The invention relates to hardenable compositions which contain as the essential constituent, in the non-hardened condition, at least one phosphazene derivative of the general formula [NP--(X--Y--Z).sub.2 ].sub.n, and at least one cross-linking agent with at least two functional groups which are selected among the Z radicals and which can react with the functional Z radicals of the phosphazene derivative is provided, wherein. X radicals are from the group --O--, --S--, --NH-- or --NR--, preferably oxygen, PA1 Y are aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon groups, PA1 Z are functional radicals from the group --OH, --NH.sub.2, --NCO, --COOH, --CHO, --CH.dbd.CH.sub.2, allyl, N-methylol, acrylate, methacrylate, silyl, glycidyl or epoxy or preliminary stages of the radicals from this group or radicals from this group which are blocked by protective groups, preferably acrylate or methacylrate radicals and PA1 n is an integer of at least 3 and no more than 10;. The NP radicals of the above formula are preferably combined to a phosphazene ring, n being 3 or 4. The phophazene derivatives can be used for the production of hardenable lacquers, coating agents or fillers, knifing fillers, adhesives, preforms or foils.

This application claims the priority of German application number 196 45 340.2, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Known hardenable phosphazene compounds have at least one ethylenically unsaturated side group, which can be radically or ionically polymerized. Examples of ethylene derivatives most frequently used as a polymerizable side group are acrylic, methacrylic, vinyl, allyl or styrol radicals.
European Patent Document EP-A-0 557 943 describes phosphazene compounds which can be hardened by radical polymerization and have at least one ethylenically unsaturated, polymerizable side group whose polymerization is initiated by the addition of initiators or by electron beams. European Patent Document EP-A-0 368 165 describes hardenable resin compositions which contain a hardenable phosphazene compound with at least one ethylenically unsaturated, polymerizable side group and, as additional essential constituents, a pentaerythritolacrylate compound and/or a bis-(4-acryloxydialkoxyphenyl) alkane compound. The polymerization of these resin compositions takes place by heating or ultraviolet radiation or electron beams.
As essential constituents of hardenable compositions, the known radically polymerizable phosphazene compounds have a number of disadvantages. For example, they tend to prematurely polymerize so that stabilizers have to be added to the compositions and high temperatures must be avoided. This, in turn, results in disadvantages with respect to the storage life and the selection of the synthesis conditions. During the synthesis, mild reaction conditions must be selected which reduce the yield since, frequently, under these reaction conditions, complete substitution of chlorine on the initial phosphazene cannot be achieved on the initial phosphazene by the side groups.
As a rule, the synthesized phosphazene derivatives are, therefore, not free of chlorine, which is also undesirable. The polymerization reaction of the known phosphazene derivatives, which as a rule takes place radically, is inhibited by atmospheric oxygen. Large initiator radicals must be used in order to achieve an acceptable hardening of the lacquer surface. In particular, the thermal hardening will frequently result in incompletely hardened surfaces. In the case of the hardening of radically polymerizing phosphazene resins, a considerable shrinkage will frequently occur, which results in an impairment of the adhesion and crack formation. For this reason, such phosphazene derivatives or mixtures thereof are unsuitable for many applications, for example, as lacquers, flat coats, or coating agents. To avoid shrinkage, large quantities of low-shrinkage additions are frequently used, which, however, may have other disadvantageous effects on the material characteristics of the hardened end product. European Patent Document EP-A-0 557 943, for example, describes the use of methacrylate derivatives or halogenated polyesters as shrinkage-reducing additions. Pure phosphazene resins, as described, for example, in European Patent Document EP-A-0 368 165, frequently have the disadvantage that their hardening takes place very slowly. If radically polymerizable phosphazene derivatives are used in lacquers or coating agents, the presence of radicals often results in discolorations, which frequently may not occur before the coatings age.
It is one object of the present invention to provide new hardenable compositions, which avoid the indicated disadvantages of the state of the art and furnish hardened products with improved characteristics. In particular, the invention provides a method to avoid a radical reaction mechanism during the harding of the compositions as well as compositions made from this method.
This object is achieved by means of hardenable compositions, which in the non-hardened condition, comprise as the essential constituent at least one phosphazene derivative of the general formula [NP--(X--Y--Z).sub.2 ].sub.n, wherein
each X is the same or different radical and is selected from the group --O--, --S--, NH-- or --NR-- (where R=C.sub.1 -C.sub.6 -alkyl); PA1 each Y is the same or different aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon groups, which may optionally contain O, S and/or N; PA1 each Z is the same or different functional radical from the group --OH, --NH.sub.2, --NCO, --COOH, --CHO, --CH.dbd.CH.sub.2, allyl, N-methylol, acrylate, methacrylate, silyl, glycidyl or epoxy or preliminary stages of the radicals from this group or radicals from this group which are blocked by protective groups, in which case no more than four Z radicals may also be --H; and PA1 n is an integer of at least 3 and no more than 10;
and at least one cross-linking agent is provided, which has at least two functional groups selected among the Z radicals, which functional groups can react with the functional Z radicals of the phosphazene derivative.

Compositions having a phosphazene derivative and a cross-linking agent


A multi-mode filter for realizing wide band using capacitive coupling and inductive coupling and capable of tuning coupling value is disclosed. The multi-mode filter includes a housing; a first cavity and a second cavity formed in the housing; a first resonator located in the first cavity, a second resonator located in the second cavity, a wall configured to separate the first cavity from the second cavity; and a first coupling element, wherein a groove is formed between the housing and the wall, the first coupling element is inserted in the groove in crossing direction to the wall, one part of the first coupling element is disposed in the first cavity, another part of the first coupling element is disposed in the second cavity, and the first coupling element is connected to a ground.

In conventional multi-mode filter, coupling elements is located in coupling windows on a wall to generate coupling between resonators.
The conventional multi-mode filter may obtain sufficient coupling amount in single mode, but can't realize sufficient coupling amount in multi-mode. Consequently, the conventional multi-mode filter has been used only as a narrow band filter.
In addition, if manufacturing of the conventional multi-mode filter is completed, coupling value of the conventional multi-mode filter can't tune any more.

Multi mode filter for realizing wide band using capacitive coupling / inductive coupling and capable of tuning coupling value


A piezoelectric ceramic transformer includes a high impedance portion having internal electrode layers which are opposite each other in a thickness direction in a radial central portion of a piezoelectric ceramic disc; an annular insulating portion disposed externally of the high impedance portion and having no electrode; and a low impedance portion disposed externally of the annular insulating portion and having annular internal electrode layers which are opposite each other in a thickness direction, the internal electrode layers of the high impedance portion being exposed on the side end face of the piezoelectric ceramic disc at respective ends thereof without being in contact with the annular internal electrode layer of the low impedance portion and being alternately connected on the side end face with external electrodes, each of which is connected with an electric terminal, and the internal electrode layers of the low impedance portion being exposed on the side end face of the piezoelectric ceramic disc at respective ends thereof and being alternately connected on the side end face with external electrodes, each of which is connected with an electric terminal. The transformer is operable in a high frequency band and can be used for an onboard power supply.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric ceramic transformer, which is operable in a high frequency band and more particularly to a piezoelectric ceramic transformer for an onboard power supply whose smaller size and lower noize are demanded.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An electromagnetic transformer has recently been used as a switching power source to make a power circuit for electronic equipment more compact and an increase in switching frequency has been demanded to provide a more compact switching power source. However, as the switching frequency is increased, the power loss due to hysteresis loss and eddy current loss of the magnetic material used in the electromagnetic transformer and the loss due to the skin effect of the conductor are sharply increased, resulting in a considerably low efficiency of the transformer. Accordingly, the upper limit of the practical frequency of the electromagnetic transformer was at most 500 kHz.
In contrast to the general electromagnetic transformer, a multilayer piezoelectric ceramic transformer has been used in a resonant mode and had a number of advantages as follows:
(1) The size of the transformer can be made smaller since the energy density at the same frequency is higher. PA1 (2) The transformer can be made nonflammable. PA1 (3) No noise due to electromagnetic induction is generated.
The structure of a Rosen type piezoelectric transformer which is a typical prior art piezoelectric transformer will be described with reference to FIG. 1 as follows. In a piezoelectric ceramic plate for outputting a voltage which is provided with electrodes on surfaces thereof, a reference numeral 11 denotes a low impedance drive portion of the piezoelectric transformer, which is provided with electrodes 13 and 14 on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, respectively. The drive portion 11 is polarized in a thickness direction as shown by an arrow in the drawing. A reference numeral 12 denotes a high impedance generating portion which is provided with an electrode 15 on the side end face thereof and the generating portion 12 is polarized in a longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric ceramic plate as represented by an arrow in the drawing. For example, in the case that it is desired to output a high voltage by inputting a low voltage, the piezoelectric transformer operates as follows. When a drive voltage is applied across the electrodes 13 and 14, length extensional vibration is excited by a piezoelectric unstiffened effect with an electromechanical coupling factor k.sub.31 and in the generating portion 12, the high voltage can be outputted from the electrode 15 due to piezoelectric stiffened effect at an electromechanical coupling factor k.sub.33.
On the other hand, in the case that it is desired to output a low voltage by inputting a high voltage, it is apparent that it will be sufficient to use the high impedance portion and the low impedance portion as input and output sides, respectively.
Besides such a Rosen type piezoelectric transformer, the other piezoelectric transformer as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B using a radial extensional vibration mode of a disc has been known in the art. The operation principle of the piezoelectric transformer as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is identical with that of the Rosen type transformer. In the drawings, arrows denote the polarization direction; 21 denotes a low impedance portion; 22 denotes a high impedance portion; 23, 24 and 25 denote electrodes; 26 and 27 denote electrical terminals; and 28 denotes a ground. In such a piezoelectric transformer, the high impedance portion 22 of the piezoelectric stiffened effect is polarized in a length direction or a radial direction as shown by arrows in FIG. 2B. A d.c. voltage is necessary to perform a polarization treatment as is well known. For example, in case of PZT family piezoelectric ceramics, the intensity of the necessary polarization field is about 4 kV/mm. As the distance between the electrodes in the high impedance portion becomes longer, the polarization voltage increases. Accordingly, the piezoelectric transformer may be damaged due to the high polarization voltage when the polarization treatment is performed.
The operation frequency of the prior piezoelectric transformers described above remains at most 200 kHz since it uses length longitudinal resonation or fundamental radial extensional resonation.
As mentioned in the description of the prior art, the applicable frequency of the prior art piezoelectric transformer is limited to low frequencies of not more than 200 kHz. Since the prior art piezoelectric transformer can be used only in a low frequency band, a higher current cannot flow through the transformer. Accordingly, it is not suitable for a transformer for a power source. Further, it is necessary to apply a d.c. high voltage upon the transformer since polarization treatment is performed in a length or radial direction. Therefore, the piezoelectric transformer may be damaged on this polarization treatment. The Rosen type piezoelectric transformer is disadvantageous in that it has a low exciting efficiency since it can not help relying upon the coupling factor k.sub.31 of the piezoelectric unstiffened effect which is remarkably lower than the coupling factor k.sub.33 of the piezoelectric stiffened effect.


A honeycomb catalyst body includes a plugged honeycomb structure having porous partition walls, inflow side plugged portions, outflow side plugged portions, and porous projecting portions which project so as to extend from the partition walls into the cells and are formed integrally with the partition walls; and catalyst loaded onto the projecting portions of the plugged honeycomb structure. A porosity of the partition walls of the plugged honeycomb structure is 40 to 70%, a thickness of the projecting portions is from 30 to 140% of a thickness of the partition walls, and an amount of a catalyst loaded onto pore surfaces of the partition walls of the plugged honeycomb structure is smaller than an amount of the catalyst loaded onto the projecting portions. The catalyst loaded onto projecting portions is a three-way catalyst, and the catalyst loaded onto projecting portions is a selective reduction catalyst.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a honeycomb catalyst body. More particularly, it relates to a honeycomb catalyst body which can be contained even in a limited space and which has high mechanical strength, small pressure loss, and suitable purification performance.
2. Description of Related Art
It has been demanded that harmful substances such as NOx in exhaust gases discharged from internal combustion engines such as a car engine, a construction machine engine and an industrial machine stationary engine, the other burning devices and the like are purified and then discharged, in consideration of influences on the environment. Therefore, to purify the harmful substances, there has been used an exhaust gas purifying device including a plurality of honeycomb catalyst bodies each having a constitution in which a catalyst is loaded onto a honeycomb structure as a loading body.
As each honeycomb catalyst body, for example, there is known a honeycomb catalyst body including partition walls which define and form a plurality of cells to become through channels of a fluid and onto which a predetermined catalyst is loaded. Moreover, when the honeycomb catalyst body is used, the catalyst comes in contact with an exhaust gas in a case where the exhaust gas flows through the cells of the honeycomb catalyst body, so that the harmful substances in the exhaust gas can be purified.
Examples of the honeycomb catalyst body include a honeycomb catalyst body loaded with a selective reduction catalyst (SCR), a honeycomb catalyst body loaded with an ammonia slip preventing catalyst (ASC), and a honeycomb catalyst body loaded with a three-way catalyst and the like. In the above exhaust gas purifying device, these honeycomb catalyst bodies are suitably selected and arranged in series. Specifically, an exhaust gas purifying device is known in which a first catalyst body loaded with a lean NOx adsorber catalyst or the three-way catalyst is disposed on an upstream side, and a second catalyst body loaded with the selective reduction catalyst is disposed on a downstream side of the first catalyst body (e.g., see Patent Document 1). In this exhaust gas purifying device, when an air-fuel ratio of an engine is rich and specifically about 14.0, ammonia is generated from NOx and H2 in the exhaust gas by use of the first catalyst body. Afterward, NOx in the exhaust gas can be reduced and detoxified in the second catalyst body by use of the generated ammonia.    [Patent Document 1] JP-A-2011-149360

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A system for managing resources such as buffers and bandwidth which are allocated to competing entities through two or more levels in a telecommunications network is disclosed. The system provides a tool to allocate resources for use by individual entities. Each entity may be assigned a Minimum.sub.-- Guaranteed variable and a Maximum.sub.-- Allowed variable. When an entity requests resources the system determines if the entity is using its respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation which is specified by the Minimum.sub.-- Guaranteed variable. If the entity is not using its respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation, the system allocates a resource unit to the requesting entity. The system also allows a requesting entity to use additional resource units above the resource allocation specified by the Minimum.sub.-- Guaranteed variable, provided such resource units are available. If the entity has reached its respective minimum guaranteed resource allocation, but has not reached the respective maximum allowed resource allocation specified by the Maximum.sub.-- Allowed variable and no intervening level is using its respective maximum allowed resource allocation, then a resource unit is allocated to the requesting entity.

Basic techniques for management of finite resources such as bandwidth and buffers in multiple level hierarchical systems such as asynchronous transfer mode ("ATM") networks are generally known. The techniques include provision of sufficient resources to satisfy theoretical maximum demands and allocation of resources based on statistically calculated demands.
Trying to provide sufficient resources for theoretical maximum demands is costly and inefficient. The technique is costly because the hardware which comprises the resources is costly. The technique is inefficient because actual use is typically considerably less than the theoretical maximum, and a portion of the provided resources are thus under-utilized.
On the other hand, allocation of resources at one level of a hierarchical system of resources based upon an expectation of how much resource may be required under some given set of conditions may improve efficiency and reduce the cost of resources. The current state of the art for hierarchical systems must attempt this on the basis of requests specifying either a maximum or a nominal resource requirement. Resources are granted based upon some statistical basis. However, this technique lacks the control and flexibility required to manage the resources in an effective manner at the various levels of the hierarchy. Several unsatisfactory modes of operation are experienced. The resources granted may not be sufficient to satisfy the requirements under all conditions and as a result, the required resources may not be available when needed and data is lost. The granting of excess resources, while aiding in the prevention of data loss, nullifies the cost savings that can be realized. Such systems do not provide a means to manage the hierarchical resources in a dynamic manner to accommodate changing conditions. Furthermore, such systems do not allow for the maintenance of a pool of resources that may be shared in a controlled manner by all of the requesters at the immediately lower level of the hierarchical resources.
The provisioning of resources for hierarchical services under the current state of the art is accomplished by a request from the lower level to the next higher level for a specific amount of resource. The basis of granting this request may be either in terms of a maximum requirement or as a statistical expectation of the resource that will be required. Resources so granted may prove inefficient or may provide unsatisfactory performance. Once granted, however, changes in this assignment of resources may be quite difficult to effect since they will typically involve negotiations and changes to the resources provided by the higher level to the other peer lower level users of the resources.

Hierarchical resource management with maximum allowable allocation boundaries


An MRI system RF transmit antenna arrangement 3 including an antenna 5 including a length of coaxial cable 51 with an electrically conductive core 52 and an electrically conductive outer shield 53 through which the core runs, with the core having a feed point 52a arranged for electrical connection to an RF source and at least one break 53a being provided in the electrically conductive outer shield partway along the length of coaxial cable so as to divide the electrically conductive outer shield 53 into at least two axially spaced shield portions such that at least one of the shield portions acts as a radiating element when an RF source is connected to the feed point 52a.

An MRI system typically comprises a main MRI scanner arrangement, a patient support or bed on which a patient lies during scanning and in at least some cases a separate, local, RF (Radio Frequency) arrangement (or body part specific RF arrangement) which is arranged for location in the region of a particular body part which it is desired to scan.
The main MRI scanner arrangement typically comprises a main magnet, gradient coils, RF transmit antennas/coils, and receive coils all arranged in a main unit with a bore in which the patient is positioned during scanning. Where present, a body part specific RF arrangement will typically also be positioned in the bore during scanning. A body part specific RF arrangement may comprise at least one receive coil and/or at least one RF transmit antenna/coil.
As is well known MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) systems are widely used for imaging subjects and can also be used in combination systems such as MR-Linac, PET-MR systems, and MRI thermal therapies such as MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy. These combine magnetic resonance imaging with other techniques for treatment, say in MR-Linac, and MRI thermal therapies or to provide functional imaging say in PET-MR. A further subset of MRI systems, are MRSI (magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging) systems in which spatially localised spectra may be obtained from within sample or patient.
In MRI operation, the magnet creates a large static magnetic field B0, the RF transmit antennas/coils generate an alternating magnetic field B1 and the receive coils, whether provided in the main unit or in a body part specific receive coil are arranged for collecting a magnetic resonance signal (that is to say acquiring magnetic resonance data). The gradient coils are used to allow spatial encoding on the B0 field to enable tomographic imaging.
When an MRI system is operated using the receive coils provided in the main unit of the scanning apparatus, the resolution and accuracy of the results can be limited in some cases. This leads to the use of separate, one may say local, receive coils, say body part specific coils as mentioned above which aim to improve imaging of a selected location/body part. In at least some cases it may be beneficial to be able to provide RF transmit antenna/coils in a local or body part specific RF arrangement along with local receive coils or independently therefrom.
Providing local RF transmit antennas/coils can be problematic in at least some cases since conventional RF transmit antennas/coils can be ill-suited to inclusion in a body part specific RF arrangement which is arranged to closely conform to the shape of a particular body part.
A further issue to consider is the SAR (specific absorption rate) (heating effect) which is seen in a subject being imaged due to the signals being applied to the subject to produce the desired B1 field. Typically the heating effect is caused by electric fields which are generated in the subject as a by-product of creating the desired B1 field. In general it is desirable to minimise the SAR levels produced for any given strength of B1 field.

MRI systems and RF transmit antenna arrangement including a coaxial cable with an electrically conductive core and an electrically conductive outer shield


A fitted mattress covering includes a body and an elastic strip. The body includes an upper surface and a side portion extending therefrom. The upper surface and the side portion together define a cavity therebetween shaped to receive a mattress. The side portion defines a lower edge of the body. The elastic strip is attached to the lower edge of the body and extends across and/or around a portion of the cavity. The elastic strip includes an inwardly-facing surface facing into the cavity and an outwardly-facing surface facing away from the cavity. At least part of one or both of the inwardly-facing surface and/or the outwardly-facing surface includes a non-slip portion. The non-slip portion is configured to generate a higher coefficient of friction with an adjacent surface than the elastic strip would provide without the non-slip portion.

In the art, there presently exists a variety of known fitted sheets for mattresses and the like. Such sheets typically employ an elastic binding at or around the lower edge of the sheets to gather the lower edge and to permit a user to stretch the lower edge of the sheet to fit around and/or under a mattress. Elastic bindings typically extend around the entire free edge or perimeter of the sheet and are used to help to retain the fitted sheet on the mattress. Alternatively, elastic bindings can be positioned at the corners of the periphery of the sheet opening, at the ends of the sheet opening, along the sides of the sheet opening, a combination thereof, or other locations as known by those of skill in the art.
For certain sheet designs, additional widthwise or diagonally extending elastic straps or panels may be provided at the corners of the sheet or elsewhere thereon. Elastic straps are bands that are typically positioned across the corners of the opening of the sheet and have a width like a standard strip of elastic. Some sheets use panels of elastic material instead of or in conjunction with straps. The elastic panels can extend across the corners of the opening of the sheet or along an entire end of the opening of the sheet, among other known locations, so that the elastic straps and/or panels extend under the mattress when properly installed thereon. The elastic bindings, in conjunction with the elastic straps and panels, facilitate fitting of the sheet on mattresses of different sizes, and further eliminate wrinkles in the fitted sheet.
Although the elastic binding and elastic straps/panels may provide adequate retention on a mattress, one drawback of existing designs is that the straps or panels can slide with respect to the mattress because both the elastic member and the mattress have fiber surfaces. Therefore, it is advantageous to design an elastic member that can engage in slip-resistant contact with the mattress and/or another surface, such as the box spring, platform bed, or the floor.

Covering having a non-slip elastic member


A cartridge assembly for propelling a subcaliber penetrator through a gun tube which has a portion of the propellant charge contained in an annular cavity surrounding the sabot is disclosed. The annular cavity is defined by the scoop shaped front bourrelet, the aft bourrelet which has three radially extending support posts and bore riding shoes, and a combustible tubular case extension over the aft bourrelet extending forward to the front bourrelet. The assembly includes cartridge case having a multistrand ignition system having a plurality of flexible combustible ignition strand. The strands extend through the propellant charge in the case and extend between the posts of the aft bourrelet into the annular cavity to simultaneously ignite the propellant charge contained therein with the portion of the charge in the cartridge case.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to large caliber ammunition and more particularly to armor penetrating, fin stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) projectile cartridges.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A large caliber APFSDS cartridge typically has a combustible case attached to a saboted long rod penetrator. The sabot has a front bore riding support or bourrelet and a rear bore riding support or bourrelet. The case is attached to the aft bourrelet on the sabot. The aft bourrelet is a solid cylindrical portion that forms a closure on the case mouth, thus retaining the propellant in the case. The front bourrelet is spaced from the case mouth and includes a scoop to catch onrushing air upon projectile exit from the gun tube. The scoop shaped front bourrelet permits onrushing air to separate the segments of the sabot from the fin stabilized long rod penetrator. The propelling gases push against the aft face of the aft bourrelet to push the Projectile through the tube. When such a cartridge is inserted in the gun chamber, there is a toroidal void formed between the front and aft bourrelets and the inside surface of the gun tube. This void conventionally serves no useful function.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,342, issued to Schleicher on Oct. 23, 1990, discloses a sabot arrangement for an APFSDS projectile having front and aft bourrelets which has passages through the aft bourrelet. The passages through the aft bourrelet permit propelling gases to act upon the rear face of the front bourrelet to pull the saboted projectile through the gun tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,517, issued to Kraft et al on Dec. 4, 1990, discloses an APFSDS round with passages through the aft bourrelet connecting the space between the bourrelets with the propellant case. A combustible, or thin rupturable barrier separates the propellant in the case from the passage into the void between the bourrelets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,220, issued to Burns et al on Jun. 26, 1990, discloses a saboted projectile having a scoop front bourrelet and a cylindrical rear bourrelet with a tubular sleeve between them made of a combustible material. Several plugged through bores through the aft bourrelet connect the toroidal cavity between the bourrelets with the rear face of the aft bourrelet. A portion of the propelling charge is contained within the toroidal cavity. This portion of the charge is sequentially ignited after ignition of the main charge by an igniter mounted in an unsealable blowout plug in the through bore or a delay charge/seal positioned in each of the through bores.
In accordance with the present invention a cannon cartridge propellant ignition assembly is provided for connecting to a primer hear and a cartridge case. The head contains an ignition device and an ignition charge therein. The assembly comprises a solid ignitor strand adaptor body having an open end adapted to mate and engage with the primer head. An internal ignition chamber is adapted to communicate with the ignition charge and a plurality of through bores extend through the adaptor into the chamber. A tubular metal sleeve is pressed into each of the bores. A plurality of flexible ignition strands is provided, each having one end frictionally clamped by and extending through one of the tubular sleeves so as to communicate into the ignition chamber. Each of the sleeves confine a portion of the strand at the end which is fixturally clamped into the sleeve in order to generate a high order propagation rate upon ignition.
The confinement method to initiate high order detonation of ignition strands has been achieved. This detonation propagation rating is on the order of 3,000 to 6,000 feet per second.
The concept here is to sustain the pressure peak as the propelled projectile moves through the gun tube by providing an additional "traveling charge" located in a sabot, and particularly in an APFSDS type round, and determining how to assemble the cartridge to allow this to work in a practical way.


An update management device manages software update of a plurality of ECUs included in an in-vehicle network, the update management device including: an information acquiring unit for acquiring load information indicating a load of each of the plurality of ECUs, performance information indicating a performance of each of the plurality of ECUs, and configuration information indicating the configuration of the in-vehicle network; and an update setting unit for selecting a restoration execution ECU that executes a restoration process of update data from among the plurality of ECUs using the load information, the performance information, and the configuration information acquired by the information acquiring unit.

In recent years, a plurality of electronic control units (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "ECUs") has been provided in a vehicle. Software of each ECU is updated by, for example, so-called "over-the-air (OTA)". Methods to update software by OTA include so-called "entire update" and "differential update". Patent Literature 1 discloses technology for identifying the update method when software of individual ECUs is updated by OTA.

Update management device, update management system, and update management method


A biodegradable and/or bioabsorbable composite stent includes a bioabsorbable ceramic material dispersed and embedded in a biodegradable polymeric material. The bioabsorbable ceramic material is made of flakes that have a thin, flat shape. In one embodiment, the composite stent comprises a body of one or more layers of polymer alone coupled to layers of polymer in which the ceramic flakes are dispersed and embedded and the composite is coiled to form the stent.

Stents can generally be thought of as medical devices that support or keep open vessels, ducts, or other lumens in the body. Many stents are used to relieve an occlusion in blood vessels such as coronary arteries, veins, etc. However, stents may also be used in the intestines, the esophagus, urethra, biliary ducts, and the like.
In vascular stents, the stent is often designed to be flexible to allow the stent to be inserted into the vascular system and guided to the appropriate location. Typically, this is done using suitable guide wires, catheters, and the like. Once in position, the stent is designed to be opened and held in position in order to facilitate unobstructed flow through the vessel. Stents may be opened in a number of ways such as using a balloon catheter. The need for flexibility may vary according to the application within the body.
Stents that are left in place over a long period of time may cause problems. For example, the stent may cause weakening of the vessel wall which may result in formation of a thrombus, aneurysm, or the like. In addition, endothelial tissue may cover the stent and/or prevent treatment of restenosis. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a composite stent that is bioabsorbable and/or biodegradable to reduce the risk that is otherwise associated with permanent stents.

Composite stent with bioremovable ceramic flakes


A method and system for network-based control over voice calling from a client telephony device. A client telephony device receives a user-request to place a voice call from the client telephony device and responsively sends to a controller, via a packet-data connection, a request for authorization to place the voice call. The client telephony device then receives from the controller, via the packet-data connection, a response to the request. And the client telephony device then sends to a network entity (e.g., a switch) a call origination request message seeking to initiate the voice call, only if the response from the controller indicates that the client telephony device is authorized to place the voice call. Further, the controller can also monitor a account balance for the client telephony device and direct the device to disconnect the call when the balance is exhausted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunications systems and, more particularly, to a method and system for providing account balance or prepaid communication service.
2. Description of Related Art
For many years, the telecommunications industry has recognized the need to provide a mechanism for restricting or otherwise managing use of communication services based on a measure of subscriber account balance. In systems providing account balance services, a subscriber may first establish a prepaid account with a service provider and then pay for a duration of communication services on the communication network by adding money to the prepaid account. An account balance typically represents a measure, such as time or monetary value, of communication services that a subscriber is authorized to use. As the subscriber uses the service, the carrier may then continuously monitor and decrement the balance of the prepaid account. When the balance drops to a low threshold level, the service provider may notify the subscriber and allow the subscriber to add more money to the account. Further, once the account is exhausted, i.e., the balance drops to zero, the service provider may refuse to provide additional services to the subscriber or charge the subscriber for an excess use. Other arrangements are also possible.
Offered for years in both landline and wireless systems, prepaid service has been viewed as a tool to attract "credit challenged" consumers, that is, potential customers with poor credit histories or who otherwise lack adequate credit references. In addition, prepaid services appeal to consumers who do not want to be burdened with contracts and bills, who want to maintain fixed budgets, or who simply wish to remain anonymous. For example, travelers who require a temporary phone service can benefit from prepaid services in the form of a rented wireless phone that has been activated with prepaid minutes. Similarly, a pre-activated wireless phone with initial prepaid minutes can be given, sold or rented through various channels, including supermarkets and convenience stores.
The concept of account balance services, however, encompasses more than just traditional prepaid communications. In general, an account balance service can involve establishing or applying any type of account balance that serves as an actual or suggested limit on use of communications services. The account balance could represent a time limit such as minutes of use, or a monetary limit such as dollars of use, for example. Further, the account balance that defines the actual or suggested limit on use need not necessarily come from a prepayment by a subscriber or other party. Rather, the account balance could simply represent an assigned limit on use, which the subscriber may or may not be allowed to exceed.
In order to provide account balance services, a telecommunications network should include some mechanism to track the start and stop of calls, to monitor and adjust a subscriber's balance during a call, and to maintain control in order to facilitate an appropriate response to a low or zero balance.
FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless telecommunication network 100 in which account balance services are provided according to one existing embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, network 100 includes a first client device 102, which communicates over an air interface 106, an intermediate base station 104, and a communication link 108 with a Base Station Controller ("BCS") 152. According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, first client device 102 may be a cellular telephone, for instance. BSC 152 is in turn coupled via a communication link 154 to a mobile switching center ("MSC") 110, which serves to connect calls between various points in network 100. As shown in FIG. 1, MSC 110 is connected by a voice data link 112 to a public switched telephone network ("PSTN") 114, which provides a path through which MSC 110 may connect calls with a remote MSC 118 and in turn with a second client device 126. MSC 118 is interconnected via a BSC 164 and an intermediate base station 122 to second client device 126.
Exemplary network 100 includes a signaling subsystem, which may be a packet-switched SS7 signaling system, for instance. At the core of the signaling network, there is a signal transfer point ("STP") backbone network 134, which may consist of one or more signal transfer points and associated signaling paths. STP network 134 carries out-of-band signals that are used to control the switches and to set up and tear down the circuit between the calling party, such as first client terminal 102, and the called party, such as second client terminal 126. As illustrated in FIG. 1, MSC 110 and MSC 118 are coupled to STP network 134 via signaling paths 128 and 132, respectively. For instance, Signaling System 7 ("SS7") may be used as a signaling system.
STP network 134 is coupled to a centralized service control point ("SCP") 142 via a signaling path 140. SCP 142 contains control information and call processing logic to assist MSC 110. For example, SCP 142 may provide routing instructions to MSC 110. In exemplary network architecture 100, an Intelligent Peripheral ("IP") 162 is coupled to STP 134 via a signaling path 160, and MSCs 110 and 118, or HLR 138 and SCP 142 may communicate with IP 162 via STP 134. IP 162 can be arranged to provide assorted services, including tone generation, voice recognition, playback, compression, call control, recording, and DTMF detection and collection. IP 162 may also include an intelligent voice response unit ("IVRU") to facilitate various interactions with users. In such an embodiment, IP 162 may be linked to one or more MSCs via one or more voice trunks, such as a voice trunk 130 illustrated in FIG. 130 for MSC 118. It should be understood that MSC 110 may have a voice trunk to the IP 162 as well. Typically, IP 162 does not have call control logic embedded and must be instructed to perform each operation under the control of SCP 142 using a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP"), for instance.
Exemplary network 100 further includes a Home Location Register ("HLR") 138 coupled by a signaling path 136 with STP network 134. HLR 138 serves standard functions in the wireless network such as managing service profiles and authenticating subscribers or mobile stations. HLR 138 may be located on an SCP operated by the home service provider of record for a given subscriber. In addition, network 100 may include a Visitor Location Register ("VLR"), which stores service profile information for mobile stations being served by the carrier-operating SCP 142.
To manage account balances, network 100 further includes a calculation engine ("CE") 146. Calculation engine 142 is a programmed computer running an application to manage subscriber account balances. In FIG. 1, CE 146 is coupled to SCP 142 via a link 144. Link 144 may be a wide area network such as the Internet, and SCP 142 and CE 146 may communicate over link 144 by a TCP/IP interface.
In one arrangement for providing account balance services, a prepaid subscriber may originate a call from first client device 102 by sending dialed digits to MSC 110. Upon receipt of the dialed digits, MSC 110 may request instructions from SCP 142 by sending to SCP 142 an origination request message including the dialed digits and a mobile station identifier of first client device 102. Upon receipt of the dialed digits, SCP 142 may determine that the subscriber is the account balance service subscriber, and, further, that IP 162 needs to play an announcement of the subscriber's available balance. Therefore, SCP 142 may request from IP 162 a routing number for routing the call from MSC 110 to IP 162. IP 162 may respond by allocating a temporary number to one of its ports and returning that number to SCP 142. SCP 142 may then send a message to MSC 110, instructing MSC 110 to set up a call to the allocated number at IP 162, and MSC 110 may then set up the call.
Once the call is set up between MSC 110 and IP 162, IP 162 may query SCP 142 for instructions, and SCP 142 may instruct IP 162 to play a balance announcement. EP 162 may then play the balance announcement to the user at first client device 102 and may inform SCP 142 it has done so. In turn, SCP 142 may send a disconnection request to MSC 110 instructing MSC 110 to disconnect from IP 162.
In such an embodiment, MSC 110 may then set up a call to a number dialed by the subscriber and, when the called party answers, MSC 110 may detect an answer trigger and responsively sends to SCP 142 a message indicating that the call was answered. Upon receipt of the message, SCP 142 may instruct CE 146 to begin decrementing the subscriber's account balance. In turn, when the call ends, MSC 110 may detect a disconnection trigger and responsively may send to SCP 142 a disconnection message to SCP 142 that responsively may instruct CE 146 to stop decrementing the subscriber's account balance.
This solution for providing account services is expensive, since it requires MSCs and SCPs to be configured with call triggers that trigger the MSCs and SCPs to interact with network entities providing account balance services, such as CE 146 and IP 162. Further, existing systems require costly overlay voice connectivity to the network entities providing account balance services (such as voice connectivity between MSC 110 and IP 162 explained above in greater detail) and, thus, consume voice connection resources by tying voice trunks available on network entities in the network.
Therefore, a need still exists for an improved system and methods for providing account balance services.

System and method for providing prepaid communications


A first library cell and a second library cell each includes a plurality of metal layers, and a metal track direction of the odd metal layers of the first library cell is perpendicular to that of the odd metal layers of the second library cell. An integrated circuit design method applied to these library cells includes the steps of rotating the second library cell to cause the metal track direction of the odd metal layers of the second library cell to be parallel to that of the odd metal layers of the first library cell, and placing the first library cell and the second library cell in an identical integrated circuit design.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit design method and a related system, and more particularly, to an integrated circuit design method for improving placement and routing (P&R) by rotating a metal track direction of metal layers of ultra high speed cells.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the development of semiconductor technology, conventional electronic elements (such as capacitors and resistors) can be integrated into a chip. Hence, during a semiconductor manufacturing process, an integrated circuit (IC) can be produced by connecting metals on the chip. Due to ICs being widely applied to miscellaneous electronic products, planning a floor plan, power plans, placements of the IC, and routing between elements have become an important topic of this field.
IC design methods are divided into several kinds: full-custom design, gate array design, and standard cell design, wherein the standard cell design brings designed element modules together to form a large-scale circuit by utilizing a cell library. Pluralities of library cells are usually built in the cell library, wherein a normal cell and an ultra high speed cell are the most common library cells. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 (including 1A and 1B) is a diagram showing metal layers of a conventional normal cell and a conventional ultra high speed cell according to the prior art. FIG. 2 (including 2A and 2B) is a diagram showing the power rails of the normal cell and the ultra high speed cell shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the normal cell and the ultra high speed cell respectively consist of a plurality of metal layers. The normal cell consists of six metal layers M11-M16, as is shown in 1A. The ultra high speed cell consists of six metal layers M21-M26, as is shown in 1B. A metal track direction of the odd metal layers M11, M13, and M15 of the normal cell is perpendicular to that of the odd metal layers M21, M23, and M25 of the ultra high speed cell. A metal track direction of the even metal layers M12, M14, and M16 of the normal cell is perpendicular to that of the even metal layers M22, M22, and M26 of the ultra high speed cell. As shown in 2A, the power rail of the normal cell uses the first metal layer M11 as its power mesh and has a height of 3.2 μm. As shown in 2B, the power rail of the ultra high speed cell uses the second metal layer M22 as its power mesh and has a height of 4 μm.
However, if the conventional normal cell and the conventional ultra high speed cell are desired to be placed in the same IC design, extra wirings and extra vias are required to complete the power plans and the placement and routing (P&R) of the IC design due to the metal track directions of the normal cell being different from that of the ultra high speed cell. As a result, the cost is raised.

Integrated circuit design method applied to a plurality of library cells and integrated circuit design system thereof


A LED track-light fixture is disclosed. The LED track-light fixture includes a canister assembly and a LED light module. The LED light module includes a LED light engine surrounded by a heat sink with vertical cooling fins fit into the canister assembly. The LED light module electrically couples to a driver assembly therein through matched sets of contact connectors. The canister assembly and a LED light module have matched guide features to ensure that the LED light module is installed in the proper rational orientation and the LED light module is preferably secured within the canister assembly through a fixing ring structure.

Track-lighting refers to light fixtures that are cable of being attached anywhere along a continuous electrified track; in contrast to lighting that usually requires electrical wiring to each individual light fixture position. Track-lighting has the advantage of being capable of being mounted to a variety of structural surface, such as ceilings, walls, beams and rafters.
Typical track-lighting systems have a line voltage running through a recessed track or power track. The power track may have more than one live conductor, so that multiple switching circuits can be used to control different lights operating from the same power track. Systems often operate with low voltage (10, 12, or 24 volts). In this case, the power track is electrified through a low-voltage transformer. Some newer track-lighting systems use a single live conductor and a suitable digital control interface, such as DALI to control each adapter coupled to the track.
Track-lighting systems have traditional used halogen MR (multifaceted reflector) light engines because they have a small form factor and still provide bright directional lighting. A typical MR light engine has a two prong connector or connector pins and are produced in a variety of different sizes. A common MR light engine used in track-lighting systems is a MR16 light engine, wherein the number 16 represents the diameter of the light engine in eighths of an inch. Halogen MR light engines are largely being replaced by longer lasting and more efficient LED light engines.


A serial bus system for data communication between devices according to a master-slave protocol has a data bus connecting master and slave devices and a shared clock system arranged to provide a shared-clock signal to the master and slave devices. The master and slave devices are arranged to derive device-individual clock signals which are synchronized with data received on the data bus, from the shared-clock signal and a data-timing indication on the data bus.

Data transmission between electronic devices or components of electronic devices plays an important role in modern technology. With the increase in computing power and storage capacity during recent years, the data volumes to be handled by such devices have rapidly increased. Consequently, data transmission systems with ever increasing data rates have been developed.
In order to deal with these increased data rates a variety of transmission systems have been provided. Many of these transmission systems are bus systems having a shared transmission medium to enable more than two devices to be connected. Examples of these are the internal computer buses ISA and PCI, the PCMCIA bus used for portable computers, the PS/2 bus, the RS 232, USB, SCSI and IEEE 1394 (Firewire) buses to connect external devices to computers. Similarly, Ethernet and Token Ring systems are used to connect computers to LANs (Local Area Networks). An example of a bus system designed for connecting ICs in digital control systems is the I2C-bus by Philips semiconductors.
In parallel buses, more than one bit is transmitted at a time over a multiplicity of parallel transmission lines, whereas in serial buses the bits are serially transmitted over one transmission line. Parallel buses achieve higher data rates, due to the simultaneous transmission, but serial buses need fewer lines (e.g. one twisted-pair line) and are therefore better suited for greater transmission distances.
The I2C-bus (see e.g. "The I2C-bus Specification", Version 2, January 2000) is a serial bus-system for 8-bit oriented digital control applications. Systems which make use of the I2 C-bus concept typically include a microcontroller and peripheral devices such as memories and I/O expanders interfaced with the bus by bus controllers. In the I2C-bus, the transmission is based on a master-slave protocol. Access to the bus is governed by the device which is the "master". The other devices, the slaves, may only access the bus upon request by the master. The I2C-bus is a multi-master bus which means that the role of the master may be taken by different devices. The bus has two lines, a serial data line (SDA) and a serial clock line (SCL). The serial data line carries the data between the devices connected to the bus. The master device has a master clock which puts its master-clock signal onto the clock line (SCL). The clock line (SCL) supplies the master clock signal to all slave devices which use it for reading and sending data. Thus, the I2C-bus uses synchronous transmission. Due to this, the data rate of the I2C-bus is limited to rates in the order of 100 kbit/s to 3 Mbit/s, and the maximum length of the bus cable is also limited.
Other known bus systems use asynchronous transmission which means that, although the rates of data bits in sequences of transmitted data (e.g. in packets, frames, etc.) are nearly the same, the data bits of different packets or frames may not lie within the same timing raster. Each bus device has its own clock, and when it receives a new data packet or frame, it synchronizes its internal clock to the bits in the packet or frame, e.g. by means of a start bit at the beginning of the packet or frame. Having synchronized its internal clock in such a way, the device is able to read the bits of the packet or frame.

Hewlett Packard Development Company, L.P.


A metering pump for highly viscous fillings has a crankshaft-type drive for a back-and-forth movement of a piston (1) in a cylinder (2) and a drive for a forward-and-backward rotational movement of a rotary slide valve (4) derived from this. The rotary slide valve (4) has openings and the housing of said rotary slide valve has connections for a suction line (7) and a discharge line (8) for the piston/cylinder unit (1, 2). A plate cam, coupling assembly (14) and clamping lever (25) engaging with the turntable (4) are provided for the rotational movement of the rotary slide valve (4). The coupling assembly (14) has a pivoted lever (20) having an articulated joint (21) formed on one end which in turn is formed on a bearing block (19), arranged locally fixed and slideable. An adjusting drive (30) for altering the position of the bearing block (19) is provided independent from the crankshaft-type drive.

A metering pump of the above type is known in which the coupling assembly has a transmission lever which engages on the clamping lever. The clamping lever is mounted radially on the rotary slide valve. The transmission lever is constructed with a variable length. For this purpose, it is subdivided and provided with appropriate threaded parts. The clamping lever engages on the rotary slide valve by means of an adjusting spring so that the radial position of the clamping lever relative to the rotary slide valve and its openings cannot be altered. The length of the transmission lever can only be changed when the metering pump is stationary. Altering the length of the transmission lever changes the position of the rotational angle through which the clamping lever and the rotary slide valve pass during the forward-and-backward rotational movement, while the size of this angle, generally 90.degree., remains roughly the same upon such a displacement. Such a displacement in the position of the rotational angle, which can only be performed when the metering pump is stationary, is awkward and a disadvantage. The metering pump must be stopped for every single adjustment or readjustment respectively, i.e. the filling process must be interrupted. The housing for the metering pump must be opened at the appropriate point to enable access to the transmission lever. The length can then be modified. Only when the filling process is restarted can it be seen whether or not the adjustment has achieved the desired result. If this is not the case, the entire adjusting procedure must be repeated. Should the viscosity of the filling change during the filling process, something that can happen, then a readjustment is practically impossible with the known metering pump. However, in many cases such a readjustment is highly desirable or even essential with filling processes involving difficult-to-handle fillings. As the rotary slide valve functions, in order to link the container to be filled with the piston/cylinder unit upon the intake (suction) stroke and to block this link upon the expel (eject) stroke as well as to link the piston/cylinder unit with the discharge line, there will always be such relationships whereby the chain of filling at the end of the discharge line, i.e. already on both sides of the rotary slide valve, must tear off in order to supply the respective portion. It is known to suck back filling from the discharge line at the start of the intake stroke of the piston/cylinder unit, whereby said filling then, facing the opposite way to the filling to be delivered being acted upon by gravity, moves upwards or backwards respectively in the discharge line. These two opposed movements are intended to achieve a clean breakage of the filling after each portion. According to the type of filling, this "suck-back" (return) effect has to be set differently and reset in many cases so that just such a clean break in the filling is achieved and so that traces of filling land, for example, on the sealing surfaces of the packaging container for the filling where they might interfere with the sealing. As with such metering pumps the filling volume must also be set, there is the added difficulty that when adjusting the filling volume the relationships at the break-off point of the filling chain will once again change. A relative setting is necessary here. It can be seen that these possibilities for adjustment are unsatisfactory in the case of the known metering pump.

Metering pump for highly viscous fillings


An improved earth-working tool including a disc having a central portion and an outer peripheral portion. The disc is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis extending through the central portion. A peripheral portion has a plurality of first points along the outer peripheral portion which are closer to the axis than other points on the outer peripheral portion. The first points are substantially equidistantly spaced from the axis. Radially inner sections of the outer peripheral portion are disposed along a line which is substantially tangential to an arc formed around the axis of rotation and through the first points, whereby the substantially tangential sections will tend to cut residue on top of the soil in a more downward direction than conventional circular discs do. The discs also have radially outer sections on the outer peripheral portion which are not along the substantially tangential lines and which are further from the axis than the first points. An alternate embodiment has an outer periphery with alternating radially inward and radially outward arcuate sections, the inward arcuate sections being longer than the outer sections.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an agricultural disc and more particularly to an agricultural disc of a novel design which cuts through crop residue better than prior art devices and further has a novel outer peripheral configuration which manipulates the soil better than prior art designs.
2. Description of Prior Art
Most prior art discs and coulters are round. These discs or coulters roll through the soil, and in the case of discs, soil is thrown in a direction away from the concave side thereof. One of the problems associated with round discs or coulters is that the cutting angle of the disc is not even close to being parallel with the top surface of the ground during the cutting process. Rather than cutting or chopping through the crop residue, such as corn stalks, the crop residue is pinned against the ground and then sliced as the disc turns into the ground.
Also, in the manufacture of round discs, a substantial amount of material is wasted because typically the discs are formed from sheets of material which are square or rectangular and the comer portion of each sheet used to construct a round disc becomes essentially scrap material.
Consequently, there is a need for discs which tend to cut crop residue more like scissors and which do not have to be forced into the ground like round discs. Also, there is a need for disc structures which tend to aerate or fluff the soil more than round discs, and therefore create a more severe stirring action of the soil.
Those concerned with these and other problems of the prior art recognize the need for an improved earth-working disc.


A method of evaluating noise immunity of a semiconductor device is provided. An actual circuit including the semiconductor device is represented by an equivalent circuit which has a target equivalent circuit, a noise source equivalent circuit, and an external equivalent circuit connected in parallel. The target equivalent circuit represents the semiconductor device. The noise source equivalent circuit represents a noise source outside the semiconductor device, and supplies noise to the target equivalent circuit. The external equivalent circuit represents a circuit outside the semiconductor device. The noise immunity is evaluated based on a voltage or current which arises in the target equivalent circuit by the noise. In this way, the immunity of the semiconductor device against extraneous noise can be evaluated in consideration of the effects of the circuitry outside the semiconductor device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for evaluating noise immunity of a semiconductor device.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, noise immunity evaluation of a semiconductor device during the design phase is carried out by performing circuit simulations using an equivalent circuit of the semiconductor device. One example of such a noise immunity evaluation method is disclosed as "Device and Method for Simulation for Semiconductor Integrated Circuit" in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H07-262263.
FIG. 13 shows an equivalent circuit representing a semiconductor integrated circuit (hereafter referred to as a "semiconductor device") which is evaluated using this example conventional method.
In the drawing, an equivalent circuit 1300 includes terminals 1301 and 1302, logic equivalent circuits 1331-1334, resistors 1311-1314, and inductors 1321-1324. The terminal 1301 represents a power supply terminal of the semiconductor device. The terminal 1302 represents a ground terminal of the semiconductor device. The logic equivalent circuits 1331-1334 each represent a different one of a plurality of circuit blocks of the semiconductor device. The resistors 1311-1314 and the inductors 1321-1324 represent power supply paths over which power is supplied to the corresponding circuit blocks.
In this conventional method, the logical behavior of each of the logic equivalent circuits 1331-1334 is examined to find the power consumption and output signal delay of the logic equivalent circuit. The power consumption and output signal delay are then used to calculate the flow of current through the logic equivalent circuit and its maximum rate of change. Further, a counterelectromotive force generated in the corresponding power supply path is calculated from the flow of current, the maximum rate of change, the resistance of the corresponding resistor, and the inductance of the corresponding inductor. A sum-total of the counterelectromotive forces calculated for the logic equivalent circuits 1331-1334 is compared with a predetermined tolerance level, and the comparison result is output.
By comparing the sum-total of the counterelectromotive forces with the predetermined tolerance level in this way, the probability of malfunction in the semiconductor device can be judged. The immunity of the semiconductor device from switching noise can be evaluated based on this judgement.
However, the conventional method evaluates only the immunity of the semiconductor device from switching noise that occurs within the semiconductor device, and cannot evaluate the immunity of the semiconductor device from so-called extraneous noise, which is introduced into the semiconductor device from outside.
Also, though a semiconductor device is usually connected to an external circuit to achieve its function, the conventional method does not take the effects of such an external circuit into account.

Method, apparatus, and computer program for evaluating noise immunity of a semiconductor device

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A fuel closure assembly is especially useful in multi-layer fuel tanks. An opening in a fuel tank wall having an externally threaded nipple forms a planar sealing surface. An seal is centered about a radial surface of the nipple. A plate closes the opening and is retained in position by a threaded ring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sealing an opening in an automotive fuel tank. More specifically, the invention seals the interface between a multi-layer fuel tank wall using a L-shaped or U-shaped seal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automotive fuel tanks contain a variety of openings to permit access to the interior of the tank. Among the largest of these openings is the opening to accommodate the fuel delivery module. Fuel delivery modules may be secured to an opening in the fuel tank wall through a circular self-locking cover as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,637 or a mason jar-type threaded retaining ring as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,677. Self-locking covers generally use a flat, cylindrical seal. Mason jar-type covers use O-ring type seals. O-ring and circular seals are not self retaining and self centering about the opening of the fuel tank.
L-shaped washers have been used in plumbing applications to provide both a sealing and a self-retaining feature. An example of an L-shaped washer is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,157,574. The washer is used to couple one pipe to another. This patent does not address the sealing requirements of automotive fuel tank closure assemblies as are further described below.


The present invention provides a method, a data interface and a device for transporting data from a high-speed Ethernet to an OTN (Optical Transport Network), where seamless transport of Ethernet traffic to the OTN can be enabled through flow control, rate-matching, and mapping and encapsulation respectively performed at an Media Access Control Sub-layer, a Physical Coding Sub-layer, and an Optical Transport Network Interface Sub-layer. Thus, only one mapping and encapsulation of data is required to directly enable through a physical layer the transparent transport of the Ethernet traffic to the OTN, and due to the rate-matching implemented upon the mapping, the traffic transport can be enabled in a standard-compliant way with guaranteed efficiency and quality.

The 802.3 Ethernet protocol has experienced a rapid advancement since born, and currently has become an undisputable actual standard within the LAN (Local Area Network) domain. Transport means for this protocol developed from the initial 10M (Megabit) with thick-cable bus to the 10Base2 with thin-cable, further to the 1Base5 and the 10Base-T with twisted-pair, still further to the 100Base-TX transported with Ethernet Category-5 line, the 100BaseT4 transported with Ethernet Category-3 line and the 100BaseFX transported with optical fiber, and subsequently to the Gigabit Ethernet including the 1000Base-SX transported with short-wavelength light, the 1000Base-LX transported with long-wavelength light and the 1000Base-T transported with Category-5 line. The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) approved a standard for 802.3ae 10 Gbps Ethernet (10 GE) in 2002.
The 10 GE technology is a "high-speed" Ethernet technology, which is compatible with conventional Ethernet modes and takes advantage of the same MAC (Media Access Control) protocol, length-variable frame format and minimum and maximum frame lengths (a 64 to 1514-byte packet) as the conventional Ethernet modes. The operating rate defined by the 802.3ae for the MAC in the 10 GE is a standard one of 10 Gbps, and two forms of Physical Layer (PHY), LAN PHY and WAN (Wide Area Network) PHY can be used for transport. The LAN PHY provides a transport rate matching the 10 G MAC, and has a rated line rate for its operation of 10.3125 Gbps (i.e. a rate of 64B/66B-encoded 10 Gbps traffic data), and the WAN PHY provides a transport interface for seamless connection with the existing SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy), and provides a traffic data transport rate of 9.58464 Gbps with the OC192C frame format.
With the continuous increase of demanded traffic transport bandwidths, applications of the OTN tend to be popular. It is an important issue how to transport the 10 GE traffic directly through the OTN with high quality and efficiency. There exists an inherent difference between line rates of the 10 GE and the OTN. As mentioned previously, the operating rate of the 10 G MAC is a standard one of 10 Gbps, and 10.3125 Gbps after being encoded through physical layer, and in the OTN, a payload of an OPU2 (Optical channel Payload Unit) is provided with a rated data rate of 9,995,276,963 bps (approximately referred to as 9.9953 Gb/s hereinafter for brevity), which consequently makes it difficult to enable the seamless transport of data between the networks.
At present, there are several solutions for mapping the 10 GE traffic to OTU2s (Optical channel Transport Units, generated from standard encapsulation of OPU2s in compliance with the ITU-T G.709 standard) in the OTN:
1. With the use of a 10 GE WAN interface, the 10 GE traffic is first processed into the OC192C frame format through the existing WIS (WAN Interface Sub-layer) in the WAN PHY, which is then mapped to OTU2s.
2. With the use of a 10 GE LAN interface, Ethernet packets are first converted into GFP packets with a flow control through the GFP (Generic Framing Procedure) with a flow control, which are then mapped to OTU2s.
3. An interface between the 10 GE-LAN and the SDH network, which is implemented through the GFP with a flow control, is further mapped to OTU2s.
4. With the use of a 10 GE LAN interface, Ethernet packets are first converted into GFP packets, through the GFP without a flow control, which are then mapped to OTU2s, where seven OPU2 OH (OverHead) bytes are needed.
5. With the use of a 10 GE LAN interface, the 10 GE traffic is directly mapped to OTU2s. Since the data rate of the 10 GE traffic is slightly higher, this solution needs to occupy partial FEC (Forward Error Correction) bytes of an OTU2, thus degrading the gain of the FEC.
6. With the use of a 10 GE LAN interface, the 10 GE traffic is directly mapped to extended OTU2s. This solution uses OTU2s with more than 4080 columns instead of standard OTU2 frames, and resulting in an outputting rate of 11.1 GHz for OTU signals, instead of a standard 10.7 GHz in the industry.
The solutions 1 through 4 described above each implement the mapping of the 10 G MAC packets to the OTU2 frames through two or more mapping procedures, which increases the complexity of devices in terms of their physical designs and relies upon a complex encapsulation technology for encapsulation of the 10 G MAC packets into intermediate data packets in compliance with a certain standard. The solutions 5 and 6 can directly enable through a PHY the transparent transport of the 10 GE traffic to the OTN, but have to either occupy a certain part of the FEC for transport of the 10 GE traffic or extend the OTU2 frames, thus resulting in a breach of the standard form of the OTU2 frames and in a significant obstacle to interfacing different chips. Moreover, the solution 5 has to employ a more complex enhanced FEC to ensure the coding gain of the FEC, and thus fails to simultaneously obtain both efficiency and transport quality, and the solution 6 is non-standardized, and thus can not be adapted smoothly to a future 40 Gbps transport circumstance, because some OTUs are in 10.7 GHz and others are in 11.1 GHz, so that numerous OTUs from different users can not be combined together through multiplexing them. Obviously from the above, the existing various processing methods have their respective disadvantages, and are prone to giving rise to an isolated network "island", which makes it difficult to interface networks and share information.

Method, data interface and device for transporting data from high-speed ethernet to optical transport network


A pen which comprises a non-aqueous ink, the ink providing excellent cap-off performance in that the writing performance of the pen does not deteriorate even when the pen is allowed to stand exposed to air. The ink also provides a smooth feel when the pen is used for writing, and does not blob. This ink comprises an organic solvent having a vapor pressure of 0.2 mmHg (20.degree. C.) or less, a colorant and a coagulant and has a non-Newtonian viscosity index of 0.2 to 0.5 and a viscosity of 200 mPa.multidot.s (25.degree. C., 50 rpm) or less. Furthermore, the ink is characterized by containing a autolyophobic vehicle in which a contact angle to the surface of a material such as stainless steel or bronze having a high surface free energy is in the range of 5.degree. to 40.degree..

(i) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink for a ball point pen and a type of a ball point pen which contains the ink in an ink tank or tube.
(ii) Description of the Related Art
Ball point pens typically comprise a pen point comprising a ball and a tip holder, an ink reserving tube, a penholder and the like. The ball of the pen point is rotated to transfer or sink an ink onto or into a recording medium such as a paper. In this way, written traces drawn lines can be made. During writing, excessive ink which has not been transferred or sunk to the recording medium adheres to the outer periphery of the tip holder, so that a blobbing phenomenon occurs where ink drops form at the start of writing or during writing, with the result that sharp lines sometimes cannot be drawn.
In order to solve this problem, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Sho No. 5-40192 has disclosed a method in which the outer periphery of the tip holder is coated with a water-repellent or an oil-repellent material so as to inhibit the ink from adhering to the outer periphery of the tip holder.
However, the coating material is peeled off by friction with a writing material such as paper during writing, resulting in the gradual onset of the blobbing phenomenon.
The principle by which the coating works is that the critical surface tension on the outer periphery of the tip holder is reduced so as to be lower than the surface tension of the ink, thereby decreasing the ability of the ink to wet the tip holder. However, since inks tend to have low surface tension, the surface of high-energy materials such as metal are disadvantageously wetted with ink. Because of this, it is easier to wet metal with a non-aqueous ink than an aqueous ink.
Even if the above-mentioned coating is applied to the surface of a low-energy material, there is only a slight difference between the critical surface tension of the outer periphery of the tip holder and the surface tension of the ink, and hence the oil-repellent effect of the coating is too poor to sufficiently prevent ink blobbing.
Furthermore, in the usual non-aqueous ink-containing ball point pen, the tip wear due to the rotation of the ball is relatively low, because the ink has a viscosity of thousands to millions of cps. However, if the viscosity of the ink is less than thousands of cps, lubrication of the ball by the ink does not occur, so that the tip becomes extremely worn, with the result that ink flow decreases and in some cases stops.
In a conventional non-aqueous ink-containing ball point pen, the ink contains a solvent having a low vapor pressure as a main component, and therefore, even if the cap is removed and the pen point is exposed to air, ink-flow decreases or cessation rarely occurs. However, since the non-aqueous ink has a high viscosity, of thousands to about one million mPa.multidot.s, a high writing pressure is required. Consequently, the fingers, arm and shoulder of a writer are easily tired by writing for a long period of time with a conventional non-aqueous ink-containing ball point pen. On the other hand, in an aqueous ink-containing ball point pen, the ink has a low viscosity, and therefore the writing feeling is light. However, the main solvent is water which easily vaporizes. Therefore, if the cap is removed and the pen point is exposed to air, decreases in or cessation of ink flow frequently occur.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Hei No. 1-299880 discloses a non-aqueous ink for a ball point pen in which the surface tension of the organic solvent is regulated and which has an ink viscosity of 50 to 2000 cP (25.degree. C.) and possesses some of the characteristics of a non-aqueous ink and an aqueous ink, but this kind of ink is not always satisfactory. In recent years, some aqueous inks having an intermediate viscosity are on the market as inks having many advantageous features with respect to quality and economy, but these inks are inferior to non-aqueous inks, in cap-off performance, in that ink flow cessation rarely occurs with non-aqueous inks even when the cap is removed.

Non-aqueous ink for ball point pen and ball point pen


An infrared detector includes at least one infrared absorber provided on a substrate and a plurality of thermocouples. The at least one infrared absorber may include one of a plasmonic resonator and a metamaterial resonator. The plurality of thermocouples may be configured to generate electromotive forces in response to thermal energy generated by the at least one infrared absorber.

1. Field
Example Embodiments relate to infrared detectors and infrared image sensors, and more particularly, to a thermopile type infrared detector and an infrared image sensor including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An object having a certain temperature emits light in a particular wavelength band in accordance with black body radiation. Peripheral objects at room temperature emit infrared rays in wavelength bands ranging from about 8 to about 14 μm. To detect these emitted infrared rays, uncooled infrared detectors are frequently used. Generally, uncooled infrared detectors may be classified into bolometer type infrared detectors that use a resistance change of a material according to infrared rays incident thereon, pyroelectric infrared detectors using a polar change of a material according to infrared rays incident thereon, and thermopile type infrared detectors using an electromotive force change of a material according to infrared rays incident thereon. Bolometer type infrared detectors capable of easily integrating a lot of pixels in a small area are generally applied in fields where high resolution is required. On the other hand, thermopile type infrared detectors are easily manufactured and generally employed in fields where relatively inexpensive devices can be used and a small number of pixels are required.
Thermopile type infrared detectors including a plurality of thermocouples connected in series measure an electromotive force generated due to a difference between temperatures of a hot junction and a cold junction by using a thermoelectric effect. A thermopile type infrared detector includes an infrared absorber that absorbs light having a wavelength in an infrared band and converts the absorbed light into heat. An amount of the light absorbed by the infrared absorber is proportional to an area of the infrared absorber, and the heat is generated in response to the light absorption. Generally, it is possible to absorb a lot of energy of the incident light by increasing a filling factor of the infrared absorber. However, since the infrared absorber transfers heat only to a hot junction, an effective distance between the hot junction and a cold junction becomes shorter as a size of the infrared absorber increases. Accordingly, a thermal loss of the infrared absorber increases, which thus limits the increase of the filling factor.

Infrared detector and infrared image sensor including the same


At present, many pesticidal compositions have been developed and used practically, however, they are not necessarily sufficient for controlling pests, and highly active pesticidal compositions have been desired.

Flonicamid is a common name and its chemical name is N-cyanomethyl-4-trifluoromethyl-3-pyridinecarboxamide. The compound is useful as an insecticide and is disclosed as compound No. 1 in Patent Document 1. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that high pesticidal effects are obtained by using flonicamid and other pesticidal component such as chlorfluazuron in combination.
D-Limonene is a natural compound obtained from the skin of citrus fruits and its chemical name is (4R)-p-menth-1,8-diene. Patent Document 3 makes mention of an insecticidal composition containing D-limonene, however, it failed to specifically disclose specific insecticidal effects and contains no mention of combination with other insecticides. Patent Document 4 discloses a composition containing synergistically effective amounts of a terpene mixture containing limonene and an insecticide such as flonicamid. Patent Document 5 discloses a composition containing a terpene mixture containing limonene and a biological control agent in synergistically effective amounts, and discloses that the composition may further contain an insecticide such as flonicamid. However, a pesticidal composition comprising flonicamid in combination with D-limonene alone has not been known.

Pesticidal composition and method for controlling pests

Abstract: To provide a pesticidal composition comprising flonicamid and D-limonene as active ingredients, in a mixing weight ratio of flonicamid to D-limonene of from 1:150 to 1:1, and a method for controlling pests by applying an effective amount of the composition.


Provided are: a composition that can impart a thermoplastic resin with excellent transparency and physical properties; a thermoplastic resin composition containing the same; and a molded article thereof. The composition contains: (A) a cyclic organophosphate aluminum salt represented by Formula (1) below, wherein R1 to R4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 9 carbon atoms and R5 represents an alkylidene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; (B) a sodium carboxylate; and (C) a fatty acid metal salt represented by Formula (2) below, wherein R6 represents a group which is introduced to an aliphatic organic acid having 10 to 30 carbon atoms and M1 represents lithium or potassium, wherein the following ranges are satisfied in terms of molar ratio:(C)/(B)=0.30 to 5.00, and (A)/{(B)+(C)}=0.15 to 0.70.

Thermoplastic resins are, depending on their physical properties including moldability and low specific gravity, widely utilized in various molded articles, such as building materials, automobile materials, materials of household electric appliances and electronics, fiber materials, packaging materials, agricultural materials, housing materials of household electric appliances, household miscellaneous goods, films, sheets, and structural components. Particularly, polyolefin-based resins, such as polyethylene, polypropylene and polybutene-1, advantageously have excellent moldability, heat resistance, mechanical characteristics, low specific gravity and the like; therefore, they are widely utilized in films, sheets, and various molded articles (e.g., structural components).
However, polyolefin-based resins have drawbacks in that they have poor molding cycle characteristics due to their low post-molding crystallization rates, and that they are insufficient in terms of transparency and strength due to the generation of large crystals caused by the progress of crystallization after heat-molding. These drawbacks are all attributed to the crystallinity of polyolefin-based resins, and it is known that the above-described problems can be solved by increasing the crystallization temperature of each polyolefin-based resin and thereby allowing the polyolefin-based resin to rapidly generate fine crystals.
It is known to add a nucleating agent for this purpose, and examples of known nucleating agents include metal carboxylates, such as sodium benzoate, 4-tert-butylbenzoate aluminum salt, sodium adipate, and 2-sodium-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2,3-dicarboxylate; cyclic organophosphate metal salts, such as sodium-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, sodium-2,2′-methylene-bis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate, and lithium-2,2′-methylene-bis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphate; polyhydric alcohol derivatives, such as dibenzylidene sorbitol, bis(methylbenzylidene)sorbitol, bis(3,4-dimethylbenzylidene)sorbitol, bis(p-ethylbenzylidene)sorbitol, and bis(dimethylbenzylidene)sorbitol; and amide compounds, such as N,N′,N″-tris[2-methylcyclohexyl]-1,2,3-propane tricarboxamide, N,N′,N″-tricyclohexyl-1,3,5-benzene tricarboxamide, N,N′-dicyclohexyl-naphthalene dicarboxamide, and 1,3,5-tri(2,2-dimethylpropaneamide)benzene.
Among these compounds, cyclic organophosphate metal salts are known as nucleating agents that have a high effect of improving the transparency and the physical properties of polyolefin-based resins. For example, in Patent Document 1, it is proposed to add a basic aluminum salt of a cyclic organophosphate and an alkali metal compound, such as an alkali metal carboxylate, an alkali metal β-diketonate or an alkali metal β-ketoacetate, to a polyolefin or polyethylene terephthalate. In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes a nucleator composition containing a basic multivalent metal salt of a cyclic organophosphate and an alkali metal salt compound, and it is reported that this nucleator composition improves the transparency and the impact strength of polyolefins.
Further, Patent Document 3 describes that, as a nucleating agent, one or a mixture of sodium 2,2′-methylene-bis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenoxy)phosphate, sodium di(4-tert-butyl-phenoxy)phosphate, aluminum hydroxybis[2,2-methylene-bis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenoxy)phosphate], bis(2-alkyl,4-alkylphenoxy)phosphate, sodium bicyclo[2,2,1]heptane dicarboxylate and calcium bicyclo[2,2,1]heptane dicarboxylate is preferred, and resin compositions in which such a nucleating agent and sodium benzoate are added are described in the section of Examples. Moreover, Patent Document 4 proposes a nucleator composition obtained by mixing aluminum hydroxy p-tert-butylbenzoate and/or sodium benzoate with aluminum hydroxybis[2,2-methylene-bis(4,6-di-tert-butylphenoxy)phosphate]. Furthermore, Patent Document 5 proposes a polypropylene clarifying agent that contains a multivalent metal salt substituting a diaryl phosphoric acid and an alkali metal salt of a monobasic fatty acid.

Composition, thermoplastic resin composition using same, and molded article of same


A system for evaluating the performance of an electrical filter installed on an electrical power supply network passing through the screening of a Faraday enclosure, includes a transmit device for transmitting an inlet electrical pulse to the inlet of the filter. A receive and processing unit receives and processes the response electrical signal at the outlet of the filter corresponding to the pulse. A display displays the results obtained by processing the signal. The inlet electrical pulse is coupled to the power supply network and is conveyed thereby through the filter. The response is obtained from the outlet of the filter by decoupling.

Power supply filters, and most particularly anti-interference filters, are lowpass filters used to protect equipment inside or outside Faraday cages from radio frequency disturbances. They are installed, in particular, where power supply cables coming from the mains (public utility or otherwise) penetrate into the cage, e.g. for the purpose of powering equipment to be found inside the cage (with such power mains being referred to herein as "power networks"). Such feedthroughs can facilitate electromagnetic leakage to the outside. Such leakage can have two major consequences, amongst others:
damaging equipment outside the cage; and
giving rise to leakage of secret information in the form of radio signals that can be picked up by external antennas (this consequence is damaging particularly in military applications): to avoid such leakage, anti-interference electrical filters are used, and may be referred to as "anti-eavesdropping filters".
Anti-interference filters are thus essential to enable a Faraday cage to be effective, and for that purpose they must attenuate signals at frequencies that lie outside their passbands. In the same way as it is necessary to verify the screening performance of the cage, it is also necessary to verify the performance of an anti-interference filter. This is to verify whether an operating filter is performing its function properly, i.e. if an outlet voltage from the filter is sufficiently attenuated relative to an inlet voltage outside its passband to prevent any type of leakage.
Such performance evaluation is particularly important since filter components (inductors, capacitors, . . . ) age poorly, degrading over time and thus running the risk of reducing the protection provided by the filter and thus by the cage itself.
The performance of such filters is thus evaluated in conventional manner during maintenance periods that take place once every one or two years, or whenever a defect is detected. For evaluation purposes, the filter must be disconnected from the power network, its inlet connected to a generator and its outlet to a receiver. External transmission and reception means must thus be brought on site. The test is then performed by reconstituting the response of the filter over the entire frequency band, i.e. by reconstituting its transfer function
Such conventional procedures are inconvenient and lengthy. Throughout the duration of the test, the user of the equipment situated inside the cage is no longer supplied with electricity, so the equipment must be turned off. In addition, the test equipment is bulky and inconvenient to install.
Furthermore, to reconstitute the frequency response of a filter, it is necessary to perform tests at different frequencies, which is fiddly, particularly since the test must be repeated for each of the filters present on the cage.
Finally, if the result of the test is to be displayed inside the cage to inform a user, then it is necessary to transmit information via an electrical cable entering the cage. Unfortunately, that cable itself constitutes an additional source of leakage so it too requires a filter. In practice, the result of the test is therefore never sent to a user inside the cage.
The object of the present invention is thus to provide a system for evaluating the performance of a filter that enables the transfer function of the filter to be verified simply and quickly on user command or on a permanent basis and without disconnecting the power network.

System for evaluating the performance of an electrical filter