An ultra low permeability fluid member for conveying a fluid (e.g., a hose, tube, etc.) having a metal vapor barrier layer (22) formed around an inner tube (14). The metal vapor layer (22) is formed from one or more metal strips (40a, 40b) having edge portions (44) that are bonded so as to seal the vapor barrier layer (22) preventing permeation of vapor.

Low permeation hoses are often used in systems to eliminate or reduce escape and/or infiltration of vapors and/or gases. For example, such hoses may be used in refrigeration systems to prevent leakage of refrigerant vapors from the system into the environment. Such hoses are also common in fuel systems for preventing fuel vapors from escaping to the environment.
Another application of such hoses is in connection with heating systems for supplying and returning water (or other fluid) from one or more heat exchangers. In such applications, low permeation hoses are used to prevent oxygen from entering the heating system, which can result in corrosion of various components such as pumps and valves.
Low permeation hoses typically include an inner tube for carrying a fluid, and a vapor barrier layer surrounding the inner tube. Various other layers typically may surround the vapor barrier layer, such as a braiding, an outer tube, a cover or outer sheath, etc.
One type of hose that includes a metal foil as the vapor barrier layer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,717. This patent describes a flexible hose including an inner tube, an aluminum vapor barrier layer formed from aluminum foil that is wrapped in overlapping fashion around the inner tube, and an outer tube surrounding the aluminum barrier layer. The aluminum barrier layer is bonded to both the inner tube and the outer tube. While this design may provide a hose that resists delamination of the tubes and/or the aluminum layer, the wrapped aluminum forming the barrier layer does not provide a continuous sealed barrier layer.


The present invention relates to a hydrant system that is projected over the ground while being buried in the underground. The hydrant system comprises a sluice valve connected to a water-guide tube within a manhole M, the sluice valve having a first openings/shutting shaft disposed therein; a female cylinder having a drain valve that is opened when the sluice valve is locked and that is locked when the sluice valve is opened, and a bracket having a through-hole; a male cylinder having a piston for opening/shutting the bottom of the male cylinder as a piston rod is rotated in the forward or reverse direction; a rod for limiting a projection range of the male cylinder protruded against the female cylinder; a manhole cover having a sub hole through which the male cylinder passes; a second opening/shutting shaft for rotating the first opening/shutting shaft; and a universal joint, which connects the first opening/shutting and the second opening/shutting shaft.

The hydrant may be classified into a ground exposure type hydrant exposed on the ground, and an underground burial type hydrant buried under the ground.
In the ground exposure type hydrant, it is easy to couple the hydrant and a fire hose since the hydrant is exposed on the ground. However, there are problems that the hydrant may be damaged due to collision by a vehicle, etc. since the hydrant is exposed to external shock and may hinder traffic flow when not being used. Meanwhile, in the underground burial type hydrant, the hydrant is buried within a manhole and the top of the manhole is covered with a manhole cover. Therefore, there are advantages that this hydrant can prevent damage due to collision by a vehicle, etc. and does not prevent traffic flow. However, if the hydrant is used to in order to extinguish a fire, it is required that the manhole cover be opened and the fire hose be then connected to the hydrant within the manhole. Accordingly, this hydrant has a problem in rapidly responding to a fire.
Furthermore, in the conventional hydrant system as shown in FIG. 1, a hydrant 101 for supplying water for fire-fighting is disposed within a manhole 103 having a predetermined depth from the surface of the earth 102, which is covered with a manhole cover 112. A water-guide tube 105 is horizontally inserted into the manhole 103 and an opening/shutting valve 105a is disposed at the middle portion of the water-guide tube 105. A 90° elbow 106 that is curved vertically to the distal end of the water-guide tube 105 is coupled to a female cylinder 107. A male cylinder 108 has the outer circumference inserted into the inner circumference of the female cylinder 107. A T-shaped coupling pipe 109 is coupled to the top end of the male cylinder 108. A handle 109a for drawing the male cylinder 108 over the surface of the earth is formed on the coupling pipe 109.
In this structure, if a user wants to use the hydrant 101, the user holds the handle 109a formed on the T-shaped coupling pipe 109 at the top end of the hydrant 101 with hands and draws the handle upwardly. One side of the T-shaped coupling pipe 109 is covered with a cap 110 and the other end of the T-shaped coupling pipe 109 is screwed to a water-supply hose 111 in order to use water for fire-fighting. After the hydrant 101 is used, the opening/shutting valve 105a is locked and the water-supply hose 111 is separated from the T-shaped coupling pipe 109. Then, if the handle 109a is depressed, the male cylinder 108 returns to its original position due to its weight and the manhole 103 is covered with the manhole cover 112.
As above, if it is desired to use the conventional hydrant 101, the user has to uncover the manhole cover 112 of the hydrant and then draw the male cylinder 108 that is heavy, in a state where the handle 109a formed on the T-shaped coupling pipe 109 of the hydrant 101 is held with his or her waist bent. It gives a user inconvenience. Another user must couple the water-supply hose 111 to the drawn T-shaped coupling pipe 109. As such, in order to use the conventional hydrant, at least two persons are required. In order to solve this problem, there was disclosed technology wherein a spring is intervened between the female cylinder 107 and the male cylinder 108 in order to forcibly raise the male cylinder 108 by the resilient force of the spring. This technology is, however, relatively complicated in structure and thus increases the manufacturing cost. Further, since the hydrant is mounted in the underground at the side of a road, there is a problem that the spring may erroneously operate due to vibration of vehicles and moisture.
In addition, in the underground burial-type hydrant, water remaining in the cylinder after water for fire-fighting is used, may freeze in a cold weather. Due to this, in order to anti-freeze the frozen water in an emergency, a thawing device such as an electric resistor has to be used.


An apparatus randomly assigns downlink sub-frame time slots for transmitting user data in an NB-TDD CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) communication system. In the apparatus, a multiplexer creates a user data part by multiplexing user data for UEs (User Equipments), a TFCI (Transport Format Combination Indicator) symbol for the user data, and a TPC (Transmission Power Control command) symbol for controlling transmission power of a downlink channel, and a controller randomly assigns time slots for transmitting the user data part in the sub-frames, based on a time slot number initially assigned for the user data part, a sub-frame number at a transmission point of the user data part, and the number of assigned uplink time slots in the corresponding sub-frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an NB-TDD CDMA (Narrow Band Time Division Duplexing Code Division Multiple Access) communication system, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for randomly assigning time slots of a sub-frame transmitting user data of a user equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system, a radio network controller (RNC) assigns unique uplink and downlink channels to each user equipment (UE) through a physical channel, for radio communication with the UE. The UE then transmits frames to a Node B through the uplink physical channel assigned thereto, and receives frames transmitted from the Node B through the assigned downlink physical channel. In the NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system, the physical channels transmit 100 frames per second. That is, each frame has a size (length) of 10 ms. Further, the frame is divided into two sub-frames, and each sub-frame is comprised of 7 time slots Ts(0)–Ts(6).
A structure of the sub-frames used in the NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the following description, the 7 time slots Ts of the sub-frame are represented by Ts(0), Ts(1), Ts(2), Ts(3), Ts(4), Ts(5) and Ts(6) from the left hand side on a time axis.
Referring to FIG. 1, a sub-frame used in the NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system has a length of 5 msec (=6400 chips). The sub-frame is comprised of 7 normal Ts, a downlink pilot time slot (DwPTS), and an uplink pilot time slot (UpPTS). Each Ts has a length of 864 chips, and the DWPTS and a guard period (GP) both have a length 96 chips. The UpPTS has a length of 160 chips. Further, the Ts are classified into uplink time slots and downlink time slots. A common NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system fixedly designates Ts(0) as a downlink time slot and Ts(1) as an uplink time slot. In addition, a "switching point" indicating a boundary between the uplink time slot and the downlink time slot should occur two times in one sub-frame. The radio network controller determines the number of uplink time slots in the sub-frame for a specific channelization code, and assigns a time slot in response to a request from the UE. Once the UE is assigned the time slot, it continuously uses the assigned time slot until the call is ended. For example, if the UE is initially assigned Ts(5), it will transmit data using only Ts (5).
The term "frame" used in the NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system refers to two consecutive sub-frames, and it has a length of 10 msec. Further, the term "multi-frame configuration (or structure)" refers to a mapping relationship between a specific Ts in several consecutive frames and a physical channel, a relationship that is repeated at set periods.
The multi-frame configuration will be described in detail. In the multi-frame configuration, a time slot #0 Ts(0) in each sub-frame can be mapped with a broadcast channel (BCH), a forward access channel (FACH) or a paging channel (PCH). A mapping relationship between Ts(0) and the above-stated physical channels of BCH, FACH and PCH can be predefined. The multi-frame configuration, as stated above, refers to a configuration where a frame is repeated in the common channels of BCH, FACH, PCH and PICH (Pilot Channel). However, since only the BCH is considered in the following description, only the configuration where the BCH is repeated will be defined as the multi-frame configuration.
In the NB-TDD CDMA mobile communication system, 200 sub-frames per second are arranged in the physical channel on the time axis at regular intervals, so that a signal transmitted by a specific UE is transmitted at the frequency of exactly 200 times per second. As a result, signals are concentrated on a frequency of 200 Hz belonging to an audible frequency band, causing an electromagnetic interference which may interrupt a voice (or circuit) call of the UE.

Apparatus and method for randomly controlling time slot of sub-frame in an NB-TDD CDMA system


An airbag apparatus includes an airbag, an inflator, and an accumulator. The airbag is configured to be stored in a vehicle before inflation. The inflator is configured to provide gas for inflating the airbag. The accumulator is in fluid communication with the airbag and the inflator. The accumulator includes a chamber for at least temporarily storing gas after the inflator provides gas. The accumulator also includes a flow-control mechanism configured to permit gas to flow into the chamber at a first rate and to flow out of the chamber at a slower second rate.

An inflatable airbag system used in an automobile often must be able to maintain adequate internal gas pressure in its airbag over an extended period of time (on the order of seconds). This is particularly true in rollover applications, where protection provided by the airbag may be needed for a longer time.
Conventional airbag systems typically maintain pressure in the airbag by using a combination of a sealed airbag and a low-gas-temperature inflator (such as a stored gas device). A sealed airbag typically maintains pressure longer than other airbags, such as partially sealed airbags, unsealed airbags, and higher permeability airbags. A low-gas-temperature inflator is more conducive to maintaining pressure than inflators that generate and release higher temperature gases (such as hybrid and pyrotechnic inflators). The high-gas-temperature inflators produce relatively high temperature gas that will quickly cool while in the airbag. The gas will decrease in volume as it cools, and thus there will be less internal pressure in the airbag and the airbag will lose its fullness.
It is desirable to provide an airbag system that can readily maintain adequate internal gas pressure in its airbag. It is particularly desirable to provide such a system that can accommodate a variety of airbags (e.g., partially sealed airbags, unsealed airbags, and higher permeability airbags) and a variety of inflators (e.g., hybrid and pyrotechnic inflators).


A device and method for steering mechanism breakaway are disclosed. In order to avoid harmful steering column intrusion into the passenger compartment of a vehicle in the event of vehicle collision, an intermediate link between the steering column and the steering gearbox is disposed. The intermediate link comprises of an inner shaft and an outer tube which are connected via longitudinal matching splines to facilitate rotational engagement. In normal operation the inner shaft may longitudinally move inside the tube. The outer tube has openings along it and detachment means at one end to facilitate detachment of the shaft from the tube through the openings when the shaft moves longitudinally into the tube beyond a certain point due to movement of the steering gearbox towards the steering column during a collision.

In vehicles with body over chassis design & using worm-wormwheel steering gear a steering linkage is provided to connect the steering column and the steering gearbox. The purpose of this steering linkage is to transmit the torque applied at the steering wheel to the steering gear thus causing the required directional change of the vehicle. During a front-end collision of a vehicle, deformation occurs in the front end of the vehicle which will be transmuted to the steering column along with steering wheel results into intrusion of sufficient magnitude which can cause fatal injuries to the driver. It is therefore of paramount importance to provide a mechanism which would minimize or eliminate the steering intrusion into the driver's compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,144 discloses a breakaway steering assembly constructed such that the steering gear will mechanically separate from the steering shaft to reduce the potential injury to the driver in the event of a front-end collision. Said invention discloses a breakaway steering assembly comprising a hollow tube and a solid shaft which is kept together by means of pins and reinforcement metal band. The deflection member is in the form of a ramp that extends at an acute angle from the wall (18) of the hollow tube (14) into the channel (20). The diameter of the tube is greater than the diameter of the part of channel, which normally receives the shaft. The solid shaft has a projection, which is normally axially located between the metal band and the alignment tabs. A shear pin secures the tube and the shaft together so that the tube and the shaft functions as a unit during normal operations. However, in a collision, the shear pin will fail at a predetermined axial force, causing the hollow tube to move axially until the ramp contacts the angled end of the solid shaft. The movement of the end of the shaft along the ramp begins to drive the shaft out of the tube. This motion makes the metal band to be in tension until it is fractured by the projection and also causes the alignment tabs to bend thus allowing the shaft to leave the tube.
The disadvantage of the above said invention is that since it uses shear pin and reinforcement band, to keep the assembly together, the breaking away of the link requires force more than the reactions generated by the shear pin as well as the reinforcement band during separation. The dimensional variations of the channel and shaft will result into variable breakaway force & therefore would require a selective assembly of these parts, though they are within the specified tolerance band. While adapting this mechanism for use in a vehicle, an additional sliding joint will be required to be put in series to take care of the undulations caused by the vehicle environment. Also, the entire size of the mechanism would be bigger which is not desirable where there is a space constraint. If the tube and shaft separates during handling or during normal vehicle operation, they would require replacement.
The FIGS. 1 to 4 of the enclosed drawings show a prior art steering system. Wherein FIG. 1 shows complete layout of steering system
FIG. 2 shows enlarged view of telescopic joint in the intermediate link
FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of outer tube of the telescopic joint at A-A in FIG. 2
FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of inner shaft of the telescopic joint at A-A in FIG. 2
The steering linkage begins with the steering wheel (1) in the passenger compartment. It is mounted on the steering column (2). The steering column is connected to the steering gearbox (4) through an intermediate link (3). In the event of a crash, the steering gearbox (4) is pushed backwards. The displacement of the steering gearbox (4) is transmitted to the one end of the steering column (2) through a telescopic intermediate link (3) when its telescopic movement is exhausted. One of the ways to restrict the steering column movement is to break the intermediate link (3) to separate its linkage to the steering gearbox (4) under high structural movements, which would occur in the event of a crash.


A set (10) for dispensing liquefied gas from a vessel (100) comprises a supporting structure (1), a pump (2) and a conditioning system (4). The supporting structure is designed for maintaining both the pump and the conditioning system inside the vessel when the set is in operation condition for dispensing a flow of liquefied gas. The set allows easy handling, simple fitting to the vessel and easy removal from the vessel because a main part of said set can be handled as a one-block element.

Sets for dispensing liquefied gas from a storage vessel usually comprise a pump and a liquefied gas conditioning system. In such known sets, the pump may be designed to be submerged in the liquefied gas within the vessel, and the conditioning system is arranged outside the vessel, between the vessel and a dispenser of the liquefied gas. Thus, known sets for dispensing a flow of liquefied gas from a vessel which contains the gas in liquid phase each comprise:                a supporting structure, which connects a suction end and a discharge end, and which is adapted for being fitted tightly to the vessel so that the suction end is submerged in the liquefied gas within the vessel while the discharge end is situated at an external surface of the vessel;        a pump to be maintained by the supporting structure so as to be submerged in the liquefied gas when the set is in operation condition for dispensing the liquefied gas flow, and which is adapted for driving the flow of liquefied gas from the suction end toward the discharge end;        a removable sealing assembly which is located at the discharge end of the supporting structure, and which is adapted for sealing an aperture through a wall of the vessel when the set is in operation condition, and the sealing assembly is provided with a liquid outlet arranged for discharging the liquefied gas flow driven by the pump; and        a conditioning system adapted for cooling or warming up at least one quantity of the liquefied gas.
The supporting structure and the sealing assembly are designed so that the pump can be moved by an operator within the vessel by means of the supporting structure, in particular when the pump is to be extracted from or introduced into the vessel.
The conditioning system is usually adapted for cooling or warming up the liquefied gas flow which is dispensed from the vessel to any user equipment. Such conditioning system is located outside the vessel under the operation condition of the liquefied gas dispensing set. Then, such set has the following drawbacks:                the arrangement of the conditioning system requires that enough space is available outside the vessel;        heat leakage paths possibly existing at the conditioning system out of the vessel may produce vaporization of part of the gas flow currently dispensed, before it is transferred to the user device;        extracting the pump from the vessel, in particular for repairing or maintenance of this pump, requires separating the sealing assembly from the conditioning system before the sealing assembly is removed and the pump is extracted from the vessel, which may be complicated or hazardous depending on the gas which is dispensed; and        the pump and the conditioning system are to be handled separately from each other after dismounting of the set, in particular for repairing or maintenance of these elements.
Then, an object of the present invention is to alleviate at least one of these drawbacks.
In particular, an object of the invention is to facilitate the repairing or maintenance of the whole set, by reducing the step number in the dismounting sequence at the vessel location.
Another object of the invention is to provide a complete set for dispensing liquefied gas from a vessel, which is easy to install at the vessel for the first time, and which allows thereafter easy and rapid removal of the pump and the conditioning system from the gas vessel.


Various embodiments of a modular catch basin for implementation in a high performance bioswale are disclosed. The modular catch basin containing bio-media in bio-media filters to treat urban run-off. Method of installing and maintaining the modular catch basin are also disclosed.

Current methods that utilize an on site bioswale technique are highly inefficient and tend to rapidly become ineffective due to deferred maintenance and other issues. To illustrate this point, it is helpful to understand how a typical bioswale functions in order to treat contaminated water.
During a storm event, rain falls on urban development that is composed of approximately 70% impermeable surfaces (paving, roads, buildings, etc.) and 30% permeable surfaces (grasses, shrubs, and landscapes in general). These surfaces, especially the impermeable ones, are heavily laden with contaminants such as hydrocarbons, metals, bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorous nutrients, silt, debris, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides. Currently, rain washes these surfaces directly into municipal stormwater management systems where it ends up fouling waterways and oceans. One method of removing these various contaminants is to channel the contaminated water into a landscaped structure commonly known as a bioswale.
With more urban development has come more regulation. In the past 20 years, laws have been passed requiring that runoff from paved areas drain into adjacent landscape bioswales where it is mitigated by soil and plant biology, allowing some of it to infiltrate soils and most of it to drain to municipal stormwater management systems. A typical bioswale is a vegetated depression in the landscape that channelizes stormwater for filtration of contaminants prior to drainage into the municipal stormwater system. This setup poses some serious problems however, as discussed below.
The typical bioswale requires an extraordinary amount of maintenance to maintain its effectiveness at removing contaminants from stormwater. Over the course of many rainfalls, the bioswale fills with heavily polluted silts that cause the bioswale's biological system, primarily soil biology and vegetation, to fail. To adequately maintain the bioswale, it is required that the polluted silts be removed from the bioswale once or twice per year. This is a very expensive and labor intensive process, and usually consists of removing the top 1″-2″ of soil and vegetation from the entire length of the bioswale. It may also be necessary to modify the irrigation system. Other issues related to this burdensome process include soil preparation, revegetation, and disposal of polluted debris. In other words, the bioswale has to be rebuilt periodically to maintain its effectiveness. Few bioswales are maintained to this level. However, stormwater quality legislation requires that many current and future bioswales be adequately maintained for effectiveness. Thus there is a need in the art for a high performance modular bioswale system for treatment of runoff water that is highly effective yet relatively easy to construct and maintain. It is to these ends that the embodiments of the invention have been developed.


A coaxial push pull transformer is an improved matrix transformer. A number of magnetic cores each contain a pre-wired secondary circuit. The secondary windings are tubular and extend through the core, and the ends of the tubular secondary windings are terminated to make connections to a secondary circuit, such as rectifiers. The cores are placed end to end with the tubular secondary windings aligned and the primary winding is then threaded through all of the cores, so that it is coaxial with the secondary windings when installed, for very low leakage inductance. In the design of the coaxial push pull transformer, care is taken to arrange the terminations of the transformer such that each termination is paired with another termination having a counter-flowing current, to cancel part of the field caused by the flowing currents so as to reduce the overall inductance of the terminals and interconnections. To keep the interconnections to the associated circuitry as short as possible, the associated circuitry may be on circuit boards sandwiched between the transformer cores and directly connected to its terminations.

To make power converters and like circuits using transformers smaller and more responsive, there is a trend toward using higher and higher frequency excitation. A major obstacle is the parasitic impedances of the transformers, particularly the leakage inductance, both of the windings and of the leads, interconnections and connected circuitry.
The prior art "matrix transformer", sometimes called a "flat transformer", significantly reduced the leakage inductance of the windings, but there is a need for yet more improvement. A matrix transformer may have a single turn primary which passes through a number n of interdependent "elements". The elements are separate magnetic cores with their associated secondary windings, and often the elements are assembled as "modules" with through holes through which the primary is threaded at final assembly.
A matrix transformer with a single turn primary and n elements will have a ratio of n to one. Because the primary is a single winding passing through all the elements, the currents are constrained to be equal in each element. Usually the secondary windings of the elements are connected in parallel, either directly or at the output of associated rectifier circuits, so the voltages in the elements (and thus the fluxes) are also constrained to be equal.
The patent applications cited above for cellular transformers teach an embodiment of the cellular transformer having cellular metal inserts through which a multiple turn primary winding is wound. With a hole for each turn, each active section of the primary winding has a coaxial location within the hole, for very good coupling and low leakage inductance.
The patent applications cited above for switched-current power converters show diagrammatically matrix transformers wherein the coaxial winding is applied to matrix transformer elements having a single turn primary.

Coaxial push pull transformers for power converters and like circuits


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a thermosetting resin film on a first metal layer, forming an opening in the resin film, forming a second metal layer that covers a region from an upper surface of the first metal layer exposed from the opening of the resin film to an upper surface of the resin film, performing heat treatment at a temperature equal to or higher than a temperature at which the resin film is cured after forming the second metal layer, forming a cover film that covers the upper surface of the resin film and a side surface of the second metal layer after performing the heat treatment, and forming a solder on an upper surface of the second metal layer exposed from an opening of the cover film after forming the cover film.

A Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages is sometimes used to flip-chip mount a semiconductor device on a substrate. Solder balls are formed on such a semiconductor device. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-120803) describes a semiconductor device having solder bumps on electrodes formed by a plurality of metal films including reinforcing layers.
In order to prevent a solder from diffusing into a wiring layer, a metal layer (UBM: Under Bump Metal) is sometimes provided on the wiring layer and solder balls are sometimes provided thereon. In order to protect a semiconductor layer from moisture or the like, an insulating film made of polyimide, for example, is provided on the semiconductor layer.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC DEVICE INNOVATIONS, INC.


A galvano motor 10 includes a motor shaft 1, a coil 5 which rotationally drives the motor shaft 1, and an encoder scale 6 which is joined to one end of the rotating shaft, the motor shaft 1 is configured so that a mirror 9 which is heavier than the encoder scale 6 at the other end opposite to the one end to which the encoder scale 6 is joined, a phase crossover frequency fphase in open-loop characteristics of the galvano motor 10, a torsion resonance frequency fscale between a center part of the motor shaft 1 and the encoder scale 6, and a torsion resonance frequency fmirror between the center part of the motor shaft 1 and the mirror 9 satisfy the relation of fphase<fscale≦fmirror, and phases at the torsion resonance frequencies fscale and fmirror are other than −180 degrees.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a galvano motor and a galvano motor system which scan or deflect an optical axis of light.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there has been a processing machine such as a laser drilling machine, a laser marker, or an optical forming machine, which continuously scans or positions to irradiate a laser light beam, heats to burn an object to be processed by the laser energy, and sublimates or hardens a light curing resin to process it to be a desired shape. A galvano motor has been used for scanning or positioning the laser light beam in the processing machine.
The characteristics required for the galvano motor is a response and an accuracy of the scanning or the positioning. In order to improve the response of the galvano motor, it has been designed in considering lowering inertia of the motor, heightening the torque, and lowering impedance. Furthermore, when a galvano motor system is constituted by the combination of the galvano motor and a motor controller, frequency response characteristics of a motor which are capable of heightening a control gain have been required.
In order to improve the accuracy of the galvano motor, for example, a capacitance type or an optical type angle position sensor is getting larger, the sensitivity is improved by a multiple division, or the compensation is performed by a differential circuit. Furthermore, recently, a galvano motor in which an encoder is used as an angle position sensor has also been realized.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional galvano motor. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 101 denotes a motor shaft, and reference numeral 102 denotes a magnet which is fixed on a substantially central part of the motor shaft 101. Reference numeral 103 denotes a motor case, and reference numeral 104 denotes a fixed yoke which is fixed on the motor case 103 and constitutes a magnetic circuit in cooperation with the magnet 102. Reference numeral 105 denotes a coil which is fixed on the fixed yoke 104 and rotationally drives the magnet 102 and the motor shaft 101.
Reference numeral 106 denotes an encoder scale which is fixed on one end of the motor shaft 101 and has a grid for obtaining angle information (position information). Reference numeral 107 denotes a sensor which reads grid information of the encoder scale 106, and reference numeral 108 denotes a board on which the sensor 107 is mounted. The board 108 converts the information read by the sensor 107 to an electric signal. Reference numeral 109 denotes a mirror and is directly joined to the other end of the motor shaft 101.
As a conventional art shown in FIG. 6, generally, a straight shaft is often used as a motor shaft 101. Inertia of the mirror 109 to be driven is often greater than that of the encoder scale 106. Furthermore, a distance Lmirror between the magnet 102 and the mirror 109 is often greater than a distance Lscale between the magnet 102 and the encoder scale 106.
Specific numerical values in this conventional art are as follows: Gmirror=206 [GPa], Ipmirror=Dmirror4/32=0.0044/32 [m4], Imirror=0.8−7 [Kgm2], Lmirror=0.015 [m], Gscale=206 [GPa], Ipscale=Dscale4/32=0.0044/32 [m4], Iscale=0.6−7 [Kgm2], and Lscale=0.012 [m].
Here, Gmirror is modulus of transverse elasticity of a material of the motor shaft 101 between the magnet 102 and the mirror 109. Ipmirror is polar moment of inertia of area of the motor shaft 101 between the magnet 102 and the mirror 109. Dmirror is a diameter of the motor shaft 101 between the magnet 102 and the mirror 109. Imirror is inertia of the mirror 109. Lmirror is a length between the magnet 102 and the mirror 109.
Gscale is modulus of transverse elasticity of a material of the motor shaft 101 between the magnet 102 and the encoder scale 106. Ipscale is polar moment of inertia of area of the motor shaft 101 between the magnet 102 and the encoder scale 106. Dscale is a diameter of the motor shaft 101 between the magnet 102 and the encoder scale 106. Iscale is inertia of the encoder scale 106. Lscale is a length between the magnet 102 and the encoder scale 106.
When using the above numerical values, a linear torsional resonance frequency fmirror between the magnet 102 and the mirror 109 and a linear torsional resonance frequency fscale between the magnet 102 and the encoder scale 106 are calculated. In this conventional art, the torsional resonance frequencies fmirror and fscale are 5898 Hz and 7614 Hz, respectively.
Since a motor controller of the galvano motor using an encoder as an angle position detector utilizes position information obtained from a digital signal without reducing the accuracy, typically, a digital control circuit is used.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams of frequency characteristics of a conventional galvano motor. FIG. 7A is gain characteristics and FIG. 7B is phase characteristics. A Bode diagram shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B shows open-loop frequency characteristics when the conventional galvano motor shown in FIG. 6 is driven at a sampling period of around 40 kHz.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the torsional resonance frequency fscale is higher than the torsional resonance frequency fmirror. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7B, because of a phase delay caused by a sampling period of a motor controller, the phase crossover frequency, i.e. the frequency whose phase is −180 degrees, is around 3 kHz.
In the phase characteristics of the conventional art, the phase proceeds by 180 degrees by the antiresonance just before the torsional resonance frequency fmirror and delays again by 180 degrees at the torsional resonance frequency fmirror. Further, it delays by 180 degrees at the torsional resonance frequency fscale. Thus, when the resonance is generated at a side of the encoder that is a sensor rather than the motor controller, the phase delays by 180 degrees. In contrast, when the resonance is generated at a side of the mirror opposite to the encoder rather than the motor controller, the phase delays by 180 degrees after it returns by 180 degrees.
According to Bode theorem, if the gain does not exceed 0 dB at the phase crossover point in a Bode diagram, the control system is stable. If the phase does not cross −180 degrees even when the gain exceeds 0 dB, the control system is stable. Therefore, as the conventional art, when the resonance is generated at the mirror side at a frequency slightly higher than the phase crossover frequency, the phase crosses −180 degrees at the torsional resonance frequency fmirror and the gain exceeds 0 dB. Therefore, the control system is unstable and the oscillation state is caused. In order to avoid this, typically, a notch filter is applied to the torsional resonance frequency fmirror.
However, when the notch filter is applied, a phase delay is generated at an area of a frequency lower than the frequency, and the phase crossover frequency is lowered. Therefore, it is difficult to heighten the control gain and the response of the motor is deteriorated.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-84224 discloses a control method of a galvano scanner for scanning an irradiation position of a laser beam with a mirror driven.
As described above, since a discrete processing is performed in a digital control, a dead time element is generated. As a result, when viewed in what is called frequency characteristics in a Bode diagram, a phase delay is generated.
The resonance frequency in a mechanical system is close to the phase crossover frequency (a frequency whose phase is −180 degrees) in the realistic range although they depend upon the size of the motor or the sensor and the ability of an arithmetic element used for the control. Therefore, if a various kind of filters such as a low-pass filter and a notch filter are not used, it is difficult to improve the control gain which directly influences the response of the motor.
In the galvano motor using such a digital control, there are problems as follows, and the improvement of the performance has been difficult.
First, in the digital control system, because a phase delay is generated by a dead time element caused by the sampling, the phase crossover point is lowered. The control band can not exceed the phase crossover frequency. Therefore, the control gain also needs to be lowered and the response of the motor or the force to suppress a disturbance is reduced.
Second, in order to handle the resonance of the motor, typically, a control filter such as a notch filter is also constituted by a digital calculation. However, if the variety or the order of filters increases, the calculation load increases and the sampling period of the control needs to be longer. Furthermore, since the phase crossover frequency is lowered by the influences of the filter itself, it is difficult to improve the control gain.


This invention relates to a novel package, particularly for use as a skin package which may be readily recycled, and to a process for preparing such a package.

This invention relates to a new package and a process for preparing the new package.
Skin packaging is a cheap, effective way of packaging a whole variety of goods, in particular where immediate point of sale is required. The packaging is convenient, relatively low in cost and typically tamper-proof, since in most cases it is immediately evident if the product has been tampered with. Many self-service stores such as supermarkets use this type of packaging to great extent.
Skin packaging involves the heating of a film to the point at which the surface of the film becomes hot and malleable. The heated film is drawn over an article to be contained, which rests on a board which is often coated with a heat sealable lacquer or varnish. Beneath the board air is drawn through its fibres, causing the heated malleable film sitting on the board to be pulled under pressure, forming a tight skin bonded to the surface above. The film, through heat and film distortion, is pulled over the article. Depending on the shape and size of the article, the film follows the contours of the article, causing a semi-rigid encapsulation of the article. This state is very desirable when packaging awkwardly shaped articles, for example screws, nuts and bolts. The product is thus held firmly in place.
A problem with known skin packages is that they cannot be readily disposed of. The skin film used is predominately made from xe2x80x9cSurlynxe2x80x9d resin, a registered trade mark, which comprises an ionomer (ionomers are copolymers of ethylene and methacrylic acid which have been ionically cross-linked). Such films may not be readily recycled. For example a discarded package comprising xe2x80x9cSurlynxe2x80x9d film may not be easily re-pulped.
In one aspect, the invention seeks to provide a package which can be recycled.
In another aspect the invention seeks to provide a package which is not static, for example it does not attract dust.
Thus the invention provides a package comprising a backing material having a first surface and a film of water soluble or water dispersible material having a sealing surface, portions of the first surface of the backing material and said sealing surface of said film being sealed with at least one article enclosed therebetween, characterised in that the backing material comprises a porous board.
Preferably the backing material is substantially planar. In particular the backing material preferably comprises a chipboard or, more preferably, cardboard. It will be understood that the surface of the board may be pre-treated to avoid undue absorption of adhesive, where present.
Suitable water soluble or dispersible materials include polyethylene oxide; more preferably a polyvinyl alcohol film is used. Such a polyvinyl alcohol film may be a partially or fully hydrolysed or alcoholised erg. 40-99% preferably 70-92% hydrolysed or alcoholised, polyvinyl alcohol film. The polyvinyl alcohol film may in fact be a co-polymer, with a second polymer replacing residual polyvinyl actetate. The film may be a cast film or, more preferably, a blown or extruded film.
The polyvinyl alcohol film may be unoriented, mono-axially oriented or bi-axially oriented. The film may be hot water soluble (e.g. it dissolves in water at a temperature from 40 to 100xc2x0 C., preferably 40 to 50xc2x0 C.) or preferably cold water soluble.
The water soluble or dispersible material may be monolayered or in the form of a laminate, generally of two layers of different or preferably the same material. Typically the laminates will consist of two layers of thickness from 10 to 500 microns.
The film water soluble or water dispersible material which is sealed to the coating is typically of a thickness from 10 to 500 microns, preferably 20 to 150 microns, although it will be understood that the thickness will vary according to the article to be packaged and the film used.
The first surface of the backing layer and the sealing surface of the film may be sealed together in a number of ways. One preferred method is by forming a heat seal between the first surface of the backing material and the sealing surface of the film. Where this is the method, the first surface of the backing material must comprise a heat scalable material, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol or a paper material.
In another preferred aspect at least one of the first surface of the backing layer and the sealing surface of the film is coated with an adhesive, and portions of the first surface of the backing material are sealed to portions of the sealing surface of the film.
The adhesive coating preferably has a thickness from 1 to 10 microns, preferably from 1 to 5 microns.
The adhesive is preferably a thermally activated adhesive, water soluble or water dispersible adhesives being particularly preferred. In general the adhesive comprises a polymer. The adhesive preferably comprises polyethylene oxide or polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol being preferred. It is also preferred that the adhesive comprises the same material as the water soluble or dispersible material having the sealing surface, since they will be thermally active within the same temperature range as each other. Where the adhesive is thermally activated and comprises a different material from the water soluble or dispersible material having the sealing surface, preferably the film becomes malleable in the temperature range at which the adhesive is thermally activated.
Where the article to be packaged is inert to the adhesive, the adhesive may be provided on the film. This may be used for example where the article to be packaged is to be held in place and the adhesive and film may be readily peeled away from the surface of the article, for example metallic objects.
In a further preferred embodiment the backing material is provided with a region uncoated with adhesive between the article and the perimeter of the backing material, preferably running from where the package is to be opened (for example running from a pull tab). This offers advantages to the purchaser of the package, for example when releasing the contents of the package, by making the film more easy to peel.
According to a further feature of the present invention there is provided a process for the preparation of a package according to the invention comprising placing at least one article to be packaged on the first surface of a backing material, positioning a film of water soluble or water dispersible material over the first surface of the backing material, and sealing portions of the film to portions of the first surface of the backing material.
Generally the film is heated before being sealed to the surface of the backing material. Preferably the film is thermoformed before being sealed to the first surface of the backing material, typically at a temperature from 100 to 120xc2x0 C. The backing material is generally placed under suction to draw the film to the surface, and for this reason the backing material may be provided with perforations to increase the suction.
In a preferred embodiment sealing may be accomplished using an adhesive, most preferably a water soluble or water dispersible adhesive. The adhesive is applied to at least one of the sealing layers of the film and the first surface of the backing material. The backing material is preferably coated with the adhesive prior to being sealed to the film.
The coating of water soluble or water dispersible adhesive is preferably applied to the backing material by a gravure process.
In another preferred embodiment, the sealing may be accomplished using a heat seal. A preferred way of providing the heat seal involves using a heated platten moving vertically and squeezing the surfaces to be sealed together under constant pressure and heat sealing around the perimeter of the article on the backing material. The dwell time of the platten in contact with the sealing surfaces will vary according to type of materials used and their thickness. Where the film is polyvinyl alcohol, the sealing temperature range is generally from 120 to 200xc2x0 C., more preferably from 150 to 175xc2x0 C.; and the dwell time is from 0.1 to 5 seconds, preferably from 0.5 to 1 second.
The package of the invention may be used to contain many different types of article. Some typical examples can be found in the packaging of automotive spares and spare parts and fittings across industry segments. Skin packaging of electronic circuit boards and electronic components sensitive to electrostatic discharge. This allows visual identification of components in handling without the risk of damage to the component. Since the packaging is recyclable, the invention could be used to hold powder type chemicals for concrete additives, the packaging of explosive components, the packaging of military ammunition to prevent corrosion, to resolve static problems and to permit easy disposal of the packaging, as both components of the skin packaging are pulpable. It is also well suited to packaging solid detergent chemicals, for example toilet disinfectants.
The following non-limiting example illustrates the invention. The following trade marks appear in the Example: Ad coat, Solublon, Vinex.


A disclosed Internet Linked Network Architecture delivers telecommunication type services across a network utilizing digital technology. The unique breadth and flexibility of telecommunication services offered by the Internet Linked Network Architecture flow directly from the network over which they are delivered and the underlying design principles and architectural decisions employed during its creation. The present invention supports current telecommunication and voice over IP standards and applications. This new network not only replaces the telecommunication network presently in place, but it also offers a more feature rich and cost effective alternative. For example, traditional telecommunication switches are more expensive, less reliable and slower than the faster digital data switches utilized in the present invention. Furthermore, the programmable nature of the digital devices comprising the present invention allows the new network to be built with a scalable and extensible architecture, providing the flexibility necessary to incorporate new or future digital enhancements. The inventive network is designed as a complete replacement for the traditional telecom network. The disclosed architecture allows for this network to connect to traditional networks and allows for an upgrade path. The design is robust and scalable so this network can introduce new features and functionality while preserving the quality of traditional networks.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multimedia communication networks. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to an improved Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network that provides for increased data stream throughput for video/voice/data via a private Internet Protocol (IP) communications network with associated communications components.
2. Description of Related Art
To understand the need for the improved design of the present invention requires a brief overview of the current solutions that need to be replaced, the available technology, and the areas of anticipated future growth. As none of the existing VoIP standards support all necessary telephony signals and messages, vendors develop special proprietary messages and controls to allow important features. Therefore, the current market products do not interact at the capacity required to offer carriers separate high performance, scalable, and reliable building blocks to build viable nationwide VoIP networks.
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) was built over many decades to accommodate basic telephony communications. As a result, other types of signals, such as data, video, and fax are presently formatted inefficiently to fit into the framework of the voice structure in the PSTN network. Presently, the telecommunication industry is undergoing a dramatic reorganization and reconnection. As newer technologies mature and develop, their deployment base, cost, and reliability approach the necessary size, expense, and dependability levels required to replace the old public switch technology. There is also a significant amount of engineering effort directed towards the selection of elements and components built for the PSTN that could be reused by a telephone network successor. Despite these changes, the infrastructure of the standard publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) has remained virtually the same. What is needed is a protocol and architecture that allows simple interfacing between new and legacy components.
The legacy PSTN supplies reliable and simple voice communication via an analog data transmission medium, but is not well suited for modern digital communication. While the public infrastructure actually consists of many different networks and technologies, much of the system can be characterized as having two inherent shortcomings. First, the reserved bandwidth in most voice calls is idle for much of the call duration, yet it is unavailable to carry other traffic, creating a systemic inefficiency. Second, the only intelligence in the system is found in the carrier's routing and control logic resident in the switches and control network. Basically analog local loops are connected to a local class five switch, which connects to other backbone and local switches through two separate networks. One network of inter-machine trunks carries the actual media traffic in the form of 64 kbs time division multiplexed (TDM) streams. A separate packet switched network carries call signaling, and control instructions using the SS7 protocol. As such, much of the logic for call connection and routing is resident in the switches, but additional logic for services, such as 800 number services, is drawn from Service Control Point databases on the SS7 network. When a call is placed on this network, instructions sent over the control layer allocate physical resources (ports and bandwidth) in the transport layer, creating a private channel of fixed bandwidth that is maintained for the duration of the call. In essence, this is a system that is highly adapted to a limited, historic set of functions, and which is not readily adaptable to new types of services or a wider range of media inputs. What is needed is a distributed architecture that allows data to be transmitted via a variety of message types optimized for the data being sent and for the network being used.
In contrast to the PSTN, the Internet supplies reliable and rapid computer data transmission without the added burden of long-distance charges. Originally developed by the government to facilitate communication in adverse conditions, the DARPA project consisted of a computer network that did not rely on any single node or cable for its existence. DARPA was specifically developed to provide multiple pathways for communication to flow from a source to a destination. Data can thus be routed along a large variety of pathways, successful transmission is not dependent on any one single pathway for a majority of the message to be successfully delivered. The successor to the DARPA project is the popular and widely used Internet. Transmission of analog or voice data via the Internet is viable because voice data can be digitized and the Internet is a global transmission medium, which substantially duplicates the area covered by the PSTN. An even greater advantage is the fact that Internet access generally includes all data transmission fees in the base cost unlike the PSTN were the base cost only includes connectivity and the user pays additional fees for data transmission, such as long distance calls. Presently available PSTN systems cannot supply high connectivity without adding unreasonable restrictions. Such systems should also supply support for multi-media and variable message types. What is needed is a protocol and architecture that takes advantage of the Internet's high connectivity, natural command and control infrastructure, multimedia support, and uses low cost and low complexity internet-scalable devices
The standards organizations do not keep pace with modern technological developments, due in part to the fact that the standards organizations are very political and the increasing speed at which products are developed in the "Internet economy". Generally a selected protocol tends to give technological preference to one vendor over another, so the various vendors participating in the standards committees are naturally at odds with proposals presented by other vendors. This slows the progress, development, and the performance of the standards eventually implemented. What is needed is a truly efficient, interoperable and carrier grade protocol for use over a packetized network. The standards organizations, in general, and the VoIP market, in particular, are fragmented with many different protocols that compete and overlap. Presently, the two major VoIP protocols competing in the carrier market space are H.323 and SIP.
Developed originally for the transfer of multi-media signals over non-reliable networks (such as LAN), H.323 has been transformed in an attempt to meet the needs of a true carrier grade network. Although it is an approved standard by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the H.323 protocol faces significant opposition in the market due to its high complexity and lack of complete carrier grade support. In theory, H.323 should enable users to participate in the same conference even though they are using different videoconferencing applications. But it's too early to say whether such adherence will actually result in interoperability, even though most videoconferencing vendors have announced that their products will conform to H.323. What is needed is a packetized communication protocol that provides carrier grade support through simple compatible building blocks.
A much simpler and modern protocol, SIP places special emphasis on SS7 support. As the SIP protocol is still secondary in the industry to H.323 in terms of deployment and support by vendors, the future of the SIP protocol is unclear. What is needed is a communication protocol that supplies an open interface to existing and emerging standards, such as SS7 and H.323.
As attention to VoIP rises, there is an increasing collection of vendors in the market. Many of these vendors have developed products that work well in labs or small-scale installations; however, they are completely unsuitable for a carrier grade network requiring a call capacity of many millions of calls per hour. Obtaining carrier grade performance should be one of the driving forces in the design of any new network component or network architecture. What is needed is a network architecture that designs each component, which could cause a bottleneck, as a distributed application, thereby enabling replication of the resource to enhance overall network capacity.

Private IP communication network architecture


A warewash machine includes a chamber for receiving wares, the chamber having at least one spray zone in which a liquid is recirculated from a tank to a spray tube assembly having a plurality of spray nozzles. The spray tube assembly includes a plurality of spray tubes, each including an input end and a distal end connected to a tube support, which has a fixed part and a cover movable between a closed and open positions. Each distal end has an opening that is covered in the closed position and uncovered, perhaps fully, in the open position. The tube support may include at least one latching assembly for holding the cover in the closed position. The cover and the access door may be cooperatively configured such that, when the cover is in the open position, the cover prevents the access door from moving to the closed operating position.

Commercial warewashers commonly include a housing area which defines washing and rinsing zones for dishes, pots, pans and other wares. Heat recovery systems have been used to recover heat from the machine that would ordinarily be lost to the machine exhaust. A conveyance mechanism moves the wares through the zones of the machine where wash and rinse sprays are directed onto the wares. The sprays are commonly emitted from nozzles in spray tubes.
For a given spray zone, such as a wash or pre-wash zone or post-wash zone, it is common to provide a set of spray tubes which have an input side and a distal side. It is known to provide an assembly in which the distal sides of the spray tube set are selectively blocked by a sliding panel structure with openings. The panel structure is movable between an operating position (panel openings not aligned with tube ends) and a tube access position in which the panel openings align with the open ends of the spray tubes for the purpose of access and cleaning. However, this arrangement tends to have significant leakage out of the open ends of the spray tubes even when the sliding panel is in the tube access position, and portions of the panel still act as an obstruction to tube access even when the panel is in the tube access position.
It would be desirable to provide a spray tube assembly that reduces leakage and/or permits more effective access to the spray tubes.

Warewasher and associated spray arm assembly


An apparatus measures temperature of a reciprocating piston and comprises one or more thermocouples of which one end is inserted to a predetermined point of the piston and generates a potential difference according to temperature of the predetermined point. A telemetry unit is mounted on a big end of a connecting rod, computes the piston temperature on the basis of the potential difference, and wirelessly transmits the piston temperature signal.

Typically, in an internal combustion engine, driving power is originated from the explosion of fuel. During the explosion, heat is generated and emitted and the power generated from the explosion is transferred to a piston. Therefore, the piston is exposed to high temperatures from the combustion of the fuel. Accordingly, measuring piston temperature is necessary for improving engine stability and performance.
A variety of methods for measuring piston temperature have been studied. One such unit is a telemetry unit. The telemetry unit has several advantages over other methods of measuring piston temperature. Some of these advantages include transmitting a piston temperature signal to the outside of the engine without wires and measuring piston temperature regardless of piston movement. In the typical methods employed the telemetry unit is mounted on the piston. A drawback of this configuration is that the piston must have a space for receiving the telemetry unit. Therefore, the piston must be specifically redesigned for measuring piston temperature.
A redesigned piston has a load distribution that differs from that of the original piston. Therefore, another drawback is that the friction between the piston and the cylinder wall changes. Accordingly, the redesigned piston has a piston temperature that differs from the original mass produced piston. Therefore, temperature readings from the redesigned piston do not accurately reflect the circumstances within the mass-produced engine.

Apparatus for measuring piston temperature


Flow device systems for use in an HVAC system (“HVAC”) are described. The system may include a controller receiving sensor signals including differential pressure, valve commands, fan/pump speed, and fan/pump motor power signal from the HVAC. The controller transmits override valve commands for multiple valve positions of the valve and multiple speeds of the fan and pump. A characteristic curve may be determined from the signals provided from the HVAC and the measured flow rate at each valve position or fan/pump speed during transmission of the plurality of override valve commands for the valve positions of the valve and fan/pump speed for fan/pump operation frequencies. Virtual flow rate through the valve, fan or pump is determined using the characteristic curve. In addition, valve dynamic behavior is determined using valve stiction and valve stiction plus deadband. Valve commands are updated based on valve dynamic behavior and a valve characteristic curve.

Precision data collection may aid in controlling and optimizing operations of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Additionally, existing industrial standards, e.g., ASHRAE standards 62.1 and 90.1, ask for detailed advanced energy efficient operations. Airflow and water flow rates may be key to controlling variables of HVAC systems and precision data collection of such may aid in optimizing operations of HVAC systems. For example, a lower supply airflow rate may cause poor indoor ventilation, while a higher supply airflow rate may cause excessive use of fan power and reheat energy. For a variable chilled water loop, a lower water flow rate may damage chillers while a higher water flow rate may cause an excessive use of pump power.
Airflow and water flow rates may also be indices for evaluating energy performance of HVAC systems. Flow rates may be used to measure actual energy use and project the reference (fault-free) energy use based on energy balance and/or mechanism of subsystems. For example, actual energy uses of cooling coils can be measured by water flow rate and at the same time the reference value (fault-free) of energy usage can be also projected by airflow rates based on energy balance. Deviations between actual and reference energy uses may be indicators of faults and/or inefficient operations. Consequently, the lack of flow measurements may lead to inadequate energy performance evaluation indices for HVAC system operations. Efforts to commission buildings and improve energy performance may be similarly limited without building automation system (BAS)-embedded metering capacities. Today, energy efficiency measurements may require professionals to travel to each facility with portable meters.
To obtain data on flow rates, various sensors may be placed throughout a building system and provide measured values to a central control computer. There are many types of sensors that may be utilized. However, the implementation of some sensors may be less practical than others. For example, temperature sensors may be relatively easy to implement and connect to the system. Flow rate sensors, on the other hand, can prove to be less practical and efficient, as the mere presence of some flow sensors within a duct/pipe may disrupt the flow itself, yielding potentially unfavorable data. In addition to high meter and installation costs, physical meter installations may require long, straight and unobstructed pipes or ducts, equivalent to 7.5 diameters upstream and 3 diameters downstream of physical flow meters for proper measurements. Space limitations plus expensive installation costs are a few of the dominant factors discouraging physical flow meter installations in existing buildings.
Equipment device characteristic-based virtual air/water flow meters provide a promising solution to these challenges. The use of virtual meters was first explored for HVAC in 2003, when a virtual fan airflow station was developed for measuring both supply air and return air volumetric flow rate for controlling the return airflow rate based on tracking supply airflow rate. The system used fan head, fan speed and the fan curve to determine the total airflow rate without the need for direct physical measurements. In 2004, a fuzzy sensor was developed for determining the average temperature of air leaving the mixing-box of an air-handling unit (AHU). This virtual sensor corrected measurements from conventional mixed-air temperature sensors. The system used a fuzzy relationship between the measured temperature from the conventional sensor and the average mixed-air temperature determined through computational dynamic simulations of the mixing chamber. However, the application of virtual meters has not been massively adopted by the industry for many reasons.
First, the application of virtual meters has not been adopted due to the lack of appropriate equipment models. The flow rate is indirectly calculated using the equipment characteristic models and a few other particular variables, however, the accuracy of the virtual flow meters may be highly dependent on the accuracy of such models. Although the conventional flow calculating models may be available in engineering textbooks, the models for this application need to be formed for easy implementation, and further, the parameters in the models may need to be easily and accurately obtained in a simple calibration process.
Second, the application of virtual meters has not been adopted due to complex calibration procedures that may be difficult to apply in the field. The accuracy of equipment characteristic models may heavily depend on the parameters identified in the calibration procedure. Such accuracy may require a highly skilled person to conduct the calibration increasing costs of implementation.
The accuracy of a virtual flow meter may depend on correct calibration of the virtual meters to obtain valve, fan and pump characteristic curve measurements.
The virtual valve flow meter was initially developed in the prior art using the steady-state concept, in which valve commands may be used to represent valve positions in virtual flow calculations in order to obtain the average hourly cooling energy used in an air-handling unit for fault detection and diagnosis purposes. In that system, an assumption was made that the valve oscillated over a short time period, and using hourly average data could eliminate the difference between hourly-averaged valve commands and valve positions. However, using hourly-averaged data may have shortcomings. The valve command signal does not always represent the physical positioning of the valve accurately, especially when a valve experiences a slow opening or closing, but not oscillations. For example, when the measured flow rate experiences a big change over a short time period, the virtual flow may follow the measured flow well. However, when the measured flow remains relatively constant, virtual flow may experience drastic reductions. The reductions in the virtual flow calculations may be the result of the valve commands experiencing the same slowly descending patterns. The measured flow reflects the actual valve position. This disagreement may indicate that the slow valve command changes do not affect the valve's actual movement.
The sources of this phenomenon may be both intentional and unintentional. For example, there may be a certain deadband value set within the system, which indicates to the valve that it cannot change direction until the change in the valve command exceeds such given value. This may be intentionally implemented in order to protect the system from small, rapid oscillations causing rapid wear. An unintentional source of this phenomenon, however, may be friction. Outside of the deadband, if the change in the command signal is small enough, the valve actuators may not provide enough force for the valve to overcome static friction and start moving. The term 'stiction' has been used to define this phenomenon, in which the valve is 'stuck' due to static friction. When this phenomenon occurs, valve command data cannot always be used as valve positions to formulate the virtual valve flow meter. Previous systems related to valve stiction have taken empirical approaches, while other have relied on simulation results or physical models.
The virtual fan/pump flow meter was initially developed in the prior air using fan head, power and speed measurements. To save the cost of installing a power meter, the VFD power signal that is freely available in a VFD control panel, is used as the motor input power for the fan airflow and pump water flow calculations. The power signal provided by the VFD panel is known insufficiently accurate in the prior art which results in up to 15% accuracy loss in flow rate calculations.
Currently, there are no available flow meters that may be easily installed for air measurements. Currently available portable velocity measurement probes (e.g., pitot-tube or hot-wire), are typically hand-held for one-time measurements.
As such, a need exists in the prior art to provide a system and method for improvement of flow devices within HVAC systems, their use and calibration thereof.

Flow device and control system and methods for HVAC system monitoring

The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma


Structures and methods for semiconductor integrated circuits with respect to heat dissipation are provided. The structure comprises a die having a first surface and a second surface. The first surface has an opening in it, and the second surface has a contact pad formed on it. The first surface is opposite to the second surface. A conductive layer is formed over the first surface, covering a surface of the opening.

The Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology has been recognized as the leading technology for use in digital electronics in general and for use in many computer products in particular. The miniaturization of CMOS technology according to a scaling rule is used in a semiconductor device to achieve large-scale integration and high-speed operation. Due to its high integration, heat generated while integrated circuits operate tremendously soars. In order to dissipate heat generated therefrom, packaging methods or structures have been widely proposed to resolve the problem.
FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing a prior art package structure for heat dissipation.
The prior art structure comprises a package substrate 100. Solder balls 140 are formed under the package substrate 100. A die 110 is flip-chip mounted to the package substrate 100. Solder balls 107 mechanically and electrically connects the die 110 with the package substrate 100. An under-fill 105 is formed between the die 110 and the package substrate 100. A heat spreader 120 covers the die 110. A thermal interface material, such as a conductive epoxy layer 115, is formed on the die 110. An adhesive layer 125 is applied on the heat spreader 120 so as to adhere the heat sink 130 to the heat spreader 120.
Heat which is generated on the surface of the die 110 due to the operation of integrated circuits is first conductively dispersed across the length and width of the package by the heat spreader 120, using heat conduction, to eliminate hot spots. The heat can be transmitted to the heat sink 130 through the conductive epoxy layer 115, the heat spreader 120 and the adhesive layer 125. The heat sink has a plurality of fins, to provide a large surface area suitable for dissipating heat into the ambient air by convection.
Due to the significant differences of the thermal expansion properties among the package substrate 100, the die 110, the conductive epoxy layer 115, the heat spreader 120, the adhesive layer 125 and the heat sink 130, delamination can occur at the interfaces between the package substrate 100 and the die 110, between the die 110 and the conductive epoxy layer 115, between the conductive epoxy layer 115 and the heat spreader 120, between the heat spreader 120 and the adhesive layer 125 and/or between the adhesive layer 125 and the heat sink 130. Delamination causes the package structure to fail, so as to reduce the packaging yield. For this reason, it is often necessary to include an underfill 105 to relieve the stresses caused by differential thermal expansion during thermal cycling.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2004/0070058 A1 discloses an integrated circuit package design. The packaged integrated circuit includes a package substrate having electrical contacts for receiving an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is electrically connected to the electrical contacts of the package substrate. A stiffener is mounted to the package substrate, where the stiffener has a non-orthogonal cut out in which the integrated circuit is disposed. The edges of the cut out are disposed at no greater a distance from the corners of the integrated circuit than they are from the sides of the integrated circuit.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0146520 A1 discloses a flip-chip package with a heat spreader. The package includes a substrate, a chip, a heat spreader, multiple first bumps, multiple second bumps, a first fill material and a second fill material. The substrate has multiple conductive nodes formed on a surface thereof. The chip has an active surface and a corresponding backside surface. The chip further has multiple conductive pads formed on the active surface. The chip is placed over the substrate, and the active surface of the chip faces the surface of the substrate. The heat spreader having a cavity is placed on the substrate, wherein the cavity of the heat spreader faces the substrate and the chip is located inside the cavity. The first bumps are placed between the conductive pads of the chip and the conductive nodes of the substrate. The second bumps are placed between the backside surface of the chip and the heat spreader. The first fill material is filled between the chip and the substrate and covers the first bumps. The second fill material is filled in the cavity of the heat spreader and covers the chip and the second bumps.
Improved heat dissipation methods and structures for die packages are desired.

Structures and methods for heat dissipation of semiconductor integrated circuits

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A method for performing surface sampling of an analyte, includes the step of placing the analyte on a stage with a material in molar excess to the analyte, such that analyte-analyte interactions are prevented and the analyte can be solubilized for further analysis. The material can be a matrix material that is mixed with the analyte. The material can be provided on a sample support. The analyte can then be contacted with a solvent to extract the analyte for further processing, such as by electrospray mass spectrometry.

Currently available laser desorption techniques allow analysis of the chemical composition of surfaces at the micron level. However, conventional laser desorption techniques can be limited in their ability to desorb and ionize analytes present at the surface being analyzed. For example, preparation of dried sample spots on planar media is becoming a popular sample storage, preparation, shipping and analysis medium. In liquid extractive sampling of such prepared spots, fast, reproducible, and efficient reconstitution of the desired analyte is required to make direct analysis analytically viable. In such samples, the analyte of interest can sometimes crystallize, agglomerate, or take other intractable forms which are difficult to solubilize. Therefore, a need exists for improved surface extraction technology.
MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization) is a laser-based soft ionization method that has proven to be an effective ionization method for mass spectrometric analysis and investigation of large molecules. This method was developed in the late 1980s from such other desorption/ionization mass spectrometric methods as FAB (fast atom bombardment) and LDIMS (laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry). MALDI facilitates the production of intact gas-phase ions from large, nonvolatile, and thermally labile compounds such as proteins, oligonucleotides, synthetic polymers and large inorganic compounds by embedding these compounds in a chemical matrix. A laser beam (UV- or IR-pulsed laser) serves as the desorption and ionization source. The matrix absorbs the laser light energy and causes a small part of the target substrate to vaporize. The vaporized and ionized molecules are transferred electrostatically into a mass spectrometer where they are separated from the matrix ions and individually detected, usually by TOF (time-of-flight) mass spectrometry. The MALDI matrix must embed and isolate analytes, be soluble in solvents compatible with the analyte of interest, be vacuum stable, absorb the laser wavelength, cause co-desorption of the analyte upon laser irradiation, and promote analyte ionization.
A number of variations of the MALDI method are known. These include dried droplet, vacuum-drying crystallization, crushed-crystal, fast-evaporation, overlayer, sandwich, spin-coating, electrospray, quick & dirty (Q&D), matrix-precoated layers, chemical liquid, particle-doped (two-phase) liquid, chemical-doped liquid, solid supports, and MALDI on 2D-gels. In the case of samples that are insoluble it has been found that by pressing a mixture of finely ground sample and analyte, it is possible to record MALDI data from such compounds.
Electrospray is an alternative to MALDI. Electrospray generally involves flowing a sample liquid into an electrospray ion source comprising a small tube or capillary which is maintained at a high voltage, in absolute value terms, with respect to a nearby surface. The nearby (e.g. 1 cm) surface is commonly referred to as the counter electrode. Conventional ES systems for mass spectrometry apply high voltage (relative to a ground reference) to the emitter electrode while holding the counter electrode at a lower, near ground reference voltage. For the positive ion mode of operation, the voltage on the emitter is high positive, while for negative ion mode the emitter voltage is high negative. Liquid introduced into the tube or capillary is dispersed and emitted as fine electrically charged droplets (plume) by the applied electrical field.
The ionization mechanism generally involves the desorption at atmospheric pressure of ions from the fine electrically charged particles. The ions created by the electrospray process can then be used for a variety of applications, such as mass analyzed in a mass spectrometer.
In a typical ES-MS process, a solution containing analytes of interest is directed to the ES emitter which is held at high voltage, resulting in a charged solvent droplet spray or plume. The droplets drift towards the counter electrode under the influence of the electric field. As the droplets travel, gas-phase ions are liberated from the droplets. This process produces a quasi-continuous steady-state current with the charged droplets and ions constituting the current and completing the series circuit. A particularly useful application for electrospray is the production of gas phase ions from analytes in liquid solutions delivered by methods such as high pressure liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis or capillary electrochromatography to a system for detection and analysis, such as a mass spectrometer (MS).
Although ES MS has been known, the use of ES-MS for automatically reading out a plurality of spots, has been more recently developed. This is likely because of the technical challenges of sampling analytes from small spots on a sample surface with a liquid flow system in an automated way. Specifically, electrospray normally operates by having a sample dissolved in solution flow through transfer tubing to the ion source of the mass spectrometer. When trying to analyze a surface with electrospray, a significant challenge is presented in producing a probe suitable for transporting a normally solid-state surface sample into solution and then into the transfer line. In addition, a sophisticated structure is needed to control the alignment of the probe with the surface, the structure generally providing fine resolution of the probe movement relative to the surface.
Several methods for conducting surface sampling for electrospray mass spectrometry analysis, as well as other kinds of analysis, have been developed. Some such systems and methods are shown in US patents and Publications Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,566; U.S. Pat. No. 7,295,026, US 2010/0002905, and US 2010/0224013. The disclosure of these patents and publications is hereby incorporated fully by reference.
Once a way to sample the surface has been achieved, the next challenge is to dissolve the target sample analytes from the surface of interest. In liquid extractive sampling of such prepared spots, fast, reproducible, and efficient reconstitution of the desired analyte is required to make direct analysis analytically viable. In such samples, the analyte of interest can sometimes crystallize, agglomerate, or take other intractable forms which are difficult to solubilize. Therefore, a need exists for improved surface extraction technology.

Enhanced spot preparation for liquid extractive sampling and analysis


An optical element such as a rear projection screen for an image display device comprises at least two substantially rigid sheet members each having a first major surface and a second major surface providing a plane of incidence and a plane of emergence, respectively, through which light is transmitted sequentially. A first sheet member comprises a Fresnel lens, and a second sheet member comprises a lenticular lens array on each of the major surfaces thereof. The plane of emergence on the second major surface of the first sheet member includes the Fresnel lens formed of a radiation curable material. A method of making the Fresnel lens is described.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,316, issued to K. E. Conley on Nov. 8, 1983, describes several prior methods of making relief patterned sheets for such applications as relatively thin, flexible Fresnel lenses and for projection screens. One such method includes stamping or embossing by a platen press. This method involves placing a thermoplastic material in a platen press having an engraved surface corresponding to the desired relief pattern. The platen press is closed and subjected to a heating cycle, to heat and soften the thermoplastic material and cause it to conform to the engraved surface of the platen press. The platen press then undergoes a cooling cycle to cool and harden the thermoplastic material, so that it will retain its shape and can be removed from the press. Because of the required heating and cooling cycles, the platen press method is slow and relatively expensive. Also, the platen press has a tendency to entrap bubbles. Other methods are more suited to producing relief patterns in continuous length form. Typically, such continuous methods utilize an engraved roll, and the relief pattern is formed by the roll embossing the thermoplastic material while in a softened or molten state. However, such a process cannot be used to manufacture a Fresnel lens, since such a lens has a sawtooth structure that- would.. interlock with the pattern on the roll. Because of the elastic nature of the thermoplastic material and the internal stresses imparted by the embossing roll, the embossed sheet produced by this method has a tendency to return to its original flattened and unstressed configuration. Therefore, the particular lens-like or other configurations which are formed in the sheet change in shape from their originally desired shapes, thus losing some of their desired optical qualities. Also, sheets produced by this method are highly susceptible to streaking during the manufacturing operation, as a result of condensation on the sheet during cooling. Additionally, the sheet is susceptible to dimensional distortion by the embossing machinery unless the roll speed and web tension are accurately maintained.
These problems are overcome by the use of thermosetting polymers, rather than thermoplastics. Cured thermosetting polymers are not subject to distortion or change in dimension with heat or moisture content, nor do they exhibit a tendency to change shape resulting from elastic memory imparted in producing the relief pattern. The preferred thermosetting materials are those that can be cured by actinic radiation, such as UV or electron beam radiation, in addition to heat curing. The above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,316 discloses a method of making a composite sheet comprising a base film which is coated with a flowable uncured thermosetting resin with a molding surface having the desired lenticular pattern formed therein. To enhance the adhesion between the base film and the thermosetting resin layer, a primer or adhesion promoter preferably is applied to the front surface of the film, before the application of the resin. The resin is then cured, either thermally or by actinic radiation, to cause it to harden. The relief patterned thermosetting polymer layer is adherently and permanently bonded to the base film. The composite sheet material is utilized either in this form or it may have additional coating layers or laminations applied thereto. The thickness of the composite sheet ranges from about 0.15 to 0.76 mm. For other end use applications, the composite sheet material may be used as an intermediate product in producing sheet materials with predetermined relief patterns formed in both surfaces thereof. For such applications, the relief patterned thermosetting polymer layer is bonded to the base film with a relatively weak bond strength which permits stripping of the base film from the thermosetting polymer layer for further subsequent processing of the thermosetting polymer layer. However, the resultant structure is described as relatively thin and flexible, and therefore not suitable for use in a projection screen, without bonding the composite sheet to a suitable backing plate.
U.S Pat. No. 5,066,099, issued to T. on Nov. 19, 1991, describes a rear projection screen and a method of producing the same. In the patented structure, a UV curable material is flow coated onto the lenticular emergence surface of the screen, to form a light diffuser having a higher hardness than that of the underlying sheet material. There is no suggestion in the patent that UV curable materials can be patterned to make any of the lens components of the screen.
A need thus exists for a simple structure and method wherein UV curable materials may be used to form lens elements on substantially rigid transparent materials, without lamination or the use of additional primers or adhesion promoters.

Optical element such as a rear projection screen for an image display device and method of producing same