The invention relates to a direct-injection internal combustion engine that is operated in a first operating range associated with the low part load, with largely homogeneous combustion of the mixture and subsequent injection. Said internal combustion engine is operated in a second operating range associated with the middle part load, with low-temperature combustion of the mixture. In this way, minimum nitrogen oxide and soot emissions and a high degree of efficiency can be achieved both in the lower part load region and up to the full load region.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine, in particular a diesel engine, and to an internal combustion engine suitable for implementing the method.
2. The Prior Art
The most important variables governing the combustion process in a combustion engine with internal combustion are the phase of the course of combustion, or rather the beginning of combustion, the maximum rate of increase of cylinder pressure, and the peak cylinder pressure.
In an internal combustion engine in which combustion occurs essentially by self-ignition of a directly injected volume of fuel, the governing variables are largely determined by injection timing, charge composition, and ignition lag. These parameters in turn depend on a multitude of variables, such as engine speed, amount of fuel, intake temperature, charge pressure, effective compression ratio, amount of inert gas in the cylinder charge, and temperature of the various parts of the engine.
Increasingly strict legal requirements necessitate the development of novel concepts in combustion design, in order to reduce the emission of particulates and NOx in diesel engines.
It is known that NOx and particulate emission in the exhaust gas may be reduced by increasing the ignition lag by advancing the start of injection, such that combustion occurs by self-ignition of a lean fuel-air mixture. A variant of this type is termed the HCLI-method (Homogeneous Charge Late Injection). In a combustion process of this type fuel injection takes place at a distance from top dead center of the compression phase that is large enough to give rise to a largely homogeneous fuel-air mixture. By means of exhaust gas recirculation the combustion temperature may be kept below the temperature required for NOx-formation. Since the homogenization of fuel and air is time-dependent, this method is limited as regards engine speed and load, and particle emission will increase if homogenization is insufficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,245 B1 describes a diesel engine with internal combustion operating according to the HCLI-method, in which combustion temperature and ignition lag are chosen in such a way that in the region of low to medium load the combustion temperature lies below the temperature of NOx-formation and the air ratio lies above the value at which particulates are produced. Combustion temperature is regulated by varying the exhaust gas recirculation rate, ignition lag is regulated via the timing of fuel injection. At medium to high load the combustion temperature is lowered such that NOx and particulate formation are both reduced. It is disadvantageous that especially in the medium load region a low air ratio combines with low combustion temperature and thus efficiency is lost.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,413 A describes a direct-injection diesel engine with internal combustion, in which-fuel injection does not occur before top dead center of compression and in which oxygen concentration in the combustion chamber is reduced by exhaust gas recirculation. This method is referred to as HPLI-method (Highly Premixed Late Injection). Because of the decrease in temperature level after top dead center—in comparison with conventional injection before top dead center—and the increased amount of recirculated exhaust gas—as compared to conventional operation—the ignition lag is greater than in the case of so-called diffusive combustion. The low temperature level regulated by exhaust gas recirculation causes the combustion temperature to remain below the value necessary for NOx-formation. The large ignition lag caused by retarded injection permits good mixing, thus avoiding local oxygen deficiency during combustion and in turn reducing the formation of particulate matter. The back-shifting of the combustion process causes a reduction of maximum temperature, but at the same time leads to an increase of mean temperature at a certain late crank angle, which results in an increased burning of particulates. Shifting the combustion into the expansion stroke in combination with a high exhaust gas recirculation rate will result in a rate of pressure increase in the cylinder which will remain within acceptable limits, despite a larger premixed fuel volume due to the large ignition lag and consequently a higher maximum combustion rate. A disadvantage of the method is again low efficiency at low load.
From the publication "Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) of Diesel Fuel", Allen W. Gray et al., SAE 971676, it is known that in combustion of a self-ignited lean fuel-air mixture very low emission values of NOx and soot are realised due to the homogeneous distribution of concentration and temperature. In the English-speaking world this method is known as the HCCI-method (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition).
It is further known to design pistons for diesel internal combustion engines with an essentially toroidal recess in the piston top, which is referred to as piston recess. In the transition area between piston top and piston recess a constriction or throat is provided resulting in a relatively narrow flow cross-section. The narrow flow cross-section will cause high mixture formation energy and thus substantially improved fuel conditioning. Pistons with such toroidal piston recesses are known from disclosures EP 0 383 001 A1, DE 1 122 325 AS, AT 380 311 B, DE 21 36 594 A1, DE 974 449 C or JP 60-206960 A, for instance. In conventionally operated internal combustion engines such pistons have the following beneficial consequences for the operating behaviour of the internal combustion engine: smoke-limiting full load may be increased; high compression ratios may be realised, resulting in lower combustion noise due to smaller ignition lag, less hydro-carbon emission, better start-up behaviour and an improved efficiency of the engine; there is also the possibility of retarding ignition without substantial increase of smoke, fuel consumption or HC-emission, since mixture formation energy remains high for a longer period of time. This possibility will above all lead to a decrease of nitrogen oxides, combustion noise and maximum cylinder pressure.
Furthermore, in DE 11 22 325 C1 a piston is described with a piston recess and a constriction, where a step-shaped depression is provided between squish surface and constriction.
In internal combustion engines operated according to the HCLI or the HPLI-method such piston types with a deep and constricted piston recess have not been used up to now, since it was assumed that start-up behaviour and thermodynamic efficiency would strongly deteriorate due to the deep piston recess and the strong squish flow. For this reason U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,413 A has proposed to suppress the squish flow completely by using a piston with a very shallow recess.
It is the object of the present invention to develop a method of operating an internal combustion engine, which will have minimum nitrogen oxide and particulate emission from low loads up to full load while maintaining high efficiency over the whole range.
According to the invention this object is achieved by the following steps:                operating the internal combustion engine in a first operating region corresponding to low partial loads, with essentially homogeneous mixture combustion and late fuel injection, starting fuel injection in a range of about 50° to 5° crank angle before top dead center of the compression phase;        operating the internal combustion engine in a second operating region corresponding to medium partial loads, with low-temperature mixture combustion and even later injection than in the first operating region, starting fuel injection in a range of about 2° crank angle before top dead center to about 20° crank angle, and preferably 10° crank angle, after top dead center of the compression phase,        with fuel being injected into the combustion chamber in the first operating region via first injection orifices and in the second operating region at least via second injection orifices of an injection valve configured preferably as a double needle nozzle.
In the first operating region the internal combustion engine works according to the HCLI-method, in which fuel injection is timed relatively early in the compression stroke, i.e., in a range of approximately 50° to 5° crank angle before top dead center. Fuel injection in this first operating region occurs preferably at pressures between 400 and 1,000 bar. Combustion mainly occurs between 10° crank angle before and 10° crank angle after top dead center, resulting in very high efficiency. Due to the relatively high exhaust gas recirculation rate of between 50% and 70% the local combustion temperature lies below the temperature where NOx are produced. The local air ratio remains above the limit for particulate formation. Exhaust gas recirculation may be realised by external or internal recirculation or by a combination of both using variable valve control.
In the second operating region the internal combustion engine is operated according to the HPLI-method. Here the main part of the injection phase lies after top dead center of compression. Due to the lower temperature level after top dead center—as compared with conventional injection before top dead center—and the increased amount of recirculated exhaust gas of between 20% and 40% vis-a-vis conventional operation, the ignition lag is increased. If necessary, further measures may be adopted to increase the ignition lag, such as lowering the effective compression ratio and/or the intake temperature, or shortening the duration of injection by increasing injection pressure and/or increasing the cross-section of the injection nozzle orifices. The duration of injection is chosen such that the end of injection lies before the start of combustion. In this case emission of particulates may be kept at a very low level. This may be explained by the fact that the simultaneous occurrence of liquid fuel in the fuel jet and of the flame surrounding the jet in the conventional case is avoided, whereby oxidation reactions in the vicinity of the jet, which take place under conditions of air deficiency and will generate particulates, are also eliminated. For the combustion method of the second operating region injection pressures of at least 1,000 bar are required. The advantage of the method lies in very low NOx and particulate emission and in the relatively high exhaust gas temperature, which in turn is advantageous in the regeneration of devices for filtering the particle-exhaust gas stream.
Preferentially it is provided that in the first operating region fuel is injected at a lower rate of flow than in the second operating region. Particularly low nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions may be achieved if in the first and second operating regions fuel is injected in the shape of fuel jets forming a conical surface, with the apex angle of the cone in the first operating region differing from that in the second operating region, preferably by being smaller in the former.
In further development of the invention it is provided that in a third operating region corresponding to higher partial loads or to full load the main part of fuel injection takes place in the range of 10° crank angle before to 10° crank angle after top dead center, where it is preferably provided that in this third operating region multiple injection be used. The exhaust gas recirculation rate in this region amounts to as much as 30%, and preferably 10% to 20%. This will ensure good performance combined with low NOx and low particulate emission.
In the third operating region fuel may be injected through the first and/or through the second injection orifices.
The internal combustion engine is operated in the first, second and/or third operating region with an overall air ratio of approximately 1.0 to 2.0.
In a preferred embodiment it is provided that exhaust gas recirculation be carried out externally and/or internally and that swirl be variable for at least one region, and preferably for all three regions. Swirl values between 0 and 5 will lead to good exhaust gas values at low fuel consumption.
Furthermore it is of advantage if the geometric compression ratio is variable. The geometric compression ratio should be variable in the range from 13 to 19. A high compression ratio is advantageous for the coldstart phase. Reducing the compression ratio as the load increases will increase the maximum load attainable in the first as well as in the second operating region and will reduce particulate emission due to larger ignition lag.
In this context it may be provided that the effective compression ratio be varied by shifting the closing time of at least one intake valve. By delaying the closing of the intake valve or by a very early closing of the intake valve the effective compression ratio may be reduced, thereby permitting a reduction of the exhaust gas recirculation rate required for low NOx and particulate emission. It is possible to shift both the opening time and the closing time of the intake valve, or to shift only the closing time.
In a further variant of the invention it is provided that the changeover from first to second operating region, or back from second to first region, be initiated by reducing or increasing the exhaust gas recirculation rate. Alternatively, the changeover from first to second operating region of the engine or vice versa may be initiated by reducing the internal or external recirculation rate and by retarding the beginning of injection, respectively by increasing the recirculation rate and advancing the start of injection.
Preferably it is provided that the reduction of the exhaust gas recirculation rate on changing from first to second operating region of the engine be achieved by appropriately controlling the opening and/or closing time of the intake valve.
The effective mean pressure in the first operating region is preferably between 0 and 6 bar, and more preferably 5.5 bar, in the second operating region between 3.5 and 8 bar, and more preferably between 4 and 7 bar, and in the third operating region at least 5.5 bar, and more preferably at least about 6 bar.
For implementation of the method a direct injection diesel engine is required, with at least one cylinder with a reciprocating piston, in which the beginning of fuel injection may be varied at least between 50° crank angle before top dead center and 20° after top dead center, and preferably up to 50° after top dead center, and in which the exhaust gas recirculation rate may be varied between 0% and 70%. Furthermore it is provided that fuel injection pressure be variable at least between a first and a second pressure level, where the first pressure level preferably covers a range of 1,000 bar or less, and the second pressure level covers a range of 1,000 bar or more. Furthermore, a device for changing the swirl level may be provided.
It is also of advantage if the opening time and the closing time of the intake process are variable. To this end it is advantageous if the timing of the intake valve and also the timing of the exhaust valve may be shifted by means of a phase shifting device. It is of particular advantage if at least one intake valve can be activated during the exhaust phase.
Additionally or alternatively, activation of at least one exhaust valve during the intake phase may be provided.
Injection is best performed using a double needle nozzle with a first and a second injection orifice, which may be activated individually.
To obtain different rates of flow in the first and the second operating region it may be provided that the first injection orifices have a smaller total flow cross-section than the second injection orifices.
Since different combustion strategies are employed in the first and second operating region it is of advantage if the axes of the first injection orifices are situated along a first conical surface and the axes of the second injection orifices are situated along a second conical surface, where the apex angle of the first cone may be smaller than the apex angle of the second cone.
In a particularly preferred variant of the invention it is provided that the first and the second nozzle needle are coaxial, with the first needle preferably guided in the second needle, which is configured as a hollow needle. Alternatively it is also possible to position first and second needle in parallel, side by side in a nozzle holder.
Double needle nozzles with coaxial needles or needles positioned parallel to each other are known from DE 100 40 738 A1.
For HCLI-operation it is provided that at least one piston with at least one squish surface and a toroidal piston recess and a constriction in the transition area between squish surface and piston recess be provided, and that a squish flow directed from outside into the piston recess be generated during the upward stroke of the piston, and that fuel is at least to the greater part injected into the toroidal piston recess and transported by the squish flow along the side wall of the piston recess and/or along the piston bottom, evaporating at least partly along the way. The fuel jet is injected into the squish flow entering the piston recess. The squish flow transports the greater part of the fuel into the piston recess, where it evaporates and is approximately homogeneously mixed with the inflowing air. The flow in the piston recess depends on the presence or absence of swirl in the intake flow.
Preferentially it is provided that the fuel is injected in the direction of the constriction of the piston, with the axis of at least one fuel jet carrying the greater part of the fuel at the beginning of injection intersecting an area between the side wall of the piston recess and the squish surface, which area comprises an overhanging wall area, the constriction and an inflow area between squish surface and constriction.
In conventional diesel engines with internal combustion the intersection point of the fuel jet and the injection time are chosen in such a way that the fuel hits the overhanging wall area beneath the constriction at the beginning of injection—independently of the load situation. In the present invention it is provided that the intersection point be located in the overhanging wall area of the piston recess for low loads and that with increasing load the intersection point be shifted towards the constriction. This can be achieved by advancing the injection in time. Part of the fuel will thus be injected—against the squish flow—into the gap between piston and cylinder head. A great part of the fuel injected into the gap between piston and cylinder head will be washed into the piston recess by the squish flow. This will improve air distribution and mixture preparation and advantageously reduce HC and CO emission. Combustion of the fuel-air mixture occurs in the piston recess as well as in the gap between piston top and cylinder head.
Since the internal combustion engine is operated at relatively high exhaust gas recirculation rates of 50% to 70%, local combustion temperature lies below the temperature of NOx formation. The local air ratio remains above the value at which soot is formed. Exhaust gas recirculation may be of the internal or external type or may be achieved by a combination of both methods via variable valve control. Fuel injection occurs at an injection pressure between 500 and 2,500 bar. The main part of combustion occurs between 10° crank angle before and 10° crank angle after top dead center, resulting in a high degree of efficiency. The internal combustion engine is operated with an overall air ratio of approximately 1.0 to 2.0.
For HPLI-operation it is provided by the invention that at least one piston with at least one squish surface and a toroidal piston recess and a constriction in the transition area between squish surface and piston recess be provided, and that a squish flow directed from outside into the piston recess be generated during the upward stroke of the piston and a turbulent base flow be initiated in the piston recess, and that fuel be injected at least to the greater part into the toroidal piston recess and transported by the squish flow along the side wall of the piston recess and/or along the piston bottom, evaporating at least partly along the way. The flow in the piston recess depends on the presence or absence of swirl in the intake flow.
Combustion of the fuel-air mixture occurs in the piston recess as well as in the gap between piston top and cylinder head.
In HPLI-operation the main part of the injection phase lies after top dead center of compression. Because of the lower temperature level after top dead center—as compared to conventional injection before top dead center—and because of the increased volume of recirculated exhaust gas, between 20% and 40%—again as compared to conventional operation—, the ignition lag is increased. Further measures may be adopted to increase ignition lag, such as decreasing the effective compression ratio and/or the intake temperature, or shortening the duration of injection by increasing injection pressure and/or the cross-section of the injection nozzle orifices. Duration of injection is chosen such that the end of injection precedes the start of combustion. In this case particulate emission may be kept at a very low level. This can be explained by the fact that the simultaneous occurrence of liquid fuel in the fuel jet and of the flame conventionally surrounding the jet is avoided, whereby oxidation reactions in the vicinity of the jet, which are taking place under lack of air and are thus generating particulates, also are eliminated. The HPLI combustion regime requires injection pressures of at least 500 bar. The advantage of this regime lies in very low NOx and particulate emission and in a relatively high exhaust gas temperature, which in turn is advantageous for the regeneration of particle-exhaust-gas filtering devices. The internal combustion engine is operated with an overall air ratio of approximately 1.0 to 2.0.
It is also of advantage if the geometric compression ratio is variable. The geometric compression ratio may be varied over a range from 14 to 18. A high compression ratio is advantageous for the cold-start phase. Reducing the compression ratio as load increases will result in a greater attainable maximum load and will decrease particulate emission due to a greater ignition lag.
In this context it may be provided that the effective compression ratio be varied by shifting the closing time of at least one intake valve. By delaying the closing of the intake valve or by a very early closing of the intake valve—roughly 0° to 20° crank angle—the effective compression ratio may be reduced, thereby permitting a reduction of the exhaust gas recirculation rate required for low NOx and particulate emission. It is possible to shift both the opening time and the closing time of the intake valve, or to shift only the closing time. By shifting the end of intake to "late" in at least one operating region combustion noise may be significantly reduced. Smoke formation may be reduced and fuel consumption especially at higher loads may also be reduced. By shifting the end of intake forwards or backwards compression end temperature can be lowered and ignition lag can be increased. If the intake end is shifted to "early" there is an additional effect of charge cooling. Via the closing time of the intake valve the course of combustion, in particular the position of the main part of combustion (MFB 50%—mass fraction burned) can be controlled. This may be done additionally or in combination with MFB-50%-control via injection timing or as stand-alone control action in the case of nearly homogeneous HCCI-combustion (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition), where no correlation exists between start of injection and start of combustion or MFB-50%-time. Dampening of combustion, the curve of the heat release rate or position and value of the maximum gradient of cylinder pressure dp/dα (p . . . cylinder pressure, α . . . crank angle) may also be controlled via the closing time of the intake valves, either additionally to or combined with dp/dα-control by internal exhaust gas recirculation, or as a stand-alone control action in the case of nearly homogeneous HCCI-combustion, where no correlation exists between injection start and start of combustion or MFB-50%-time. Furthermore the ignition lag (i.e. the time-window between injection start and start of main combustion without prior reactions) may be optimally controlled via the closing time of the intake valves, in particular combined with internal or external exhaust gas recirculation.
In HCLI- as well as in HPLI-operation it is of advantage if an intake swirl flow with swirl value ≧1 is generated in the cylinder and if the fuel is transported by the squish flow downwards along the wall of the piston recess, where it evaporates at least partly, and subsequently along the bottom towards the center of the recess. The swirl is kept in being within the piston recess during the compression phase.
In another variant it is provided that a swirl-free intake flow with a swirl value <1 is generated in the cylinder and that the fuel is transported by the squish flow from the center of the recess along the bottom to the wall of the piston recess and farther on towards the constriction, evaporating at least partly along the way.
Somewhat surprisingly it has been found that the depressed piston recess does not significantly impair the start-up capability of an internal combustion engine operating under the HCLI and/or the HPLI-regime. The decrease of thermodynamic efficiency due to the squish flow will be more than compensated by improved mixture preparation in the piston recess as a consequence of high turbulence.
For implementation of the method an internal combustion engine with at least one injection device for direct fuel injection is suitable, which is also provided with a device for exhaust gas recirculation and with at least one cylinder with a reciprocating piston, which piston is provided with a clearly defined squish surface and a toroidal piston recess. In the transition area between squish surface and piston recess the piston has a circular constriction. This will on the one hand result in a significant squish flow and on the other hand will ensure that the flow enters the piston recess with relatively high velocity. The relatively high level of turbulence inside the piston recess is beneficial for thorough combustion and will result in significantly reduced HC and CO emission. It is of particular advantage if the piston recess is dimensioned such that the ratio of maximum recess diameter DB to piston diameter D lies in the range 0.5<DB/D<0.7 and the ratio of maximum recess depth HB to piston diameter D lies in the range 0.12<HB/D<0.22. This will permit the free length of the fuel jet to be as long as possible. For the formation of a marked squish it is preferably provided that the piston recess be dimensioned such that the ratio of the diameter of the constriction DT to maximum recess diameter DB lies in the range 0.7<DT/DB<0.95.
Between squish surface and constriction an inflow region is provided in the shape of an annular depression with plane bottom and cylindrical wall. Preferentially it is provided that the depth of the depression is between 5% and 15% of the maximum recess depth, that the depression has an at least partly cylindrical wall and that the diameter of the depression in the region of the wall is 10% to 20% larger than the diameter of the constriction. The depression will cause a decrease of the radial velocity of flow out of the recess during the downward stroke of the piston. Part of the fuel is thereby guided in axial direction towards the cylinder head instead of along the piston top.
In order to increase cylinder charge especially in the case of high exhaust gas recirculation rates and to extend the range of loads in the HCLI-region, it may be provided that the internal combustion engine be operated in at least one operating region with pulsed supercharging. An internal combustion engine and a method for pulsed supercharging are for instance known from DE 199 08 435 A1.
In order to avoid NOx peaks at the end of short deceleration phases it is advantageous if during deceleration or overrun a throttle flap positioned in the inlet passage is closed and an exhaust gas recirculation valve in the exhaust gas recirculation duct is opened. From DE 101 18 878 A1 it is known to recirculate exhaust gas during deceleration of the internal combustion engine in order to avoid a temperature drop in the catalytic converter during prolonged phases of deceleration.
To avoid high particulate emission as a consequence of a fuel-air ratio that is too low it may be provided that the maximum permitted injection volume is computed from the minimum permitted fuel-air ratio and the actually measured mass of fresh air. Alternatively to measuring the mass of fresh air the present fuel-air ratio may be measured by a probe.
The actual present value of at least one combustion parameter used for combustion control may be computed as a weighted mean of the values in previous individual cycles. The actual present value of the position MFB50ist of the main part of combustion for a cycle z may be computed by the following formula, using weights of 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% for the last four individual cycles:MFB50ist(z)=0.4·MFB50(z−1)+0.3·MFB50(z−2)+0.2·MFB50(z−3)+0.1·MFB50(z−4)
Furthermore it is of advantage to adapt the parameters of a combustion controller (e.g. a MFB50 controller) as a function of the target value. The parameters of the controller are adapted depending on the target value. If the position of the main part of combustion MFB 50% shifts in the late direction (e.g. in HPLI-operation) the influence of injection timing on the position of MFB50 increases (system gain increases). Therefore the control parameters (amplification factor) are adapted as a function of the target value MFB 50% in such a way that the transfer function of the closed control loop does not change for late combustion.

Method for operating an internal combustion engine


To provide a small-sized and lightweight gearshift operating device that is capable of performing a gearshift operation in a short time at low power consumption, a guide slit having a plurality of slits 41 parallel with the shift fork shafts and a plurality of slant slits 42 concentrated to a neutral point 43 from them is employed to guide a follower 33. The follower 33 is operated along the guide slit, thus the number of times of starting and stopping operations of the motor for the shift operation is reduced, and the load of the actuator for the selection operation is reduced.

The present invention relates to a gearshift operating device of the type provided in an automatic manual transmission (hereinafter referred to as an AMT) for automatically performing a gearshift operation of a transmission having a synchro-mechanism or a dog-clutch; and, more particularly, the invention relates to speedup of the gearshift operation and realization of miniaturization and lightweight formation of the device.
Generally, a gearshift operating device which is used to perform the shift selection operation of a normally contact-mesh type transmission has a shift finger which selectively engages to a plurality of shift fork shafts so as to join or dejoin a gear, an actuator for driving the shift finger in the shift direction, a sensor for detecting a displacement of the shift finger in the shift direction, an actuator for driving the shift finger in the selection direction, and a sensor for detecting a displacement of the shift finger in the selection direction. Individual actuators (for example, a motor) for performing these operations in the shift direction and selection direction, respectively, can be electrically controlled and can independently perform the shift operation (joining and dejoining of the gear) and the selection operation (selection of the shift fork shafts), respectively.
On the other hand, in a normally contact-mesh type transmission, a shift pattern, which is known as type H or double H, is generally widespread, and, in such a device, the shift finger draws a trace following the alphabetic character H to perform the shift and selection operations. Namely, the shift finger operates in a direction parallel to the shift fork shaft to perform the shift operation (joining and dejoining of the gear); and, in the neutral position, it operates in a direction perpendicular to the shift operation to perform the selection operation. See, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Application Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2001-141047 (pages 4 and 5, FIG. 3)).
In the aforementioned gearshift operating device, the actuators performing the shift operation (joining and dejoining of the gear) and the selection operation are sequentially operated, so that the operation of switching the gear takes a lot of time. Namely, when switching gears, the motor for the shift operation is driven first to disengage the gear; and, then, when the gear is set in the neutral position, the motor for the selection operation is driven. When the shift finger is set in a position relating to the joining and dejoining part of a desired shift fork shaft, the motor for the shift operation is driven to push the shift fork shaft into the gear joining position.
In this operation, to perform the gear dejoining operation, the shift motor is accelerated and decelerated, and to perform the selection operation, the selection operation motor is accelerated and decelerated, and to perform the gear joining operation finally, the shift motor is again accelerated. In the case of accelerating and decelerating the motor three times in one gearshift operation in this way, the gearshift time can not be shortened, and there is a possibility that the power consumption may be increased. The length of time required for the gearshift operation contributes in actual car operation to a problem of uncomfortableness in the ride at the time of gearshift operation or a speed up of the engine (an increase in fuel expenses).
Further, the conventional gearshift operating device is generally large in shape and heavy in weight, so that it is difficult to mount in a car having a small space around the transmission, like a small-sized car.


A projectile launching apparatus includes a bolt (for chambering a projectile) and a bolt valve with a gas passageway for communicating the gas from a chamber housing to a breech assembly. Gas received within the gas chamber is compressed by a piston and communicated through the breech assembly to a projectile. The compressed gas expands in the barrel, thereby propelling the projectile out of the barrel in a single stroke of the piston. The bolt may be returned to an initial position by a magnet and/or spring that is coupled to the valve, and the piston may be returned to an initial position by way of vacuum pressure. The bolt valve may also include a mechanical retention element such as a sear and a release pin. The sear may the bolt in a first position until the piston from the compressor has moved sufficiently to push the release pin.

This disclosure relates to an improvement to electric motor driven guns, air rifles, pellet rifles, paintball guns and the like. Such guns have, in the prior art, been typically driven by either an electrically cocked spring or an on demand compressor running from a battery. The valving and breech arrangement common to such prior art devices suffers from a number of disadvantages outlined in more detail below.
Electric motor driven air rifles have been around for many years and have seen numerous evolutionary changes over the years. The most common methods for propelling the projectile use the energy from compressed gas or from a spring. There are two major techniques shown in the prior art for launching the projectile with a number of variations based upon such teachings. These techniques include: (i) the use of a motor to cock a spring, which spring is then released to fire a projectile and (ii) using a single stroke compressor which opens a valve allowing the compressed air to fire the projectile. Specifically, the valve and bolt actuation heretofore disclosed in these methods have distinct disadvantages when compared to the present disclosure.
A first technique uses a motor to wind a spring is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,261,384 and 6,564,788. Herein, a motor is used to compress a spring which is connected to a piston. The spring is subsequently quickly released, allowing it to drive a piston compressing air which pushes a projectile out the barrel. This implementation suffers from limitations inherent in the spring piston systems. Hu teaches of using a motor to wind a spring in these patents. Because there is no compression valve, the spring must quickly compress the air against the projectile to force it out the barrel at good velocity. This requires a strong spring to rapidly compress the air when the mechanism releases. Springs in such systems are highly stressed mechanical elements that are prone to breakage and which increase the weight of the air gun. A further disadvantage of Hu's teaching is that the spring is cocked via a rack and pinion mechanism and the spring is released from the rack pinion under full load, causing the tips of the gear teeth to undergo severe tip loading. This causes high stress and wear on the mechanism, especially the gear teeth. This is the major complaint for those guns in the commercial market and is a major reliability issue with this style mechanism.
A further disadvantage of this type of mechanism is that upon scaling up (to accept larger projectiles or projectiles with more energy), there occurs a significant increase in the wear and forward recoil both of which lead to unacceptable reliability and performance. Forward recoil is the result of the piston impacting the front end of the cylinder. In a dry fire (no projectile), the mechanism can be damaged as the piston slams against the face of the cylinder. Hu teaches use of a breech shutoff, which is common in virtually all toy guns since the air must be directed down the barrel and the flow into the projectile inlet port must be minimized. Hu specifically does not incorporate an air compression valve in his patents which is a restrictive valve against which the piston compresses the air for subsequent release. Thus, forward recoil, high wear and low power are drawbacks in these types of mechanisms.
A similar reference can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 1,447,458 which shows a spring winding and then delivery to a piston to compress air and propel a projectile. In this case, the device is for non-portable operation.
An additional technique, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,857,422 and 7,712,462 and 7,730,881 and 7,984,708 overcomes many of the limitations of the prior art by using a novel compressor on demand system. While this system overcomes the double recoil, difficulty in cocking, and the need for compressed air, there still remains the need to efficiently couple the air which is compressed to the projectile. The methods described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,857,422 and 7,712,462 patents distinctly separate the bolt and valve system. Since the breech (i.e., the projectile inlet port) for an airgun must be closed before the air is released, the timing of the bolt movement and the valve actuation must be carefully coordinated to improve efficiency. If the valve is opened before the breech is sealed, the projectile is pushed off of the bolt and air can blow out through the breech, and efficiency is reduced. Additionally, the bolt and breech shown in these patents have long strokes on the bolts which severely limit the open time of the breech for projectile feeding. This requires use of a powered feeder, which adds to the complexity of the unit and, in the case of a passive feeder, generally limits the firing speed to about 4 balls per second. This is a significant restriction and can limit the application to lower firing rate guns or necessitate the use of a feeder. Additionally, as can be seen in the specification, such systems are complex and must be carefully designed to avoid a pinch point when the bolt crossed and closes the breech opening.
Further taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,794,708 is the use of a cam drive to actuate the bolt mechanism. Although this is an improvement by allowing more time in the open breech condition and thus improving the rate of fire, it substantially increases the complexity of the mechanism and thereby its cost. Furthermore again the cam drive can create a safety issue if the bolt is closed using the cam as a pinch point is created between the breech and the moving bolt.
Shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,568,432 and 2,834,332 is a method to use a solenoid to directly move a piston which compresses air and forces the projectile out of the air rifle. While this solves the obvious problem of manually pumping a chamber up in order to fire a gun and is a simple implementation, these devices are incapable of generating sufficient energy to fire anything but low energy projectiles. Solenoids are inefficient devices and can only convert very limited amounts of energy due to their operation. Furthermore, since the air stream is coupled directly to the projectile in this technique as it is in spring piston designs, the projectile begins to move as the air is being compressed. This limits the ability of the solenoid to store energy in the air stream to a very short time period and further relegates its use to low energy air rifles. In order to improve the design, the piston must actuate in an extremely fast time frame in order to prevent significant projectile movement during the compression stroke. This results in a very energetic piston mass similar to that shown in spring piston designs and further results in the undesirable double recoil effect as the piston mass must come to a halt. Additionally, this technique suffers from dry-fire in that the air is compressed between the piston and the projectile. A missing projectile allows the air to communicate to the atmosphere through the barrel and can damage the mechanism in a dry-fire scenario.
Another variant of this approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,375,653, which uses an internal combustion engine instead of a solenoid to act against the piston. Although this solves the issue of sufficient power, it is no longer considered an air rifle as it becomes a combustion driven gun. Moreover, it suffers from the aforementioned disadvantages including complexity and difficulty in controlling the firing sequence.
Further shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,137,893 and 2,398,813 to Swisher are the use of an air compressor coupled to a storage tank which is then coupled to the air gun. Although this solves the issue of double recoil, it is not suitable to a portable system due to inefficiencies of compressing air and the large tank volume required. This type of system is quite similar to existing paintball guns in that the air is supplied via a tank rather than as compressed on demand. Using air in this fashion is inefficient and not suitable for portable operation since much of the air compression energy is lost to the environment through the air tank via cooling. Forty percent or more (depending on the compression ratio) of the compressed air energy is stored as heat and is lost to do work when the air is allowed to cool. Furthermore, additional complexity and expense is required to regulate the air pressure from the tank so that the projectile velocity is repeat ably controlled.
A variation of the above is to use a direct air compressor as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,743,576. Again, due to the large volume of air between the compression means and the projectile, much of the heat of compression is lost leading to inefficient operation. Additionally, this patent teaches of a continuously operating device, which suffers from a significant lock time (time between trigger pull and projectile leaving the barrel) as well as the inability to run in a semiautomatic or single shot mode. Further disadvantages of this device include the pulsating characteristics of the air stream which are caused by the release and reseating of the check valve during normal operation.
An additional technique is to use direct mechanical action on the projectile itself. The teachings in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,343,127 and 2,550,887 represent such mechanisms. Limitations of this approach include difficulty in achieving high projectile velocity since the transfer of energy must be done extremely rapidly between the impacting hammer and the projectile. Further limitations include the need to absorb a significant impact as the solenoid plunger must stop and return for the next projectile. This causes a double-recoil or forward recoil. Since the solenoid plunger represents a significant fraction of the moving mass (i.e. it often exceeds the projectile weight), this type of system is very inefficient and limited to low velocity, low energy air guns as may be found in toys and the like. Variations of this method include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,815 in which a hammer driven by a spring contacts the projectile. The spring is "cocked" via an electric motor, but again, this does not overcome the prior mentioned limitations.
All of the currently available devices suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages: Manual operation by cocking a spring or pumping up an air chamber. Difficult to selectively perform single fire, semiautomatic, burst or automatic modes. Inconvenience, safety and consistency issues associated with refilling, transport and use of high-pressure gas or carbon dioxide cylinders. Non-portability and low efficiency which are associated with compressed air supplied from a typical air compressor. Forward recoil effects, high wear, and dry fire damage associated with spring piston and electrically actuated spring piston designs. Complicated mechanisms associated with electrically winding and releasing a spring piston design resulting in expensive mechanisms with reliability issues. Inefficient use and/or coupling of the compressed air to the projectile resulting in low energy projectiles and large energy input requirements. Safety issues associated with pinch points and limited cyclic rates due to slow bolt speeds.

Projectile launching apparatus with magnetic bolt valve


The invention concerns a microwave oven having an oven cavity which is split into a movable cavity part (4) integrated into the oven door (2) and a stationary cavity part (5), sectioning the cavity when the oven door (2) is opened. The oven comprises a load carrier (6) supporting a food stuff or beverage being heated in the oven the load carrier (6) is provided in either of said cavity parts such that it protrudes from the same. Thereby access to a foodstuff or beverage in the oven is facilitated without requiring a displacement of the same.

Generally available microwave ovens comprise a real oven means or cavity in which foodstuff or beverages may be introduced for heating, a closing means shaped as an oven door having among other things the aim of preventing leaking microwaves during operation and a load zone comprising a load carrier, frequently shaped as a rotating bottom plate, for carrying said foodstuff or beverages in the oven.
These prior art ovens have the drawback that it is difficult to obtain access to a foodstuff or a beverage being in the oven. In turn, the consequence thereof is that the cooking vessel containing said foodstuff or beverage must be brought out from the oven in order to check, stir the contents of said vessel or to obtain access to the same of other reasons.
With regard to special purpose ovens having cavities which have been shaped for receiving packages or containers of predetermined dimensions, it is a further requirement that the cavity dimensions shall have a diviation from the package dimensions which is as small as possible. From the use of such a design follows consequently that gripping of the package in a way that eliminates risks of dropping the same when it is brought out from the oven will be extremely difficult. Specifically this is the case if furthermore the temperature of the package requires a use of some kind of a heat-shield between skin and package.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,319 discloses a microwave oven for heating of foodstuff or beverages, comprising an oven cavity, means for supplying microwaves to the oven cavity, a control unit for controlling the generation of the microwaves supplied to the oven cavity, a load zone in the cavity, an oven front lying on an inclined plane, a horizontal load carrier arranged in said load zone for carrying said foodstuff or beverage being heated in the oven, a stationary cavity part comprising said oven front and a movable cavity part for closing the cavity by adjoining said oven front, said moveable cavity part and said stationary cavity part forming together said oven cavity, and said load carrier being arranged in said stationary cavity part.
WO 94/08459 discloses an oven with a heated interior volume and a door having a concave interior space adjacent the heated interior volume.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,068 discloses a vending machine provided with a microwave oven for heating and cooking foodstuff contained in trays-shaped containers.

Split cavity microwave oven having a carrier for supporting a package


A method for testing semiconductor devices that output non-deterministic entity information such as packet and control signals is disclosed. The method includes the steps generating test signals with a semiconductor tester and applying the generated test signals to the device-under-test. Actual output entities from the DUT in response to the applied generated test signals are captured by the tester and compared to expected output entities. If a failure is identified in the comparing step, the method defines a window of valid expected entities and compares the failed actual output entity to the window of valid expected entities. If a match occurs between the failed actual output entity and any of the expected entities in the window, the actual entity is deemed valid.

Test is an important step in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. The automatic test equipment (ATE), or testers, employed to carry out this task comprises sophisticated electronics capable of sending test signals to, and capturing output signals from, one or more devices under test (DUTs). ATE software often helps to orchestrate this back and forth flow of signals.
Conventional testers, as shown in FIG. 1, feed tester data signals (drive data) originating from a pattern generator 12 to a device-under-test (DUT) 14 via interface circuitry commonly referred to as pin electronics 16. Response signals from the DUT are captured and compared to expected data with the resulting comparison data fed to a failure processor 18 in order to determine pass or fail conditions. The "expected" and "drive" data are typically programmed in the pattern generator vector memory (not shown) to occur at precise timings, in accordance with how the DUT should behave. If the data captured from the DUT fails to correspond with an expected condition, the device is considered to have failed that aspect of the test.
Modern semiconductor devices are trending towards employing multiple processing cores on the same piece of silicon, or chip. Adding to this complexity is the overall trend towards implementing on-chip communication protocols including, for example, Rapid I/O, Hypertransport, and specialized bus architectures such as DDR and source synchronous, etc. The end result is an exponential increase in the chip gate count, yet only modest increases in the available pin counts. Consequently, multiple sub-circuits often share the pins (interface).
This shared interface scheme is illustrated generally in FIG. 2, where a plurality of device-under-test subcircuits 20a–20c send data packets to a DUT communications port 22 . The communications port serves as the gatekeeper to accessing the DUT output pin 24. Each of the subcircuits may be clocked by a separate clock having a frequency different from not only the other subcircuits, but also possibly different from the communications port clock. An asynchronous arbitrator 26 handles the sequencing of the data packets to the DUT output pin.
During typical DUT operation, as shown in FIG. 3, the shared interface scheme may cause a problem (for conventional ATE) known as "out-of-order data". This situation often results from the subcircuits attempting to access the communications port 22 (FIG. 2) on the same clock edge, or having differing delays due to environmental conditions. FIG. 3 illustrates the general concept on how an expected sequencing may be disturbed into an out-of-order packet sequence. The "out of order" data problem presents a unique challenge to automatic test equipment, which is conventionally dependent on deterministic data from the DUT.
What is desired and currently unavailable is a test solution for non-deterministic data that provides substantially real-time validation results and maximizes flexibility for the device manufacturer while reducing test costs. The apparatus and method of the present invention provides such a solution.

Method for testing non-deterministic device data


An improved high-modulus, low-cost, castable, weldable titanium alloy and a process for making such an alloy is provided. In general, titanium is alloyed with about 0.75 weight percent iron and about 8 weight percent aluminum to result in an alloy with a modulus of over 21.times.10.sup.6 psi. This modulus is above the modulus for conventional castable titanium alloys, such as the commercially-available castable titanium alloy containing 6 weight percent aluminum and 4 weight percent vanadium.. Applications for this alloy include golf club heads, which can be fabricated by casting a golf club head body from the above alloy and welding a sole plate onto the cast golf club head body. This provides a golf club head with superior energy transfer characteristics for hitting a golf ball.

The present invention relates to titanium alloys and products made from titanium alloys, and more particularly to a castable, weldable, high-modulus titanium alloy and associated products. One embodiment of the present invention is particularly useful for manufacturing golf club heads.
Titanium alloys are used in a wide range of products from aerospace components to bicycle parts. Titanium parts can be fabricated using several different techniques, such as casting, forging, milling, or powder metallurgy. The optimal alloy composition depends on the intended product and fabrication technique. For example, ductility may be an important characteristic for a mill product made by a rolling process, while melt fluidity may be more important when producing cast products. Multiple types of fabrication processes, such as welding to a cast titanium alloy part, place additional constraints on the alloy composition. In such an instance, the alloy must have good welding properties, as well as good casting properties. Additionally, it may be desirable to improve a material parameter of the alloy, such as modulus, hardness, strength, or toughness, based on the intended use of the part made from that alloy.
In some instances, an alloy exhibiting good material parameters for an intended purpose may be incompatible with a fabrication process. For example, it is desirable that a golf club head have a high modulus, so that the energy of the swung golf club is efficiently transferred to the golf ball when it is hit. A titanium alloy containing 8 weight percent aluminum, 1 weight percent vanadium, and 1 weight percent molybdenum (Ti 8-1-1) has a modulus of about 17.times.10.sup.6 psi, which is appropriate for use in a golf club head. However, golf club heads are often cast, and Ti 8-1-1 does not exhibit good casting properties. A titanium alloy containing 6 weight percent aluminum and 4 weight percent vanadium (Ti 6-4) has better casting properties, but a lower modulus (16.5.times.10.sup.6 psi), making it a less attractive material for use in a golf club head. Additionally, vanadium is an expensive alloying element, accounting for approximately 10% of the material cost of the Ti 6-4 alloy at current market prices, making this alloy even less attractive for high-volume use in a recreational product, such as a golf club head.
Therefore, a titanium alloy with the modulus of Ti 8-1-1 and the castability of Ti 6-4 would be desirable. It would be further desirable that this alloy contain less expensive alloying components than present alloys. It is also desirable that such an alloy exhibit good weldability.

High modulus, low-cost, weldable, castable titanium alloy and articles thereof


A syringe for giving medical injections which has an internal mechanism for retracting the needle into the syringe after the injection has been given and locking the needle and plunger inside the barrel of the syringe to reduce the risk of accidental needle pricks. In one embodiment the needle is retracted by a tension spring into a compartment inside a hollow plunger and in the other embodiment the needle is propelled by a compressed spring into a compartment within the plunger. In both embodiments, the interior of the hollow plunger is hydraulically sealed off by a barrier from the fluid chamber of the syringe to prevent fluid from entering the interior of the hollow plunger.

In the past various attempts have been made to design hypodermic syringes with retractable needles. Typical examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,838,863; 5,019,044; 5,064,419; 4,950,241; and 4,978,343.
Some of these patents show the needle retracted into a hollow piston or barrel of a syringe either manually or by a spring which is biased to move the needle into a stored position either within a hollow piston or at least within the barrel of a hypodermic syringe. Such devices are only as effective and reliable as the design of the mechanisms used to retract the needle and some mechanisms may either fail to retract the needle completely or may fail to retain the needle in a retracted position.
The present invention is a further development of the concept shown in prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,370 issued to E. R. Gillespie which uses a hollow plunger in a medical syringe as a needle storage compartment when the needle has been retracted inside the syringe after an injection has been given. One primary advantage of the hollow plunger is that the needle can be in the stored or retracted position inside the plunger when the plunger is pressed into the barrel. In other patents which do not show a hollow plunger, the plunger must either be left protruding from the rear end of the barrel after needle retraction or in some instances the protruding portion of the plunger is broken off at the rear end of the barrel. Either option is not as desirable as having substantially all of the plunger contained inside the barrel after the needle has been retracted.
Both the prior Gillespie patent (U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,370) and the present invention provide a means of hydraulically sealing off the interior of the hollow plunger from the fluid chamber of the syringe.
The prior Gillespie patent mentioned above, uses an end cover member over the front end to the plunger to seal of the interior of the hollow plunger from the fluid chamber.
The present invention uses an elongated tube structure for sealing off the interior of the plunger from the fluid chamber and for receiving a bias spring for retracting a needle and needle mounting plug into the syringe.
Many additional patents have been issued on retractable needles since the prior Gillespie patent. Typical examples of such patents are U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,599 (Botich et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,526 (Murray et al); and three U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,267,961; 5,389,076; and 5,423,758 (all of which are issued to T. R. Shaw).

Safety medical syringe with retractable needle


A driving device includes a fixed section, a holding member, a driving section disposed at the fixed section and having a driving shaft, a first movable body having a bearing section friction-coupled with the driving shaft, a second movable body formed as a body separate from the first movable body and capable of moving in conjunction with the first movable body although not secured to the first moving body, and support means for supporting the second movable body with the fixed section and the holding member so as to allow the movable body to move in a predetermined plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving technique for moving a movable body using a driving force provided by a driving shaft.
2. Background of the Related Art
Some image pickup apparatus such as digital cameras include a shake compensation unit which shifts the position of an image pickup device to compensate for a shake of a hand during a shooting operation (for example, see JP-A-2006-259114 (Patent Document 1)).
In a common shake compensation unit having an image pickup device shifting mechanism, a driving force is generated by a piezoelectric actuator disposed on a side of an image pickup device to shift the image pickup device in a plane that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the device.
Specifically, the shake compensation unit includes a piezoelectric actuator having a piezoelectric element expanding and contracting according to a voltage applied thereto and a driving shaft extending from the piezoelectric element, a fixed member on which the piezoelectric actuator is provided, and a driven body (which is also referred to as "slider") having an image pickup device provided thereon. The shake compensation unit has a mechanism formed by frictionally coupling a bearing section provided on the slider and the driving shaft of the piezoelectric actuator provided on the fixed member. In the shake compensation unit having such a mechanism, the slider is driven based on a principle that the movement of the slider synchronously follows the driving shaft when the driving shaft is relatively slowly displaced because of the force of the friction coupling and that the slider does not move when the driving shaft is relatively rapidly displaced because of a slip occurring at the friction-coupled region.

Driving device and image pickup apparatus


Systems and methods for raised source/drain with super steep retrograde channel. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, in one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a substrate comprising a surface and a gate oxide disposed above the surface comprising a gate oxide thickness. The semiconductor device further comprises a super steep retrograde channel region formed at a depth below the surface. The depth is about ten to thirty times the gate oxide thickness. Embodiments in accordance with the present invention may provide a more desirable body biasing voltage to threshold voltage characteristic than is available under the conventional art.

It is sometimes desirable to adjust a threshold voltage of a semiconductor device, e.g., to increase and/or decrease such threshold voltage, in a post-manufacturing environment, in response to changing operating conditions of the semiconductor device. For example, adjustment of threshold voltage via application of a body biasing voltage may be useful to adjust for manufacturing process, voltage and/or thermal variation, as well as to adjust for changing performance requirements in a semiconductor device.

Raised source/drain with super steep retrograde channel


A composition is disclosed that includes pure silk fibroin-based protein fragments that are substantially devoid of sericin, wherein the composition has an average weight average molecular weight ranging from about 17 kDa to about 38 kDa, wherein the composition has a polydispersity of between about 1.5 and about 3.0, wherein the composition is substantially homogeneous, wherein the composition between 0 ppm to about 500 ppm of inorganic residuals, and wherein the composition includes between 0 ppm to about 500 ppm of organic residuals.

Silk is a natural polymer produced by a variety of insects and spiders. Silk comprises a filament core protein, silk fibroin, and a glue-like coating consisting of a non-filamentous protein, sericin. Silk has been historically studied for use in the medical field. Silk has been well described in its natural fibrous form and is being studied further for potentially useful secondary forms such as silk gels, sponges, serums, films, powders and composites. Many of these secondary forms can only be created after processing the silk fibers into an aqueous silk solution.
Silk solutions have been generated using a variety of methods with the final solutions having a range of characteristics and varying levels of purity. Silk solutions have not only been used in medical applications, but have also expanded to other areas such as cosmetics and electronics.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Stable silk fibroin based pharmaceutical formulations


A filtration apparatus for use in a system containing a gas or vapor to be cleaned. The apparatus has at least one housing for a filter that removes contaminants from a gas or vapor. The housing contains an inlet portion and an outlet portion in association with valves for closing or regulating the flow of gas or vapors to be cleaned by the filter. A differential pressure gauge is optionally provided to monitor the pressure in the housing and to indicate when the filter should be replaced. One or more housings can be used for the apparatus.

It is not only desirable to protect the environment from debris, particulates, contaminants, biologics, bacteria, chemicals and other airborne material which are produced in industrial plants but to provide similar protection in systems which have a fluid flow that are used in hospital anesthesia systems, plumbing and combustion equipment such as boilers, incinerators and chimneys.
Filtration devices in a plumbing system are used for the soil vent stack. However, the prior art devices are difficult to install in existing system and once installed are difficult to maintain.
Hospitals utilize a central location for gases used in delivery to patients in their rooms or in the operating rooms. A problem recognized in hospitals is that contaminants such as mold or pathogens are capable of growth in the delivery systems and require frequent inspection and cleaning. Such operation is not efficient and is costly. New Jersey at the present time is the only state which requires maintenance of any gas delivery system. It would be desirable to provide a system which can be easily installed that filters any undesirable matter found in the oxygen or anesthesia systems.
Any industrial operation involving the generation of dust, smoke and other forms of particulate matter or biologics entrained in a gas or the generation of noxious gases mixed with harmless gases that are discharged into the atmosphere should provide for removal of the objectionable materials to the greatest possible extent before the gas is discharged. This invention relates to a filter system and/or arrangement that allow more efficient and reliable operation, permits more effective maintenance of the equipment, and also frequently provides installation of the equipment at a significantly lower cost, than have been possible with systems and arrangements previously proposed or used.
One problem with previously proposed multiple unit equipment is that the gas flow distribution frequently is not uniform either among the units or within the individual units themselves. As a consequence, one unit may be loaded beyond its efficiency while a companion unit receives only a part of its rated load. This condition does not allow optimum utilization of the gas-cleaning equipment or efficient operation of the cleaning systems.
Moreover, the arrangement of conduits in known multiple unit equipment is often such that poor gas distribution within the separate units causes uneven loading of the cleaning elements of the units and an accompanying deterioration in cleaning performance. In other words, the cross-sectional flow distribution within a given unit is not uniform, as it should be for optimum efficiency. Although a uniform cross-sectional distribution of the gas within a filter is essential to its efficient operation, it is difficult to achieve because of the relatively low gas velocity (on the order of five feet per second) at which filters are operated.
Another difficulty is operating gas-cleaning equipment on line with an industrial process has been that of performing routine maintenance, as well as desirable or necessary repairs, on the gas-cleaning equipment without the necessity of shutting down the industrial process being served by the equipment or discharging uncleaned gases into the atmosphere. For example, the smoke from a boiler may be discharged through a single gas-cleaning device, such as an electrostatic precipitator, for removing particulate matter in the smoke before it is discharged to the stack. If repair work or routine maintenance of the precipitator is required, the boiler has to be shut down. Usually, the precipitator is allowed to remain out of service until such time as the boiler is shut down, and dirty gas is discharged in the meantime.
In some instances, large boilers, furnaces and other combustion apparatuses are served by two or more precipitators in parallel with each other. In such multiple unit systems, smoke from the combustion apparatus typically is conducted through separate conduits or tunnels, each of which is equipped with a precipitator, and then the cleaned gases are discharged to a single stack. Here, if any of the filters require service, operation of the combustion apparatus generally will not be interrupted for such service and again only partial gas cleaning is affected.


A pretreatment method for producing a raw material of lycopene, comprising: uniformly mixing tomato peel residue with a fermenting agent, an antioxidant and an enzyme preparation, and subjecting the resultant to light-proof anaerobic fermentation. The present invention employs bacteria-enzyme-combined fermentation technology, which prolongs the storage period of wet tomato peel residue, and also destroys the cell wall of tomato peels, thus facilitating exaction of lycopene and improving the purity of lycopene extracted in the later stage.

Lycopene is a natural pigment contained in plants. It mainly exists in the mature fruits of the tomato which belongs to the family Solanaceae. At present, lycopene is mostly extracted from the tomato pulp, and the tomato peel with high lycopene content is a waste in the production of tomato paste. If the tomato peel could be effectively used, not only could waste be turned into treasure, but also huge social benefits could be created.
However, tomato peel residue is prone to be rotten and spoiled due to its high water content, and thus fresh tomato peel residue needs to be processed immediately when tomato peel residue is used to produce lycopene, otherwise it will become moldy and spoiled. The moldy and spoiled tomato peel residue will cause the loss of lycopene and easy production of harmful substances such as aflatoxin.

Pretreatment method for producing lycopene raw material


An optical line terminal is provided which includes an upward band allocating unit configured to send an upward bandwidth allocation map to an optical network unit and to determine a sleep mode of the optical network unit according to whether a response message corresponding to the upward bandwidth allocation map is received; and an alarm unit configured to determine an upward bandwidth allocation map transfer operation as a normal operation according to an operation of the sleep mode.

The inventive concepts described herein relate to an optical communication system, and more particularly, relate to an optical line terminal and an optical network unit capable of supporting an efficient sleep mode for power saving of the optical network unit.
In a next-generation optical communication system, there may be proposed two low-power modes according to a need for power saving. One may be a doze mode and the other may be a cyclic sleep mode. In the two low-power modes, an operation of an optical transceiver may be controlled for actual power saving. Below, the two low-power modes will be described. The doze mode may be a mode where an optical transmitter of an optical network unit is controlled to perform an on operation or an off operation periodically. The cyclic sleep mode may be a mode where an optical transmitter and an optical receiver in the optical network unit are controlled to perform an on operation or an off operation periodically.
As an example, a passive optical network (hereinafter, referred to 'PON') may be a next-generation optical communication system. The PON may mean an optical communication network for a subscriber period (i.e., an optical network) which is formed of optical passive elements not requiring a separate power supply. In the PON, an optical splitter may be placed at a specific point of an optical line network from an optical line terminal (hereinafter, referred to 'OLT') until a subscriber. A PON manner may have such a structure that a passive element not requiring a power supply is installed at an optical splitter to receive a plurality of optical network units (hereinafter, referred to 'ONUs') via one optical fiber.
In the PON, the doze mode and the cyclic sleep mode may operate as follows. The OLT may send a PLOAM (Physical Layer Operations Administrations and Maintenance) control message, indicating possibility of a transition to the sleep mode, to a specific ONU when the specific ONU transitions to a sleep mode. In response to the PLOAM control message provided from the OLT, the ONU may periodically determine whether own state is capable to being switched into the sleep mode. If a transition to the sleep mode is possible, the PLOAM control message indicating possibility of a transition to the sleep mode may be sent to the OLT.
If the ONU transmits and receives a signal indicating a transition to the sleep mode, it may transition to the sleep mode. In the sleep mode, the ONU may operate at a mode, set to an OMCI (ONT Management Control Interface) control channel, from among the doze mode and the cyclic sleep mode.
The doze mode may be a mode where an optical transmitter of an optical module is periodically turned on/off. Thus, since an optical receiver is always turned on, it may receive downward data anytime. However, transmission may be performed only when the optical transmitter is turned on.
The cyclic sleep mode may be a mode where a transmitter and a receiver of the optical module are periodically turned on/off at the same time. Although data transmission and reception are not free by transmitting and receiving data only when both the transmitter and the receiver are turned on, a power consumed at the cyclic sleep mode may be less than that at the doze mode.
If the OLT or ONU does not correspond to a sleep mode operating condition during the sleep mode of the ONT operates, a transition to a normal mode may be performed.
For example, the ONU may detect that traffic is applied to an UNI (User Network Interface) port. This case may include the case that a subscriber turns a computer (e.g., PC) on or the case that a receiver of a VoIP (Voice of Internet Protocol) telephone is on. At this time, the ONU may transmit the PLOAM control message indicating a transition to the normal mode to the OLT.
Alternatively, the OLT may detect that there gets a phone call from the exterior. This case may include the OLT detects a transition to the normal mode prior to the ONU. At this time, the ONU may transmit the PLOAM control message, indicating a transition of a normal mode, or an FWI (Forced Wake-up Indication) bit to the ONU.
A conventional optical communication system may save a power using the normal mode and the sleep mode. However, an operation for saving a power during the sleep mode may not be proposed.

Optical line terminal and optical network unit for supporting sleep mode thereof

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A photoconductor containing a substrate, a layer thereover, which layer contains, for example, a polyol resin, an aminoplast resin, a silicone free polyester, and a metal oxide dispersed therein; and at least one imaging layer formed on the polyol resin containing layer.

There is disclosed herein photoconductive adhesive layers, and more specifically, photoconductors containing a hole blocking layer or undercoat layer (UCL) comprised, for example, of metal oxide particles and adhesion components that permit the excellent adhesion between, for example, the hole blocking layer and the layer or layers thereunder, and the layers thereover, such as the photogenerating layer and the charge transport layer or layers. More specifically, there are disclosed hole blocking layers comprised of a number of the components as illustrated in the copending applications referred to herein, such as a metal oxide like a titanium dioxide, a polyol, a resin, such as a melamine resin, and an adhesion promoter, examples of which are a polymeric phosphate ester, such as a hydroxyl/carboxy functional polymeric phosphate ester available as LUBRIZOL™ 2063, a silicone free polyester, BORCHI GEN HMP™ available from Borchers GmbH; esters of phosphoric acid, polyacrylates based on monomers of methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, or the like, such as poly-4,4′-isopropylidenediphenylene terephthalate/isophthalate copolymer available from Toyota Hsutsu; polyesters, such as MOR-ESTER™ 49,000 available from Morton International, vinyl ester resins, isophthalic polyester resin, and orthophthalic polyester resin; copolyesters, such as polyethyleneterephthalate glycol, and optionally mixtures thereof, and the like. Charge blocking layer and blocking layer are generally used interchangeably with the phrase "undercoat layer" (UCL), and monomer includes a single monomer or a plurality of monomers.
Also included within the scope of the present disclosure are methods of imaging and printing with the photoresponsive or the photoconductive devices illustrated herein. These methods generally involve the formation of an electrostatic latent image on the imaging member, followed by developing the image with a toner composition comprised, for example, of a thermoplastic resin, colorant, such as pigment, charge additive, and surface additives, reference U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,560,635; 4,298,697 and 4,338,390, the disclosures of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, subsequently transferring the image to a suitable substrate, and permanently affixing the image thereto. In those environments wherein the device is to be used in a printing mode, the imaging method involves the same operation with the exception that exposure can be accomplished with a laser device or image bar. More specifically, the imaging members, photoconductor drums, and flexible belts disclosed herein can be selected for the Xerox Corporation iGEN3® machines that generate with some versions over 100 copies per minute. Processes of imaging, especially xerographic imaging and printing, including digital, and/or high speed color printing, are thus encompassed by the present disclosure.
The imaging members disclosed herein are in embodiments sensitive in the wavelength region of, for example, from about 400 to about 900 nanometers, and in particular from about 650 to about 850 nanometers, thus diode lasers can be selected as the light source.

Silicone free polyester in undercoat layer of photoconductive member


Provided is an information processing system including: a feature information accepting unit that, by causing a user to specify a position in a feature map in which a plurality of feature images indicating features to be displayed are arranged, accepts entry of feature information associated with the position in the feature map; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image used for display based on the feature information; and a display information generation unit that generates display information used for causing a display device to display the image used for display.

Various image searching schemes for obtaining a desired image from a large amount of image data stored in a database have been studied.
Patent Literature 1 discloses an image processing device that searches a database for an image. Patent literature 1 discloses that the image processing device has a function of searching for image data corresponding to a word when a user inputs the word and displaying the searched image on a display unit.

Information processing system, information processing method, and storage medium


A liquid ink printing machine, for forming an image on a recording medium moving along a path, including an arrangement for reducing media feedhead loads on media being fed in the printing machine. This is accomplished by using the printing machine's printhead carriage to contact a lever which will lower a paper tray holding the media once media being fed has reached an advance nip past the feedhead, thus reducing drag on the media being fed.

Liquid ink printers of the type frequently referred to as continuous stream or as drop-on-demand, such as piezoelectric, acoustic, phase change wax-based or thermal, have at least one printhead having drop ejectors from which droplets of ink are directed towards a recording sheet. Within the printhead, the ink is contained in a plurality of channels. Power pulses cause the droplets of ink to be expelled as required from orifices or nozzles at the end of the channels.
In a thermal ink-jet printer, the power pulses are usually produced by resistors, each located in a respective one of the channels, which are individually addressable to heat and vaporize ink in the channels. As voltage is applied across a selected resistor, a vapor bubble grows in the associated channel and initially the ink bulges from the channel orifice. The bubble quickly collapses and the ink within the channel then retracts and separates from the bulging ink thereby forming a droplet moving in a direction away from the channel orifice and towards the recording medium whereupon hitting the recording medium a dot or spot of ink is deposited. The channel is then refilled by capillary action, which, in turn, draws ink from a supply container of liquid ink. Operation of a thermal ink-jet printer is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,774.
The ink jet printhead may be incorporated into either a carriage type printer, a partial width array type printer, or a page-width type printer. The carriage type printer typically has one or more relatively small printheads containing the ink channels and nozzles. The printheads can be sealingly attached to one or more disposable ink supply cartridges and the combined printheads and cartridge assembly is attached to a carriage which is reciprocated to print one swath of information (equal to the length of a column of nozzles), at a time, on a stationary recording medium, such as paper or a transparency. After the swath is printed, the paper can be stepped a distance equal to the height of the printed swath or a portion thereof, so that the next printed swath is contiguous or overlapping therewith. This procedure is repeated until the entire page is printed.
In a typical ink-jet printing machine, the carriage must transport the printhead assembly across the page for printing as the recording medium is held stationary. After the printhead has scanned across the medium, the medium is advanced by a transport which typically includes a transport roller driven by a gear assembly which is in turn driven by a motor. In one example of an ink jet printer, the motor is a stepper motor which provides for accurate control of the medium advance by being coupled to the gear assembly which includes a number of gears for reducing the advance of the motor by the appropriate amount to, for instance, print at 300 dots per inch (dpi) or 600 dpi.
An ink jet printer's paper advance mechanism must be accurate to reduce mismatch between swaths. Among other things, this means reducing forces competing for the paper during imaging. One major force is that required for feeding. Some printers disengage the feed rolls by using the advance motor to retract the feed platform after the paper is in the advance nip. This is effective, but can compromise advance accuracy or constrain feed capacity. Thus, there is a need to reduce media drive loads during printing.
Various methods and apparatus of printing with liquid ink printers having an advance mechanism including a transport are described in the following disclosure which may be relevant to certain aspects of the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,854 to Habelt et al., a printer with a guide ruler for flattening a record carrier is described. The record carrier is fed around a transport roller and over an elongated flat supporting surface extending alongside the roller, with a printing head displaceable along that surface. The transport roller can be rotated either by means of a handwheel connected thereto or by means of a motor, via a gearwheel drive.

Carriage driven tray lowering device for an ink jet printer


A knob construction is provided for an operating knob which operates a lighted switch. A recess is formed in a surface of the operating knob and a projection is formed in the recess. A name plate substantially configured to the recess is melted to the projection in the recess by ultrasonic welding.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a construction in which a name plate is mounted to an operating knob for operating a switch and, more particularly, to a knob construction suitable for a lighted switch having a light source within the knob.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional knob construction for a lighted switch is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-101423. With this construction, a knob is formed with a recess in its surface surrounding the lighting window, and a name plate of a translucent resin material is fixedly mounted by a double-sided adhesive tape.
However, the conventional construction is disadvantageous in that the adhesion of the tape decreases due to changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and the name plate is therefore apt to come off the knob. The adhesion of the tape also varies depending on the level of soiling and surface roughness of the name plate and/or of the knob on which the name plate is bonded. Thus, reliable bonding of the name plate is difficult.
Moreover, the double-sided adhesive tape is first bonded to either the knob or the name plate and then they are subsequently placed together for bonding. This is not efficient in manufacturing the knob assembly.
Also, if the knob includes a lighted switch therein, the light exiting the window passes through the adhesive layer applied to the back side of the name plate. The adhesive layer attracts dust and other foreign matter. The dust and foreign matter deposited on the adhesive layer are detrimental to the uniform lighting and reduce the amount of light that emanates from the name plate.