In order to solve a problem that a motor generates a noise so as to deteriorate an environment in a vehicle if a field weakening control is executed to the motor of a electric power steering apparatus, in the case that a vehicle speed is high, the same field weakening control as the conventional one is applied to the motor because a noise generated due to a friction between a tire and a road surface and a wind noise of a vehicle body are large, and in the case that the vehicle speed is low, the field weakening control is weakly applied in comparison with the conventional one because the noise generated by the motor is felt relatively largely. Accordingly, the field weakening control can be executed in response to the vehicle speed in such a manner as to make the motor noise smaller.

An electric power steering apparatus for applying a steering assist force to a steering mechanism of an automobile by a rotating force of a motor transmits a driving force of the motor by a transmitting mechanism such as a gear or a belt through a reduction gear to apply the steering assist force to a steering shaft or a rack shaft. An example of a brief structure of such an electric power steering apparatus is shown in FIG. 7 and will be described.
A shaft 102 of a steering wheel 101 is coupled to tie rods 106 of steered wheels through a reduction gear 103, universal joints 104a and 104b, and a pinion rack mechanism 105. The shaft 102 is provided with a torque sensor 107 for detecting steering torque of the steering wheel 101, and a motor 108 for assisting a steering force of the steering wheel 101 is coupled to the shaft 102 through the reduction gear 103.
A control of the motor 108 is very important for the electric power steering apparatus mentioned above, and it is necessary to control the motor 108 in correspondence to a steering operation, a vehicle speed or the like. For example, FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of the motor 108 using a vector control which has been well known conventionally.
Describing the control block diagram, a torque command value Tref, a rotation angle θ and an angular velocity ω are input to a current command value calculating portion 204. The torque command value Tref is calculated by a torque command value calculating portion 220 corresponding to a torque command value calculating means on the basis of a steering torque Tr detected by the torque sensor 107, and the rotation angle θ corresponds to an electrical degree of the motor 108. The current command value calculating portion 204 calculates a current command value Iqref of a q-axis component and a current command value Idref of a d-axis component. Generally, the current command value Iqref changes in proportion to the torque command value Tref, and the current command value Idref equals to 0 (generally, a relation Idref=0 is established). On the other hand, an angle detecting device for detecting the rotation angle θ of the motor 108 is installed. The angle detecting device includes an encoder, a Hall sensor or the like, however, employs an angular resolver 201 in this case. Since a signal output from the angular resolver 201 does not directly indicate the rotation angle θ, a position detecting circuit 202 for executing a calculating process is necessary, and an RDC circuit or the like is used for the angular resolver 201. If the rotation angle θ output from the position detecting circuit 202 is input to a differential calculating portion 203, the angular velocity ω is calculated. The rotation angle θ and the angular velocity ω are used in a control mentioned below.
The present control block diagram employs a feedback control as an example, and it is necessary to execute a feedback control by detecting actual motor currents Ia, Ib and Ic of the motor 108, with respect to the current command values Iqref and Idref mentioned above. Specifically, the motor currents Ia, Ib and Ic are detected in the current detecting devices 205-1, 205-2 and 205-3, and are converted to motor currents Iq and Id in a three-phase/two-phase conversion portion 206 for the vector control. The rotation angle θ of the motor mentioned above is used for the conversion. Next, the motor currents Iq and Id are fed back to subtraction portions 207 and 207-2, a deviation ΔIq between the current command value Iqref and the motor current Iq is calculated by the subtraction portion 207-1, and a deviation ΔId between the current command value Idref (normally Idref=0) and the motor current Id is calculated by the subtraction portion 207-2.
In order to eliminate the deviations, they are input to a proportional integral (PI) calculating portion 208, and voltage command value Vd and Vq are output. Further, since it is necessary that the actual motor 108 supplies a three-phase current, the voltage command values Vd and Vq are converted to three-phase voltage command values Va, Vb and Vc by a two-phase/three-phase conversion portion 209. A PWM control portion 210 generates a PWM control signal on the basis of the voltage command values Va, Vb and Vc, and an inverter circuit 211 supplies the current to the motor 108 on the basis of the PWM control signal, and supplies the motor currents Ia, Ib and Ic in such a manner that the deviations with respect to the current command value Iqref and Idref disappear.
The control mentioned above corresponds to a basic control with respect to the motor 108, however, a capacity of the motor 108 has a limit. In the case of steering the steering wheel at a high speed, a power of the motor runs short. Accordingly, there is a case that a high-speed rotation is achieved by restricting an output torque of the motor, and a control having a constant power is executed. In order to achieve the control mentioned above, a control method called as a field weakening control is used. A relation q-axis current command value Idref=0 is generally established, however, in the case of the field weakening control, the relation Idref=0 is not equivalently established. The d-axis current command value Idref corresponds to a current component corresponding to a field magnetic flux, and increasing the d-axis current command value Idref in a negative direction is equivalent to weakening the field magnetic flux on the axis d. If the field magnetic flux is weakened, a counter electromotive force becomes small. Accordingly, it is possible to rotate the motor at a higher rate.
There is provided a device improving a feeling of a steering in a rapid wheel steering, by executing the field weakening control.
Specifically, in the case that the field weakening control is achieved by a advance angle control of the vector control, the following numerical expression 1 is executed with respect to the voltage command values Vd and Vq, in a two-phase/three-phase conversion portion 209, on the basis of an angle φ of the advance angle calculated by a advance angle calculating portion 212 described in detail below, in FIG. 8, and the voltage command values Va, Vb and Vc are calculated.
                    Numerical                                                  Expression                                                  1                                                                      [                                                    Va                                                                    Vb                                                                    Vc                                              ]                =                              [                                                                                -                      cos                                                                                (                                              θ                        +                        ϕ                                            )                                                                                sin                                                                                (                                              θ                        +                        ϕ                                            )                                                                                -                      cos                                                                                (                                              θ                        +                        ϕ                        -                                                  2                                                                                π                            /                            3                                                                                )                                                                                sin                                                                                (                                              θ                        +                        ϕ                        -                                                  2                                                                                π                            /                            3                                                                                )                                                                                -                      cos                                                                                (                                              θ                        +                        ϕ                        +                                                  2                                                                                π                            /                            3                                                                                )                                                                                sin                                                                                (                                              θ                        +                        ϕ                        +                                                  2                                                                                π                            /                            3                                                                                )                                                                                ]                                          [                                                            Vd                                                                              Vq                                                      ]
In this numerical expression 1, the current command value (the d-axis current command value) for weakening the field is calculated by being advanced at the angle φ. In other words, in the advance angle control, the field current command value for weakening the field means the angle φ of the advance angle. In other words, a component generated by the angle φ generates an effect of weakening the field, in the voltage command values Va, Vb and Vc.
Next, a description will be given of a specific calculating method of the angle φ of the advance angle with reference to FIG. 9. A base angular velocity ωb is calculated in a conversion portion 212a by setting the torque command value Tref to an input, while a mechanical angular velocity ωm is calculated in a mechanical angle calculating portion 212b having an angular velocity ω of the motor 108 calculated in the differential calculating portion 203, and the angle φ is calculated in an arcCOS calculating portion 212c, on the basis of a relation angle φ=arcCOS (ωm/ωb). The angle φ is a value which first appears at a time when the mechanical angular velocity ωm of the motor becomes higher than the base angular velocity ωb, as is known from an expression angle φ=arcCOS (ωm/ωb), in other words, the field weakening control is executed at a time when the mechanical angular velocity ωm of the motor becomes higher than the base angular velocity ωb.
The control mentioned above is the basic of the field weakening control, however, in order to achieve a electric power steering apparatus having a good wheel steering feeling all the time in various steering wheel operation and vehicle speed conditions, by applying various improvements to the field weakening control, the field weakening control is executed so as to correspond to a change of the steering operation, the vehicle speed or the like.
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2003-40128, an improvement of adjusting the current command value Idref in correspondence to the vehicle speed is applied to the d-axis current command value Idref. The improvement content employs an improving method of making the q-axis current command value Iqref which changes in proportion to an output torque large by making smaller than the current command value Idref in the case of considering no vehicle speed, in the case that the vehicle speed is high, in order to secure the output torque of the motor preferably. In other words, when the vehicle speed is low, the wheel steering feeling is improved by making the current command value Idref smaller in accordance that the vehicle speed becomes higher, while keeping the current command value Idref normal, thereby securing the output torque preferably.
As mentioned above, it is very important in view of a performance improvement for improving a wheel steering feel of the electric power steering apparatus to control the d-axis current control value Idref. On the other hand, there is a problem that the greater the d-axis current Id affecting the field current is, the larger the noise generated by the motor is. In this case, the noise in the vehicle is caused by a noise generated between a tire and a road surface, a wind noise of a vehicle body and the like, in addition to the noise generated by the motor of the electric power steering apparatus. Further, the noise such as the noise generated between the tire and the road surface, the wind noise of the vehicle body and the like has a characteristic that the noise becomes larger in accordance that the vehicle speed becomes higher. In other words, when the vehicle speed is low, the motor noise generated by the current command value Idref largely affects the noise in the vehicle. Since the noise is large due to the other reasons than the motor at a time when the vehicle speed is high, the motor noise does not largely affect the noise in the vehicle.

Control unit for electric power steering apparatus


A suture applier comprises a shaft having proximal and distal ends and carrying a length of suture along its axis. The suture has a surgical needle at its distal end and a knotted loop formed proximally of the needle. The knotted loop is carried at the distal end of the shaft, and a slidable handle is provided at the proximal end for applying axial tension on the suture. In this way, the needle may be used to suture a wound in tissue and may be tied by passing the needle through the knotted loop and closing the loop by pulling on the slidable handle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the structure and use of surgical instruments, and more particularly, to a device and method for applying and knotting suture in locations having limited access.
Least invasive surgical (LIS) techniques, such as laparoscopic, endoscopic, and arthroscopic surgery, are generally performed through small incisions using specialized instruments to perform desired surgical procedures. Usually, the instruments are introduced through a tube, such as a cannula, while the physician observes manipulation of the instruments through specialized imaging equipment, such as laparoscopes, endoscopes, and arthroscopes. Such LIS techniques offer significant advantages over conventional "open" surgical procedures. In particular, the LIS techniques are usually less traumatic, require a shorter recovery time, and are less costly than the corresponding conventional surgical techniques.
While such LIS procedures have been very successful, improvements in the instruments and techniques which are employed will enhance the efficiency of those procedures which are presently performed and potentially extend the application of LIS techniques to new surgical procedures. In particular, it would be desirable to improve the design of LIS instruments so that they are more readily manipulable, better able to perform specific tasks, less likely to expose the patient to inadvertent injury, and the like.
Of particular interest to the present invention are LIS instruments for applying and tying suture at remote locations. Heretofore, the most common approaches for tying suture have been to manually tie a knot in the free ends of the suture outside of the cannula and to push the knot forward through the cannula using a rod or to tie the knot in situ using instruments. While workable, such techniques are time consuming, limit the type of knot which can be formed, and usually require at least two tying steps to form a tight knot. Thus, it would be desirable to provide improved methods and instruments for applying and tying suture at remote locations.
One improvement which has been proposed is the use of performed knotted loops in suture. Such knotted loops allow the suture to be tied by passing a free end of the suture through the loop and tightening the loop on the suture after the wound has been closed. Such a technique and an instrument for performing the technique are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,848, described further hereinbelow. The instrument described in the '848 patent, however, is deficient in certain respects. In particular, the instrument must release the knotted loop prior to passing the free end of the suture therethrough. Thus, the loop can be temporarily lost by the physician, making tying of the knot problematic. The instrument described further lacks any capability for tightening the knotted loop to facilitate tying of the free end of the suture. It would be desirable if the instrument carrying the loop were able to hold the knotted loop during the entire procedure and to tighten the knotted loop without the need to employ a separate instrument.
2. Description Of the Relevant Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,848, describes a surgical instrument having a pair of jaws at a distal end of a tube. The jaws may be used for carrying a surgical needle which is attached to a length of suture. The suture may have a preformed loop with a slip knot that allows the suture to be tied by passing the needle back through the loop. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,923,461 and 4,602,635, describe surgical knotting devices where a knot is tied externally and the knot pushed forward to the tissue being sutured. Other remote surgical knotting devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,641,652 and 3,871,379.


If any short-circuit failure occurs in an inverter, then a motor generator is used to execute a safety driving. If the rotational speed of a motor generator calculated from a detection value of a position sensor exceeds a predetermined reference rotational speed during the safety driving, an MGECU turns on all of the switching elements connected in parallel to a switching element in which a short-circuit failure occurs with respect to a power supply line. If the rotational speed is equal to or less than the reference rotational speed, the MGECU turns on only the switching elements connected in series to the switching element in which the short-circuit failure occurs. In this way, any excessive currents can be prevented from occurring in the inverter without restricting the safety driving.

Recently, a hybrid vehicle has been receiving attention as an environmentally friendly vehicle. The hybrid vehicle has, as power sources, a DC power supply, an inverter, and a motor driven by the inverter, in addition to a conventional engine. In other words, the hybrid vehicle obtains the power sources by driving the engine, and in addition, by converting a DC voltage from the DC power supply to an AC voltage through the use of the inverter and rotating the motor with the converted AC voltage.
As one type of such hybrid vehicle, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-28733 (Patent Document 1), for example, discloses a so-called parallel hybrid vehicle. In the parallel hybrid vehicle, a part of motive power output from an engine is transmitted to a drive shaft through a power split device having a first motor generator, and the remaining motive power is regenerated as electric power by the first motor generator. This electric power is used to charge a battery or to drive a second motor generator serving as a power source other than the engine.
In such parallel hybrid vehicle, however, when an abnormality occurs in the engine or the first motor generator, the normal vehicle traveling in which the engine is used as a main power source becomes impossible. For this reason, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of performing a limp-home operation using the second motor generator within the performance range determined in accordance with the charging amount of a secondary battery, when the engine or the first motor generator is abnormal, and thereby extending the distance traveled during the limp-home operation.
During such limp-home operation, the first motor generator rotates with the rotation of the second motor generator, because the first and second motor generators are coupled to the same output shaft. For this reason, when a short-circuit fault is occurring within an inverter connected to the first motor generator, a short-circuit current may be generated within the inverter during the limp-home operation, due to an induced voltage generated at the first motor generator.
Therefore, the vehicle in Patent Document 1 is configured to restrict the limp-home operation using the second motor generator when an excessive current flows through the inverter connected to the first motor generator during the limp-home operation. As a result, the occurrence of further damage to elements resulting from the generation of a high temperature exceeding the heat-resistant temperature of inverter components due to the excessive short-circuit current is prevented.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-28733    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-170120    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-245966    Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 8-182105    Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-244126

Motor drive apparatus, hybrid drive apparatus and method for controlling motor drive apparatus


A fire retardant agent to be incorporated in a plastic, especially polyurethane foam which functions as a foaming agent and comprises a mixture of soluble ammonium salts selected from the group consisting of ammonium monophosphate, ammonium diphosphate and an ammonium halide; and urea. Processes and apparatus for the production of a polyurethane foam are also described.

It is well known to use certain chemicals and mixtures of chemicals as fire retardants for materials such as fabrics, rigid and flexible plastics foamed and non-foamed, timber, particle board and the like. The kinds of fire retardant agents employed vary with the material of interest and thus fire retardant agents considered suitable for application to one type of material may be completely unsuitable for another.
In the polyurethane industry, inorganic fire retardants which are soluble in nature are generally disregarded because they will leach from the polyurethane foam with deleterious results. For example, it is known from the literature the difficulties encountered with the soluble nature of ammonium monophosphate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,343 assigned to Monsanto Company also discloses the above problem with ammonium monophosphate and ammonium orthophosphates in general and discusses the additional problem encountered with loss of physical properties such as compressive strength and closed cell content.
The above patent proposes the use of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds in the form of substantially water insoluble ammonium polyphosphates, having P--O--P type linkages and the general formula: EQU H(r-m).sub.+2 (NH.sub.4).sub.m P.sub.n O.sub.3n+1
where n is an integer having an average value greater than 10 and m/n is between about 0.7 and about 1.1 and the maximum value of m is equal to n+2.
Now, this compound sold under the trade name PHOSCHEK 30 by Monsanto Company is certainly less soluble than ammonium monophosphate or ammonium diphosphate and is described by Lewin, Atlas & Pearce, Vol 1, "Polyurethane Structure and Flame Resistance" to have flame spread of 36% after 7 days immersion in water, as opposed to 33% before immersion. However, Miles, C. E and Lyons, J. W report in "Properties of Rigid Urethane Foams Containing Fire Retardants based on Phosphorus", Journal of Cellular Plastics, p 539, December 1967 that polyurethane rigid foams containing this ammonium polyphosphate require a chlorofluorinated compound (CFC) blowing agent, trichlorofluoromethane in manufacture, and demonstrated an average weight loss of 10.0% upon ignition.
Leaving aside the issue of the use of a CFC blowing agent, in itself undesirable, for the present further disadvantage may occur in that the decomposition temperature is such that a reduced amount of char is formed. This results in either reduced fire protection or the increased expense of using more material to achieve adequate protection.
Thus, present development in the art favours the use of organic fire retardants for use in polyurethane applications.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,672, assigned to Bayer AG, discloses flame retardant isocyanate addition products made by reacting an isocyanate with a compound selected from the group consisting of 1-phosphonoethane-2-carboxylic acid-tri-C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl esters, 1-phosphonopropane-2-carboxylic acid-tri-C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -alkyl esters and mixtures thereof. Blowing agents may include CFC agents, the examples particularly specify the use of trichlorofluoromethane, and foams prepared in accordance with this patent are ignitable.
Australian Patent No. 591089 assigned to Ciba-Geigy Limited employs as fire retardant a salt formed by reaction between dimethyl methyl phosphonate, monomethyl methyl phosphonate and a compound of the general formula (I): ##STR1## in which X is O,S or NH, R.sup.1 is H, alkyl with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkenyl of up to 4 carbon atoms, CN, CONH.sub.2 or NH.sub.2, R.sup.2 is H, alkyl with 1 to 4 carbon atoms or alkenyl of up to 4 carbon atoms or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring of up to 6 carbon atoms which may optionally contain another heteroatom and R is H, an alkyl group with 1 to 8 carbon atoms, an aryl group with 6 to 10 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group with 5 to 12 carbon atoms or a heterocyclic group with up to 9 ring carbon atoms or a heterocyclic group with up to 9 ring carbon atoms, or, together with R.sup.1 forms an alkylene chain of 3 to 10 carbon atoms, or R is a group NHR.sup.3 wherein R.sup.3 is H, alkyl with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, alkenyl of up to 4 carbon atoms, CN, CONH.sub.2 or NH.sub.2 or together with R.sup.1 forms an alkylene chain of 2 or 3 carbon atoms, or R is a group ##STR2## where R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and X are as defined above and R.sup.4 is a direct bond or an alkylene group having up to 8 carbon atoms or is an arylene group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms.
These flame retardants are of low volatility and allow the formation of polyol formulations which are stable on storage. Again CFC blowing agents, namely dichlorodifluoromethane or trichlorofluoromethane, are noted as being especially desirable and trichlorofluoromethane is exemplified. Tests conducted according to German Standard DIN 4102 B2 reported a burn time of 9 to 15 seconds with one of the examples burning with maximum flame height 13 cm but no burn time being recorded. In all cases, loss on ignition or oxygen index is greater than 23.5% by weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,878 assigned to Recticel discloses the use of a fire retardant comprising at least one of the components: (1) linear urea-formol oligomer mixture having the general formula NH.sub.2 --CO--NH--CH.sub.2 --NH--CO--NH!.sub.n --CH.sub.2 --NH--CO--NH.sub.2 wherein n is from 0 to 50: (2) urea in powdered form of which the particles are at least partially recovered by a less soluble film, being sulphur or a resin; (3) dicyandiamide having the general formula: ##STR3##
A secondary fire retardant, for example, tris-(2-chloroethyl)-phosphate may also be included in the formulation together with a mixture of trichlorofluoromethane and methylene chloride as the blowing agent, so again the use of a CFC blowing agent is proposed.
Foams prepared in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,878 burn with loss on ignition of 23 to 34% by weight and when exposed to a blowtorch test with an oxygen rich flame with length 15 cm at 1100.degree. C. applied perpendicular on a 3 cm large test steel plate during 30 seconds at a distance of 3 cm (between the output of the blowtorch and the test steel) burn, at best, within 10 seconds.
The burning behaviour of polyurethane foams prepared in the accordance with the above may be satisfactory for some applications but there is a need to produce polyurethane foams with greater fire resistance, especially flexible foams which have generally lower fire retardance than rigid foams.
Further, the prior art suggests that CFC blowing agents are still very much a feature of the polyurethane manufacturing industry. However, this situation cannot continue. As a result of an International Agreement, the use of CFC agents must be phased out by the year 1997 due to the atmospheric damage apparently caused by such agents. This clearly poses a serious technical problem for the polyurethane industry since blowing agents are presently perceived as essential to the formation of commercial foams. Blowing agents are introduced to polyurethanes and other polymers during manufacture to cause gas evolution which allows the production of the cellular structure in foams commonly encountered in packaging, furniture and building products as well as other applications.
Two types of foam are employed--these being the flexible type and the rigid type. Both types of foam have a cellular structure and are made from the same basic ingredients. These ingredients are bought as a "system" from large chemical companies and are tailored to achieve individual specifications suitable for various applications. Accordingly, and as the described prior art illustrates, technical pressures exist on chemical companies to produce foams with the required properties.
It is the general object of the present invention to provide a fire retardant agent for plastic foams that is substantially free of the above described limitations.
It is a first specific object of the present invention to provide a fire retardant agent that has substantially reduced ignitability from prior art fire retardant agents as described above.
It is a second specific object of the present invention to provide a fire retardant agent, that through its nature, allows the use of CFC blowing agents to be avoided.
It is a third specific object of the present invention to provide a fire retardant agent, formulated from compounds which are of economically sustainable cost.
It is a fourth specific object of the present invention to provide a process for the manufacture of a plastic, especially polyurethane, foam which allows the attainment of good physical properties such as compressive strength and good fire retardance.

Fire retardant agents suitable for plastics


According to one embodiment a method for implementing bufferless DMA controllers using split transaction functionality is presented. One embodiment of the method comprises, generating a write command from a disk controller directed to a destination unit, the write command including an identifier, generating a read command from the disk controller directed to a source unit, the read command including an identifier which matches the identifier in the write command, the source unit transmitting read data on a split transaction bus, the read data including the identifier of the read command, and receiving the read data at the destination unit via the split transaction bus if the identifier of the read data matches the identifier of the write command.

Many storage, networking, and embedded applications require fast input/output (I/O) throughput for optimal performance. I/O processors allow servers, workstations, and storage subsystems to transfer data faster, reduce communication bottlenecks, and improve overall system performance by offloading I/O processing functions from a host central processing unit (CPU).
Typically, the CPU(s) in the I/O processors program direct memory access (DMA) controller(s) to move data between specified sources and destinations, such as between local memory and host memory. Once the DMA controller is programmed, it will generate a read command to the source's interface or controller. This controller or interface will generate the read command for the source, and once it obtains the read data will place that data on the bus to the DMA controller. Typical DMA controllers include buffers to temporarily store data when the data is moved between sources and destinations, such as between host and local memories. The DMA controller will accept the read data and store it in the DMA controller data buffers. At this time, the DMA controller will generate a write command to the destination's interface or controller. The destination interface or controller will accept this write command. Finally, the DMA controller provides the write data being stored in the DMA controller data buffers to the destination interface or controller in order to be written to the destination.
The use of DMA controller data buffers can lead to increased area requirements, increased power requirements, and added complexity to the I/O processor. The use of DMA controller data buffers also slows down performance and increases costs for I/O processors.

Implementing bufferless direct memory access (DMA) controllers using split transactions


Pharmaceutical compounds having the general formula:

The present invention relates to both a novel method of stabilizing hydralazine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical preparations and pharmaceutical compositions containing stabilized hydralazine compounds having the general formula:
or compounds having the formula:
where R1 and R2 are independently H, branched straight chain alkyl having from 1 to about 7 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkylcycloalkyl, lower alkenyl or R1 and R2 together form part of a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl having from about 4 to about 7 carbon atoms; where R3 is a branched or straight chain alkyl having from 1 to about 7 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkylcycloalkyl or a group having the formula (CH2)nCOOH where n is from 1 to about 7.
Alternatively, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds having the general formula:
or compounds having the formula:
where 1 where R1 and R2 are independently H, branched or straight chain alkyl having from 1 to about 7 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkylcycloalkyl, lower alkenyl or R1 and R2 together form part of a substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl having from about 4 of about 7 carbon atoms; where R3 is a branched or straight chain alkyl having from 1 to about 7 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted aryl, substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl, aralkyl, substituted or unsubstituted alkylcycloalkyl or a group having the formula (CH2)nCOOH where n is from 1 to about 7.
Hydralazine hydrochloride is a peripheral vasodilator discovered about 50 years ago that exerts an antihypertensive effect directly on vascular smooth muscle producing relaxation of muscle fibers resulting in a decrease in blood pressure. Hydralazine is extensively metabolized in the body to products that are excreted predominantly in the urine, and undergoes N-acetylation, oxidation, hydroxylation, hydrazone formation and conjugation.
Commercially available in both oral and injectable dosage forms, hydralazine is used to lower blood pressure in hypertensive crisis situations and in patients requiring long-term management of their hypertension after the crisis has abated. Hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency that requires immediate therapy for certain patients in hospital emergency rooms, operating rooms and intensive care units.
Hydralazine is an artery specific direct peripheral vasodilator having an onset of action between 10-30 minutes (10-20 minutes given intravenously), a maximum hypotensive effect in 10-80 minutes and duration of action between 3-4 hours. Hydralazine is one of the few injectable antihypertensive drugs that maintain blood flow to kidneys during hypertensive crisis, and the only one to increase blood flow to an already compromised kidney. Although the drug is approved for administration of 20-40 mg doses, there are several clinical hazards associated with the currently available hydralazine formulation. First, the instability of the 20 mg/ml sterile solutions is a serious problem and has frequently caused removal of the product from the market by the FDA. Submicron particles appear in the hydralazine sterile injection solutions during storage for more than 6-12 months. Secondly, the concentrated 20mg/ml dosage form of hydralazine is difficult to administer accurately to patients at the small doses (3-5 mg) required to avoid "overshoot" hypotension. Consequently, these concentrated solutions are generally diluted prior to use in the hospital. Unfortunately, dilution by hospital personnel in an attempt to reduce the administration problems risks alteration of the hydralazine product, metal contamination and generation of toxic substances. Commercially available hydralazine solutions discolor when inappropriately diluted with metal-containing or carbohydrate-containing diluents generally found in hospitals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)s labeling for the currently available hydralazine formulation indicates that hydralazine should not be added to infusion solutions, and that hydralazine hydrochloride injections may discolor upon contact with metal. The FDA further warns in the product labeling that discolored solutions should be discarded.
Hypertensive crisis is a life-threatening situation and includes hypertensive emergencies and hypertensive urgencies characterized by acute elevations in blood pressure, which must be brought under control within hours. Over 60 million people in the United States suffer from essential hypertension. About 1% of these people suffers from hypertensive crisis and requires hospital-based acute care. Of the hypertensive crisis patients, 76% are "urgencies" and 24% "emergencies" with end-organ damage. Hypertensive urgencies are those situations in which it is desirable to reduce blood pressure quickly; however, hypertensive urgencies can be managed without requiring rapid, controlled reduction of blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure alone, in the absence of symptoms or progressive target organ damage rarely requires emergency treatment. Hypertensive urgencies are treated with oral antihypertensives such as nifedipine or clonidine, or with intravenous labetolol.
Hypertensive emergencies are characterized by acute elevations in blood pressure (diastolic >110 to 120 mm Hg) which can potentially be life threatening and thus require rapid, controlled reduction of blood pressure. Prompt pharmacologic therapy is indicated for those patients having Stage 2 (≧160/100 mm Hg) or Stage 3 (≧180/110 mm Hg) hypertension who have clinically manifested cardiovascular disease or target organ damage. The most commonly used antihypertensive agent is nitroprusside. Although hydralazine is already labeled for severe essential hypertension when oral hydralazine cannot be given or when the need to lower blood pressure is urgent as in hypertensive crisis, it is not currently labeled for hypertensive emergencies when a patient presents with emergent end-organ damage. As a patient's blood pressure is acutely elevated, the patient experiences a dramatic decrease in blood flow to vital tissues such as the kidney and brain. The reduction in elevated blood pressure in these patients through antihypertensive therapy is important because it minimizes ischemic damage resulting from reduced blood flow to these tissues. Examples of emergent end-organ damage include hypertensive encephalopathy, cerebral infarction, intracranial hemorrhage, myocardial ischemia, acute pulmonary edema, hypertensive nephropathy, hypertensive retinopathy and eclampsia. The goal of therapy in hypertensive emergencies is to reduce the mean arterial pressure by no more than 25 percent with two hours, then toward 160/110 mm Hg within 2 to 6 hours avoiding excessive drops in pressure that may precipitate or aggravate renal, cerebral or coronary ischemia. Ultimately, the goal of therapy is to reduce the blood pressure to below 140/90 mm Hg.
Hydralazine hydrochloride is very unstable in all of the injectable pharmaceutical formulations currently commercially available. Continuing instability problems with injectable hydralazine hydrochloride, for example, have plagued pharmaceutical manufacturers for many years, forcing these companies to remove their injectable hydralazine products from the marketplace. Although a shelf life of 12 months is currently required for FDA approval for injectable hydralazine hydrochloride, only a few companies have been able to satisfy this requirement with adequate stability data. One such company, SoloPak Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was able to meet the 12-month stability requirements for FDA approval; however, the company was not able to provide a drug product that was consistently stable for more than 6 months.
In its injectable formulation, hydralazine forms small yellow-green particles following storage from 1 to about 2 months when hydralazine is stored at 40° C. and after from 6 to about 9 months storage at 25° C. Although the identification of the yellow-green particles has yet to be confirmed, it is believed that the particles are insoluble polymeric products formed during storage of hydralazine. It is believed that hydralazine hydrochloride undergoes degradation in stored sterile injectable solutions to insoluble polymeric products due to the highly reactive hydrazino group. Hydralazine hydrochloride also undergoes several pharmaceutically undesirable reactions such as chelation with metal ions, oxidation, and pH-dependent decomposition. It is believed that these reactions, which often cause discoloration of hydralazine compositions, are also due to the highly reactive hydrazino group.
Kanazawa et al. [Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 34(4):1840-1842 (1996)] report that during the storage of a prescription admixture of pulverized hydralazine hydrochloride with cimetidine, a histamine H2-receptor antagonist for duodenal ulcer, the initially uncolored admixture gradually turns to pale yellow. Kanazawa et al. further report that hydralazine hydrochloride undergoes degradation and discoloration with cimetidine in aqueous solution to give 1,1-di(phthalazin-3-yl)amine, 1,1-di(phthalazin-3-yl)hydrazine, 1-amino-1,2, 2-tri-(phthalazin-3-yl)hydrazine, and 1,1,2-tri(phthalazin-3-yl)hydrazine.
Alexander et al. [American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 50: 683-686(1993)] report that the degradation of hydralazine hydrochloride in a sugar-containing oral syrup was quite fast and was apparently a first order process. The authors report that sugar (e.g., dextrose and fructose) reduces the stability of hydralazine hydrochloride considerably. Their syrup containing maltitol normally increases the stability of drugs sensitive to the presence of sugars; however, the hydralazine formulation remained unstable at room temperature.
Lessen et al. [Journal of Pharmaceutical sciences 85(3): 326-329(1996)] report that the strength of hydralazine hydrochloride in 10 mg tablets containing starch as an excipient decreases significantly with time and produced fluorescence at 414 nm. Lessen at al. report that, in addition to the usual hydralazine degradants such as phthalazone and phthalazine, these tablet compositions produced triazolophthalazine derivatives.
Hydralazine is known to chelate metal ions. Sinha and Motten [Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 105(3): 1044-1051(1982)] report that hydralazine oxidizes rapidly in the presence of oxygen and metal compounds such as Cu+2, Fe+2, and Fe+3 through free radical intermediates much like other hydrazine derivatives.
Because of its reactivity toward metals, standard manufacturing requirement for the preparation of bulk hydralazine solution or sterile fill solution is that neither should come into contact with any metal surface including tanks, transfer lines or filling lines. Unfortunately, these precautions can be consistently enforced by the manufacturer only during preparation and storage of the hydralazine solutions. After storage of the hydralazine solutions, the handling of the hydralazine solutions is no longer under their control.
Despite its unique pharmacologic properties as a hypertensive drug, the therapeutic use of hydralazine hydrochloride has been limited by its instability during storage and difficulties in handling by medical personnel. A stable hydralazine pharmaceutical composition that is more easily manufactured and does not degrade or produce particulate matter during extended storage does not currently exist. Moreover, an injectable hydralazine pharmaceutical formulation that is not adversely affected by conventional dilution techniques in the hospital does not currently exist. This, despite the fact that hydralazine was discovered as an antihypertensive agent over 50 years ago. A stable hydralazine composition that could be manufactured more easily and stored for periods of time greater than the current 12 month limit represents a significant advance.

Abstract: or compounds having the formula:


The present invention provides corrosion inhibited organic acid compositions and methods of using the compositions. The compositions basically comprise water, an organic acid, a corrosion inhibitor comprising at least one quaternary ammonium compound and a corrosion inhibitor activator selected from the group consisting of thioglycolic acid, an alkali metal thiosulfate and mixtures thereof.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to corrosion inhibited organic acid compositions which are effective in reducing metal corrosion and methods of using the compositions.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Subterranean hydrocarbon containing formations penetrated by well bores are often treated with aqueous acid compositions to stimulate the production of hydrocarbons therefrom. One such treatment known as "acidizing" involves the introduction of an aqueous acid composition into a subterranean formation under pressure so that the acid composition flows through the pore spaces of the formation. The acid composition reacts with acid soluble materials contained in the formation thereby increasing the size of the pore spaces and the permeability of the formation. Another production stimulation treatment known as "fracture-acidizing" involves the formation of one or more fractures in the formation and the introduction of an aqueous acid composition into the fractures to etch the fracture faces whereby flow channels are formed when the fractures close. The aqueous acid composition also enlarges the pore spaces in the fracture faces and in the formation.
While acidizing and fracture-acidizing well stimulation treatments have been performed successfully over the years, a continuous problem which accompanies the treatments is the corrosion of metal pumps, tubular goods and other equipment used to introduce the aqueous acid compositions into the subterranean formation to be treated. The expense associated with repairing or replacing corrosion damaged tubular goods and equipment can be very high. The corrosion rate of metal equipment and tubular goods is increased by elevated temperatures encountered in deep formations, and the corrosion results in at least the partial neutralization of the aqueous acid compositions before they react with acid-soluble materials in the formations.
Aqueous acid compositions are also utilized in a variety of other industrial applications to contact and react with acid soluble materials. In such applications, metal equipment and metal surfaces are necessarily also contacted with the acid compositions, and the resulting corrosion of such metal equipment and surfaces is highly undesirable.
A variety of metal corrosion inhibited aqueous acid compositions for carrying out acidizing and fracture-acidizing stimulation treatments in wells and for performing other acidizing operations have been developed heretofore. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,997 issued to Walker on Feb. 12, 1985 discloses an aqueous acid composition containing a corrosion inhibitor comprising an acetylenic alcohol, a quaternary ammonium compound, an aromatic hydrocarbon and an antimony compound corrosion inhibitor intensifier.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,643 issued to Walker on Nov. 22, 1994 and 5,411,670 issued to Walker on May 2, 1995 both relate to metal corrosion inhibited aqueous acid compositions which utilize a source of antimony ions to increase the corrosion inhibiting effectiveness of the compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,929 issued to Walker on Aug. 15, 1995 discloses a method of protecting metal alloys from acid corrosions utilizing an effective amount of a first inhibitor component including at least one reducing compound and a second inhibitor component including a source of molybdate ions.
While the above described metal corrosion inhibiting formulations have been used successfully as a part of aqueous inorganic acid compositions, e.g., aqueous hydrochloric acid compositions, the corrosion inhibitor formulations have generally been ineffective in organic acid solutions. That is, inorganic acid corrosion inhibitor activators (also referred to as intensifiers) such as formic acid, copper chloride, etc., do not function in organic acid compositions. In this regard, it has been found that the components of commonly utilized corrosion inhibitor formulations used in inorganic acid compositions will not function unless they are activated by a chloride concentration in the composition in the amount of about 5% to about 7% by weight. Because organic acid compositions do not contain appreciable concentrations of chloride, the corrosion inhibitor formulations do not function therein. Thus, there is a continuing need for improved metal corrosion inhibited organic acid compositions and methods of using such compositions in well acidizing applications.

Corrosion inhibited organic acid compositions and methods


A method is provided for detecting inadmissible operating states of a work hydraulics of an agricultural tractor. The method includes providing at least one electrically actuated control valve, a branch allocated to the at least one control valve, and an operating unit for the manual actuation of the work hydraulics of a front linkage. The method also includes connecting the at least one electrically actuated control valve to a hydraulic consumer via a hydraulic coupling, supplying hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic lifting device of the front linkage, detecting a state variable indicative of a connection state of the hydraulic coupling by a sensor unit and communicated to a control unit, and deactivating the operating unit if the control unit identifies by way of the evaluation of the state variable that a hydraulic consumer is connected to the hydraulic coupling.

Modern agricultural tractors render it possible to perform the most different work tasks in municipal, forestry and agricultural sectors. This versatility is realized in particular by virtue of the possibility of combining a multiplicity of the different attachment devices. The latter may be attached by way of example by a three-point linkage that is arranged in the front or rear region of the agricultural tractor. Depending upon the type of attachment device and the work function being performed, the attachment device may have its own hydraulic consumer in the form of hydraulic drive units or control facilities. With regard to hydraulic systems that are provided in the agricultural tractor, the drive units or control facilities are supplied with hydraulic fluid, for which the hydraulic drive units or control facilities may be connected via connection hoses to control valves on the agricultural tractor, the control valves being provided in associated control devices (e.g., SCVs—selective control valves) and in turn the control valves may be electrically actuated by operating elements that are accommodated in a driver's cabin or control panel. Each of the control valves that are combined in pairs to form a common control device so as to provide a supply line and return line comprises a releasable hydraulic coupling to which it is possible to connect a complementarily designed hydraulic coupler of a respective connection hose of the attachment device.
Control devices of this type are frequently provided exclusively in the rear region of the agricultural tractor but not in the front region. Therefore, if the agricultural tractor is to be equipped with a front linkage, the associated hydraulic lifting device, in other words the two lifting cylinders of the front linkage, is controlled via one of the control devices that are located in the rear region. For this purpose, at least one of the control valves of the relevant control device is allocated a branch that leads in the direction of the hydraulic lifting device. If the hydraulic lifting device comprises dual-acting lifting cylinders, the two control valves are allocated a branch of this type as a supply line or return line, in the case of a single-acting lifting cylinder a single branch is sufficient as a supply line.
If, at the same time, a hydraulic drive unit or a control facility of an attachment device is connected to the hydraulic coupler of the at least one control valve, it is possible in the case of the hydraulic lifting device being actuated that undesired movements or deflections occur at the attachment device at the same time.
There is a need for a method such that, in the case of a control valve that is used for a hydraulic lifting device of a front linkage, undesired movements or deflections do not occur at an attachment device that is likewise connected thereto.

Method for detecting inadmissible operating conditions of work hydraulics of an agricultural tractor


In one aspect, a vehicle steer axle has a horizontal axle member that has a steering axis male feature integrally formed on an end, wherein a vehicle steering knuckle, which forms a vehicle steering axis female feature, is directly rotatably coupled to the vehicle steer axle. In another aspect, a vehicle steering knuckle has a horizontal steering knuckle member that has a steering axis male feature integrally formed on an end, wherein the vehicle steering knuckle is directly rotatably coupled to a vehicle steer axle, which forms a vehicle steering axis female feature. Neither of these aspects utilize a separable kingpin.

In a conventional vehicle steer axle assembly, a steering knuckle includes a body, steering arms, a brake mounting plate, and a spindle for a wheel hub, bearings, and a tire assembly (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,019 which is incorporated herein by reference). The steering knuckle is coupled to a steer axle using a separable kingpin and the steering arms are connected to steering components of a vehicle.
Typically, the steering knuckle has a forked yoke that defines first and second bosses with aligned bores. The yoke surrounds one end of the steer axle which defines an axle boss having an axle bore aligned with the bores of the knuckle yoke. The kingpin extends through one or more of the knuckle bores, through the axle bore, and through the remaining knuckle bore to rotatably couple the steering knuckle and the steer axle together.
In these conventional steer axle assemblies, the knuckle pivots about the kingpin on a vertically inclined steering axis. Typically, bushings are disposed (for example, pressed) within the aligned bores of the knuckle to allow the knuckle to rotate relative to the kingpin.
Conventional steer axle assemblies suffer from several disadvantages. Typically, conventional steer axle assemblies allow a relatively large amount of axial and radial movement of the knuckle relative to the kingpin, which results in the kingpin joints being subjected to added wear. As a result, greater clearances are created, which permit the kingpin to shift and oscillate within the knuckle bores which reduces the useful lives of the assembly components.
Conventional kingpin designs also often require manual shimming of steer axle assembly members in order to limit the above stated axial and radial movement of the knuckle relative to the kingpin. Therefore, these designs require additional manufacturing steps and costs. Typically, the bushings result in relatively large tolerances and often require the operations of broaching or reaming of the bushings. These operations may be required to maintain close fit tolerances of the inside diameter of the bushing to the outside diameter of the kingpin.
Knuckles, such as those described above are complex and, thus result in high material, manufacturing, and labor costs. These knuckles are also disadvantageous since the kingpin can be difficult to remove for repairs and the kingpin itself increases the size and weight of the steer axle assembly. Further, the kingpin to steer axle joint is highly loaded and, consequently, requires a precision fit tolerance and a robust mechanism to lock the kingpin to the axle beam. The localized stress at this joint also typically requires that high strength materials be used for the kingpin.
What is sought is to provide vehicle steer axle assemblies that do not utilize a separable kingpin, wherein the joint(s) between the steer axle and the steering knuckle is eliminated. This should at least result in providing vehicle steer axle assemblies with lower material and labor costs, with an elimination of endplay, with a lowering of mechanical stress in the coupling area, and with an elimination of manual shimming.


A rotary connector including a moving member (5) provided with first and second openings (14, 15) which is disposed in a holding space (10) formed between a fixed housing (1) having an upper case (6) and a movable housing (2) having a lower case (7) such that the moving member coaxially rotates with the movable housing (2) relative to the fixed housing (1). A width (W.sub.1) of the first opening (14) is made smaller than a width (W.sub.2) of the second opening (15) (i.e., W.sub.1 <W.sub.2). First and second flat cables (3, 4) are wound in the holding space (10) and have both ends thereof respectively fixed to the peripheral surfaces of the upper case (6) and the lower case (7), and reversal portions (3a, 4a) of the flat cables (3, 4) are passed through the first opening (14) and the second opening (15). The first flat cable (3) is directly wound on the cylindrical section (9) of the first flat cable (3), while the second flat cable (4) is wound on the first flat cable (3) so that the flat cables (3, 4) have different winding diameters relative to the inner cylindrical section (9).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary connector incorporated in an automotive steering unit and used, for example, as an electrical connection between an air bag device mounted on a steering wheel of an automobile and associated control circuitry mounted on a body of the automobile. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotary connector in which flat cables are stored in a holding space formed between a fixed housing and a movable housing, wherein the flat cables are wound in opposing directions via U-shaped reversal portions.
2. Description of Related Art
A rotary connector includes a fixed housing, a movable housing which is rotatably connected to the fixed housing, and a flat cable stored in a holding space formed by the fixed housing and movable housing. The flat cable has a first end connected to a joint (connector) mounted on the fixed housing, and a second end connected to a joint mounted on the movable housing. Rotary connectors are incorporated in an automotive steering unit and employed, for example, to provide an electrical connection between an air bag inflator attached to a steering wheel of an automobile, which can be turned a finite number of revolutions, and associated control circuitry mounted on a body of the automobile. The flat cable is shaped like a band and supports a plurality of parallel conductors which extend between the first and second ends.
Two types of rotary connectors are commonly used: in the first type, the flat cable is wound in single direction (i.e., clockwise or counterclockwise) to form a coil, and in the second type, the flat cable is partially wound in a first direction, then reversed via a U-shaped reversal portion and partially wound in the opposite direction. In the second (reversal) type rotary connector, the required length of the flat cable is significantly reduced relative to that needed for the first (coiled) type rotary connector.
Reversal type rotary connectors typically use one flat cable with the plurality of conductors arranged in parallel. As the number of conductors is increased to meet a recent trend toward multiple-circuit applications, a problem arises in that the width of the flat cable must inevitably increase to support more conductors, thereby increasing the size of the rotary connector.
One solution to this problem is incorporated into the rotary connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,455, which supports multiple-circuit applications by employing two flat cables to accommodate the conductors.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view illustrative of a schematic configuration of a rotary connector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,455. A movable housing 101, which has a cylindrical inner section, is rotatably connected to a fixed housing 100 having a cylindrical outer section. A first flat cable 103 and a second flat cable 104 are housed in an annular holding space 102 formed between the fixed housing 100 and the movable housing 101. These flat cables 103 and 104 are stored in the holding space 102 such that they are wound in a first (counterclockwise) direction around the outer cylindrical section of the fixed housing 100, and in a second (clockwise) direction around the inner cylindrical section of the movable housing 101. At the position where the winding direction is reversed, U-shaped reversal portions 103a and 104a are formed. The inner ends of the two flat cables 103 and 104 are connected to cable outlet sections 107 and 108 disposed adjacent to the inner cylindrical section of the movable housing 101. The outer ends of the two flat cables 103 and 104 are connected to cable outlet sections 109 and 110 located adjacent the outer cylindrical section of the fixed housing 100. Further, disposed in the holding space 102 are first and second groups of rollers 105 and 106 arranged in the circumferential direction, the reversal portion 103a of the first flat cable 103 being bent around the first group of rollers 105, and the reversal portion 104a of the second flat cable 104 being bent around the second group of rollers 106.
In the rotary connector thus configured, when, for example, the movable housing 101 is turned clockwise (relative to the fixed housing 100 in FIG. 4), the reversal portions 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104, respectively, move clockwise in the holding space 102 by an amount of which is smaller than that of the movable housing 101, causing the flat cables 103 and 104 to be wound onto the inner cylindrical section of the movable housing 101. Conversely, when the movable housing 101 is turned counterclockwise in FIG. 4, the reversal portions 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104, respectively, also move counterclockwise by an amount which is smaller than that of the movable housing 101, causing the flat cables 103 and 104 to be unwound from the outer cylindrical section of the fixed housing 100. At the time of such winding and unwinding, the groups of rollers 105 and 106 also move in the same direction in response to forces applied by the reversal portions 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104, respectively.
In the conventional rotary connector described above, the radial deformation of the two flat cables 103 and 104 is restricted by the groups of rollers 105 and 106. Hence, the flat cables 103 and 104 can be smoothly moved in the circumferential direction of the holding space 102. However, because the groups of rollers 105 and 106 are disposed in the holding space 102 so that they are separated from each other, vibrations applied to the rotary connector cause the groups of rollers 105 and 106 to bump against each other, producing a collision noise. Another problem associated with this rotary connector is that it is difficult to assemble the groups of rollers 105 and 106 onto the rotary connector.
One alternative arrangement addressing the problem described above is shown in FIG. 5. In this structure, instead of employing the mutually separated groups of rollers 105 and 106, a moving member 111 is movably disposed in the holding space 102 which has at least two openings 111a and 111b, and the reversal portions 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104 are passed through the openings 111a and 111b. The moving member 111 is composed of a ring-like rotary plate 112 and a plurality of rollers 113 rotatably connected to the rotary plate 112. The openings 111a and 111 are formed at equal intervals between the groups of the rollers 113. Hence, when the moving member 111 which has such openings 111a and 111b is employed, the rotary plate 112 and the rollers 113 can be mounted into the rotary connector during assembly as one piece, and bumping between the rollers is prevented, thus solving the problems mentioned above with respect to the conventional rotary connector. However, the rotary connector shown in FIG. 5 poses different problems which are described below.
Referring again to FIG. 5, the diameter of the inner cylindrical section of the movable housing 101 is denoted as D, and the thickness of each of the flat cables 103 and 104 is denoted as t. With this arrangement the winding diameter of the first flat cable 103 directly wound on the inner cylindrical section is D, whereas the winding diameter of the second flat cable 104 wound on the inner cylindrical section via the first flat cable 103 is (D+2t). Therefore, the winding diameters of the two flat cables 103 and 104 do not coincide. Accordingly, when the movable housing 101 is turned, the amount of winding of the flat cable 103 onto the inner cylindrical section is different from that of the flat cable 104, or the amount of unwinding of the two flat cables therefrom is different, thereby causing the reversal portion 104a of the second flat cable 104 which has the larger winding diameter to move faster than the reversal portion 103a of the first flat cable 103 which has the smaller winding diameter. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, when the flat cables 103 and 104 are unwound from the inner cylindrical section and wound back onto the outer cylindrical section, the reversal portion 104a of the second flat cable 104 comes in contact with the roller 113 located at the end of the opening 111b, whereas the reversal portion 103a of the first flat cable 103, which is moving slower, merely moves in the opening 111a and does not come in contact with the roller 113, thus presenting a problem in that the moving member 111 cannot be smoothly moved by the forces applied by the two reversal portions 103a and 104a.


A control device of an internal combustion engine is capable of controlling an air-fuel ratio to be lean based on an activity of oxygen occlusion properties to provide improved three-way catalytic performance. The control device comprises: a three-way catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine; a part for operating a basic fuel injection quantity; a part for operating a compensation amount of a basic fuel injection quantity so that an air-fuel ratio upstream from the three-way catalyst is coincident with a target air-fuel ratio; a part for operating a fuel injection quantity compensated with a basic fuel injection quantity compensation amount; a part for detecting an activity of oxygen occlusion properties of the three-way catalyst; and a part for setting the target air-fuel ratio based on the activity of oxygen occlusion properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control device of an internal combustion engine to adjust a fuel injection quantity based on an activity of oxygen occlusion properties of a three-way catalyst after cold start of the internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current gasoline automobiles have a three-way catalyst mounted as an exhaust gas purification system. In the three-way catalyst, noble metal, that is, Pt (platinum), Pd (palladium), and Rh (rhodium) are supported. This three-way catalyst functions to convert harmful gas components of an automobile (HC, NOx, CO) to be harmless gases of CO2, H2O, and N2 by the oxidation-reduction reactions, being a catalytic action. As is well known, such a relation as shown in FIG. 13 exists between an air-fuel ratio upstream from a three-way catalyst and catalytic conversion efficiency, and catalytic conversion efficiency is the highest where an air-fuel ratio is in the vicinity of a theoretical air-fuel ratio. To enhance the catalytic action, it is important to keep an exhaust gas at a theoretical air-fuel ratio. That is, with reference to FIG. 13, when controlling an air-fuel ratio in the window, the three-way catalyst acts as an effective conversion catalyst with respect to any gas. Additionally, in this diagram, HC refers to hydrocarbon, NOx nitrogen oxides, CO carbon monoxide, and V an oxygen concentration sensor output.
Further, the three-way catalyst contains therein Ceria (Ceria: cerium oxide) and the like as a promoter. Ceria or the like has properties of discharging oxygen in the case of being rich, and of absorbing oxygen in the case of being lean depending on air-fuel ratio upstream from the three-way catalyst as shown in FIG. 14. As a result, even in the case where an air-fuel ratio upstream from the three-way catalyst is varied and becomes out of a theoretical air-fuel ratio, an air-fuel ratio in the three-way catalyst comes to be a theoretical air-fuel ratio at all times, thus suppressing emissions of harmful gases. In addition, FIG. 14 shows behaviors of an air-fuel ratio upstream from a three-way catalyst, an amount of oxygen occlusion, and an air-fuel ratio in the three-way catalyst, respectively.
Furthermore, in the internal combustion engine, to regularly keep an air-fuel ratio in the vicinity of a theoretical air-fuel ratio, the air-fuel ratio feedback is carried out. In a general air-fuel ratio feedback system, an air-fuel ratio sensor (oxygen concentration sensor) is mounted at a place of an exhaust system as near to a fuel combustion chamber as possible, i.e., on the upstream side of a three-way catalyst to make the feedback control of fuel injection quantity of an engine so that combustion gas is at a theoretical air-fuel ratio. In spite of the air-fuel ratio feedback control, an air-fuel ratio is varied to be out of a theoretical air-fuel ratio at the time of acceleration/deceleration time. However, with a promoter of Ceria or the like, the internal part of a three-way catalyst is kept at a theoretical air-fuel ratio.
In this respect, at the time of acceleration of cold start of an internal combustion engine, since much fuel is adhered to a portion in the vicinity of an inlet port, thereby a fuel quantity to be sucked into a cylinder being reduced, an air-fuel ratio is generally set to be more rich than after warming-up. However, when the activity of a promoter of Ceria or the like of a three-way catalyst is not high enough, an occlusion amount of oxygen becomes insufficient, and HC conversion efficiency is reduced, eventually resulting in a disadvantage of worse HC emissions.
To cope with this, for example, the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. 157251/1987 discloses a control device consisting of control means for making such a feedback control that an air-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine is a target air-fuel ratio, and temperature detection means for detecting a temperature of the internal combustion engine. In the case where a temperature of an internal combustion engine is not higher than a predetermined temperature, a target air-fuel ratio is set to be on the side of being more lean than a theoretical air-fuel ratio, thus suppressing worse HC emissions.
However, as to an activity of a noble metal and that of oxygen occlusion properties of a three-way catalyst after cold start of an internal combustion engine, as shown in FIG. 15, the activity of a noble metal is immediately increased, while the activity of oxygen occlusion properties are gradually increased. In the conventional air-fuel ratio control, since the air-fuel ratio is controlled to be in the vicinity of a theoretical air-fuel ratio despite that oxygen occlusion properties of a three-way catalyst is increased by degrees as shown in FIG. 12, an occlusion amount of oxygen is unlikely to increase. As a result, when an air-fuel ratio comes to be rich due to, e.g., acceleration, oxygen in the three-way catalyst is insufficient, and an air-fuel ratio in the three-way catalyst cannot be kept at a theoretical air-fuel ratio. In this respect, the inventor has noted that the emissions of HC are increased while a noble metal of the three-way catalyst being activated, as shown in FIG. 15. In addition, FIG. 12 shows problems in the conventional control, and indicates behaviors of an air-fuel ratio, oxygen occlusion properties and an amount of oxygen occlusion of a three-way catalyst, an air-fuel ratio in the three-way catalyst, and HC emissions, respectively.
Additionally, as described above, in the case where a temperature of the internal combustion engine is not higher than a predetermined temperature, just by the method of control of setting a target air-fuel ratio to be on the side of being more lean than a theoretical air-fuel ratio, no control is made considering activity transition of oxygen occlusion properties after cold start of an internal combustion engine. Thus, a problem exits in that the three-way catalyst is saturated with oxygen, and the emissions of NOx are increased.

Control device of internal combustion engine


A ballast (11) includes a variable output DC converter source (12) and an inverter circuit (14) arranged to provide AC output voltage to an electro-luminescent (EL) lamp (16). A Q factor of EL lamp can characterize the age of the EL lamp. A series resonance-parallel loaded circuit and two voltage detector (18, 20) are constructed to measure the Q factor. A processor (17) controls the output of DC voltage source in accordance with a look-up table containing constant brightness algorithm based on the derived voltage and Q relationship.

Electro-luminescent (EL) lamps are used often for backlighting. The advantages of the EL lamp include its thinness, its light weight and flexibility. The disadvantage of the use of an EL lamp is that these phosphor based lamps dim with age as the phosphor decays. To overcome this effect, the voltage or frequency applied to the lamp can be increased to cause the phosphor to light be brighter, thus compensating for the reduction in light emission from the decay.
There are several approaches for compensating for the phosphor decay. One approach is to use a constant power driver circuit to compensate life. As the EL lamp decays, the reduced capacitance result in lower deriving current and deriving power. A constant power deriving circuit could increase output voltage as the lamp ages, but it is not possible to maintain constant output brightness, since there is no measurable parameter to indicate how much the lamp has aged.
Automatic brightness control systems include optical feedback using a monitoring photocell which is currently the most effective method to measure and control the brightness output. Based on a reading, the voltage and frequency supplied to the EL lamp are adjusted. In this way, the lamp brightness output can be controlled and maintain constant. This method has many inherent problems: it is expensive, it is affected by surrounding ambient light, it needs a response calibration based on the specific application and the optical monitoring device must be appropriately mounted close to the EL lamp.
Another method to compensate for reduced brightness of an EL lamp is to configure a digital circuit which includes a microprocessor, a timer and ROM. A table in ROM represents the relationship between the appropriate derive voltage and on-time to produce the constant brightness required. The microprocessor will track the total on-time of EL lamp and select appropriate data from table from the deriving EL lamp. However, as the EL lamp changed or expired, the timer should be reset. This open loop control system is not effective for an EL lamp.
Thus, there is a need to provide a simple, measurable parameter to indicate the age of the EL lamp and use this parameter to maintain the required constant brightness.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Constant brightness control for electro-luminescent lamp


Implementations described herein disclose a malware sequence detection system for detecting presence of malware in a plurality of events. An implementation of the malware sequence detection includes receiving a sequence of a plurality of events, and detecting presence of a sequence of malware commands within the sequence of a plurality of events by dividing the sequence of plurality of events into a plurality of subsequences, performing sequential subsequence learning on one or more of the plurality of subsequences, and generating a probability of one or more of the plurality of subsequences being a malware based on the output of the sequential subsequence.

The reach and scale of the Internet has fostered a parasitic industry of those who seek to illegally and/or unethically profit. A common strategy to profit illegally is to infect computers of users with malicious code or software (malware) that can be employed to obtain passwords, transmit spam, retrieve contact lists, participate in a botnet, etc. Malware is a persistent and continuously growing problem in computer security. Malware usually exploits code vulnerabilities and/or gets installed onto users' computer systems by tricking users into taking some action. Malware, as an act of enabling a piece of software to run sequences of operations with a negative intent, can cause severe production level issues. Furthermore, the sequence of events of the malware may be non-continuous, within the entire sequence of operations, and therefore not easy to detect. Similarly, the sequence of events of the malware may be effectuated by multiple processes running independent of each other.


A storage management method for use in a storage area network is provided. The storage area network comprises a plurality of host data processors coupled to a virtualization engine, which is coupled to a plurality of physical storage media. Each physical storage media is assigned a tier level. The method comprises storing a threshold storage access value associated with each tier level, presenting virtual disk(s) to a host data processor and receiving I/O requests to the virtual disk from the host data processor. Additionally, metadata is stored which identifies the tier level of the physical storage to which the block corresponds, mappings between the block and blocks of a virtual disk, and an access rate to the data. The access value is periodically compared to at least one threshold rate associated with its tier level. Depending on the result, storage block(s) may be marked for migration to another tier level.

Enterprises face major storage challenges due to the fast growth of their storage needs, the increased complexity of managing the storage, and the requirement for high availability of storage. Storage Area Network (SAN) technologies enable storage systems to be engineered separately from host computers through the pooling of storage, resulting in improved efficiency.
Storage virtualization, a storage management technology which masks the physical storage complexities from the user, may also be used. Block virtualization (sometimes also called block aggregation) provides servers with a logical view of the physical storage, such as disk drives, solid-state disks, and tape drives, on which data is actually stored. The logical view may comprise a number of virtual storage areas into which the available storage space is divided (or aggregated) without regard to the physical layout of the actual storage. The servers no longer see specific physical targets, but instead see logical volumes which can be for their exclusive use. The servers send their data to the virtual storage areas as if they are directly attached thereto.
Virtualization may take place at the level of volumes, individual files or at the level of blocks that represent specific locations within a disk drive. Block aggregation can be performed within hosts (servers), in the storage network (storage routers, storage controllers), and/or in storage devices (intelligent disk arrays).
In data storage systems the problem of data currency is a general issue. It is likely that new data will be accessed regularly within the first few days or weeks of its creation, and that gradually over time the data will be accessed less and less. As an example, imagine a bank where they store data regarding share transactions. It is likely that analysis will be run on the share transactions that have happened within the last few days to spot trends. After a week this data is less important as the market will have moved on. After several weeks this data will be irrelevant. The data itself is stored so that it can be accessed by the servers performing the analysis—generally high powered servers and fast reliable storage, and may be stored as records in a database. Once the data has become less useful, there is no need to store it on the fast (expensive) storage, but it may still need to be accessed occasionally. Therefore, a system administrator will need to manually move the data from the database, either into another database, or onto cheaper storage media. Eventually the data may be moved onto tape storage for long term backup.
A method of hierarchical storage of data in a computer has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,224. The computer includes an interpreter and a hierarchical performance driver which monitors the rates of access of blocks of data stored on the computer's storage devices and transfers blocks of data accessed infrequently from a faster data storage device to a slower data storage device.
As the storage management is done at the host level, there is a problem when two or more different hosts, which may use different operating systems, share the same storage devices. An extra data gathering system would be required to see the access statistics of the complete system and if the hosts use different operating systems this would be have to be compatible with all the different operating systems. Alternatively, one of the hosts could be made the controller, but then this would have to be notified of the activities of all the other hosts, and again the problems of different operating systems would be present. Both of these options lead to the use of extra bandwidth, time and processor capability.
The present invention aims to address these problems.

Virtualization engine and method, system, and computer program product for managing the storage of data

International Business Machines Corporation


A copper based alloy consists essentially, by weight %, of 15 to 35% Zn, 7 to 14% Ni, 0.1 to 2% or less Mn, 0.01 to 0.5% Fe, 0.0005 to 0.1% P, at least one or two elements selected from the group consisting of 0.001 to 0.9% Si, 0.0003 to 0.02% Pb, and 0.0003 to 0.01% C, the total content of the selected at least two elements being limited to a range of 0.0006 to 0.9%, and the balance of Cu and inevitable impurities. The copper based alloy has excellent blankability as well as good corrosion resistance and high strength.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a copper based alloy having excellent blankability as well as good corrosion resistance and high strength, which is suitable for use as materials for electrical and electronic parts, such as lead frames, terminals, connectors, and caps for crystal oscillators, keys, springs, buttons, tableware, ornaments, and golf clubs. Especially, a copper based alloy according to the invention exhibits excellent effects when used as a material for keys.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, brass having a typical composition of Cu-40% by weight Zn is widely used as a material for keys (hereinafter referred to as "the key material"). However, brass is poor in strength and corrosion resistance, resulting in that keys formed of brass are likely to corrode, and further, they can be deformed when they are made thinner to be lighter in weight. To overcome these disadvantages, there has been proposed a key material formed of a high-strength copper based alloy (hereinafter referred to as "the Cu alloy") which is excellent in corrosion resistance, for example, by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-171320. The Cu alloy has a chemical composition consisting essentially, by weight percent (hereinafter referred to as "%"), of 15 to 35% Zn, 7 to 14% Ni, 0.1 to 2% exclusive Mn, 0.01 to 0.5% Fe, 0.001 to 0.1% p, and the balance of Cu and inevitable impurities.
Although the above proposed high-strength Cu alloy is excellent in corrosion resistance, it is poor in blankability. As a result, keys manufactured by blanking or stamping the high-strength Cu alloy key material has a blankout section which does not have satisfactorily close dimensional tolerances.
Generally, a blankout section 3 of a key obtained by blanking a Cu alloy key material in the direction indicated by an arrow A in the single figure consists of a shear section 2 and a rupture section 1, and in evaluation of the key material, it is regarded that the larger a ratio of the rupture section 1 to the entire blankout section 3 (hereinafter referred to as "rupture section ratio"), the more excellent in blankability the key material. A blankout sheet material is generally required to have a rupture section ratio of 75% or more.
When the above proposed high-strength Cu alloy key material is subjected to blanking to obtain keys, however, the blankout section 3 of the resulting keys has a rupture section ratio less than the required value of 75%. As a result, blanking dies used to blank the high-strength Cu alloy key material become shorter in service life, and further the blankout section of the keys does not have satisfactorily close dimensional tolerances, which unfavorably leads to a shortened service life of the dies as well as an increased amount of after-treatment, and hence an increased manufacturing cost.

Corrosion-resistant high-strength copper based alloy having excellent blankability


In one embodiment, a circuit device that performs a certain processing operation with respect to an input signal by referring to a reference voltage and outputs the result is caused to have a function of switching the reference voltage, whereby a circuit device from which a stable output can be obtained is disclosed. The circuit device includes a comparator and a reference voltage setting circuit. The comparator compares an input voltage fed from outside with a reference voltage selected from a reference voltage set including a plurality of voltage values that are different from one another. The reference voltage setting circuit selects a voltage value lower than the reference voltage from the reference voltage set when it is detected that the input voltage in a rising transition reaches the reference voltage, selects a voltage value higher than the reference voltage from the reference voltage set when it is detected that the input voltage in a falling transition reaches the reference voltage, and sets the selected voltage value as the reference voltage of the comparator.

Conventionally, a circuit device, for example, a sensor circuit or a level shifter circuit, which performs a certain processing operation with respect to an input signal by referring to a reference voltage and outputs the result, has been used widely.
FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional common sensor circuit. There are various types of conventional sensor circuits depending on detection objects, but generally a sensor circuit is composed of, mainly, a sensor section 90 and a comparator 80, as shown in FIG. 34. The sensor section 90 has a sensor element 91 that receives a sensor input g1 (light, temperature, pressure, etc.) corresponding to a detection object of the sensor circuit and feeds out a current or a voltage corresponding to the intensity of the sensor input g1. The current or the voltage fed out of the sensor element 91 is sampled and charged in a capacitor 92 for a certain period, and a sensor output g2 corresponding to the intensity of the sensor input g1 can be obtained. The sensor output g2 is fed to the comparator 80. In the comparator 80, the sensor output 2g is compared with a reference voltage Vref, whereby an intensity or the like of the sensor input g1 is determined.
In the foregoing sensor section 90, a switching control operation is carried out between switches 93 and 94 from one to the other appropriately, whereby the sensor output g2 as shown in FIG. 35 can be obtained. In the case of the sensor output g2 as shown in FIG. 35, the presence/absence of the sensor input g1 can be determined by comparing a peak potential during a sampling period with the reference voltage Vref, as shown in FIG. 36. As shown in FIG. 37, the reference voltage Vref may be set at a plurality of levels (Vref1 to Vref3 in this example) and the peak potential is compared with values of at the plurality of levels of the reference voltage sequentially, whereby the intensity or the like of the sensor input g1 can be determined also.
As shown in FIG. 38, a photo sensor has been proposed conventionally that improves accuracy of light reception by performing time-division switching control for switching a reference voltage fed to a comparator between a first reference voltage (Vref1) at a detection level and a second reference voltage (Vref2) at an excess level (see, e.g., JP 4 (1992)-147086 A (page 3, FIG. 2 thereof)).

Circuit device and electronic equipment provided with the same


According to one embodiment, a computer machine includes a client virtual machine and a file server virtual machine configured to simultaneously run, a virtual machine manager configured to control booting of the client and file server virtual machines, a monitoring module configured to monitor whether a communication with an external file server is possible, an access control module configured to access to a duplicate file which is a duplicate of the file and is stored in a part of a local disk or a part of a memory which are managed by the monitoring module when the monitoring module determines that the communication is impossible after determining that the communication is possible, and a file deletion module configured to delete the duplicate file when the monitoring module detects the communication is impossible in a preset time.

1. Field
One embodiment of the invention relates to a computer having a plurality of virtual machines operated on a virtual machine monitor and a control method of access from the virtual machine to a file.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is always a possibility that a computer installed in an office may be stolen and secret information of a company leaked.
It is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-337736 that two OSs are installed on one computer, one OS is used as an application OS, the other OS is used an OS which performs a communication process with a commonly used hard disk device and access from the application to the commonly used disk device is made via the second OS without fail.
The above-described document discloses a technique for preventing bugging of data flowing on the network. However, it is impossible to cope with leakage of secret information if a computer having the secret information stored therein is carried out.

Controlling access from the virtual machine to a file