The invention relates to radio engineering, more specifically to a method and a device for receiving multipath signals in a radio communications system with a code division multiple access (CDMA) and can be used for the receiving equipment of a base station. Said invention makes it possible to compensate a reciprocal signal interference of all user beams of information and pilot channels in a shaped complex cross-correlation response of all user beams of the information and pilot channels. The number of information channels and the data transmission rate in the information channels can vary from user to user. A serial compensation of the reciprocal signals interference of all user beams of the information and pilot channels during measurement of user signal parameters and complex waveform envelopes of all user beams is carried out in several iterations.

I Field of Invention
The present invention relates to radio engineering, particularly, to methods and devices of multipath signal receiving in CDMA systems and can be used in BTS receiving equipment.
II Description of the Related Art
Today cellular communication systems are being developed at an amazing speed. Reduction of service cost and fast growth of the number of users are forced by the increasing demand for system capacity, capacity defined as a number of simultaneously served users per cell. In addition, new data exchange networks like Internet impose new requirements to data transmission rate and propagation channel reliability.
These requirements have accelerated development of signal processing methods and led to the emergence of new radio communication systems. Among latest achievements in this field is CDMA systems. There are CDMA based cellular systems currently operating according to IS-95 Mobile Station—Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual—Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System (to be published as IS-95).—Qualcomm Inc., 3 Volumes, March 1993.—2123 p. and there are third generation standards under development for future wireless networks: UMTS [The ETSI UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) ITU-R RTT Candidate Submission. (UMTS Standard)] and cdma2000 [The ETSI UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) ITU-R RTT Candidate Submission. (UMTS Standard)]. They are supposed to add new service functions, such as high rate channels, access to Internet, location, etc.
CDMA systems are asynchronous address systems, where signals from different users share a common frequency bandwidth and users are separated based on the signal type—a unique function, scrambling function, is assigned to each user. Since signals of different users arrive at the receiving end with random delays, it is not possible to provide full mutual orthogonality of signals from different users. Therefore, it is very critical to jointly differentiate and estimate signal parameters of all the users simultaneously processed at the receiving end. This task is referred to as "multi-user detection" [4] S. Verdu "Optimum Multiuser Asymptotic Efficiency", IEEE Transactions on Communications, vol. COM-34, 9, Sep. 1986, pp. 890–897.
Despite the huge interest in multi-user detection: Z. XIE, R. T. Short, and G. K. Rushforth "A Family of Suboptimum Detectors for Coherent Multiuser Communication", IEEE Journal on selected areas in communications, vol. 8, no. 4, May 1990, pp. 683–690, B. Wu, Wang, "New Sub-Optimal Multiuser Detectors for Synchronous CDMA Systems", Proceedings Pacific Rim Conference on Communications, Victoria, BC, Canada, IEEE, May, 1995, Z. Zvonar, M. Stojanivic, "Performance of Multiuser Diversity Reception in Nonselective Rayleigh Fading CDMA Channels", IEEE Personal Communications, 1994, pp. 171–175. etc. there are still a lot of unsolved issues. For example, there is a problem to develop simple and effective methods and devices of simultaneous receiving of signals of multiple users under the conditions of a priori unknown complex envelope of receiving multipath signals with several info channels per user.
At present there are different methods and devices of multipath signals in CDMA systems.
There is a method of signal receiving and CDMA communication system developed by Qualcomm according to the IS-95 standard "An Overview of Application of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to Digital Cellular Systems and Personal Cellular Networks", USA, Qualcomm, May, 1992, Document Number EX60-10010, where base (central) station, BS, comprises N receivers that receive signals from mobile stations. The level of structural interference at BS in this system is reduced because of the use of adaptive power control of mobile station signals.
However, the above method of signal receiving and communication system do not provide high interference immunity, power losses during signal receiving are possible because of the presence of multi-user interference.
There are methods and algorithms of multi-user detection in synchronous coherent system of CDMA communication system described by Peter Kempf in the paper "On Multi-User Detection Schemes for Synchronous Coherent CDMA Systems", IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, pp. 479–483, 1995.
In this paper several methods of multi-user detection are addressed. Let us consider one of them.
It is assumed that N users are served in a communication system. Data transmission rates of different users, the length of info symbols are the same. Each user has a single information, info, channel. The complex envelopes of signals from different users are assumed to be known and methods of their estimation are not considered. Signal propagation channel is one path. Analysis of the suggested algorithm is carried out without fading.
Unknown info parameters of users are estimated through L stages by sequential compensation of interfering effect of user signals on each other. At each of these stages the correlation responses of user signals, on which the final decision has been made at the previous stages, are formed. Out of them N/L maximum by module correlation responses are selected, on which the final decision about info parameters is made. The estimates of interfering effect of signals of these users are obtained and the output signal of this stage is generated by subtracting the obtained estimates from the output signal of the previous stage.
In the described method of multi-user detection forming of the estimate of interfering impact of user signals and subtraction of this estimate are carried out at high intermediate frequency, which makes it a difficult task to implement this method.
The use of the described method supposes the knowledge of complex envelopes of user signals and does not have the mechanism of their effective estimation. This renders it impossible to use this method in fading and invariable channel conditions.
The presence of only info signal per user does not correspond to the structure of user signals in today's radio systems, where several info channels and pilot channel are available.
Propagation channel is assumed to be one path
There is a method multi-user description in a CDMA communication system described by Andrew L. C. Hui and Khaled Ben Letaief "Successive Interference Cancellation for Multiuser Asynchronous DS/CDMA Detectors in Multipath Fading Links", IEEE, vol. 46, 3, Mar., 1998, pp. 384–391.
In is assumed that N users are served in a communication system. Data transmission rates of different users, the lengths of info symbols, are the same. Each user has a single info channel. The complex envelopes of signals from different users are assumed to be known and their estimation methods are not considered. Propagation channel is multipath. Analysis of the algorithms is carried out under fading conditions.
It is assumed that the receiving equipment of base station recovers complex envelopes and user delays highly accurately; the method of how this is done is not specified.
The method is implemented in the following manner. The input signal is demodulated thus forming the correlation responses of all the paths of all the users at the output. The info parameters are estimated through sequential compensation of the interfering impact of user signals on one another through L stages. At each of L stages:                the correlation responses of all the paths of each user are combined forming soft decisions on info parameters of users;        the user with maximum by modulo soft decision and the final decision about his info parameter is made;        considering the matrices of cross-correlation the estimate of interfering effect of a given user on the correlation responses of user signals paths by which final decision has not been made at the previous stages is formed;        the correlation responses of this stage are formed by subtracting the obtained estimates of interfering effect from the correlation responses of the previous stage.
The use of this method supposes the presence of accurate estimates of complex envelopes of user signals that cannot be obtained in practice because the processes of obtaining complex envelope estimates and information parameters are interrelated.
A single info channel per user does not meet the user signal structure in today's radio systems, where a number of info channels is assumed.
The algorithm supposes similar data transmission rates of all the users that does not correspond to real conditions.
At each stage the final decision is made by one user, so at the final stage the final decision by N−L users has to be made, which, in case N is much greater than L (N>>L), reduces interference stability of an estimate. When the number of stages L is a bit lower than the number of users N, the algorithm becomes more complex due to multiple stages.
Finally there is a multi-user detection method in the CDMA IS-95 system described by A. Duel-Hallen, J. Holtzman, Z. Zvonar in "Multiuser Detection for CDMA Systems", IEEE Personal Communications, April 1995, pp. 46–57.
In this system N users are served. The length of info symbols of different users in this system is the same. A user is supposed to have a single info channel. The estimates of complex envelopes of signals from different users are derived by non-coherent estimation of info symbols of each user with subsequent accumulation of complex correlation responses of symbols correlated in accordance with the estimates obtained. User propagation channel is assumed to be multipath. Analysis of the considered algorithm is carried out in fading conditions.
The mentioned method is implemented in the following manner. The input signal is demodulated thus forming the correlation responses of signals of all the paths of all the users at the output. The info parameters are estimated by serial compensation of the interfering effect of users on each other through N stages. Within each of N stages:                the correlation responses of signals of all the paths of each user are combined thus forming soft decisions about info parameters of user signals;
the user of max by modulo soft decision is chosen and final decision about its info parameter is made;
considering the cross-correlation matrices the estimate of interfering effect of a signal from a given user on the correlation responses of signals of user paths by which the final decision at the previous stages has not been made is formed;
the correlation responses of this stage are formed by subtracting the obtained estimates of interfering effect from the correlation responses of the previous stage.
The method of estimation of complex envelopes of user signals used in the described algorithm is, first, limited by the IS-95 standard frames, second, is not so efficient for it does not consider the mutual effect of user signals on each other.
A single info channel per user does not correspond to the 3G user signal structure (IS-2000, UMTS, 3GPP), where a number of info channels are supposed to be available.
The method supposes the same length of info symbols of different users in this system, which does not correspond to the requirements of mobile 3G standards.
With a great number of users N owing to multiple stages implementation of the method becomes a complex tasks.

Method for receiving multipath signals in a radio communications system with a code division multiple access and device for carrying out said method


The present invention 10 discloses an infusion bag 18 having means for selectively inserting any desired dry beverage material 16. The disposable infusion bag 18 has spaced apart reinforced elements 20 fixedly attached to the bag material with a string 22 passing through the elements in predetermined positions whereby pressure applied to the distal ends of the string causes the top corners 30 to fold forward engaging the bag whereupon the remaining triangular center element folds over covering the previously folded corners preventing any of the inserted material from escaping. The bag 18 may be reusable by unfolding the bag, discarding the used contents, replacing with fresh material and refolding the bag.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to infusion bags and, more specifically, to an infusion bag having means for selectively inserting any desired dry beverage material. The disposable infusion bag has spaced apart reinforced elements fixedly attached to the bag material with a string passing through the elements in predetermined positions whereby pressure applied to the distal ends of the string causes the top corners to fold forward engaging the bag whereupon the remaining triangular center element folds over covering the previously folded corners preventing any of the inserted material from escaping.
Furthermore, at the user's discretion the bag may be reusable by unfolding the bag, discarding the used contents, replacing with fresh material and refolding the bag.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other infusion bags designed for single beverage servings. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 723,287 issued to Lawson et al. on Mar. 24, 1903.
Another patent was issued to Hirschhorn on Jul. 22, 1919 as U.S. Pat. No. 1,310,796. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,677,397 was issued to Mock on Jul. 17, 1928 and still yet another was issued on Feb. 20, 1934 to Hirschhorn as U.S. Pat. No. 1,947,523.
Another patent was issued to Parrilla on Oct. 9, 1962 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,728. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,092,242 was issued to Irmscher on Jun. 4, 1963. Another was issued to Rambold on Mar. 30, 1965 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,911 and still yet another was issued on Nov. 10, 1970 to Kasakoff as U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,355.
Another patent was issued to Illk on Jul. 14, 1987 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,185. Another was issued to Christie on May 29, 1986 as U.K. Patent No. GB2167380A and still yet another was issued on Sep. 19, 1991 to Shomarla PTY Limited as WIPO Patent No. WO91/13580.


A directional alignment and alignment monitoring sensor system that is designed to be mounted to a directional or omni-directional antenna wherein the system includes a sensor having one or more phototransistors that are associated with one or more baffle members and wherein each baffle member defines a restrictive light passageway toward a phototransistor such the by measuring the time that a phototransistor is illuminated, a correct orientation of the antenna may be accurately determined.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to directional alignment and alignment monitoring systems for directional and planar pattern omni-directional antennas.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Alignment of directional antennas is important in a competitive industry with customers expecting uninterrupted cell phone and other communications. See the reference paper "Impact of Mechanical Antenna Downtilt on Performance of WCDMA Cellular Network" also the paper "Impacts of Antenna Azimuth and Tilt Installation Accuracy on UMTS Network Performance" by Bechtel Corp, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Several types of metrology equipment are currently used to align directional antennas. These include standard construction tools such as levels and transits. By way of example, by locating a person at a distance from an antenna at a known heading, the antenna may be sited using a compass, GPS, survey, laser or transit or other optical means. Such methods require a technician or team of technicians to climb to the antenna, which is normally mounted at an elevated location, usually on a tower, and actively align and measure the antenna position directly, with their hands on the antenna. No devices are currently known that remotely monitor antenna alignment after installation or verify exact alignment during or after installation.
Hands-on alignment is a significant cost to owners of directional and omni-directional antennas and accurate information is crucial when relating to overall RF system design. Currently, there is no all-inclusive method to double check tower crew measurements. Each time a storm hits an area or a period of time passed dictates a need to re-verify alignment, a crew of technicians must climb to the antenna and physically check alignment of the antenna. The measurements are complex and made in a difficult environment high above the ground. If a mistake is made, there is no way to verify the alignment directly. Only by a study of antenna power distribution made by checking the area the antenna is servicing with radio test equipment and comparing the signal strength to a master can proper alignment be determined and this is a costly and time consuming process. Also, this method is indirect, as other factors besides alignment may affect signal strength.

Baffled sun sensor antenna alignment monitors


An integrated delivery device that is both a container and an applicator for small quantity of fluids is disclosed. The integrated delivery device is particularly suitable for viscous substances. The integrated delivery device comprises of two slidably engaged sections with matching concave and convex surfaces wherein a small quantity of viscous fluid is enclosed between the two sections. When the two sections are urged toward each other, the small quantity of viscous fluid between the two sections is urged to exit through a channel in one of the two sections. The two sections will mate to form an integrated applicator that can be used to apply the extracted viscous fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for containing and delivering a fluid. More specifically the present invention is an integrated device that is both a container and an applicator for a small quantity of viscous fluid.
2. Description of Related Art
Containers and applicators for small quantity of viscous fluids are virtually non-existent, particularly for minute quantity of viscous fluid. Single dose applications and samples generally only require a small quantity of viscous fluid to be dispenses and applied. However, due to lack of economical and efficient small container and applicators, most containers and applicators for small quantity of viscous fluid are much larger than necessary to contain and apply the small quantity of the viscous fluid required. Typically, the remaining viscous fluid must be discarded or the content will risk contamination due to repeated exposures to the applicator or the user.
Therefore, an economical and efficient container and applicator is desired that will enclose a small to minute quantity of a viscous fluid and extract virtually all of the viscous fluid from the container for application.


Provided is a method of operating an access point and a wireless communication system using an access point. The method includes classifying the terminals according to the QoS type of a service required by each of the terminals, allocating any one antenna among the plurality of antennae to one terminal of a group of terminals having the highest order of priority according to the QoS type, among the classified groups of terminals, and selecting another antenna and terminal, which maximizes a signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) calculated from channel information between the terminal and the antenna, among the terminals and antennae, except the allocated antenna and terminal, to allocate the antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of operating an access point and a wireless communication system using an access point.
2. Description of the Related Art
An access point (AP) is a device configured to connect wireless terminals to a wired device in a computer network using standards related to WiFi, Bluetooth, and so on, which may be referred to as a wireless access point (WAP).
Such an AP, which is generally connected to a router through a wired network, can transmit date between wireless terminals such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, a computer, a printer, etc., and a wired device in a network. Here, the wireless terminals can use various services such as a voice call service, a moving picture service, a date service, etc., through the AP.
Meanwhile, one AP can be connected to a plurality of terminals through wireless communication, and the wireless communication is performed according to types of services required by the plurality of terminals in different order of priorities.
For example, an online game, a video-telephony service, a voice call service, etc., which require data transmission in real time, are primarily processed, a moving picture service which may cause buffering, etc., is secondarily processed, and then, a general data service is processed.
Characteristics of the services, which become a standard for dividing order of priorities, are referred to as quality of service (QoS).
In addition, a conventional art widely uses a carrier sense multiple access/collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) method of detecting a carrier wafer using a medium before connection to the medium, and adjusting a communication sequence based on a sensed carrier such that collision between data communication does not occur.
That is, when a certain terminal requests communication with the AP, it is determined whether another terminal is already communicating with the AP through the CSMA/CA method, and the certain terminal is on standby. Accordingly, wireless communication can be performed by differentiating a standby time, in which the corresponding terminal requires communication to the AP again, into 1 ms in the case of the service requiring data transmission in real time, 2 ms in the case of the moving picture service, and 3 ms in the case of the general data service, according to the types of QoS.
However, such a method causes an increase in standby time of users who want to use another service, and thus, a fairness problem occurs. In addition, when the data communication is distributed to improve fairness, quality in voice call and video-telephony services requiring data communication in real time may be decreased.
In order to solve the problem, a technique employing a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) method has been proposed.
The MIMO method is a method of installing a plurality of antennae at transmission/reception terminals to increase a channel capacity in a given bandwidth and transmitting different transmission signals from transmission antennae. Accordingly, in comparison with a conventional single input single output (SISO) method, a data transmission rate gain and a channel capacity can be increased by the number of transmission antenna.
However, even when the MIMO method is applied, as the conventional CSMA/CA is used, all of the channels of the system cannot be utilized with optimized efficiency.

Method of operating access point and wireless communication system using access point


A composite iso board (10) comprises a foam core (11) selected from the group consisting of polyisocyanurate and polyurethane materials and mixtures thereof; and first and second facers (12, 13), between which the foam core is sandwiched, the facers comprising a sheet selected from the group consisting of polyamides and polycarbonates. A method of reroofing a roof comprises applying composite iso boards of the present invention to a roof deck; and, applying a weather protective layer over the iso boards. A continuous method of making a composite iso board comprising the steps of feeding a first layer of facer material into a laminator (24); depositing a foamable polymer liquid onto the first layer (12); feeding a second layer of facer material (13) into the laminator above the foamable polymer liquid; allowing the polymer liquid to rise between the first and second facer materials forming polymer foam (42) of a predetermined thickness; curing the polymer foam under heat to create the iso board; cutting the iso board to desired lengths; and stacking said boards in bundles.

Roof construction in a low-pitched roof generally consists of a roof deck, an insulation barrier above the deck, a weather resistant layer applied to the insulation layer, and optionally a layer of heat resistant material. The roof deck generally includes materials such as wood, gypsum, concrete, steel, and the like. Above the roof deck, insulation boards are typically applied to provide thermal insulation and a uniform surface to which the weather protective layer is applied.
There are generally two types of roofing situations, one is a new roof construction and the other is where an existing roof is being reroofed, which typically occurs when the existing roof is leaking. Insulation boards employed in reroof situations are generally referred to as recovery boards. Recovery boards can also be made with a variety of core materials that are typically coated with a protective facer that can be either rigid or flexible and can be fire or flame-retardant. In a reroofing operation, the roof deck can refer to the existing roof, including the existing insulation and weather resistant layer.
Recovery boards are generally applied to an existing roof deck assembly to provide a uniform surface when recovering an existing roof. The existing roof is typically hot and wet, and the environmental conditions in which the reroof takes place is typically hot, humid, and wet. The most common recovery boards are made of woodfiber or extruded polystyrene. The woodfiber is typically coated with a thin layer of asphaltic material on one side, and those recovery boards that are made of polystyrene typically do not contain a facer. While insulation boards are typically not affected by environmental conditions during the construction of a new roof, the hot and damp conditions encountered during reroof situations can warp the facers of many recovery boards.
To seal the roof from the elements, recovery boards are typically covered with various materials including molten asphalt, modified bitumen membrane, rubberized asphalt, or an elastomeric composition such as EPDM (ethylenepropylene diene monomer). Not all sealing materials, however, are compatible with each type of recovery board. For example, molten asphalt can not be used with extruded polystyrene. Correct combinations of sealing material and recovery board are known to those skilled in the art. The heat resistant layer of material, which is generally applied directly to the weather resistant layer, can include gravel, river stone, foam or a layer of mastic followed by granules.
Application of the weather protective layer can be accomplished by a number of means, usually dictated by the type of material employed. For example, sheets of a protective membrane can be rolled out over the roof and bonded together by torching or the use of an adhesive.
Although inexpensive and generally in wide use, woodfiber and polystyrene-containing insulation or recovery boards are often ineffective in hot, humid and wet environments. Particularly, woodfiber boards will disintegrate in a wet, humid environment, which is common in a reroof operation. Polystyrene will expand, bow, or distort in similar environments, especially when exposed to the extreme heat experienced upon roofs in warmer climates.
The patent literature does include panels and boards used for roofing operations. Built-up roof constructions and the components thereof, for example, are well-known in the art as generally explained in Blanpied, U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,005, Dybsky et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,818, and Rosato et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,366. With regard to insulation boards, Blanpied teaches a rigid foam board comprising a thermosetting plastic foam sandwiched between two facers; the facer comprising glass fibers, non-glass filler, and non-asphaltic binder. Likewise, Dybsky et al. teaches a composite roofing substrate panel comprising a core of combustible material such as fibers or foams and a facer of noncombustible material such as glass fibers coated with a bituminous material. Rosato et al. teaches a laminate insulation board comprising a plastic foam core and at least one facer sheet forming both a protective layer and a venting means for fluids; the facer sheet comprising fine glass fibers bonded together with polyvinyl acetate.
All existing polyisocyanurate boards, or iso boards as they are sometimes known, employ facers on the two parallel sides with the largest surface areas. A facer usually consists of a composite with paper, fiberglass and various binders and additives. The standard facer is an approximate composition of 80 percent by weight recycled paper, 15 percent by weight fiberglass and 5 percent by weight additives and binders. These fiberglass facers actually contain minimal fiberglass as a reinforcement for the facer or sheet material. The high paper content of this facer yields a facer that readily absorbs water, which is not desirable in a polyisocyanurate insulation board. These standard facers typically absorb as much as 60 percent by weight water per ASTM C209. Additionally, these standard facers are very permeable to gases such as oxygen subsequent to foaming of the polyisocyanurate, which diminishes the insulative or R-value properties of the iso board. For example, it has been shown that many hundred and perhaps thousands of cubic centimeters per hundred square inches of oxygen can permeate a standard facer within 24 hours per ASTM D3985.
Thus, a need exists for an iso board which is stable throughout the manufacturing process and more moisture resistant. The use of a composite which contains isocyanurate and/or urethane foam between facers that comprise a polymer, such as polyamide 6,6, optionally reinforced with glass strands or glass fibers and optionally a filler material, such as calcium carbonate, clay, mica and the like, and optionally various dyes or colorants, makes the iso board of the present invention dimensionally stable, relatively insensitive to moisture in reroofing and, reduced air permeability which improves the R-value.

Polyisocyanurate boards with reduced moisture absorbency and lower air permeability and related methods


A surface-emitting type semiconductor laser includes a substrate, a first distributed Bragg reflection type mirror formed above the substrate, an active layer formed above the first mirror, a second distributed Bragg reflection type mirror formed above the active layer, and an insulation layer having an opening section that is formed in one of the first and second mirrors, wherein light generated from the active layer is emitted as a lower order mode laser beam lower order modeor a higher order mode laser beamhigher order mode, and the first mirror is formed with a number of pairs greater than the number of pairs of the second mirror such that the lower order mode laser beamlower order mode can be emitted in an upward direction of the substrate, and the opening section in the insulation layer is formed to have a size that enables the higher order mode laser beamhigher order mode to be emitted in a downward direction of the substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to surface-emitting type semiconductor lasers and methods for manufacturing the same, optical switches and optical branching ratio variable elements.
2. Related Art
Surface-emitting type semiconductor lasers are semiconductor lasers which emit laser light in a direction perpendicular to a semiconductor substrate, easy to handle compared to conventional edge emitting semiconductor lasers, and have a circular irradiation pattern, such that application thereof to a variety of sensors and light sources for optical communications are expected. Further, surface-emitting type semiconductor lasers that are used as light sources for optical communications are expected to be used not only for intermediate and short distance optical communications but also as optical circuit elements for chip-to-chip and inner-chip communications.
Also, interference type switches that use directional couplers in a planar direction and the like are widely used in the field of optical circuits (i.e., PLC: planar lightwave circuit) (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application HEI 6-51354). However, it is difficult to form directional couplers in an up-and-down direction (a direction perpendicular to a planar direction).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a surface-emitting type semiconductor laser that can change the ratio of outputs of laser beams emitted in upward and downward directions of a substrate, and a method for manufacturing the same. Also, it is another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch that uses the surface-emitting type semiconductor laser described above. Also, it is still another object of the present invention to provide an optical branching ratio variable element that can change the ratio of outputs of laser beams emitted in upward and downward directions of a substrate.

Surface-emitting type semiconductor laser, and method for manufacturing the same, optical switch, and optical branching ratio variable element


Skeletal remains, in unrendered condition, which are a by-product of the deboning of uncooked poultry, pork, or beef, are ground to a hamburger-like consistency and processed through sausage stuffing apparatus to form an encased and sealed bait product which provides olfactory stimulation to crabs or lobsters or other related species.

In the fishing industry, the predominate method that is used to catch crabs, lobsters, and related species generally comprise lowering a trap into place in waters which are considered strategic fishing locations by fishermen. Such locations are generally those which the fishermen have come to know, by experience, have a greater predominance of the aquatic life species, which are their intended prey, in comparison to other areas. For instance, many areas in the Chesapeake Bay are noted for an abundance of several types of crabs. The coastal areas off of Massachusetts and Maine are noted for their abundance of lobsters. Various other areas of the world are likewise noted for their concentrations and abundance of such species of aquatic life. Generally, these areas comprise shallow waters in comparison to those waters which are further off shore where deep sea fishing, using hooks and nets, tends to be more predominate.
The traps that are used to catch crabs, lobster, and the like are generally of two different varieties. The first variety, used for recreational short-term trapping of, for example, crabs, comprises a metal basket structure with hinged side walls. The traps, including the sidewalls, are generally predominantly formed from wire or metal mesh materials to resemble, for example, cubes. The side walls are hinged, at their bottom edges to the floor of the trap, such that when the trap settles to the bottom of the designated fishing area, underwater, the sidewalls will fall open. Lines are attached to the upper edges of the sidewalls such that when the lines are drawn tautly, upwardly, the sidewalls will likewise be pulled upwardly, closing the trap and thus entrapping the crabs which have entered the trap. The lines from the movable sidewalls of such traps extend upwardly and are usually merged into a single line which in turn extends to the surface and is attached to, for example, a boat, a wharf, or a buoy.
Generally, recreational crab traps are placed in the water and left for a relatively short period of time, for example, time spans ranging from 15 or 30 minutes up to several hours. Such traps are normally checked by the fishermen at regular intervals so as to remove accumulated aquatic life and also to ensure that the bait placed in the traps is still secure and intact within those traps.
Commercial crab traps consist of metal frame covered with wire mesh; fitted with wire mesh cups for baiting or narrow entry ports of wire with a maze like interior. They are left for 24 hours or more to collect crabs. Traps used for catching, for example, lobsters, on the other hand, are designed for long-term use wherein the trap is placed on the bottom in the preferred section of water to be left for several days. Such traps, for example, may be constructed of wood, structured in an open lattice in the form of half of an axially divided cylindrical section, divided longitudinally. Such traps conceptually include a maze or labyrinth, i.e., of flexible netting material, through which the lobsters find their way into the inside of the trap. On the other hand, the maze or labyrinth provides a seemingly insurmountable block to the way out as the netting material is flexed to constrict the opening therethrough. The concept is that the lobster is attracted into the trap by the bait which is placed in the trap. Once in the trap, the lobster's concentration is on the bait material, which is a foodstuff for the lobster, and the motivation to leave the trap is much less than the attraction provided by the foodstuff. The diminished motivation, plus the labyrinth or maze system of the trap, generally are sufficient to prevent escape of the lobster. Both crab traps and lobster traps, as described above, are well known to the fishing industry and have been used for many years although new variations of both types are occasionally presented to the market. The types of traps used forms no part of the present invention.
As mentioned previously, for entrapping crabs, lobsters, and like species, a bait is used, the bait being secured within the trap generally to its bottom such that when the trap is placed o the bottom of a body of water, the bait cannot be reached by aquatic creatures without entering the trap. Predominately, fish, frozen or salted or chicken parts are used in traps to trap crabs, lobsters, and like species. For example, fish heads, fish skeletons, fish entrails and other waste portions of the fish comprise the by-products resulting from the preparation of fish prepared as food products for humans. These by-products are used as the bait in such traps.
Crabs, lobsters, and the like are attracted to the bait essentially by the sense of smell from the odor emanating from oils, fluids, and minute particles of the bait materials which are carried in suspension by the water currents passing through the traps. Aquatic life species which are essentially attracted to their respective foodstuffs by a sense of smell, i.e., olfactory stimulation, tend to have very sensitive and highly developed olfactory senses. Predominantly, these forms of aquatic life tend to be bottom feeders with relatively poor visual capabilities. The odors produced by the suspended materials emanating from the bait provide an olfactory stimulant to various species of aquatic life. Pains are taken by the fishermen to use bait specimens to which the aquatic life species, which are the intended prey, are most attracted. These, in most cases, tend to be those fish species which provide the natural foodstuffs for the crabs, lobsters, and like species which are to be trapped.
Unfortunately, the fish by-products which tend to provide attractive olfactory stimulants to aquatic life, in many cases are often unattractive to humans, being most disagreeable and highly offensive to the human sense of smell. The fish by-products used as bait are irregular and inconsistent in shape, size and, composition and have a very slippery or "slimy" texture; thus, are relatively difficult to handle and to securely attach in the traps. In use, such fish by-product bait materials initially provide a high degree of attractiveness to the intended prey. However, this attractiveness rapidly dissipates as the currents wash away the olfactory stimulants from the surface of the bait material. Once the olfactory stimulants disperse through increasingly broader areas of water, the concentration of stimulants becomes dissipated and the path of travel of those olfactory stimulants from the bait material becomes obscured. Thus, the crabs, lobsters, and like species are less able to follow the path to the source of the bait, resulting in a lessening of the probability of their entering the trap.
Recently, the fishing industry has learned to use an increasing amount of the fish by-products for commercial purposes other than bait. For example, fish meals and fish emulsion preparations are finding increasing commercial use as "organic" fertilizers. This, of course, has consequently decreased the ready supply and availability of such by-products for use as bait materials, and the cost has rapidly increased. In addition, such natural fish by-product baits are not always available as there is an increasing recognition in the fishing industry that there are preferred seasons for catching different varieties of aquatic life. There is also an increasing environmental awareness and concern for pollution that may be caused by the pieces and parts of fish by-product bait materials which tend to partially break off and float free from the traps, being left to fully decompose and thus provide sources of water pollution. Since the bodies in which aquatic creatures are trapped tend to be relatively shallow waters close to shore line and thus human habitation, there is a growing degree of environmental and health-related concern. In addition, it is traditionally believed the fully decomposed fish by-products tend to have the opposite effect from that of the bait by-product, that opposite effect being to repel the crabs, lobsters, and like species rather than to attract them.
Many alternative forms of bait have been proposed to the fishing industry. Artificial baits, in the form of lures have been widely used for many years. Examples of such lures are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,700,504 and 4,216,605. Fish traps using no bait have also been proposed; an example of such is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,943. Lures which use live bait have likewise been proposed as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,580. The foregoing published references can all be classified as lures or "bait" having as their object the provision of visual stimulus to the fish which are the intended prey.
However, crabs, lobsters, and like species, which are bottom feeders, inhabit those areas of the water which see the least amount of light. Thus lures and bait which provide a visual stimulus are relatively ineffective in these areas. In addition, crabs, lobsters and like species do not naturally find their foods by way of visual stimulation. As mentioned above, they are attracted by smell or odor from their foodstuff which provide olfactory stimulation.
Consequently, a wide variety of types of artificial baits in the form of olfactory stimulants have been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,555,088 shows a bag containing bait materials including slaughterhouse meat scrap tankage, dried slaughterhouse blood and animal entrails. The cloth bag of this reference is filled with bait material and placed onto a fish hook. U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,021 shows a variant of such a bait bag. U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,748 shows a method of producing pelletized bait which can be made to resemble, for example, maggots. These references are focused on providing olfactory stimulus to aquatic life with the object being to attract that aquatic life to a fish hook or to a trap.
Dried blood packaged in a plastic casing has also been proposed. Slits are formed in the sidewall of the plastic casing, enabling both infiltration of water and gradual seepage of the reconstituted blood from the package. Such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,975. An artificial fish food specifically focused on attracting lobster as well as other aquatic life has been formed by converting natural muscle tissue of various animals, including fish, into acylated myofibrillar protein. Such a bait material, also proposed as a food, for various aquatic creatures is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,903,304. The packaging of artificial "dough bait," in a "foraminous" material which is encased around the dough bait, is proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,357. Ground up, freeze-dried raw fish is packaged in a water permeable paper or cloth as described by U.S. Pat. No. 4,053,640.
A rather unique form of artificial bait is proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,247. In this reference, olfactory stimulants such as liquefied fish or other marine attractants, i.e., fish oils, anise, amino acids or synthetic attractants, as well as fish by-products, in a liquefied form, are proposed to be mixed with a water soluble cellulose ether composition in a plasticizing solvent to be formed into a solid material composite which may be used, as formed, or encased in a fiber such as fiberglass, cloth, plastic, or cellulose pulp to resemble a sausage in form.
PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 86/06251 describes and illustrates a fish bait generally in the form of a sausage. The casing material is a tightly woven cotton or polyester fabric, which is porous and is said to permit some quantity of the oil from the ground fish, which is encased in the package, to leach out into the surrounding water. Conventional meat grinding and sausage stuffing equipment is sued to produce the product and the product is frozen for use as a fish hook bait principally for deepwater fishing.
It is not known from actual testing how effective any of the foregoing baits are in actual application. However, it is readily discernible from a reading of the foregoing published references that several tend to negatively criticize the effectiveness of their respective predecessors

Bait product for crabs or lobsters and method of preparation


Lactoneotrehalose, a novel saccharide shown by the formula O-.beta.-D-galactopyranosyl-(1.fwdarw.4)-O-.beta.-D-glucopyranosyl .alpha.-D-glucopyranoside, is prepared by allowing a saccharide-transferring enzyme to act on an aqueous solution containing lactose and amylaceous substance. Lactoneotrehalose is a non-reducing oligosaccharide, extremely stable, readily soluble in water, and substantially free of hygroscopicity, as well as having a satisfiable quality and moderate sweetness. These render lactoneotrehalose very useful in the preparations of orally-administrable products, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel saccharide, and its preparation and uses, more particularly, it relates to lactoneotrehalose shown by the formula O-.beta.-D-galactopyranosyl-(1.fwdarw.4)-O-.beta.-D-glucopyranosyl .alpha.-D-glucopyranoside, and its preparation and uses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lactose, which is shown by the formula O-.beta.-D-galactopyranosyl-(1.fwdarw.4)-D-glucose, has been known for long as a sweet saccharide present in milk of mammals. Recent increment in the production of milk products such as butter and cheese has been accompanied with a large amount of lactose as by-product. The reducing properties, susceptivity to the browning reaction and low solubility in solvents of lactose have restricted its use of lactose only to the preparations of chocolate, chewing gum and tablet.
Actually, the production of lactose has exceeded the consumption and this resulted in an excessive stock of lactose, as well as having suppressed the production of lactose.
Various attempts have been made to obtain novel saccharides wherein these properties and demerits of lactose are improved.
For example, Bailey et al. reported in Nature, Vol.176, pp.1164-1165 (1955) their finding that O-.beta.-D-galactopyranosyl-(1.fwdarw.4)-O-[.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-(1.fw darw.2)]-D-glucopyranose was formed when microorganisms of the species Batacoccus arabinosaceous were cultured a medium containing lactose and sucrose; Okada et at. disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.98,093/73 a method to prepare reducing oligosaccharides which comprises subjecting lactose and partial starch hydrolysate to the action of saccharide-transferring enzymes to allow a glucosyl residue from partial starch hydrolysate to the galactosyl residue of lactose; and Igarashi et at. disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.205,793/87 a method to prepare O-.alpha.-D-glucopyranosyl-(1.fwdarw.3)-O-.beta.-D-galactopyranosyl-(1.fwd arw.4)-D-glucose which contains a step of subjecting lactose and partial starch hydrolysate to the action of .alpha.-glucosidase from buckwheat or rice.
The saccharides disclosed in the prior art, however, are all reducing-oligosaccharides which are susceptive to the browning reaction and never improve the drawbacks of lactose.

Lactoneotrehalose, and its preparation and uses

Kabushiki Kaisha Hayashibara Seibutsu Kagaku Kenkyujo


A generator includes a sliding member, a first power generation element and a second power generation element. The sliding member is made of a biomass-containing material. The first power generation element is configured to slide with respect to the sliding member. The second power generation element is configured to generate electrical power by variation of its relative position with respect to the first power generation element.

The present disclosure relates to a generator configured to generate electrical power from variation of the relative position of a power generation element.
In generators configured to generate electrical power from relative movement of power generation elements, there are one which utilizes electromagnetic induction produced by relative movement of a coil and a magnetic substance, one which utilizes electrostatic induction produced by relative movement of a dielectric substance and a dielectric circuit, and the like. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-80604 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) discloses a vibration-powered generator including a permanent magnet which moves within a tubular member, and a coil which is fixed outside the tubular member. This vibration-powered generator is one which generates electrical power from electromagnetic induction by that the permanent magnet relatively moves with respect to the coil when vibration is applied to it.

Generator including a sliding member made of a biomass-containing material


The invention relates to an angle bracket including a composite material for connecting parts. The angle bracket has two wings forming an angle along a longitudinal folding axis and coupling regions on the outside of the fold. The coupling regions attach to parts to be connected, and is associated with a securing means. At least in the longitudinal direction, the angle bracket has at least one succession of domed sections with a concave or convex profile on the inside and/or outside of the fold, providing the bracket with a corrugated form in the longitudinal direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in the field of the composite materials, to an angle bracket aimed at connecting parts forming an angle between them.
Such an angle bracket made of composite material is essentially, but not restrictively, for use in the field of aeronautics, for example for connecting two or more parts, or for reinforcing an angle, over a determined joining length, and in substitution of similar angle brackets hitherto made of metal. These angle brackets are aimed at being made integral with the parts to be connected, and are thus provided on the outside of the fold with coupling regions aimed at permitting the fastening of said parts to be connected, in association with securing means, which may non-restrictively consist of gluing, riveting or screwing means.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
A state-of-the-art angle bracket is represented in FIG. 1. This angle bracket 1 includes two wings 10 and 11, which form between them a right angle according to a longitudinal folding axis 12, the outer faces 13 and 14 of which form the coupling regions, while a multiplicity of holes 15 arranged in the wings 10 and 11, on both sides of said folding axis 12, are aimed at permitting the fastening of the parts to be connected through securing means.
The substitution of the metallic angle brackets by angle brackets made of composite material is essentially dictated by the necessity of weight saving. Generally, the angle brackets made of composite material are manufactured according to the so-called "black metal" technique, which consists in molding a composite material in the shape and dimensions of the angle brackets made of metal they are aimed at substituting. This has sometimes drawbacks at the level of the strength, even when the composite material being used is advantageously formed of reinforcing fibers embedded in a thermoplastic or thermosetting matrix.
It is indeed known that the weak spot of the composite materials is the matrix, which has a specific strength much lower than that of the fibers. The strength range is for example 20 MPa for the resin and 4000 Mpa for the carbon fiber. Therefore, the failure mode of a part made of composite material is generally a fracture of the resin connecting the fibers, and for an angle bracket made of composite material the fracture is observed essentially during an unfolding operation, i.e. the spreading of the two wings.
In order to cope with this drawback, it would be appropriate that the reinforcing fibers are subjected to the tensile and/or compression forces, and that the resin is not or little stressed.
From WO2010072952 is known an L-shaped fitting resulting from the molding of a composite material, which comprises two portions forming an angle between them, and drilled with holes in order to permit to make two parts integral with each other through fastening means, at least one of said two parts having, on the inside of said fitting, a concave curved profile, and in particular a spherical or cylindrical profile, the hole or holes provided in same having an axis radial to the curvature.
This configuration permits the reinforcing fibers, or part of the latter, to be oriented in the direction of traction and/or compression, so that they are stressed by priority with respect to the resin.
However, such an L-shaped fitting does not permit to substitute an angle bracket for assembling, with the desired rigidity, two parts forming an angle between them. Indeed, though an L-shaped fitting is also aimed at making integral two parts forming an angle between them, an angle bracket permits in addition to perform such a uniting over a determined joining length, whereby said parts may for example consist of panels.
It could be contemplated to juxtapose several of these L-shaped fittings, so as to obtain an aggregate of parts extending over the length of the joining of two parts to be assembled. Though the result achieved, at the level of the resistance to a folding or unfolding stress, i.e. when closing or opening the angle, is obviously better than the one that could be achieved with traditional angle brackets, the same does not apply as regards the strength in the longitudinal direction, parallel to the folding axis. Indeed, the L-shaped fittings of the aggregate are not connected to each other, except by said very parts, which do not necessarily have a high rigidity.

Corrugated angle bracket consisting of a composite material


A spike adapter and blunt cannula spike adapter assembly comprises a spike adapter having a hollow chamber extending axially therethrough from a first body end to a second body end. The hollow chamber is adapted to receive and accommodate attachment with a blunt cannula therein. A spike shaft projects axially outwardly away from the adapter body second end and has a sharpened tip at a distal end. A spike cover is disposed over the spike shaft to cover the sharpened tip. The spike shaft includes a hollow channel extending axially therethrough that is adapted to accommodate placement of a blunt cannula shaft concentrically therein to allow the blunt cannula to access medicine containers having unslit septums or stoppers. The spike adapter body includes axially extending grooves that accommodate blunt cannula tongues therein to form a tongue and groove attachment therebetween. Notches project from surface portions of the adapter body disposed across the grooves, and are designed to engage blunt cannula tongues to lock the blunt cannula into the spike adapter. The adapter body includes surface portions that are diametrically opposed to the grooves and that are deformable in a radially inwardly direction to permit the elastic deformation of the adapter body to unlock the tongues from the respective notches.

The use of a blunt cannula for penetrating access devices having a preslit septum, without tearing or displacing the septum is known. The use of such blunt cannula is not designed for and is not capable of penetrating solid unslit rubber stoppers or septums of drug vials or other medicine containers. Pointed cannulas, needles, and drug vial spikes are well known instruments that can be used to pierce and penetrate such solid unslit rubber stoppers or septums of drug vials or other medicine containers.
In the practice of combining and dispensing medicine it is sometimes necessary to access different containers that comprise both solid and preslit septums. For example, it may be necessary to access a first drug container containing a liquid medicine to remove a quantity of the medicine via a syringe and the like, and then inject the quantity of medicine into a fluid path accessed by an injection site or the like having a preslit septum. The practice of accessing a preslit septum using a sharp-tipped device, such as a sharpened cannula, needle or drug spike, can cause the septum to be physically damaged in the form of coring or laceration, which can result in subsequent leakage.
The use of sharp-tipped instruments is also not desired for uses other than those specifically requiring use of the same, e.g., to access a solid septum, due to the potential hazards associated with infectious agents. Personnel using such sharped-tipped instruments are trained to do so with great care. However, instances are known to occur where a person using such a sharp-tipped instrument punctures themself while attempting to perform an operation that does not require the use of such sharp-tipped instrument, e.g., when accessing a preslit septum. It may be that such past accidents, and future accidents, could be avoided by selecting the proper instrument for the particular operation. The choice of selecting the proper instrument for a particular operation may not always be an attractive or an available option, given the time window within which the operation must be performed, or given the ready availability of instruments. For example, an emergency situation may call for the rapid mixing and/or dispensing of medicine, or the unavailability of instruments may call for improvision.
In an effort to overcome the difficulties and potential hazards relating to the use of the proper instrument for accessing both preslit and unslit septums, devices have been constructed for insertion within a fluid-flow passage of a blunt cannula for providing such cannula with a pointed tip. Referring to FIG. 1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,499 discloses such a device 10 generally comprising a piercing member 12 having a shaft 16 that is disposed within a fluid-flow channel 18 of a blunt cannula 20. The blunt cannula 20 has a Luer flange 22 at a first end 24, for connecting to an engaging structure (not shown). The piercing member 12 comprises a pointed tip 26 at a distal end of the shaft 16 that projects from a tip 28 of the cannula fluid-flow channel 18 having a tapered outside surface, to permit the blunt cannula to be used to access a solid septum. However, the construction of the device does not permit accessing more than one container that comprises a solid septum, as the piercing member 12 is designed to be removed from the cannula 20, and be retained within the solid septum, when the cannula is withdrawn from the solid septum.
It is, therefore, desired that a device be constructed that facilitates the use of a blunt cannula for accessing both solid and preslit septums. It is desired that the device be constructed so that it will enable the blunt cannula to be used for accessing more than one container comprising a solid septum without the need to replace assembly components or use additional assemblies. To promote application flexibility, it is also desired that such device be constructed to facilitate use with existing blunt cannula designs. It is further desired that the device be constructed in a manner that promotes ease of use without additional equipment, tools or training.


Disclosed herein is a buckle including a plug member and a socket member. The plug member includes a shaft part protruding from one side of a first body, a first magnet inserted into the shaft part, a connection recess formed on the outer face of the shaft part, and at least one guide protrusion formed on the inner wall of the connection recess. The socket member includes a connection protrusion formed on one side of a second body to be inserted into the connection recess, a coupling recess formed in the middle of the connection protrusion so that the shaft part is inserted into the coupling recess, a second magnet inserted into the coupling recess, and at least one guide groove formed in the outer surface of the connection protrusion to guide the guide protrusion.

The present invention relates to a buckle, and more particularly, to a buckle, which includes a plug member and a socket member mounted at end portions of a belt or a strap attached to an article, such as clothes, bags, backpacks, helmets or others, to be coupled with each other detachably with a simple structure in a convenient operation.
In general, a buckle is a fastener having two members to be coupled with each other. Such a buckle has been widely used due to its lightweightness and easy fastening property since being made of a plastic material and is formed integrally so that the two members are combined with each other elastically.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a conventional buckle including a plug member 10 and a socket member 20.
As shown in the drawing, the plug member 10 includes: a body 11; a pair of lock arms 12 linearly protruding from the body 11 to have elasticity and respectively having fastening parts protruding from outer faces of front ends of the lock arms 12; and a guide rod 13 formed between the lock arms 12 to extend rectilinearly from the body 11. The socket member 20 includes: a chamber 21 opened from the front end to accommodate the plug member 10; and a pair of holes 22 respectively formed in both side walls to face each other so that the lock arms 12 are elastically combined with the holes 22.
When a user inserts the plug member 10 into the chamber 21 from a front end inlet of the socket member 20, outer faces of the lock arms 12 are bent inwardly flexibly while sliding along the inner wall of the socket member 20, and end portions of the lock arms 12 are returned outwardly flexibly while being located in the holes 22, so that the plug member 10 and the socket member 20 are coupled with each other.
After that, in order to release the buckle, the user presses both sides of the lock arms 12 exposed through the holes 22 so that the lock arms 12 are separated from the holes 22. When the plug member 10 is drawn out, the plug member 10 and the socket member 20 are separated from each other.
However, such a conventional buckle including a pair of the lock arms 12, the chamber 21 for accommodating the lock arms to be fastened, and the coupling structure existing therein has the complicated structure and requires considerable technical skills.
Moreover, the conventional buckle is fastened when the user grasps the plug member 10 and the socket member 20 with both hands and inserts and couples the plug member 10 into the socket member 20, and is released when the user grasps the plug member 10 and the socket member 20 with both hands and presses the lock arms 12. That is, the conventional buckle can be fastened only when the user precisely couples the plug member and the socket member with each other with both hands.
In order to operate a belt or a strap mounted on a backpack that a user wears for climbing a mountain or for going trekking, the user has to use his or her two hands to fasten the buckle after stopping all other motions. That is, the user has to put down things, which the user holds in his or her hands, in order to use the belt or the strap. Therefore, there is a need of a buckle which can be fastened more conveniently.
Korean Patent No. 10-1747187 discloses a buckle invented in order to solve the above problems. The buckle disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1747187 does not have the lock arms for coupling the plug member and the socket member with each other but has magnets so that they can be combined with each other by inducement of a strong magnetic force as long as they are close to each other. That is, the buckle disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1747187 provides convenience since being fastened just with one hand and improves the productivity due to simplification in structure.
The buckle disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1747187 provides convenience since allowing the user to conveniently fasten and unfasten the buckle, but has a fatal problem in restriction or safety of things by fastening since the plug member and the socket member are easily separated from each other by external contact or external pressure.
Therefore, there is a need of a buckle which can provide convenience by the simple fastening and keep the fastened state stable.


A flyback ballast for fluorescent lamps is provided. A transformer is utilized to control the power delivered to the lamp. A first switch is coupled to the first winding of the transformer. A first filter is coupled to a second filter through a first terminal pair of a lamp. The second switch is coupled to the third switch through a second terminal pair of the lamp. A switching signal is provided to the first switch to control the power of the transformer delivered to the filters. A second switching signal and a third switching signal are provided to the second switch and the third switch respectively to control the power delivered to the lamp. No glow discharge is occurred during the preheating interval.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention is related in general to a ballast, and more particularly, to a ballast of fluorescent lamps.
2. Description of Related Art
Fluorescent lamps are the most popular light source on the market today. By improving the efficiency of the fluorescent lamps and/or providing the dimming control will offer significant savings in energy. Therefore, in recent developments, the capability for improving the efficiency and power savings for fluorescent lamps is a major concern. In addition, prolonging the fluorescent lamp's lifespan is also important for reducing environmental pollution. The proper starting and operating of the lamp is able to provide a longer lamp lifespan. Prior to ignition, the cathode filaments of the lamp electrodes should be preheated to an appropriate emission temperature. During normal operation, the cathode filaments should be maintained at an emission temperature. Furthermore, the glow discharge should be prevented because it will cause the filaments to wear out. The glow discharge is occurred when the filaments are being preheated and during an instance of higher voltage across the lamp. Therefore, the lamp voltage should be limited to within controlled ranges during the preheating interval. In order to completely eliminate the glow discharge, an additional filament heating circuit may be needed. However, such an approach has led to higher costs.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional electronic ballast with a series resonant inverter. The half-bridge inverter includes two switches 10 and 11. The two switches 10 and 11 are interchangeably switched on and off under a 50% duty cycle at the desired switching frequency, which can be controlled to fulfill the requirements during both starting and normal operations. The resonant circuit is formed by an inductor 13, a capacitor 14 and a fluorescent lamp 15. The fluorescent lamp 15 is coupled in parallel with a capacitor 16. The capacitor 14 is operated as the starting circuit. During the preheating stage, the lamp voltage can be maintained low by deliberately operating the ballast at the resonance frequency of the starting circuit. After the cathode filaments have been preheated to an appropriate emission temperature, the ballast frequency is adjusted to generate the required high ignition voltage. Once the lamp is running, the frequency is controlled to produce the required lamp voltage. The drawback of the aforementioned circuit is the having of a high glow current. During the preheating interval, the lamp voltage is determined by the switching frequency of the switches 10, 11 and the resonant frequency of the starting circuit. Once the ballast has been switched on, a resonant current is flowed through the capacitor 16 and the filaments for preheating. At this time, the lamp voltage is simultaneously produced on the lamp, which causes an inevitable glow discharge. Another disadvantage of the aformentioned circuit is the reduced control of efficiency during normal operation. The resonant frequency is varied according with a change of the parasitic devices of the fluorescent lamp. The parasitic devices of the fluorescent lamp, such as equivalent capacitance, for example, are changed in response to a change in temperature and the age of the lamp. Furthermore, the input voltage, the resonant frequency, and the characteristics of the fluorescent lamp affect the power consumption of the lamp.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a flyback ballast with improved efficiency. Another objective of the present invention is to eliminate the glow current, and thus prolonging the lamp lifespan.


An apparatus for reproducing record information of a multiple-layered optical disc is provided with: an optical pickup having a light source for emitting a reading light, an objective lens for condensing the emitted reading light onto one of the information record layers, a focus actuator for moving the objective lens in a focus direction, and a light-detection device for detecting the reflected reading light and outputting a light detection signal; a focus error generation device for generating a focus error signal; an acceleration/deceleration signal generator for generating and outputting to the focus actuator an acceleration signal to accelerate the objective lens in the focus direction and a deceleration signal to decelerate the objective lens in the focus direction; an inter-layer distance measurement device for measuring an interlayer distance between the information record layers of the multiple-layered optical disc; and a controller for measuring a time duration since the acceleration signal is generated until the focus error signal reaches a predetermined threshold level, and for controlling the acceleration/deceleration signal generator to set a magnitude of the deceleration signal on the basis of the measured inter-layer distance and the measured time duration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for reproducing record information of multiple-layered optical disc, on which the record information is recorded on a plurality of information record layers, and more particularly to a control device in the reproducing apparatus for moving an objective lens in an optical pickup to focus a reading light onto one of the information record layers, which is specified.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a CD (Compact Disc) player for reproducing a CD, as one example of a conventional optical disc, an objective lens is driven by an actuator in an optical pickup to keep a relative distance between the objective lens and the CD constant at a standard value, on the basis of a focus error signal, in order to deal with a so-called surface deflection due to a warp or distortion of the CD.
On the other hand, a so-called DVD is developed as an optical disc of high density recording type. There are various types of recording formats and reading formats for this DVD. As one type of them, there is a multiple-layered optical disc, which has a structure comprising a plurality of information record layers.
When reproducing the multiple-layered optical disc, a control to switch the information record layers to be read becomes necessary, which is not required in the conventional CD player. Namely, a control to move the objective lens in the optical pickup, which is focusing the reading light onto a first information record layer to be presently read, for a distance corresponding to an inter-layer distance between the first information record layer and a second information record layer specified to be nextly read (hereinbelow, it is referred to as an "inter-layer jump"), becomes necessary, so as to focus the reading light onto the second information record layer.
At the time of moving the objective lens in this inter-layer jump, an acceleration signal to accelerate the optical pickup i.e., to generate a driving force in a constant magnitude so as to move the optical pickup is generated, and, after a predetermined time duration, an deceleration signal to decelerate the optical pickup is generated, so that a focus servo is applied to the specified information record layer.
In this case, if the distance between each of the information record layers in the multiple-layered optical disc and the objective lens in the optical pickup is constant (i.e., if the disc is not warped or distorted, and the inter-layer distance within the disc is even), it is possible to apply the focus servo with respect to the specified information record layer in a stable manner at any position on the disc, by generating a constant acceleration signal which is set in advance and by generating, after a constant time duration, a constant deceleration signal.
By the way, the surface deflection is generated in case of the multiple-layered optical disc, since there exists the warp or distortion of the disc, in the same manner as the aforementioned CD. Because of the influence of this surface deflection, the distance between the multiple-layered optical disc and the objective lens is not always constant but is fluctuated or changed in accompaniment with the rotation of the disc.
In order to deal with this surface deflection, the focus servo actuator section for actuating the objective lens is constructed to actuate or drive the objective lens in the direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the disc, so as to keep the relative distance between the objective lens in the optical pickup and the multiple layered optical disc always constant at a standard value, in a focus close condition.
When the focus servo is changed from this focus close condition to a focus open condition in order to move the objective lens to a position corresponding to the specified information record layer, the driving force which has been applied to follow the surface deflection in the focus close condition is applied to the objective lens as an inertial driving force of the objective lens as it is, in the focus servo actuator section. Thus, the above mentioned inertial driving force due to the surface deflection must be taken into consideration in case that the inter-layer jump is performed so as to focus the reading lightonto the specified information record layer from the information record layer, which is presently being read.
Namely, assuming that the deceleration signal is constant, the following problems may occur. On one hand, if the inertial driving force due to the surface deflection is applied in the direction same as the acceleration direction by the acceleration signal, the deceleration is not enough, so that the focus servo cannot be properly applied with respect to the specified information record layer since the frequency of the focus error signal is too high as compared with the servo band. On the other hand, if the inertial driving force due to the surface deflection is applied in the direction opposite to the acceleration direction by the acceleration signal, the deceleration is in excess, so that the objective lens returns to a position corresponding to the information record layer which has been read. Since such an influence of the surface deflection is different from a position to a position on the disc where the inter-layer jump is performed, the possibility that the inter-layer jump fails is high at the position where the influence of the surface deflection is relatively large.
Further, since the actuated or driven portion including the objective lens in the optical pickup is subjected to an influence of the gravity due to the self weight thereof, it is necessary to control the magnitude (e.g., the pulse height and the pulse width) of the deceleration signal to be an appropriate value and the application timing of the deceleration signal (e.g., the deceleration waiting time) in consideration of the influence of the gravity depending upon the jump direction.
Furthermore, it is practically impossible, by the conventional mass-production of the multiple-layered optical discs, to limit the inter-layer distances in all of the multiple layered optical discs to be within a range where they do not cause the above mentioned problems at the time of performing the inter-layer jump for respective one of the discs.
In other wards, unevenness of the inter layer distances of the information record layers is inevitable between the discs. Thus, according to the DVD specification, in case of the multiple-layered optical disc, the inter-layer distances of the information record layers are prescribed in a range between 40 to 60 .mu.m (in one disc, the inter-layer distance is designed to be substantially same at any position of the disc).
Thus, since the inter layer distance between the information record layers of the multiple-layered optical disc loaded to the DVD player is not always constant, the inter-layer distance as well as the aforementioned influence of the surface deflection and the jump direction must be taken into consideration at the time of performing the inter-layer jump. Namely, in the example of the above mentioned DVD, there may be a case where the disc having the inter-layer distance of 40 .mu.m is loaded to the DVD player, and a case where the disc having the inter-layer distance of 60 .mu.m is loaded to the DVD player.
Therefore, a problem is raised that the focus servo cannot be appropriately applied to always focus the reading light onto the specified information record layer, unless the surface deflection of the disc and the inter-layer distance between the information record layers are not taken into consideration, at the time of moving the objective lens in the optical pickup in accompaniment with switching the information record layers to be read.

Apparatus for reproducing record information of multiple-layered optical disc


A floor panel including a protrusion portion which extends in a transverse direction of a vehicle and crosses a floor tunnel. The protrusion portion ensures a rigidity of the floor panel in the transverse direction of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to make a floor panel thinner while maintaining its rigidity. In particular, when a cross portion of a floor tunnel and a protrusion portion is protruded more than any other portion of the floor panel, the rigidity of the floor panel is increased. Further, when the protrusion portion is provided under a front seat and a slope face connects the top of the protrusion portion to floor face, a space under the rear side of the protrusion portion is available for disposing a fuel tank. Therefore, space efficiency is improved. Further, the slope face is available for a rear-seat footrest.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a floor panel for an automobile. More particularly, the invention relates to a floor panel having a floor tunnel and a protrusion portion extending in a direction opposing a direction of the floor tunnel and crossing the floor tunnel which provides a rigid and lightweight floor panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a floor panel for a sedan or a wagon is formed by molding press of a thin steel sheet. A protrusion portion of the floor panel is provided at a center portion of the lateral length of a vehicle. The protrusion portion of the floor panel extends frontward and rearward from the center portion.
The protrusion portion for a front engine rear drive vehicle (FR vehicle) is fundamentally formed for passing a propeller shaft through the protrusion portion and is sometimes referred to as a floor tunnel. The propeller shaft is provided to transmit a driving force of an engine to a rear axle.
However, in a front engine front drive vehicle (FF vehicle), it is not necessary to provide the propeller shaft with the protrusion portion. In this case, the protrusion portion is formed for increasing the rigidity of the vehicle.
Further, the protrusion portion or floor tunnel is effective for taking a bending moment between the front and rear axles. However, since the floor tunnel does not ensure a sufficient rigidity of the floor panel in the transverse direction of the vehicle, the rigidity in the transverse direction is maintained by welding a cross member and a seat-rail mount portion, which are separately provided with the floor panel in the related art.
Therefore, the known structure of the floor panel including the welded cross member, the seat-rail portion, etc., makes it difficult to decrease a production process of the floor panel and the weight of the vehicle.


A pre-pass and direct call mechanism which replaces the interpreter. The mechanism moves static decisions out of the repeated runtime path into a pre-pass operation. Advantageously, the mechanism reduces runtime overhead and improves overall performance of the DBMS during runtime, while maintaining the considerable investment in opcode generation and plan representation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to relational database management systems, and more particularly to a method for optimizing execution of queries in a relational database management system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A database management system (DBMS) comprises the combination of an appropriate computer, direct access storage deices (DASD) or disk drives, and database management software. A relational database management system is a DBMS which uses relational techniques for storing and retrieving information. The relational database management system or RDBMS, such as the DB2 product from IBM, comprises computerized information storage and retrieval systems in which data is stored on disk drives or DASD for semi-permanent storage. The data is stored in the form of tables which comprise rows and columns. Each row or tuple has one or more columns.
The RDBMS is designed to accept commands to store, retrieve, and delete data. One widely used and well-known set of commands is based on the Structural Query Language or SQL. The term query refers to a set of commands in SQL for retrieving data from the RDBMS. The definitions of SQL provide that a RDBMS should respond to a particular query with a particular set of data given a specified database content. SQL however does not specify the actual method to find the requested information in the tables on the disk drives. There are many ways in which a query can be processed and each consumes a different amount of processor and input/output access time. The method in which the query is processed, i.e. query execution plan, affects the overall time for retrieving the data. The time taken to retrieve data can be critical to the operation of the database. It is therefore important to select a method for finding the data requested in a RDBMS which minimizes the computer and disk access time, thereby optimizing the cost of doing the query.
To execute a SQL statement, such as "select * from t1", in a RDBMS program like DB2 the statement is presented to the SQL optimizer. The SQL optimizer parses, tokenizes and semantically analyzes the statement, transforming it into the Query Graph Model (QGM) representation of the statement. The QGM representation is then processed to perform a number of heuristic optimizations. The output of this pass is then fed to the cost-based planning stage. The cost-based planning stage processes the optimized QGM, producing an access plan, based on LOw LEvel Plan OPerators (LOLEPOPs). The plan produced by the cost-based optimizer is then processed by a Code Generation module (CODGEN) to produce an OPeration Code (OPCODE) based access plan, which can be processed at runtime by a Relational Database System (RDS).
In prior versions of RDBMS programs, such as DB2 (Versions 5.2 and older), the OPCODE based access plan is interpreted at runtime by the Relational Database System (RDS). The Relational Database System examines each OPCODE, and looks up the function which is called to process the OPCODE and its operands. The processing for he OPCODE includes loading the OPCODE's operands and making decisions based on information associated with the OPCODE that was provided at CODGEN time. These decisions are made repeatedly, each time the OPCODE processing function is called, and direct the function of the OPCODE. An alternative implementation involved producing multiple OPCODEs for these similar functions. This approach still results in considerable duplication in underlying OPCODE processing.
It will be appreciated that one of the principle problems with existing RDBMS programs, such as the DB2 product, is the fact that the RDBMS includes an interpreter which executers during runtime. Since the interpreter translates and runs the OPCODEs at the same time, operation during runtime is considerably slower than for a compiler based implementation. In view of the costs associate with replacing existing interpreter-based RDBMS programs, there remains a need for a mechanism which can improve the slower runtime performance of the interpreter phase in such systems.

International Business Machines Corporation


Apparatus for manufacturing heat sealed products from high temperature film materials exhibiting superior barrier properties, such as films made from LCP resin. The apparatus has in relevant part a first compression member having a heating element that is capable of being continuously or intermittently heated to a temperature of about 300.degree. C. (c. 575.degree. F.) backed by a layer of material capable of supporting the heating element, a second compression member that opposes the first compression member and having an electrically conductive tubular sealing element, capable of being flash-heated by means of a pulse of electric current to a temperature of about 425.degree. C. (c. 800.degree. F.) and immediately flash-cooled to room temperature or below by means of forcing vortex-chilled coolant fluid through the tubular lumen, backed by a layer of material capable of supporting the sealing element, and two floating sheets or tapes of high-temperature release material disposed therebetween.

While forming heat seals between films made from low-temperature thermoplastics, such as PET, LDPE, MDPE, and HDPE, is well known, current technology does not permit the formation of heat seals between films made from high-temperature materials or between high- or low-temperature films and non-planar structural elements, such as molded thermoplastic valves.
One class of high-temperature materials that are not currently capable of being heat-sealed is high-temperature thermoplastics. Foremost among high-temperature thermoplastics is a subclass generally referred to as "liquid crystal polyesters" or "liquid crystal polymers" (hereinafter "LCP"), that, when formed into films, exhibit superior heat tolerance and impermeability characteristics. There is widespread interest in LCP films because, unlike films made from other high-performance polymers, such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), various polysulfones (PSFs), and polyetherimide (PEI), which are based on exotic and inherently expensive chemistries, LCP films are based on polyester chemistry, which is well understood in resin or extruded form. Thus, although LCP films are currently expensive due to their limited usefulness, their cost is expected to decrease with increasing demand.
LCP films are suitable for the most demanding applications. They exhibit low moisture absorption, inherent flame retardance, high thermal stability (e.g., Amoco Performance Products's XYDAR.RTM. SRT-300, an unmodified commercial LCP, has a 1.82 MPa heat distortion temperature of 355.degree. C., higher than any known conventional engineering thermoplastic even with the benefit of fiber reinforcement), high radiation resistance, and ceramic-like resistance to chemical attack and reagent permeation.
LCP films offer unsurpassed barrier performance among polymeric materials, especially in critical applications, such as food and pharmaceutical packaging, fiber-optic jackets, and fuel tanks. The barrier properties exhibited by LCPs are orders of magnitude greater than those of conventional barrier resins, such as EVOH, PET, metallized PET (MYLAR.RTM.), and PVDC, the latter being the standard-bearer of general purpose barrier polymers. E.g., a film prepared from Hoechst Celanese VECTRA.RTM. resin is ten times more resistant to oxygen and water permeation than PVDC and 100 times more resistant to oxygen permeation and almost twice as resistant to water permeation than PCTFE, which itself is among the best of all conventional barrier polymers.
Similarly, and unlike traditional structural packaging materials (i.e., co-extruded films), such as LDPE, MDPE, HDPE, PP, and PET, LCPs offer thermal stability sufficient for hot-filling and retorting (up to about 200.degree. C.) in food packaging and are sterilization-compatible in addition to their superior barrier properties. LCP films are likewise suitable for medical packaging of appliances and devices, biofluids, and pharmaceuticals due to their ultra-low permeability, biocompatibility, and sterilization compatibility. Finally, LCP films are also superior to polyimide films, such as Du Pont's KAPTON.RTM., in electronic substrate applications, such as in flexible circuits.
However, because of their high melting points-typically about 260.degree. C. (c. 500.degree. F.) to about 425.degree. C. (c. 800.degree. F.)--and complex linear molecular structure, LCP films exhibit poor adhesion/cohesion properties. Indeed, all thermoplastic films that have a melting point greater than about 260.degree. C. (c. 500.degree. F.), and/or chemical properties which make them difficult to reconsolidate using temperature and pressure, and a total thickness greater than 0.080", are difficult, if not impossible to join. The only exception among these materials is PVC, which can be RF or UV welded due to its unique electrical properties. As a result, there is currently no commercially available processes or machines that can accomplish a viable weld or seal of films made from most high-temperature thermoplastic materials due to the extreme temperatures required (above about 500.degree. F.) and, accordingly, there are no products manufactured from high-temperature thermoplastic films. Various forms of cold adhesion, including ultrasonic bonding, are also ineffective for sealing high-temperature thermoplastic films such as liquid crystal polymer.
Several forms of heat-sealing apparatus for sealing products comprising low-temperature thermoplastic films, with thermal management, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,075,818 issued 28 Feb. 1978 to Wright et al. and, 4,359,361 issued 16 Nov. 1982 to Wright.
The devices described in both the '818 and '361 patents comprise opposed sealing jaw assemblies, one of which is a backup jaw assembly and the other of which is a heat applying jaw assembly, the latter including an elongated sealing and cutting element which is workable against the former. The devices further comprise means to heat the sealing and cutting element and, in at least one of the jaw assemblies, one or more cooling veins disposed generally immediately adjacent the working face of the at least one jaw assembly and generally contiguous to and along the sealing and cutting element, at least in the closed jaw position. The one or more cooling veins are in fluid communication with, in various embodiments, a stream of pressurized gas, refrigerated gas, or dual streams of cooled gas originating from a heat exchanger having a cooling coil that cools one gas stream and an exhaust means in fluid communication with a vortex tube that cools the other gas stream.
These devices have several characteristics which lead to problems. First, the preferred release material covering the jaw assemblies is glass tape or cloth coated with polytetrafluoro-ethylene (PTFE), which is sold under the trademark TEFLON.RTM.. PTFE is a well-known solid lubricant and is used in the '818 and '361 patents to prevent adhesion to the heat sealing element of the thermoplastic film being heat sealed. Although the PTFE coating allows for non-stick heat sealing of common, lower temperature thermoplastics, such as polyethylene and its derivatives; polyvinylic materials, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC); and hybrid materials, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), it cannot be used in the manufacture of heat-sealed high temperature film products, as it is an ineffective release material at about 260.degree. C. (c. 500.degree. F.) and melts at 327.degree. C. (c. 620.degree. F.) and vaporizes well below the higher LCP melting point of high performance LCPs with melt-processing temperatures of about 425.degree. C. (c. 800.degree. F.). A related drawback of these devices is their inability quickly to dissipate the extreme amounts of heat needed to seal high temperature films, such as those made from LCP.
A general limitation in all relevant prior art devices is their inability to manufacture products comprising high temperature film material. A related limitation is the failure of known devices to incorporate valves, probes, leads, tubes, and the like into a heat-sealed product such that an hermetic seal is formed between the film layers and the incorporated element.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to overcome the above illustrated inability of extant devices to heat-seal film materials manufactured from thermoplastics having melting points in excess of about 260.degree. C. (c. 500.degree. F.) by providing heat sealing apparatus capable of changing the material to be sealed to its liquid phase in the seal region and reconsolidating the material to form the seal.
It is another object of this invention to provide heat sealing apparatus that does not experience thermal breakdown at the high temperatures required to heat seal LCP film layers having a thickness totaling about 0.080".
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide high-temperature heat sealing apparatus that enables the sealed product to fully release from the sealing element after sealing is complete without damaging the seal.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus capable of producing a heat seal with and/or without cutting the material to be sealed.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide heat sealed products comprising high-temperature thermoplastic film material, such as made from LCP resin.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide heat-sealed bags made from high temperature films and having valves, probes, leads, tubes, and the like incorporated into the heat-sealed bag such that an hermetic seal is formed between the film layers and the incorporated element.

High-temperature, heat-sealed products and methods and means for their manufacture


A device for cutting the tops of crops in a crop bed includes a separator having an inlet, an outlet and an interior space defined between the two. A fan is in fluid communication with the separator and creates an air stream that flows into the separator inlet, through the interior space of the separator, and out the separator outlet. The air stream has an upstream end at or near the separator inlet, where air is pulled into the separator, and a downstream end at or near the fan and continuing beyond. A cutter is positioned upstream of the separator inlet. When the device is in operative position over a crop bed, the air stream lifts the tops of the crops into position to be cut by the cutter. The air stream carries the cut tops away from the crop bed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for agricultural harvesting, and more specifically to a harvester for onions and other bulb crops.
2. Background
Devices for harvesting bulb crops are known in the art. Known devices suffer from a variety of drawbacks, however, including inadequate cutting of the tops and roots of the bulb crops, as well as damaging the bulb crops during harvesting. It is desirable to cut the onion tops cleanly, and to relatively uniform specifications, a practice traditionally performed by hand. What is needed is a device for efficient cutting of bulb crop tops that is capable of cutting across an entire row of crops in a single pass.

Device and system for cutting the tops of onions and other bulb crops