and acoustic performance.
Sound systems for large venues typically involve the suspension or "flying" of stacks of loudspeakers in vertical arrays to achieve a desired acoustic output and coverage for a large audience. Such vertical stacks of loudspeakers are typically suspended and held together by rigging systems which may be attached to rigging hoists which position the stack at a desired elevation and location, typically above or in the vicinity of a performance stage. A flown stack of loudspeakers can include many speaker boxes and the rigging system for flying the stack must be strong enough to support the weight of the large stack. Such rigging systems generally involve the use of metal frame elements secured to the speaker boxes that can be used to link the speakers together in a stacked arrangement and to lift the stack to an overhead flying position.
Typically, the individual speaker boxes of a vertical stack of loudspeakers held by a rigging system will have to be adjusted to meet the requirements of a particular application. Setting the proper angle between speakers, or "splay angle," can be critical to achieving desired acoustic performance and minimizing interference between the acoustic output between speakers in the stack. Splay angles are adjusted by adjusting the linkages between the rigging frames of the stacked speakers to create a desired angle. One such adjustment method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,924 issued Nov. 4, 2003 to Ian Messner (the "Messner patent"). The Messner patent discloses a rigging system wherein the splay angle is adjusted by a cam plate that pivotally extends down from the bottom front end of the side frame of one loudspeaker to engage the top front end of the side frame of the loudspeaker directly below. To set the splay angle, the cam plate must be manipulated into a cam plate receiving channel in the top of the underneath side frame and pinned when the desired cam hole is aligned with the pin hole in the under frame. This process turns out to be relatively difficult and leads to misses in the hole alignment while assembling the array. The number of pinning locations is also relatively limited.
Another problems associated with rigging systems involves the difficulty of maneuvering the links in the rigging frame's stow channel while rigging or breaking down a system. The installer must physically grab onto the links to slide them in and out the stow channels, creating a risk of injury to the installers fingers. Links which are not pinned into place can also fall to the ground if they are dropped.
There is a need for a rigging system for loudspeakers having links the are easily maneuvered in the rigging frame and that will can not drop out of the frame. There is also a need to provide in such a rigging system a system that is relatively easy to assemble and that has small incremental splay angle adjustment capabilities.

Loudspeaker rigging system having contained maneuverable connecting links

Abstract: In the preferred embodiment, the frame structure is comprised of an assembly of parts comprised of a center core structure sandwiched between two side plates.


A method is disclosed for improving an optical imaging property, for example spherical aberration or the focal length, of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. First, an immersion liquid is introduced into an interspace between a photosensitive surface and an end face of the projection objective. Then an imaging property of the projection objective is determined, for example using an interferometer or a CCD sensor arranged in an image plane of the projection objective. This imaging property is compared with a target imaging property. Finally, the temperature of the immersion liquid is changed until the determined imaging property is as close as possible to the target imaging property.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to microlithographic projection exposure apparatuses as are used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and other microstructured devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for improving an optical imaging property, for example spherical aberration or the focal length, of a projection objective of such an apparatus. The invention further relates to a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus as such.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to change the spatial position of individual optical components, for example by using manipulators, in a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus in order to improve the imaging properties of the objective. The positional change of the relevant optical components is in this case carried out on the projection objective once it has finally been installed, and in general before it has yet been put into operation for the first time. This type of fine adjustment may nevertheless be carried out at a later time, for example in order to compensate for deteriorations of the imaging properties due to ageing. A procedure often adopted in these methods is to record one or more imaging properties of the projection objective by using a sensor arranged in its image plane. The way in which positional changes of individual optical components affect the imaging properties is then observed. The optical imaging properties of the projection objective can thus be optimised by adjusting the optical components.
From EP 0 023 231 B1 a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus is known that has, in order to hold a support for a semiconductor wafer to be exposed, an open-topped container whose upper edge is higher than the lower delimiting surface of the projection objective. The container is provided with feed and discharge lines for an immersion liquid, which is circulated in a liquid circuit. When the projection exposure apparatus is in operation, the immersion liquid fills the interspace which is left between the semiconductor wafer to be exposed and a boundary surface of the projection exposure objective, which faces it. The resolving power of the projection objective is increased because the refractive index of the immersion liquid is higher than that of air.
The known projection exposure apparatus furthermore has a device for regulating the temperature of the immersion liquid, which is arranged in the liquid circuit. The temperature of the semiconductor wafer to be exposed can thereby be kept constant, so as to avoid imaging errors due to thermally induced movements of the semiconductor wafer.
The use of immersion liquids in microlithographic projection exposure apparatus is also known from JP 10-303 114 A. This addresses the problem that undesirable temperature fluctuations of the immersion liquid can also cause a deterioration of the imaging properties of the projection objective. The reason for this involves the dependency of the refractive index of the immersion liquid on the temperature. In order to resolve this problem, various measures are proposed by which the temperature of the immersion liquid can be kept constant within narrow limits during operation of the projection exposure apparatus.

Method for improving an optical imaging property of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus


A power system of an electric vehicle, a control method and an electric vehicle are provided. The system includes a high voltage battery, a low voltage storage battery, a main drive motor and an electronic controller therefor powered by the high voltage battery, and an auxiliary drive motor and an electronic controller therefor. The electronic controller of the auxiliary drive motor includes a high voltage electronic controller and a low voltage electronic controller. The low voltage electronic controller is configured to operate in a rotation speed closed loop mode when determining that the high voltage battery fails, and to operate in a torque control mode to charge the low voltage storage battery when the high voltage battery is normal and state of charge of the low voltage storage battery is lower than a first preset value.

A conventional electric vehicle power system mainly includes a high voltage battery, a main drive motor and an auxiliary drive motor both powered by the high voltage battery.
Once the high voltage battery fails, the auxiliary drive motor will stop running instantly, resulting in a great safety risk. Such a high voltage battery failure may cause a difficulty in vehicle steering and/or a vehicle brake failure. This is a great threat to personal safety of passengers and drivers on the vehicle.

Power system of electric vehicle, control method and electric vehicle


In an electric connection box, first connectors of wire harnesses and second connectors of wire harnesses are received within a case body, and the first connectors are coupled respectively with the second connectors, and the pairs of coupled connectors are fixed to the case body. Slide rail portions are formed on an inner surface of a wall of the case body, and a connector holding plate is slidably mounted on the slide rail portions, and has a plurality of connector fixing portions spaced from each other in a direction of sliding of the connector holding plate. The plurality of pairs of coupled connectors are fixed to the plurality of connector fixing portions, respectively, and the connector holding plate is slid along the slide rail portions, and is inserted into the case body, thereby fixing the plurality of pairs of coupled connectors to the case body.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electric connection box in which connectors, used, for example, to join wire harnesses, are coupled together, and the coupled connectors are fixed within a case.
2. Related Art
One conventional electric connection box of the type described is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. JP S63-90920U, and is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, this electric connection box 100 comprises a case 101, and this case 101 comprises an under case 103, and an upper case 102 attached to an upper side of the under case 103. Connector portions (not shown) are fixedly provided at suitable positions within the upper case 102. A connector fixing portion 104, comprising four retaining arms 104a, is provided within the under case 103. Harness inlet/outlet ports 105 are formed in opposed side walls of the under case 103, respectively.
A first wire harness WH1 is divided at its end portion into two branches, and first connectors 106a and 106b are connected to ends of these branches, respectively. A second wire harness WH2 is divided at its end portion into three branches, and second connectors 107a to 107c are connected to ends of these branches, respectively.
The first and second wire harnesses WH1 and WH2 are passed respectively through the harness inlet/outlet ports 105 into the case 101, so that the first and second connectors 106a and 106b and 107a to 107c are introduced into the case 101. The first connector 106b and the second connectors 107b and 107c, introduced into the case 101, are connected respectively to the connector portions (not shown) of the upper case 102. One pair of first and second connectors 106a and 107a, introduced into the case 101, are coupled together, and the coupled first and second connectors 106a and 107a (hereinafter referred to as "coupled connectors") are fixed to the connector fixing portion 104.
Namely, the first and second connectors 106b, 107b and 107c are fixed to the case 101 by fitting forces obtained by coupling these connectors to the respective connector portions (not shown). However, the coupled connectors 106a and 107a, joining the wire harnesses WH1 and WH2, are not fixed to the case 101 by coupling these connectors with each other, and therefore the coupled connectors 106a and 107a are fixed to the case 101 through the connector fixing portion 104. As a result, the coupled connectors 106a and 107a, joining the wire harnesses WH1 and WH2, are prevented from being moved within the case 101 by external vibrations and others.
In the above conventional electric connection box 100, however, when there are used a plurality of pairs of coupled connectors 106a and 107a for wire harness joining purposes or other purposes, connector fixing portions 104, corresponding in number to the plurality of pairs of coupled connectors, need to be provided within the under cover 103, and therefore a large space need to be secured within the under cover. And besides, when there are used the plurality of coupled connectors 106a and 107a for wire harness joining purposes or other purposes, attaching (or fixing) operations, corresponding in number to the plurality of pairs of coupled connectors, must be carried out. Furthermore, when removing the connectors, it is necessary to cancel a locked condition of each of the connector fixing portions 104, and therefore this removing operation is cumbersome.


The present invention is directed to methods for making magnetically modified electrodes and electrodes made according to the method. Such electrode are useful as electrodes in batteries, such as Ni-MH batteries, Ni—Cd batteries, Ni—Zn batteries and Ni—Fe batteries.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods for forming magnetically modified electrodes and electrodes made by such methods. According to the present invention, magnetically modified electrodes exhibit improved properties compared to electrodes that are not magnetically modified.
2. Background of the Related Art
Bulk properties of molecules in magnetic fields are fairly well understood. In the detailed description of preferred embodiments, it will be shown that interfacial gradients in properly prepared composite materials can be exploited to enhance flux in many types of electrochemical systems such as fuel cells, batteries, membrane sensors, filters and flux switches. First, however, the following discussion provides a brief overview of the current understanding of magnetic properties in composites. In particular, the discussion below summarizes the thermodynamic, kinetic and mass transport properties of bulk magnetic materials.

Methods for forming magnetically modified electrodes and articles produced thereby


A thin film with multiple binding functionality can be prepared on an electrode surface via consecutive electroreduction of two or more aryl-onium salts with different functional groups. This versatile and simple method for forming multifunctional surfaces provides an effective means for immobilization of diverse molecules at close proximities. The multifunctional thin film has applications in bioelectronics, molecular electronics, clinical diagnostics, and chemical and biological sensing.

Biosensors make use of the interaction of biological molecules (biomolecules) as a means of sensing an external environment. Biosensors can be very selective, due to the highly specific interactions between biomolecules, for example antibodies and their antigens, cytokines and their cell-surface receptors, enzymes and their substrates, or nucleic acids with themselves or other molecules. The species being sensed in the environment is referred to as the analyte. Therefore, the analyte can be another biological molecule or a chemical that interacts with a biorecognition molecule that has high selectivity for the target analyte. Further, signal transduction methods combined with amplification can provide a biosensor with high sensitivity. These properties—selectivity and sensitivity—make biosensors particularly attractive as analytical devices.
To be useful as a biosensor, the biological interaction must be transduced into a measurable signal. Typically, this interaction can be detected colorimetrically, calorimetrically, or electrochemically. Often, the biological interaction can be converted into an electrochemical signal. In such an electrochemical biosensor, the biorecognition molecule is typically immobilized in a bioselective layer in intimate contact with an electrode which measures the movement of electrons or ions exchanged in the biological interaction. Typically, voltammetry or amperometry can be used to measure the current response to a controlled applied potential that induces an oxidation or reduction process. Alternatively, potentiometry can be used to measure the voltage response to a controlled current.
Functionalization of conducting and semiconducting surfaces is a vital component in the fields of bioelectronics, molecular electronics, clinical diagnostics, and chemical and biological sensing (see I. Willner et al., Biosens. Bioelectron. 22, 1841 (2007); S. J. Oh et al., OMICS 10 327 (2006); R. Byrne and D. Diamond, Nat. Mat. 5, 421 (2006); and J. J. Gooding, Anal. Chim. Acta, 559, 137 (2006)). Of particular interest is the ability to conjugate a surface with two or more different biological, redox active, and/or photo/chemical sensitive molecules. Such multifunctional surfaces would facilitate collection of complicated data sets that would be relevant to cell signaling studies, genomic and proteomic analysis, and the proof-positive identification of biological organisms (see I. Medintz, Nat. Mat. 5, 842 (2006); R. Polsky et al., Electroanalysis 20, 671 (2008); C. A. Rowe-Taitt et al., Biosens. Bioelectron. 15, 579 (2000); C. A. Rowe et al., Anal. Chem. 71, 3846 (1999); and J. C. Harper et al., Langmuir 23, 8285 (2007)). Several methods have been devised and employed to allow surface conjugation including photolithography (see D. Falconnet et al., BioMaterials 27, 3044 (2006); E. Delamarche et al., Adv. Mater. 17, 2911 (2005); and F. L. Yap and Y. Zhang, Biosens. Bioelectron. 22, 775 (2007)), self-assembling monolayers (SAMs) (see E. Katz and I. Willner, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 43, 6042 (2004); J. J. Gooding et al., Electroanalysis 15, 81 (2003); and Y. Xiao et al., Science 299, 1877 (2003)), silanes (see W. Senaratne et al., Biomacromolecules 6 2427 (2005); and N. K. Chaki et al., Biosens. Bioelectron. 17, 1 (2002)), stamping (see R. S. Kane et al., Biomaterials 20, 2363 (1999); and Y. Xia and G. M. Whitesides, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 37, 550 (1998)), mechanical and/or electrochemical removal of material (see J.-W. Jang et al., Nano Lett. 8, 1451 (2008); G. Liu et al., Acc. Chem. Res. 33, 457 (2000); J. K. Schoer and R. M. Crooks, Langmuir 13, 2323 (1997); and J. K. Schoer et al., J. Phys. Chem. 100, 11086 (1996)), and electropolymerization (see E. Stern et al., Anal. Chem. 78, 6340 (2006); K. Kim et al., J. Chem. Commun., 4723 (2006); and S. Cosnier, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 377, 507 (2003)). Of these techniques, SAMs based on alkanethiol-gold surfaces have been the most widely used. Several studies utilizing SAMs to form mixed surfaces demonstrating multifunctionality have been published (see S. Choi and W. L. Murphy, Langmuir 24, 6873 (2008); B. M. Lamb et al., Langmuir 24, 8885 (2008); C. Boozer et al., Sens. Actuators, B Chem. 90 22 (2003); R. G. Chapman et al., Langmuir 16, 6927 (2000); C. Roberts et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, 6548 (1998); and N. Patel et al., Langmuir 13, 6485 (1997)). However, the low enthalpy of the Au—S bond, mobility of the SAMs on gold, tendency of the Au—S bond to oxidize in air and media, and low potential stability window have limited the usefulness of this chemistry (see T. M. Willey et al., Surf. Sci. 576, 188 (2005); and N. T. Flynn et al., Langmuir 19, 10909 (2003).
Electrode surface modification by the electrochemical reduction of aryl diazonium salts is a promising alternative to conventional electrode modification schemes (see M. Delamar et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 114, 5883 (1992); P. Allongue et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119, 201 (1997); A. J. Downard, Electroanalysis 12, 1085 (2000); M.-C. Bernard et al., Chem. Mater. 15, 3450 (2003); T.-C. Kuo et al., Electrochem. Solid St. 2, 288 (1999); and F. Anariba et al., Anal. Chem. 75, 3837 (2003)). Electroreduction of the diazonium produces an aryl radical that can then graft to a conducting or semiconducting surface forming a stable covalent bond. This approach has several advantages over alkanethiol-gold chemistry including ease of surface modification, a wider potential window for subsequent electrochemistry, and high stability under long term storage in air and during potential cycling under acidic conditions (see G. Liu et al., J. Electroanal. Chem. 600, 335 (2006); and G. Liu et al., Chem. Phys. 319, 136 (2005)). Diazonium salts with a wide range of substituent groups useful for surface functionalization have been reported including biotin (see M. Dequaire et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121, 6946 (1999), maleimide (see J. C. Harper et al., Langmuir 24, 2206 (2008)), carboxyl (see B. P. Corgier et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 127, 18328 (2005); R. Polsky et al., Biosens. Bioelectron. 23 757 (2008); and R. Polsky et al., Lanmuir 23, 364 (2007)), amine (see C. S. Lee et al., Nano Lett. 4, 1713 (2004); A. Ruffien et al., Chem. Commun., 912 (2003); and A. Shabani et al., Talanta 70, 615 (2006)), thiol (see L. T. Nielsen et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 129, 1888 (2007)), boronic acid (see R. Polsky et al., Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 47, 2631 (2008)), and azide or alkyne for click chemistry (see D. Evrar et al., Chem. Eur. J. (2008), DOI: 10.1002/chem.200801168). Another significant advantage of diazonium electrodeposition chemistry over alkanethiol surfaces is that the surface coverage and density of the resulting film can be controlled by the experimental conditions yielding submonolayer to multilayer films (see F. Anariba et al., Anal. Chem. 75, 3837 (2003); and P. A. Brooksby and A. J. Downard, Langmuir 20, 5038 (2004)). However, it may not always be synthetically straightforward to incorporate the various substituents into a single molecule.
Previously, two-component films prepared from aryl diazonium salts have been formed by simultaneous assembly of two diazonium compounds in a single solution resulting in mixed surfaces (see G. Liu et al., Chem. Phys. 319, 136 (2005); G. Liu and J. J. Gooding, Langmuir 22, 7421 (2006); and C. Louault et al., ChemPhysChem 9, 1164 (2008)) or consecutive deposition leading to stacked structures (see A. Adenier et al., Chem. Mater. 18, 2021 (2006); P. A. Brooksby and A. J. Downard, J. Phys. Chem. B 109, 8791 (2005); P. A. Brooksby and A. J. Downard, Langmuir 21, 1672 (2005); and A. O. Solak et al., Anal. Chem. 75 296 (2003)). Poly(dimethylsiloxane) PDMS molds have also been used to pattern assembly of two differing diazoniums via fill-in or consecutive assembly (see A. J. Downard et al., Langmuir 22, 10739 (2006)). These works employ electrochemistry, XPS, AFM and other techniques to elucidate the chemical composition of the resulting binary films and the dependence of film properties on the deposition conditions. To date, only one study has utilized diazonium electrodeposition for formation of a multifunctional film towards a specific application. In this work, Liu and Gooding prepared a two-component carbon surface by electroreduction of a mixture containing diazoniums with oligo(phenylethynlene) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) functionality (see G. Liu and J. J. Gooding, Langmuir 22, 7421 (2006)). Oligo(phenylethynlene) served as a conductive path to the electrode allowing direct electron transfer to surface immobilized horseradish peroxidase or myoglobin, while PEG served to decrease non-specific adsorption of bovine serum albumin and components of blood serum onto the electrode surface.
However, a need remains for more versatile and simple methods to prepare multifunctional thin films using aryl-onium chemistry.


A light emitting device in which a plurality of LED chips are arranged. Each of the plurality of LED chips include a light emitting region that is formed on a substrate, a first pad electrode that is formed on the substrate, and a through-hole that penetrates the substrate. First wiring that passes through the through-hole of one LED chip and the through-hole of an adjacent LED chip, and electrically connects the first pad electrode of the one LED chip and the first pad electrode of the adjacent LED chip is provided. The tip-end parts of the first wiring that have passed through the through-holes have, at a cross section cut at a plane that is parallel with a principal surface of the substrate, a larger cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of the first wiring inside the through-holes.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a light emitting device, a display device, and a manufacturing method for a light emitting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting elements such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used as light sources for various products, for display uses and illumination uses and the like.
A known example of a display use is a display device in which a large number of light emitting elements are regularly arranged and mounted, and these light emitting elements are appropriately turned on and off such that predetermined characters, graphics, or symbols or the like are displayed.
In the display device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-054840, a circuit board is used in which conductors in the shape of thin plates are arranged in a grid-like manner, either the vertical rows or the horizontal rows of the conductors are set as an anodes, the other are set as cathodes, and light emitting elements are mounted at the intersecting positions of the vertical rows and the horizontal rows. A display device that has appropriate flexibility is thereby realized.

Light emitting device, display device, and manufacturing method for light emitting device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


The axes of a first press roll (1) and of a second press roll (3) lie in a press plane (E). Each of the press rolls has a respective journal (2, 4). The first press roll is supported in a first bearing bracket (5). The second press roll rests in a second bearing bracket (6) which is coupled, by means of flexurally soft tie-bar groups (7a, 7b . . . , 8a, 8b . . . ), to the first bearing bracket (5). In the unloaded condition of the roll press, the second bearing bracket (6) rests on the first bearing bracket (5). In the loaded condition, however, a clearance (p) is established between the bearing brackets (5, 6), which permits the bearing brackets (5, 6) to be displaceable relative to each other in the axial direction of the press rolls.

The present invention relates to a roll press having two press rolls, the main axes of which lie in a press plane and which form with each other a press nip.
German published patent application P 41 10 205.3, which corresponds to U.S. Ser. No. 07/946,325, discloses a roll press having a first press roll and a second press roll, the main axes of which lie in a press plane, and which form with one another a press nip, wherein:
a) each of the two press rolls has a rotatable roll shell, and either rotatable journals (fastened to the rotatable roll shell), or a stationary carrier with stationary journals, which extends through the roll shell;
b) the first press roll is supported on at least one of its two ends in a bearing bracket which is supported on a machine frame;
c) the second press roll is also supported on at least one of its two ends in a bearing bracket which is coupled to the bearing bracket of the first press roll by means of detachable tie bars which extend on both side of the press plane substantially parallel to the latter and perpendicular to the main axes of the press rolls;
d) the detachable tie bars are low in tension in the unloaded condition of the roll press; and
e) the tie bars are movable substantially in the direction of the main axes in such a manner that--in the loaded condition of the roll press--the bearing bracket of the second press roll is movable in the press plane relative to the bearing bracket of the first press roll.
According to the foregoing publication, at least one of the two ends of the roll press, [supports] at each press roll is supported in a bearing bracket. The two bearing brackets are coupled to each other by detachable tie bars. These tie bars extend on both sides of the press plane substantially parallel to said plane and perpendicular to the main axes of the press rolls.
In the unloaded condition of the roll press the tie bars are low in tension, i.e., they are only under a slight tensile stress, which under certain circumstances may be equal to zero. Thus, in this condition, very easy and rapid removal of the tie bars is possible when it is desired to replace, for instance, a felt belt which during operation passes through the press nip, or the roll shell.
Furthermore, tie bars are movable substantially in the direction of the axes of the rolls in such a manner that, in the loaded condition of the roll press, the bearing brackets are movable relative to each other. For instance, one of the bearing brackets can move in the axial direction relative to the other and/or tilt in the press plane. In this way, this bearing bracket can be rigidly coupled to the journals of the corresponding press roll. Nevertheless, longitudinal elongation (caused thermally) of the roll body or the stationary support body is possible. Furthermore, tilting of the journal is possible. Such tilting may be the result of sagging of the roll body or the support body.
The tie bars are provided, in accordance with the foregoing publication, with two hammer heads and are developed preferably in the form of a leaf spring, the plane of the leaf being substantially perpendicular to the press plane. The tie bars can be inserted from the side into recesses in the bearing brackets. For this, a relatively large amount of space is required, as seen in the axial direction, on both sides of the bearing brackets.
The disclosures of these and all other prior art mentioned herein are expressly incorporated by reference.

Tension bars for roll press for paper making machine


A sensor control apparatus (2) of a gas detection system (1) includes a first low-pass filter (46), a second low-pass filter (48), and a multiplexer (50) so as to provide different time constants for detection of a sensor output signal Vs1 and for detection of a response signal Vs2. When the sensor output signal Vs1 is detected, a signal whose frequency band is the same as that of Vs1 is input to the analog-to-digital conversion section (31) through the first low-pass filter (46). Therefore, the detection accuracy of Vs1 is increased. When Vs2 is detected, a signal whose frequency band is the same as that of Vs2 is input to the analog-to-digital conversion section (31) through the second low-pass filter (48).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sensor control apparatus which controls a gas sensor including a sensor element whose sensor output signal changes in accordance with the concentration of a gas, and a gas detection system which includes the gas sensor and the sensor control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a gas detection system has been known including a sensor control apparatus which controls a gas sensor. The gas sensor has a sensor element which includes a first cell whose sensor output signal changes in accordance with the concentration of a gas.
As an example, the first cell is composed of a solid electrolyte body and a pair of electrodes, generates an electromotive force corresponding to the concentration of a specific gas (e.g., oxygen) contained in a gas under measurement (hereinafter also referred to as an "object gas"), and outputs a sensor output signal corresponding thereto.
Examples of a gas sensor including such a first cell are a linear lambda sensor which detects the concentration of oxygen contained in the object gas and an NO sensor which detects the concentration of NO contained in the object gas.
The sensor control apparatus controls operation of the sensor element such that a sensor output signal can be output therefrom, and reads the sensor output signal of the sensor element, to thereby detect the concentration of the specific gas on the basis of the sensor output signal.
Such a sensor element (first cell) may have the property of an impedance which changes with a change in its temperature (element temperature).
A sensor control apparatus which controls a gas sensor including such a sensor element operates as follows. The sensor control apparatus first supplies to the sensor element (the first cell) an impedance detection signal for detecting the impedance of the first cell, and reads a response signal output in response to the impedance detection signal. The sensor control apparatus can detect the impedance of the first cell on the basis of the read response signal, thereby detecting the element temperature of the sensor element.
As is generally known, a filter circuit having a frequency band suitable for a signal to be detected is provided in such a sensor control apparatus so as to remove high-frequency noise, to thereby ensure accurate detection of the signal.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2008-008667
3. Problems to be Solved by the Invention
However, in a sensor control apparatus configured so as to read a sensor output signal or a response signal output from the above-mentioned first cell, the detection accuracy of either one of these signals may be compromised.
Namely, since the frequency band of the sensor output signal and the response signal differ from each other, use of a filter circuit suitable for the frequency band of the sensor output signal may attenuate the response signal, thereby decreasing the detection accuracy of the response signal. In contrast, use of a filter circuit suitable for the frequency band of the response signal may superimpose noise on the sensor output signal, thereby decreasing the detection accuracy of the sensor output signal.

Sensor control apparatus and gas detection system


In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for surface recovery of a polymer insulation layer through implantation. The method includes providing a substrate having thereon a conductive pad and an insulation layer, optionally processing the conductive pad to remove oxide layer formed on the conductive pad and conducting ion implantation to recover dielectric properties of the insulation layer.

Fabrication of microelectronics devices makes effective use of patterned microelectronics conductor layers employed as interconnections for signal and power propagation by separating such conductor layers by means of blanket and/or patterned dielectric layers. Advances in speed and performance requirements, along with decreases in dimensions have made the requirements placed upon such dielectric layers more stringent with respect to lowering the "relative dielectric constants" of the dielectric layers (i.e., the dielectric constants relative to vacuum). The "relative dielectric constant" of a dielectric layer is hereinafter referred to for brevity as the "dielectric constant" of the dielectric layer. Dielectric layers having a lower dielectric constant are typically disposed between and around patterned microelectronics conductor layers during the fabrication process. Such dielectric layers reduce parasitic capacitance and cross-talk.
Due to the availability of many kinds of polymers with such desirable properties as high elongation, low dielectric constant, low surface energy or critical surface tension, polymers are used with increasing frequency in VLSI processes. Such alternative low dielectric-constant layers may be formed over microelectronics substrates by, among others, spin coating deposition of intrinsically low dielectric constant materials such as organic polymer spin-on-polymer (SOP). Dielectric layers can exhibit somewhat lower dielectric constants which range from about 2-3. Organic polymers SOP materials include polyimide organic polymer SOP, poly (arylene ether) organic polymer SOP and fluorinated poly (arylene ether) organic polymer SOP. The above-mentioned dielectric materials require thermal curing to form stable dielectric layers from the spin-on-polymer (SOP) dielectric materials. Thermal curing can adversely affect the dielectric constant of the polymer.
The processing steps implemented during the VLSI fabrication can also deplete or degrade some of the very properties for which the polymer is used. For example, soft etching, RF soft etching or ion milling etching are typically used as pretreatment steps. The pretreatment steps can damage the dielectric properties as they can cause the release of surface organic atoms such as carbon, oxygen and nitrogen. For example, polyimide is a common dielectric insulation whose imide group readily decomposes by ion etching. By way of another example, ion milling is also destructive of the surface organic atoms of the polyimide material.
Conventional methods of recovering the properties of dielectric material include ozone treatment, nitrogen sputtering, vaporized fluid treatment, gas diffusion or wet treatment. However, the conventional methods are expensive, inefficient and inaccurate. Hence, there is a need for method and apparatus for polymer dielectric surface recovery.

Method and apparatus for polymer dielectric surface recovery by ion implantation

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A method and apparatus generates data concerning a partition of land such as farmland based on an observation image of the surface of the earth photographed by a high-altitude flying vehicle such as a satellite or airplane at high speed while reducing the burden on the user. The method comprises the steps of extracting edges in the observation image; extracting a rectangle region on the image by determining and connecting points of intersection of a plurality of straight lines extending radially from a point on the image and the edges; and adjusting the extracted rectangle region by refining and correcting it.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for generating data concerning partitions of land by analyzing an ground image photographed at high altitude by a high-altitude flying vehicle such as a satellite or an airplane.
2. Background Art
Satellite and aerial photography is becoming increasingly common. Various techniques are being developed for creating maps or analyzing the land surface, for example, based on images provided by the photography.
In particular, in order to analyze photographs of a farming area, a method is required for recognizing farmland partitions within an image.
A farmland partition is usually recognized by extracting from an image a polygon (to be hereafter referred to as a rectangle) enclosed by edges indicating farmland. As an example of the prior art for recognizing a rectangle in an image, JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 11-266373 discloses an image processing apparatus. This apparatus employs an edge tracing technique in an edge-extracted and binarized image.
Further, JP Patent Application No. 6-146651 discloses an apparatus for rectangle processing in an intra-frame area. This apparatus employs a method whereby an area is designated by a marking pen or the like and then read as rectangle information.
The above-mentioned edge tracing technique for recognizing a rectangle area requires the user to judge as to the determination of the trace direction during the edge trace process. As a result, this technique is inevitably dialog-based, requiring much time and energy on the part of the user.
The other prior art technique, namely the designation of an area by a marker or the like, requires all of the areas needing recognition to be marked by the user in advance, thus also requiring the user to expend much energy.

Land partition data generating method and apparatus


The present invention relates to a fiber application machine, for making components out of composite materials, comprising a fiber application head, fiber storing means, and means for conveying the fibers from said storage means to the application head. The conveying means comprises first flexible tubes, that receive one fiber into its internal passage. Each flexible tube is provided with at least one longitudinal flexible blade of rectangular cross section. Each first flexible tube and its associated flexible blade are placed in a second flexible tube so that the second flexible tube holds the flexible blade substantially against the first flexible tube, while allowing relative longitudinal movement of the flexible blade in relation to the first flexible tube.

There are known fiber application machines, commonly known as fiber placement machines, for the application by contact on a layup tool, such as a male or female mold, of a wide band of several flat continuous fibers, ribbon-like, dry or impregnated with thermosetting or thermoplastic resin, in particular carbon fibers, consisting of a plurality of carbon filaments or threads.
These machines comprise a system for moving a fiber application head, said head comprising an application roller intended to come into contact against the mold to apply the band and means for guiding the fibers onto said application roller, the fiber storage means, and means for conveying fibers from said storage means to the application head.
In the patent document WO 2008122709, it was proposed to use conveying means comprising flexible tubes connecting the storage means to the application head, each flexible tube being able to receive a fiber in its internal passage. The flexible tubes are attached by their ends to the application head and to the storage means respectively by the upstream and downstream attachment means, and have sufficient length and flexibility as not to restrict the movements of the head displacement system. Each flexible tube is provided with at least one longitudinal flexible blade of rectangular cross-section, said flexible blade being arranged substantially parallel to the plane of transport of the fiber received in the internal passage of the flexible tube.
Such flexible tubes form conveying means that are simple in design, do not take up much space and are of reduced cost, making it possible to obtain high movement speeds, to place remotely the storage means from the displacement system, to eliminate the motor-driven slack recovery systems for fiber spools, to isolate the fibers from the outside, and to simplify the displacement system of the application head, particularly to use a displacement system such as a multi-articulated arm of the six-axis robot type.
The flexible blade associated with each tube restricts or prevents the transverse bending of the tube in the plane of the blade, which allows the risks of the fiber turning over in the internal passage of the flexible tube parallel to the blade to be eliminated, or at the very least restricted, especially when certain movements of the robot, due to excessive bending of the flexible tubes and/or excessive friction of the fibers in the flexible tubes. The flexible tube can perform bending movements in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the blade and twisting movements to allow the fiber placement head to move in all directions.
The assembly of the blade and the flexible tube is effected by means of an adhesive tape, the adhesive tape wound in a helical way around the tube and the blade to flatten it against the flexible tube. The set is covered by a protective sheath.
This assembly has proved to be long and fastidious to perform.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a machine with conveying means ensuring a good fiber conveyance, which are simple to make.

Fiber application machine including flexible fibre-conveying tubes provided with flexible blades


An inflatable cushion for a vehicle occupant restraint system includes a bag formed of flexible material and defining an internal cavity, and inflatable to a predetermined three-dimensional configuration. The bag is constructed of a plurality of panels of a durable, flexible material which are joined together to define a predetermined three-dimensional configuration such that at least a part of the bag will overlie an A pillar of a vehicle when the bag is in an inflated condition.

The present invention relates generally to inflatable passive restraint systems for use in automotive vehicles, and more particularly to an improved passenger side inflatable cushion or airbag having an irregular shape for overlying, when inflated, an A pillar of a vehicle.
Automotive vehicle passive restraint systems are now widely employed in vehicles for restraining the movement of a seated occupant during a collision. The majority of these occupant restraint systems now incorporate inflatable bags or cushions (commonly referred to as "airbags"). In such airbag systems, one or more inflatable bags or cushions are stored in a folded condition in storage areas within the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Upon actuation, such as upon a collision of the vehicle, the airbags or cushions are rapidly inflated and deployed into the vehicle passenger compartment.
This rapid inflation is effected by filling or inflating the airbags or cushions using gases generated by, or release from, an inflator unit. Such inflator units may use one of several systems for rapidly generating a quantity of gas for filling or inflating the bag or cushion. The inflated bag or cushion thus acts as a protective barrier between the passenger and interior vehicle surfaces, in effect cushioning any impact of the occupant and dispersing the force of the occupant's movement in the event of collision.
In most cases, the driver side airbag or cushion is stored in the vehicle steering wheel, while the passenger side bag or cushion is stored within the vehicle dashboard immediately in front of the front passenger seating area. Both of these airbags are designed to have their maximum effect in the event of a forward impact upon the vehicle.
In the event of an angular impact upon the vehicle, particularly from the passenger side, the passenger may be better protected from impact with the A pillar of the automobile by a cushion which when inflated is somewhat irregular in shape so as to provide additional cushioning between the passenger and the A pillar. It is an object of this invention to provide such an inflatable bag or cushion.

Airbag cushion having irregular configuration


A paint composition comprising an aqueous resin having photo-curable functional groups in a molecule, a photoinitiator, and a crosslinker is suitable for use on golf balls since the composition is fully adherent to molded parts of ionomer resins and urethane resins commonly used in golf ball covers, eliminates a need for pre-treatment of the ball surface, and forms a cured coating having a high bond strength to the ball surface. The composition which is photo-curable ensures efficient operation in the golf ball manufacturing process. In a golf ball coated with the paint composition, the coating has abrasion durability.

Prior art UV curable paints are less adherent to ionomer resins and urethane resins commonly used as the cover of golf balls. The cured coatings of such UV curable paints suffer from the problem of poor bond strength to ionomer resins and urethane resins.
Crast et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,564 discloses to add a carbodiimide resin to a UV curable coating as an adhesion improver. There is still left a room for improvement in the adhesion between the coating and the golf ball surface.
With the desire to improve the adhesion of UV curable paint to golf balls, attempts were made to blend in the UV curable paint a component which is expected to achieve an improvement in adhesion, typically an isocyanate compound, but failed to achieve a practically acceptable level of adhesion.
On use of prior art UV curable paints, the substrate surface to be coated must be tailored by any treatment to improve the wetting property of the substrate. This undesirably complicates the coating process.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A miniature golf hole system includes an expanded polystyrene foam base having a downwardly facing surface which is received on a supporting surface, and an upwardly facing surface having a predetermined surface contour; a laminated layer disposed over said expanded polystyrene foam base layer and having a generally uniform thickness which conforms to the predetermined surface contour of said base layer; and a turf-like surface layer applied to an upwardly facing surface of said laminated layer, said surface layer providing a smooth upwardly facing putting surface upon which a golf ball can be putted.

Traditionally, miniature golf hole courses have been constructed from a cement foundation base having outdoor carpeting attached to the top surface of the cement. There are a number of disadvantages associated with these traditionally constructed miniature golf hole courses. First of all, considering that miniature golf is traditionally an outdoor game, flooding of the course holes is commonplace during and after inclement weather. More specifically, rain causes the course to become unplayable not only during the inclement weather, but also for a time period following such inclement weather due to the poor drainage and slow drying characteristics associated with these conventionally constructed miniature golf hole courses. Secondly, such foul weather eventually causes the outdoor carpeting to become delaminated from the cement foundation, resulting in ripples and untrue play on the putting green surface. Also, there is cracking of the cement foundation due to freeze and thaw conditions, frost heaves, etc. Specifically, the porous nature of the concrete absorbs water later resulting in cracks and time-consuming and expensive maintenance of the golf hole system.
Miniature golf is a game which is well known and enjoyed by children and adults alike. U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,122 issued to L. Raichle et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 1,967,904 issued to Roberts both disclose typical prior art multi-layered constructions. Raichle et al. discloses a multi-layer construction particularly suitable for tennis courts, whereas Roberts shows a rubber surface material. However, neither of these references disclose a miniature golf hole construction system, such as the one contemplated by the instant invention.
A further prior art miniature golf hole system is shown in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,034 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This patent describes a construction system that employs improved drainage characteristics due to the relatively soft and porous nature of each layer of the structure. However, there was a tendency toward deterioration of the structure particularly over time.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a miniature golf hole system of multiple layer construction and that is characterized by improved longevity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a miniature golf hole system that has improved drainage characteristics.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a miniature golf hole system that is modular in construction, lightweight, and easy to handle which allows for easier installation and removal.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a miniature golf hole system that is heat and weather resistant and that does not deteriorate over time for a longer lasting and more accurate golf green surface.
Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of a miniature golf hole system that captures the attention of the golf player and is aesthetically pleasing in appearance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a miniature golf hole system that is sturdy and is resistant to mold and rot.
Another object of the present invention is the prefabrication of the golf hole in grids in various sizes, with the undulations, designs and sizes pre-made in the factory, leaving the onsite construction minimum to just seaming of the grids, for rapid installation. Another object of the present invention is the application of this invention on the deck of cruise ships, because of their modular construction and light weight.


In a turbocharged internal combustion engine, an amount of cylinder suction air is calculated with sufficiently high accuracy to suitably control the internal combustion engine in consideration of influences of an exhaust pressure on a volumetric efficiency equivalent value without requiring a huge memory capacity, in fewer adaptive man hours, and under a low operation load. A correction calculation parameter is calculated using an exhaust pressure, an exhaust pressure for pre-correction volumetric efficiency equivalent value, and an intake manifold pressure, and a post-corrected volumetric efficiency equivalent value is calculated by correcting a pre-correction volumetric efficiency equivalent value using the correction calculation parameter. An amount of air entering a cylinder from an intake manifold is calculated on the basis of the post-correction volumetric efficiency equivalent value.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus of an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to a control apparatus of an internal combustion engine configured to calculate an amount of air sucked into cylinders with accuracy.
Description of the Related Art
In order to control an internal combustion engine suitably, it is crucial to perform fuel control and ignition control according to an amount of air sucked into cylinders by calculating the amount of air sucked into the cylinders with a high degree of accuracy. As a method of measuring an amount of air sucked into the cylinders of the internal combustion engine, a pressure sensor (hereinafter, referred to as the intake manifold pressure sensor) is provided to measure a pressure in a portion including a surge tank and an intake manifold (hereinafter, collectively referred to as the intake manifold) located downstream of a throttle valve, and an amount of air sucked into the cylinders is calculated on the basis of an intake manifold pressure measured by the intake manifold pressure sensor and a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine (hereinafter, referred to as the engine speed) (this method is known as the Speed Density method and hereinafter referred to as the S/D method). Because the intake manifold pressure sensor is relatively inexpensive, the S/D method is employed extensively.
An example of the S/D method is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-08-303293 (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses that an amount of cylinder suction air is calculated on the basis of an intake manifold pressure, a volumetric efficiency equivalent value (referred to as the volumetric efficiency VE in Patent Document 1), which is an index of an amount of air sucked from the intake manifold into the cylinders, a cylinder volume V, and a temperature T. The volumetric efficiency VE is stored in a single map with axes representing the intake manifold pressure and the engine speed.
In order to achieve further lower fuel consumption and a higher output, an engine that is becoming popular in recent years is equipped with a VVT (Variable Valve Timing) mechanism (hereinafter, referred to as the intake VVT) that allows opening and closing timing of an intake valve to vary. In the engine equipped with the intake VVT, an amount of an exhaust gas flown back from an exhaust path to the cylinders and an actual compression ratio vary with a difference of the valve opening and closing timing. Accordingly, even under the same conditions of the intake manifold pressure and the engine speed, an amount of cylinder suction air varies considerably depending on a difference of the valve opening and closing timing. Hence, unless influences of the valve opening and closing timing on the volumetric efficiency VE are taken into consideration, a degree of calculation accuracy of an amount of cylinder suction air is lowered over the entire steady and transient operating ranges in the S/D method disclosed in Patent Document 1.
To overcome the problem as above, there is a method taking an engine equipped with the intake VVT into consideration as is described, for example, in JP-A-2008-138630 (Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 discloses a method (AFS method) by which an amount of air is measured by an AFS (Air Flow Sensor) provided upstream of a throttle valve of an intake pipe of the engine. An intake system is modeled according to the mass conservation law alone and an amount of cylinder suction air is calculated using a volumetric efficiency correction coefficient. The technique described in Patent Document 1 and the technique described in Patent Document 2 consider so-called a state equation of ideal gas (P=ρRT, where P is a pressure, ρ is a density, R is a gas constant, and T is a temperature). It can be assumed that a volumetric efficiency correction coefficient in Patent Document 2 and the volumetric efficiency VE in Patent Document 1 are equivalent (hereinafter, these terms as well as the one used herein are referred to as the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv). In the engine unequipped with the intake VVT, the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv is stored in a single map with axes representing the intake manifold pressure and the engine speed as is in Patent Document 1.
In the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, one volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv map is held for every operating condition of an intake VVT phase angle. For example, in a case where an operating range of the intake VVT phase angle is indicated by six representative points and intervals are interpolated, six volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv maps are held. When configured in this manner, it becomes possible to calculate an amount of cylinder suction air in consideration of influences of the valve opening and closing timing on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv.
In the method of Patent Document 1, it is also possible to calculate an amount of cylinder suction air in consideration of influences of the valve opening and closing timing on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv by holding the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv map for every operating condition of the intake VVT phase angle.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-08-303293
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2008-138630
Incidentally, there is a turbocharger having a supercharger that is installed in an intake path of the engine and driven by rotating a turbine with an exhaust gas. The turbocharger generally has an exhaust bypass passage located upstream of the turbine. The turbocharger regulates an amount of an exhaust gas flown into the turbine by diverting a part of the exhaust gas flown through an exhaust path into the bypass passage using a waste gate valve (hereinafter, referred to as the W/G valve) provided to the exhaust bypass passage, and controls a supercharging pressure to be maintained at an adequate level.
More specifically, in a case where an opening degree of the W/G valve is controlled to be on an opening side, an amount of the exhaust gas flown into the turbine is decreased and a supercharging pressure drops, whereas in a case where an opening degree of the W/G valve is controlled to be on a closing side, an amount of the exhaust gas flown into the turbine is increased and a supercharging pressure rises. In this instance, a pressure in the exhaust path located upstream of the turbine (hereinafter, referred to as the exhaust pressure) varies, too. Hence, in a case where an opening degree of the W/G valve is controlled to be on the opening side, the exhaust pressure drops whereas the exhaust pressure rises in a case where an opening degree of the W/G valve is controlled to be on the closing side.
Under the same conditions of the intake manifold pressure, the engine speed, and the valve opening and closing timing, an amount of the exhaust gas flown back from the exhaust path to the cylinders increases when the exhaust pressure is high, whereas an amount of the exhaust gas flown back from the exhaust path to the cylinders degreases when the exhaust pressure is low. In other words, in the turbocharged engine in which the exhaust pressure varies considerably with an opening degree of the W/G valve even under the same conditions of the intake manifold pressure, the engine speed, and the valve opening and closing timing, a degree of calculation accuracy of an amount of cylinder suction air becomes poor unless consideration is given to influences of the exhaust pressure on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv.
Hereinafter, influences of the exhaust pressure on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv will be described in detail. A relation of an amount of cylinder suction air and the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv is expressed by Equation (1) as follows:[Mathematical Formula 1]Q=Kv×Pb×Vc÷(Tb×R×T_SGT)  (1)where Q is an amount of cylinder suction air [g/s], Kv is the volumetric efficiency equivalent value, Pb is an intake manifold pressure [kPa], Vc is a cylinder displacement [L], Tb is an intake manifold temperature [K], R is a gas constant [J/(kg·K)], and T_SGT is a predetermined crank angle interval [sec] (in the case of a four-cylinder engine, the interval is 180 degrees and in the case of a three-cylinder engine, the interval is 240 degrees).
Equation (1) above is the same as the one used in Patent Document 1. In accordance with Equation (1), the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv can be calculated using an amount of cylinder suction air, Q (g/s), an intake manifold pressure Pb (kPa), a cylinder displacement Vc (L), an intake manifold temperature Tb (K), a gas constant R (J/kg·K), and a predetermined crank angle interval T_SGT (sec). The volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv in each operating range of an engine of interest is obtained by a simulation in actual use. By storing the obtained volumetric efficiency equivalent values Kv in the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv map with axes representing an intake manifold pressure and an engine speed, a volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv is calculated during the actual engine control using an intake manifold pressure, an engine speed, and the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv map.
Images I through III of FIG. 14 are image views showing relations of an exhaust pressure, an internal EGR ratio {=partial pressure of burned gas in cylinders when the intake value is closed÷(partial pressure of burned gas in cylinders when the intake value is closed+partial pressure of air in cylinders when the intake valve is closed)}, and an amount of cylinder suction air with respect to an intake manifold pressure at the same engine speed. In each image view, a solid line indicates a relation when the W/G valve is fully closed (on the supercharging side) and an alternate long and short dash line indicates a relation when the W/G valve is fully opened (on the relief side). It should be noted that the valve opening and closing timing of the intake valve is the same when the W/G valve is fully closed and fully opened.
A relation of an exhaust pressure with respect to an intake manifold pressure will be described using Image I of FIG. 14. In Image I, the abscissa is used for the intake manifold pressure and the ordinate is used for the exhaust pressure.
In a region where the intake manifold pressure is lower than the one on a vertical broken line A, the exhaust pressure is substantially equal when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed. The reason underlying this result is that an amount of an exhaust gas flown into the turbine is too small for the turbine to rotate high enough for supercharging (the exhaust pressure does not rise, either) regardless of whether the W/G valve is fully opened or fully closed. In a region where the intake manifold pressure is in a range from the one on the vertical line A to the one on a vertical line B, an amount of an exhaust gas flown into the turbine is large and the turbine rotates high enough for supercharging when the W/G value is fully closed. At the same time, because resistance when the exhaust gas passes through the turbine increases, the exhaust pressure rises above atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, when the W/G valve is fully opened, because most of the exhaust gas passes through the exhaust bypass passage side, the exhaust pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure only slightly. In a region where the intake manifold pressure is higher than the one on the vertical broken line B, a flow rate of the exhaust gas is so high that an exhaust gas cannot be released sufficiently toward the exhaust bypass passage even when the W/G valve is fully opened. Hence, because an amount of the exhaust gas flown into the turbine increases, the exhaust pressure rises above atmospheric pressure.
A relation of the internal EGR ratio with respect to an intake manifold pressure will now be described using Image II of FIG. 14. In Image II, the abscissa is used for the intake manifold pressure and the ordinate is used for the internal EGR ratio.
In a region where the intake manifold pressure is lower than the one on the vertical broken line A, the internal EGR ratio with respect to the same intake manifold pressure is substantially equal when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed. The reason underlying this result is that because the exhaust pressure is substantially equal when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed (see Image I), an amount of the exhaust gas flown back from the exhaust path to the cylinders is also substantially equal when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed. In a region where the intake manifold pressure is in a range from the one on the broken line A to the one on the broken line B, the internal EGR ratio with respect to the same intake manifold pressure is lower when the W/G valve is fully opened than when the W/G valve is fully closed. The reason underlying this result is that because the exhaust pressure with respect to the same intake manifold pressure is lower when the W/G valve is fully opened than when the W/G valve is fully closed (see Image I), an amount of the exhaust gas flown back from the exhaust path to the cylinders decreases when the W/G valve is fully opened in comparison with an amount of the flown back exhaust gas when the W/G valve is fully closed. In a region where the intake manifold pressure is higher the one on the vertical broken line B, a difference between the internal EGR ratios with respect to the same intake manifold pressure when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed becomes smaller as the intake manifold pressure rises. The reason underlying this result is that because an amount of cylinder suction air increases as the intake manifold pressure rises, a space in the cylinders for the exhaust gas flown back from the exhaust path to the cylinders becomes smaller, and therefore a difference between amounts of the exhaust gas flown back from the exhaust path to the cylinders with respect to the same intake manifold pressure becomes smaller even when there is a difference between the exhaust pressures when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed (see Image I).
A relation of an amount of cylinder suction air with respect to an intake manifold pressure will now be described using image III of FIG. 14. In Image III, the abscissa is used for the intake manifold pressure and the ordinate is used for an amount of cylinder suction air, Q.
In a region where the intake manifold pressure is lower than the one on the vertical broken line A, because the internal EGR ratio with respect to the same intake manifold pressure is substantially equal when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed (see Image II), an amount of cylinder suction air, Q, with respect to the same intake manifold pressure is substantially equal when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed. In a region where the intake manifold pressure is in a range from the one on the vertical broken line A to the one on the vertical broken line B, the internal EGR ratio with respect to the same intake manifold pressure is lower when the W/G valve is fully opened than when the W/G valve is fully closed (see Image II). Hence, an amount of cylinder suction air, Q, with respect to the same intake manifold pressure increases when the W/G valve is fully opened in comparison with an amount of cylinder suction air, Q, when the W/G valve is fully closed. In a region where the intake manifold pressure is higher than the one on the vertical broken line B, a difference between the internal EGR ratios with respect to the same intake manifold pressure when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed becomes smaller as the intake manifold pressure rises. Hence, a difference between amounts of cylinder suction air, Q, with respect to the same intake manifold pressure when the W/G valve is fully opened and fully closed becomes smaller.
As has been described, even under the same conditions of an intake manifold pressure and an engine speed, an amount of cylinder suction air varies considerably depending on a difference of the exhaust pressure. In a case where no consideration is given to influences of the exhaust pressure on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv calculated during the actual engine control using an intake manifold pressure, an engine speed, and the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv map, there arises a problem that a degree of calculation accuracy of an amount of cylinder suction air becomes lower. For example, assume a case where the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv when the W/G valve is fully closed is calculated in accordance with Equation (1) above and pre-stored in a map with axes representing an intake manifold pressure and an engine speed for use during actual engine control. When the W/G valve is controlled to be fully closed, an amount of cylinder suction air, Q, calculated in an engine control computer unit (hereinafter, referred to as the ECU) is calculated with accuracy for an actual amount of air. There is, however, a case where an amount of cylinder suction air, Q, calculated in the ECU is smaller than the actual amount of air when the W/G valve is controlled to be on the opening side and the exhaust pressure drops from the one when the W/G valve is fully closed at the same intake manifold pressure and engine speed.
Regarding the problem above, consideration of influences of the exhaust pressure on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv is described in neither Patent Document 1 nor Patent Document 2.
In addition, as in the case where consideration is given to influences of the valve opening and closing timing on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv, the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv map may be held for every operating condition of the W/G valve. In a case where an operating range of the W/G valve is indicated by six representative points and intervals are interpolated, six volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv maps are held. It is possible to consider influences of the exhaust pressure on the volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv by this method. However, in an engine equipped with the intake VVT and the turbocharger, six volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv maps for consideration of the valve opening and closing timing are held for each of the six representative points of the operating range of the W/G valve. In short, 6×6, that is, 36 volumetric efficiency equivalent value Kv maps are necessary. Hence, there are problems that a large number of man hours are required for adaptation and data setting and that a microcomputer in the ECU requires a huge memory capacity.
In a case where an opening degree of the W/G valve is controlled in such a manner that the W/G valve opens at a unique opening degree with respect to an intake manifold pressure and an engine speed, the exhaust pressure also takes a unique value with respect to an intake manifold pressure and an engine speed. Hence, no consideration is necessary for a difference of the exhaust pressures at the same intake manifold pressure and engine speed. In this case, however, there is a problem that it becomes impossible to control the W/G valve at an arbitrary opening degree (for example, acceleration cannot be achieved by raising a supercharging pressure by controlling the W/G valve to be on the closing side temporarily in response to an acceleration request from the driver).

Control apparatus of internal combustion engine


A radiography comfort device may be selectively attached to a panel of a medical imaging device. The radiography comfort device includes a woven microfiber fabric and a first adhesive that are both radiolucent. The woven microfiber fabric has a first surface and a second surface on opposing sides of the woven microfiber fabric. The first adhesive is laminated to the second surface of the woven microfiber fabric. When the radiography comfort device is attached to the panel of the medical imaging device using the first adhesive, the first surface of woven microfiber fabric is presented for contact by tissue of an individual being imaged. Further, a pad can be laminated to a portion of the periphery of the fabric to provide an edge cushion when the comfort device is attached to the panel.

This application relates to a radiolucent cover for a medical imaging device such as, for example, a cover for a panel or paddle used in mammography.
Medical imaging has become an increasing powerful diagnostic and screening tool. As one example, breast cancer screening using mammography is routinely performed in order to provide early detection of breast cancer particularly in high-risk and middle-aged populations. If characteristic masses or microcalcifications are identified in the breast tissue during a mammogram, then the matter can be further investigated and, if necessary, treatment may be performed.
Although early detection and treatment of breast cancer greatly improves outcomes, receiving a mammogram is often uncomfortable.
In order to obtain the best resolution for detection of the smallest, earliest cancers, the breast being imaged must be flattened using pressure between two plates or paddles. Discomfort from the pressure can be compounded by the coldness of the paddles. Further, stickiness and pinching can develop when the skin is adjacent to the impermeable surface of the paddle.
Moreover, in order to improve cancer detection, the technician also tries to get as much tissue as possible into the imaging field. This requires uncomfortably driving the chest of the patient into the leading edge of the compressive paddles in an effort to maximize the volume of tissue between the paddles for imaging. However, contact between the patient's chest and the hard leading edge of the paddles results in linear pressure to the patient's rib cage and can be a significant source of pain.


To increase accuracy in extracting a foreground area while saving a user time and effort. Image obtaining means of an image processing device obtains an image including a background and an object. Element area setting means sets, with respect to the image, a plurality of element areas respectively corresponding to a plurality of elements in the image. Overlapped area specifying means specifies an overlapped area in which a degree of overlap of the element areas is greater than or equal to a predetermined value in the image. Foreground area extracting means extracts a foreground area corresponding to the object from the image based on the overlapped area.

There are known techniques for extracting, from an image including a background and an object, a foreground area corresponding to the object. For example, Non-Patent Literature 1 describes a method called Grabcut for segmenting foreground and background areas in an image. For example, although not being directed to extracting a foreground area, Non-Patent Literature 2 describes automatically detecting each object in an image, and setting a bounding box to enclose each object in the image.

Image processing device, image processing method, and program


Systems and methods for priming a fuel filtration housing are provided. In some embodiments, a system for filling a fuel filtration housing may include a cover sized and shaped to releasably engage an opening to a first chamber of a first fuel filtration housing, a first seal coupled to the cover, and a pump. In some embodiments, the cover, the first seal, and the pump may be arranged such that when the cover is pressed against the opening of the first fuel filtration housing and the pump is operated, the first seal engages one or more surfaces of the first fuel filtration housing and a first low pressure zone is formed within the chamber of the first filtration housing. The first low pressure zone may have a pressure that is lower than a pressure within a first fuel supply tank coupled to the first chamber such that a first liquid within the first supply tank flows into the first chamber.

Many types of diesel powered machines (including but not limited to boats, generators, heavy equipment, etc.) are equipped with fuel systems that utilize a water separation and fuel filtration housing. These housings may include a removable filtration element. During the normal maintenance of these housings, it may be necessary to replace filtration elements and/or to drain contaminated fuel/water from the housings. In either case, the filter housing may be left empty or only partially full of fuel, and it may need to be filled with liquid (e.g., fuel) to complete the service.
The standard process for filling a filtration housing is through the use of a portable fuel jug. This process is slow and presents a number of difficulties. One problem is that the filtration housing is often installed in an area that has difficult or limited access. The access may dictate that only a small container can be used for filling, which then requires transferring fuel from the large jug to a smaller one. A complete fuel filtration housing service may require nearly five gallons of fuel, necessitating multiple transfers from the large jug to the smaller one. Another problem, attributed to the limited access of the filtration housings, is that the process of pouring fuel into the housing is often a physically awkward one, which leads to wasteful and messy fuel spills. Also, the standard method of using a portable fuel jug requires that the jug be stored in close proximity to the engines taking up valuable space. Additionally, the jug must be filled separately from the fuel tank that serves the engine, which is often forgotten during normal fuel fill-ups, leading to extra trips to a fuel filling station.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods to address these and other challenges, as described more fully below.