A reconfigurable article storage container includes a plurality of identical panels, each including at least two slots formed by connector webs integrally formed with and extending between adjacent panel sections forming each panel. Certain panels are invertible 180.degree. and oriented perpendicular to adjacent panels such that interconnecting slots formed by the connector webs between adjacent panel sections of each panel can be slidably engaged to form any polygonal or irregular shaped storage container having any number and size of individual storage compartments formed therein between certain of the interconnected panels. Edge connectors interconnect the ends of two panels in a co-linear arrangement to increase the length of any wall of the storage container. Vertical connectors are insertable into aligned slots formed between the connector webs of two stacked panels and extend between the two panels to join the two panels in a vertical stack arrangement to increase the height of any wall of the article storage container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to article storage containers, and specifically, for article storage containers for use in vehicle storage compartments.
2. Description of the Art
Trunks, storage compartments and beds of vehicles, trucks, vans, etc., are designed with a large open area between the surrounding vehicle body structure and the underlying floor to receive various articles or cargo therein. Oftentimes, small articles, such as grocery bags, bottles, and loose articles not in bags or boxes are placed in a vehicle trunk or storage compartment. Such small articles are susceptible to movement during operation of the vehicle which can result in noise and damage to the articles and/or the vehicle.
In an effort to overcome this problem, netting has been secured to the rear wall panel of vehicle trunks and supported via elastic straps to provide an expandable compartment for receiving such small items, such as grocery bags, bottles, etc. However, the netting extends openly across the width of the trunk and is not capable of preventing movement of such articles laterally across the width of the trunk. Such netting is also expandable by only a small distance so as to be able to receive a limited number of articles therein.
Fixed article containers have also been designed for use in vehicle trunks or storage compartments. Such containers are typically provided with a fixed overall dimension or size and include a number of individual compartments therein. Certain of these containers are provided with removable dividers so as to enable the individual storage compartments to be adjusted in size to receive various sized articles. Such article containers have also been provided in a foldable or collapsible form so as to be able to collapsed to a small volume, non-use position. Generally, however, such fixed article containers have a predetermined outer peripheral size, even if the individual storage compartments are adjustable by means of movable dividers. As such, such fixed size containers consume a majority of the space available in a vehicle trunk or storage area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,580 to Khoury discloses a vehicle cargo storage organizer formed of a plurality of first and second sized wall panels which are interconnectible in various arrangements to form individual storage compartments therebetween for storing articles. Each of the first and second sets of wall panels is provided with slots arranged alternately and oppositely in a spaced-apart manner along the length and opposite side edges of each wall panel. Any two wall panels may be interconnected to each other by sliding adjoining slots of the two wall panels together when the wall panels are arranged in a perpendicular orientation with respect to each other. Elastic cords with resilient bulb ends may be attached between ports formed on each of the wall panels to connect two of the wall panels together.
While the Khoury vehicle cargo storage organizer may be reconfigured to provide individual article storage compartments of a predetermined size and in a predetermined number to suit the needs of a user or to fit within a particular size vehicle storage compartment, such an organizer is provided with two different sized wall panels. This increases the overall cost of such a vehicle cargo storage organizer as a number of different parts must be manufactured for the organizer. In addition, assembly of the cargo storage organizer is more complicated since thought and time must be expended by a user to determine exactly where each of the different wall panels can be optimally positioned.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an article storage container for vehicles which may be easily reconfigurable in overall size and shape and with the desired number and size of individual storage compartments formed therein. It would also be desirable to provide an article storage container which may be reconfigurable into different arrangements and number and size of individual storage compartments while using only a number of identical, single size panels. Finally, it would be desirable to provide an article storage container using a number of identically shaped panels which can be interconnected end-to-end to increase the overall length or width of the article storage container as well as being interconnectible at top and bottom edges to increase the overall height of the container or certain compartments of the container.

Reconfigurable article storage container


A method for repairing industrial facilities at high temperatures using at least one prefabricated element (1) made of mullite-crystallized refractory product with an alumina content of 30-80%, preferably 50-80%, made of refractory materials securely attached to the structure (11) of the facility by using an oxygen-containing carrier gas stream to spray a mixture of particles capable of exothermically reacting with the oxygen and particles of a refractory material, whereby a coherent refractory mass (14) is formed in situ for attaching said element to said structure.

Since in industrial facilities, as defined above, structures made of refractory materials, which are generally siliceous in nature and made of silica, must always be kept at a temperature above 300.degree. C. in order to prevent their weakening by polymorphic transformation, repair methods at high temperature have long been suggested for their repair. These methods may also be used for partial constructions of such facilities, in particular to modify an existing structure by adding a wall or a burned gas discharge pipe, for example.
Thus, bricks made of vitreous silica, which are characterized by a very low expansion coefficient, have been developed and employed conventionally in order to perform such repairs at high temperature. However, it was found that these repairs were not gas-tight, particularly in the case of batteries of coke ovens.
French patent FR 2541440-Bl (Glaverbel), corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,888 (Robyn et al), describes a method of repair at high temperatures using vitreous silica bricks of this kind and a ceramic welding method for producing the new masonry joints and also full recharging of the structure (GB 1.330.894 and GB 2.110.200 A by Glaverbel). With this method, the vitreous silica is bricks preferably comprise a chamfer to facilitate making of the joints.
In another patent using the same ceramic welding method (DE 3643420 A1, Fosbel Europe), the full-thickness repair bricks are paired and then brought to the service temperature prior to filling the space between the old and the new masonry by ceramic welding without, however, fully recharging the zone repaired by ceramic welding.
Generally speaking, although vitreous silica bricks, when they are brought to a high temperature, start upon a slow process of crystallization (into cristobalite and tridymite), they nonetheless keep their sensitivity to creep when they are subjected to a high-temperature charge.
This effect is observed in coke ovens where repairs of this type in the vicinity of the flues show well-known sagging after being in the service for some time.

Method for partially building and/or repairing at high temperatures industrial facilities including a structure made of refractory materials, and prefabricated element therefor


A drive apparatus wherein a plurality of media each including a memory element can be successively accessed to continuously write and/or read out data into and/or from the media includes a loading device for loading a plurality of storage media such that data are individually written into and/or read out from the storage media, an accessing circuit for accessing the storage media loaded in the loading circuit to write and/or read out the data into and from the storage media, and a controller for controlling, when the plurality of storage media are loaded in the loading circuit, the accessing circuit to continuously perform writing into and/or reading out from the plurality of storage media loaded in the loading circuit.

This invention relates to a drive apparatus into which a plurality of storage media in which various data files of, for example, music data and so forth can be stored can be loaded.
In recent years, a storage medium of a small size in which a semiconductor recording element such as, for example, a flash memory is loaded has been developed. The storage medium of the type mentioned is built in a drive apparatus for exclusive use or a drive apparatus for the storage medium is built in an audio/video apparatus or an information apparatus so that computer data, still picture data, moving picture data, music data and/or audio data can be recorded into the storage medium.
Meanwhile, such media as a CD (compact disc) and an MD (mini disc: trademark) have conventionally spread widely as media for recording music data thereon, and they can be recorded and played back by a CD player and an MD recorder/player, respectively.
On the other hand, a so-called changer player is conventionally known which accommodates a plurality of media such as, CDs or MDs and can selectively play back the media.
For the changer player, a user can select a desired CD from among a plurality of CDs and cause it to be played back or can cause a different CD to be played back after reproduction of a certain CD without manually exchanging of an accommodated CD or the like.
However, the changer player described above has the following problems. In particular, the changer player includes, as components thereof, a storage section for storing a plurality of media such as CDs, a mechanism deck section at a reproduction position at which an optical head, a spindle motor and so forth are disposed, and a transport mechanism for taking out one medium from within the storage section, transporting it to the reproduction position and transporting, after playback of the medium comes to an end, the medium back to the storage position thereof. Further, the changer player requires a space for allowing such movement of a medium by the transport mechanism. Consequently, it cannot be avoided that the changer player be complicated in construction and be large in size.
Further, since while a medium is being exchanged by the transport mechanism, naturally reproduction sound is interrupted, even if a plurality of media are successively exchanged to continuously play them back, reproduction sound is interrupted for a time required for each exchanging procedure (for example, approximately 5 to 10 seconds). Where music data are reproduced successively, it is felt by the user that the silence period of approximately 5 to 10 seconds is considerably long, and this sometimes degrades the feeling of the user in enjoying the reproduction.
It is to be noted that the changer player can be constructed such that, in order to prevent such silence for a medium exchanging period, reproduction data are stored into a buffer memory and, upon exchanging, the reproduction data from the buffer memory are outputted. However, naturally this requires a memory device of a comparatively large capacity and requires complicated control in reading out operation and buffering operation.
Further, as a medium is mechanically moved by the transport mechanism, it is necessary to realize assurance of durability and minimization of operation sound, And it is necessary to make various technical contrivances. Also this makes an obstacle to simplification of the apparatus construction.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive apparatus wherein a plurality of media each including a memory element can be successively accessed to continuously write and/or read out data into and/or from the media.
In order to attain the object described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive apparatus for writing and/or reading out data into and from a recording medium which includes a memory element, comprising loading means for loading a plurality of storage media such that data are individually written into and/or read out from the storage media, accessing means for accessing the storage media loaded in the loading means to write and/or read out the data into and from the storage media, and control means for controlling, when the plurality of storage media are loaded in the loading means, the accessing means to continuously perform writing into and/or reading out from the plurality of storage media loaded in the loading means.
Preferably, the drive apparatus further comprises selection means for allowing the accessing means to selectively access one of the plurality of storage media loaded in the loading means.
With the drive apparatus, only by controlling the selection condition of the selection means and the accessing operation of the accessing means with regard to the plurality of recording media loaded in the loading means, it is possible to perform successive accessing to the plurality of storage media without any interruption in time or to immediately access any of the plurality of recording media when it is designated. Consequently, when it is tried to continuously reproduce data such as, for example, music data or in a like case, little time is required for changing over of the recording medium of an object of accessing, and consequently, for example, such a situation that the user is obliged to wait while no sound is outputted as reproduction sound is eliminated. Also another situation wherein the user must wait for a certain period of time after the user designates a tune to be reproduced is eliminated. In other words, the drive apparatus is advantageous in that it can provide a reproduction output satisfactory to the user. Further, the drive apparatus is useful to its user naturally in that data transfer to or between or data recording into a plurality of recording media can be executed efficiently without any time loss.
Further, since it is not necessary to physically move a storage medium in order to exchange a storage medium to be accessed or a place for accommodating those storage media which are not currently an object of accessing is not required, for example, such an accommodation section and a transport section as well as a space for allowing transportation of a storage medium as in a conventional changer player are not required. Also a buffer memory for preventing a reproduction output from being interrupted in time is not necessary. From those, miniaturization of the apparatus and simplification in processing of the apparatus construction can be promoted, and consequently, reduction in cost can be achieved.
Preferably, the drive apparatus further comprises loading detection means for detecting whether or not a storage medium is loaded in each of a plurality of storage medium loading portions of the loading means, the selection means invalidating accessing by the accessing means to any of the storage medium loading portions in which it is detected by the loading detection means that no storage medium is loaded. With the drive apparatus, occurrence of an invalid selection condition is prevented by the selection means, and consequently, an efficient operation can be achieved.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drive system for writing and/or reading out data into and from a recording medium which includes a memory element, comprising a plurality of storage media, loading means for loading the plurality of storage media such that data are individually written into and/or read out from the storage media, accessing means for accessing the storage media loaded in the loading means to write and/or read out the data into and from the storage media, and control means for controlling, when the plurality of storage media are loaded in the loading means, the accessing means to continuously perform writing into and/or reading out from the plurality of storage media loaded in the loading means.
Preferably, the drive system further comprises selection means for allowing the accessing means to selectively access one of the plurality of storage media loaded in the loading means.
Preferably, the drive system further comprises loading detection means for detecting whether or not a storage medium is loaded in each of a plurality of storage medium loading portions of the loading means, the selection means invalidating accessing by the accessing means to any of the storage medium loading portions in which it is detected by the loading detection means that no storage medium is loaded.
Also with the drive system, similar advantages to those of the drive apparatus described above can be achieved.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts or elements denoted by like reference symbols.

Device, system and method for accessing plate-shaped memory


The present invention is directed to a bar seal for a shipping container that indicates if the bar seal has been tampered with during the shipment of goods. The bar seal uses the following mechanisms to indicate tampering: a unique marking mechanism, a reusable locking mechanism, and a temporary sealing mechanism for sealing a shipping container.

The present invention relates to security systems and more particularly, to security bar seals for shipping containers.
Most bar seals for shipping containers are by necessity one time use bar seals. This is defined to mean that once a bar seal is locked on to a shipping container, the bar seal will have to be cut to open the container.
The present invention is directed to a bar seal that allows the user of the bar seal to use the bar seal with or without permanently locking the bar seal to the shipping container and at the same time provide a security mechanism that will allow the user not to have to cut the bar seal. The invention also provides a marking mechanism that will indicate tampering with the bar seals.
It is foreseen that the bar seal of the present invention will be used in two scenarios.
Scenario one, involves exporters sending goods in shipping containers from inland locations to seaports. In many countries, the goods transported by land will pass through check points wherein containers will be ordered opened by authorities prior to reaching seaports. In order to prevent theft, most exporters seal containers prior to shipping the containers by land. In most instances, when a container that has been sealed by a bar seal is ordered open, the bar seal will have to be cut and a new bar seal will have to be placed on the container. If there are many check points between the inland location and the seaport, then the costs associated with replacing the bar seals would be taxing on the exporter. An embodiment of the present invention will allow exporters to place temporary seals on the bar seals when transporting shipping containers by land, thereby allowing them to secure their containers without having them permanently sealed. Upon the containers reaching the seaport, the bar seals have a locking mechanism that permanently locks the containers after the containers are inspected.
Scenario two uses another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment uses a reusable locking mechanism. This embodiment would be used when shipping containers by land. By using a marking mechanism along with the reusable locking mechanism and the temporary seal, transporters of shipping containers will prevent the containers from being compromised during shipment. Upon the containers reaching their final destination, the temporary seals would be cut, the reusable locking mechanisms would be opened, and the marking mechanisms would be checked to ensure that the bar seals were not compromised.
The inventor devised a marking mechanism that involves the assigning of random color codes to individual elements of the bar seals along with placing random specific codes on the elements of the bar seals. The codes are placed on the bar seals because thieves monitor shippers' behaviors. Thieves tend to work around the safeguards shippers put in place. By using the random color codes and placing the random specific codes on the individual elements of bar seals, he has devised a way of identifying any tampering with the bar seals, thereby reducing the chances that shipments protected with his bar seals will be compromised by thieves.
Several bar seals have been developed in the past, however, the inventor believes that the closest references correspond to his own U.S. patents and a pending U.S. patent application: U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,846 B1, issued on Jun. 3, 2008 for Bar Seal for Container; U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,512, issued on May 16, 2006 for Bar Seal for Shipping Container; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/164,551, filed on Jun. 30, 2008 for Bar seal For Shipping Container. However, the above references differ from the present invention. Specifically, the present invention includes the following non-obvious tamper resistant elements: a marking mechanism; a reusable locking mechanism; and a temporary sealing mechanism for temporary sealing a shipping container.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a bar seal having a unique marking mechanism, a reusable locking mechanism, and a temporary sealing mechanism for sealing a shipping container.


A ceiling panel system is developed that comprises a ceiling panel having a face portion with four corner areas and a skirt portion extending rearward from the face portion. The face portion has a main decorative hole with a peripheral edge from which a main flange portion extends rearward. The corner areas of the face portion has first to fourth subordinate decorative holes with a peripheral edge from which first to fourth subordinate flange portion extends rearward. A main decorative object is fitted to the main decorative hole so as to protrude from the face portion of the ceiling panel. The clips are adapted to grip the main flange portion for the main decorative object and the subordinate flange portions for the subordinate decorative objects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a ceiling panel system and, more specifically, to a ceiling panel system that can give a three-dimensional look to a plurality of ceiling panels arranged in a lattice pattern on an arbitrary horizontal plane.
2. Related prior Art
In an effort to conceal cables, ducts, pipes and so forth, an access ceiling is installed under the roof of an office building, a subway station building, a factory building or the like. The access ceiling is completed by a wide variety of finishes such as ceiling panels or boards. For firm installation of the ceiling panels, they should be fixedly secured to an upper structural body by tightening screws or bolts or welding. However, the task of installing the ceiling panels by such a tightening or welding operation requires a great deal of manpower and time and therefore is unsuitable for application to an access ceiling of a subway station building in which maintenance or repair for a piping and a wiring has to be performed from time to time.
A great number of prior art references, including U.S. pat. Nos. 5,603,193, 6,205,733 and 6,230,463, disclose techniques for installing a plurality of ceiling panels to a ceiling structural body on an arbitrary horizontal plane. As disclosed in these references, a plurality of grids are attached to the ceiling structural body and rectangular ceiling panels are secured to the grids in the form of cross stripes. The prior art ceiling panel systems noted above pose a problem in that they suffer from significant reduction in an ornamental effect, because the rectangular ceiling panels are monotonously arranged in a lattice pattern on the arbitrary horizontal plane.
In the meantime, the ceiling panels are made of varying kinds of materials such as wooden plates, veneer boards, gypsum boards, metal plates or the like. In view of the fact that vibration and impulse act continuously on the ceiling panels of a subway station building or a factory building, the ceiling panel materials should exhibit rigidity, wear resistance and anti-corrosion property great enough to resist the vibration and impulse. Thus, metal plates have been mainly used as the ceiling panels for that purpose. Although the ceiling panels made of metal plates are produced by a sheet metal working, the intrinsic features of the sheet metal working make it quite difficult to form the ceiling panels into diversified shapes.


The invention relates to an illuminated display assembly including at least one electrically conductive cable (14), at least two display panels (12) connected to one another via said at least one cable (14), each display panel (12) including light elements (18), and an electrical power source (16) which supplies electrical power to the light elements (18) of said at least two display panels (12) and which is located upstream from the display panels (12). Two consecutive display panels (12) define an upstream display panel (14) and a downstream display panel (14) relative to the electrical power source (16).

The present invention relates to illuminated display units.
More particularly, according to a first aspect, the invention relates to an illuminated display unit comprising:                at least one electrically conductive cable,        at least two display panels connected to one another via said at least one cable, each display panel including light elements, and        an electrical power source which supplies electrical power to the light elements of said at least two display panels and which is located upstream from the display panels, two consecutive display panels defining an upstream display panel and a downstream display panel relative to the electrical power source.
The field of the invention is the display of documents using illuminated display panels, for example for business windows, which, in a known manner, improves the presentation of the documents in question and favors their reading by passersby.
For the proper operation of such systems, each of the panels must be supplied with electrical power, such that its light elements can light up.
Several technical solutions aiming to allow the supply of electrical energy to the panels from an electrical power source situated upstream from the panels have been considered.
One of these consists of suspending the panels of the unit above one another and fastening two electrically conductive cables to all of them in parallel between them.
The cables are then used to distribute the electrical power to each of the panels and evacuate the electrical power from the unit, as well as to suspend the unit from a support.
However, this solution is not fully satisfactory.
Indeed, this connection of all of the panels with two parallel cables prohibits the presence of panels with different widths in the unit, which makes such units relatively unsuitable.
One of the aims of the invention is therefore to propose an illuminated display unit that does not have these drawbacks.

Illuminated display unit having suspension clamps

Abstract: Each display panel (12) includes a transmission device (28) for transmitting electrical power through said panel (12), such that a given panel (12) is electrically connected to the electrical power source via the transmission device (28) of the upstream display panel (12).


A bone distractor having four bone plate attachment members for affixation to the posterior and anterior maxilla and/or zygomatic buttress and to the posterior and anterior mandible, the attachment members mounted onto a pair of parallel rods, one rod being a threaded drive rod and the other being a releasable guide rod, whereby rotation of the drive rod causes dimensional separation of the anterior attachment members from the posterior attachment members. The guide rod can be quickly removed such the superior attachment members joined to the maxilla and/or zygomatic buttress are physically separated from the inferior attachment members joined to the mandible such that the jaw can be opened.

This invention relates generally to the field of medical compression and distraction devices in the field of bone fixation, repair and regeneration, and more particularly relates to such devices and methods utilized in mandibular and maxillary craniofacial repair, facial reconstruction, and treatment for congenital, developmental and traumatic defects.
It is often desirable or necessary to effect reconstruction or repair of the craniofacial bones defining the face of a person, such as the midface, the mandible and/or the maxilla. This need may arise from congenital conditions, developmental disorders or trauma. In many circumstances the abnormalities are corrected by first dividing a bone through osteotomy, i.e., cutting or fracturing a bone to create two segments separated by a gap or space. In some instances the bone segments will be shifted into the proper orientation and alignment, and then fixed in place relative to each other until bone growth across the gap results in the formation of a unitary bone member. In other instances it is necessary to lengthen the original bone member, in which case devices known as distractors are utilized. A distractor is a device that has affixation means, such as bone plates, that are joined to each of the bone segments on opposite sides of the osteotomy. The device further includes distraction means that allows the distance between the bone plates to be slowly increased over time, thereby allowing new bone growth to occur between the bone segments. The new bone growth increases in dimension until the proper bone length is achieved, at which time the distraction process is halted and the distractor is removed.
A typical example of this procedure is when the mandible or jawbone fails to fully develop in the anterior-posterior direction, a condition known as mandibular hypoplasia, which is manifested as a severely fore-shortened chin. To correct this anomaly, osteotomies are performed on each side of the mandible and a pair of distraction devices are affixed to the mandible. Extension of the distractors is performed in unison to lengthen the mandible until the desired position of the mandible relative to the midface is achieved. After sufficient regeneration and healing, the distractors are removed.
For another example, it is often desired to advance the midface or maxillary region relative to the jaw and skull to correct for maxillary hypoplasia, where the upper lip and/or nose are depressed relative to the remainder of the face structure. In this case the osteotomy may be performed across the maxilla to the nasal cavity, and a pair of distractors are affixed across the osteotomy gap, or an external distraction apparatus is mounted to the skull with affixed means to distract the anterior maxillary segment. Gradual extension of the distractors in unison advances the anterior maxillary segment relative to the posterior maxillary segments while bone regeneration fills in the osteotomy gap. When the proper position is achieved, distraction is halted. After sufficient regeneration and healing, the distractors are removed.
In certain situations it is necessary to advance both the mandible and the maxilla simultaneously to address the facial anomaly. To achieve this, osteotomies are performed on both the mandible and the maxilla, such that the anterior portions of the mandible and the maxilla are separated from the posterior portions. In one approach, four independent distractors are then affixed across the osteotomies, two on the maxillary segments and two on the mandibular segments. Distraction is performed as set forth above until the proper positions are reached for the mandible and the maxilla, and the distraction devices are removed after sufficient regeneration and healing. Alternatively, the upper and lower teeth can be wired together and a pair of distractors mounted to the mandible, such that advancement of the distractors simultaneously distracts both the anterior portion of the mandible and the anterior portion of the maxilla.
The known protocols for distraction of the mandible and maxilla possesses inherent problems. Affixation of the distractors involves invasive surgery, with multiple incisions and implantations of bone screws to affix the distractor bone plates being required. Thus, it is desirable to reduce the number of invasive procedures that must be done to address the craniofacial anomalies. It is often necessary to wire together or otherwise join the mandible to the maxilla such that normal opening of the jaw is precluded during the course of the treatment. This increases the risk of asphyxiation or choking, and thus it is desirable to provide a methodology and apparatus wherein the mandible can be quickly released from the maxilla if necessary.
It is an object of this invention to provide a craniofacial distraction device and method that addresses the problems set forth above in circumstances where simultaneous distraction of both the mandible and the maxilla are required. It is an object of this invention to provide a distractor device that may be affixed to both the mandible and the maxilla such that the anterior mandibular and maxillary segments are advanced simultaneously. It is an object of this invention to provide a distractor device that may be utilized in paired configuration, whereby only two distractors are necessary to achieve distraction of both sides of the mandible and maxilla, without need to wire together the upper and lower teeth. It is an object of this invention to provide a distractor device that may be converted to use as a single distractor, such that the device is adaptable for use with either the mandible or the maxilla. It is an object of this invention to provide a distractor device that provides a means for quick release of the superior components from the inferior components, whereby the release does not require damage or destruction of the distractor device such that the mandible can be freed from the maxilla and subsequently reunited. These objects as set forth above will be met as provided for in the disclosure to follow, and other objects not expressly set forth at this time will become apparent upon review of the disclosure to follow.


Embodiments include methods, systems, and/or devices that may be used to image, obtain three-dimensional information from a scence, and/or locate multiple small particles and/or objects in three dimensions. A point spread function (PSF) with a predefined three dimensional shape may be implemented to obtain high Fisher information in 3D. The PSF may be generated via a phase mask, an amplitude mask, a hologram, or a diffractive optical element. The small particles may be imaged using the 3D PSF. The images may be used to find the precise location of the object using an estimation algorithm such as maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), expectation maximization, or Bayesian methods, for example. Calibration measurements can be used to improve the theoretical model of the optical system. Fiduciary particles/targets can also be used to compensate for drift and other type of movement of the sample relative to the detector.

The use of digital devices to collect and store irradiance patterns representative of the scene has provided a convenient means for storing and processing images. Consequently image processing algorithms are increasingly used to decode the sampled patterns into a form conveying the most relevant information to the user. Examples include but are not limited to using algorithms to remove optical aberrations and extract depth information encoded into the collected irradiance pattern. For improved results from post-processing, the imaging system has evolved into functionally encoded optics (both light collection and illumination) to enhance the information extraction capacity for parameters relevant for the user. Such designs may incorporate the use of aberrations, such as defocus for example, to enhance the encoding of 3D information as the shape/size/position/orientation/rotation of an object.
Previous implementations for realizing 3D in-focus imaging have focused on modification of the optical system point spread function (PSF) such that it is constant with the axial position of the object. Post-processing algorithms are implemented to solve the inverse problem which estimates the original object from the device image and invariant PSF. Such systems have required a trade-off between axial invariance and suppression of the spatial frequency content and hence loss of restoration quality in the MTF. Alternatively, restoration quality can be strongly dependent upon the spatial frequency due to optical encoding MTFs which are not rotationally symmetric for example.
Both classical lenses and the axial invariant solutions implemented are by definition ill-suited for axial ranging or three dimensional imaging and sensing. Axial ranging requires that the optical PSF be designed to change rapidly as a function of axial location of the object. Given an image with a highly axially variant PSF, the 3D position of the object may be efficiently encoded for estimation in the post-processing algorithm. Point spread functions designed for three dimensional imaging have therefore been ill-suited for extended depth of field.
Previous implementations have focused on either particular application despite the need for all information to be collected simultaneously. There is thus a need for optical system designs with matched post-processing algorithms which can generate images without the presence of defocus as well as provide a three dimensional estimation of the scene.
Photo-activation localization microscopy provides far-field super-resolution imaging techniques based on the periodic photoactivation or photoswitching of the fluorescence emission of sparse arrays of molecules, followed by localization with sub-diffraction limit precision that allows the generation of super-resolution images molecule-by-molecule. This group of techniques may be known under the acronyms STORM (Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy), PALM (Photo-Activated Localization Microscopy), and variants. Several methods for the generation of three-dimensional images have been demonstrated in traditional systems. However, the resolution of these techniques are not as fine as desired.
There is also a significant current interest in decreasing the data acquisition time by engineering new fluorescent proteins and organic fluorophores along with optical improvements in photon collection. Significant efforts are also underway to reduce systematic errors such as vibrations, drift, and imperfections of the detector, as well as asymmetric molecular emission. Nevertheless, the newly discovered frontiers of optical resolution and functionality—such as quantitative tracking and distance measurement—have not been fully realized yet.
There is also a need for tools and techniques to improve the resolution of photo-activation location microscopy.

Methods and systems for three dimensional optical imaging, sensing, particle localization and manipulation

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO


An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a printed circuit board (PCB), a shield can disposed on the PCB, an antenna radiator of which at least a part enters an internal space of the shield can and is installed at an inner surface of the shield can, and an electrical connecting means which is installed at a corresponding position of the PCB so as to be electrically connected with the at least a part of the antenna radiator installed at the inner surface of the shield can.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an antenna device and an electronic device to which the antenna device is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices for communication have been developed to provide various functions according to user's demands. For example, electronic devices perform a basic call function and also allow a user to listen to music using an MP3 sound source, enjoy web surfing using a wireless Internet network, download and use various programs using the wireless Internet network, and play and watch high-definition videos at high speed.
Further, electronic devices may have at least one high-pixel image pickup device (camera lens assembly) to take a picture of an object. Recently, a still-picture, moving picture, and stereoscopic image shooting capability have been provided.
Further, due to the rapid development of communication techniques, it is possible to use a communication function of Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth or the like using one antenna radiator. Further, electronic devices have a Near Field Communication (NFC) function using an NFC module.
In general, since an antenna device for NFC is operated in a low frequency band (13.56 MHz), a radiator having a surface area of at least 30 mm×50 mm is required. In order to apply the radiator to electronic devices which have become gradually slimmer, various measures have been proposed.
However, in an electronic device for NFC, contacting with a feeding portion for power feeding is hindered by the external environment, and space application is also restricted. Therefore, in installing or disposing an antenna device for NFC, it is necessary to improve reliability for the antenna device.

Antenna device and electronic device with the same


Disclosed is a hydroxy polyamide represented by the following general formula (1) and having a 5-amino isophthalic acid derivative structure in the main chain structure. (1) (In the formula, m and n represent integers, X represents at least one tetravalent organic group, Y represents at least one divalent organic group having a 5-amino isophthalic acid derivative structure, and Z represents at least one divalent organic group).

A coating film consisting of a polyimide resin, which combines excellent heat resistance and electrical and mechanical characteristics, has been conventionally used in, for example, insulating materials for electronic parts and passivation films, surface protective films, and interlayer insulating films for semiconductor devices.
In forming the polyimide resin coating film, a non-photosensitive polyimide resin precursor composition or a photosensitive polyimide resin precursor composition can be used. What is provided in the form of the latter can be applied onto a substrate, followed by light exposure, development, and thermal imidation treatment, to more readily form a cured relief pattern resistant to heat. Thus, the polyimide resin precursor composition may be non-photosensitive or photosensitive when the polyimide resin is used as a coating film not required to form a relief pattern, but, in producing a semiconductor device having a cured relief pattern made of the polyimide resin, use of the photosensitive polyimide resin precursor composition enables the significant shortening of the process of the production thereof compared to that of the conventional non-photosensitive polyimide resin precursor composition.
However, when the above-described photosensitive polyimide resin precursor composition is used, it is necessary to employ a large amount of organic solvent such as a pyrrolidone or a ketone as a developer in the process of the development thereof. Thus, there is a need for such a countermeasure that the organic solvent is removed in view of safety and increased recent concern over environmental issues. To that end, various heat-resistant photosensitive resin materials developable with a dilute alkali aqueous solution have been recently proposed as is the case with a photoresist in the field of the above-described materials
Among others, processes using a hydroxypolyamide soluble in an alkali aqueous solution, for example, a polybenzoxazole resin precursor, have received attention in recent years; for example, processes using, as a positive photosensitive material, a composition in which the above-described precursor is mixed with an optically active ingredient such as naphtoquinonediazide have been proposed (see e.g. JP-B-01-46862). A process using, as a negative photosensitive material, a composition in which a precursor where groups having photopolymerizable unsaturated double bonding are introduced into part of the hydroxyl groups of the above-described precursor is mixed with a compound having photopolymerizable unsaturated double bonding and a photopolymerization initiator has been also proposed (see JP-A-2002-12665).
These processes facilitate the formation of relief patterns after development and make favorable the preservation stability of such compositions. In addition, since a cured relief pattern made of a polybenzoxazole resin has a heat resistance comparable to that of a cured relief pattern made of a polyimide resin, the polybenzoxazole resin precursor has received attention as a promising alternative material for an organic solvent-developable polyimide resin precursor.
Meanwhile, there have been marked changes in methods for packaging semiconductor devices in which the above-described materials are used. In place of a conventional LOC package in which a lead frames is jointed to a semiconductor device through a gold wire, there has tended to be used, in recent years, a package which adopts multilayer wiring in view of an improvement in integration density and function and the miniaturization of a chip. Thus, conditions to which a polyimide resin coating film or a polybenzoxazole resin coating film is exposed during the formation of the structure vary more than before, which requires greater chemical resistance e.g. to a photoresist peeling solution composed of a strong acid, strong base, or organic solvent such as dimethyl sulfoxide, a basic organic compound such as ethanolamine or tetramethylammonium hydroxide, and the like.
For a similar reason, a method for mounting a semiconductor device on a printed wiring board is being also changed from a conventional method using a metal pin and a lead-tin eutectic solder into a method using, with a view towards a chip size package, a structure enabling higher-density mounting such as BGA (ball grid array) in which a polyimide resin coating film or a polybenzoxazole resin coating film is directly contacted with a solder bump.
In other words, the polyimide resin coating film and the polybenzoxazole resin coating film have become required Lo have increased resistance to heat and to flux because there occurs a state where they contact the flux e.g. in the reflow process of the solder bump.
The polybenzoxazole resin coating film is generally prepared by subjecting a bisaminophenol compound and a dicarboxylic acid compound to polycondensation to produce a polybenzoxazole resin precursor which is then dissolved in an organic solvent to make a varnish-like composition, followed by forming a coating film e.g. through coating before further heating to high temperature to convert to a polybenzoxazole resin.
Specific examples of proposed polybenzoxazole resins designed to satisfy heat resistance, chemical resistance, and high-temperature flux resistance include polybenzoxazole resins obtained by heat curing polybenzoxazole resin precursors synthesized from 4,4′-diamino-3,3′-dihydroxybiphenyl and terephthalic acid, from 4,4′-diamino-3,3′-dihydroxybiphenyl and 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid, from 2,2-bis(3-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane and terephthalic acid, and from 2,2-bis(3-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane and 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid.
A dicarboxylic acid such as terephthalic acid or 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid can be used as described above to make the polybenzoxazole resin in the form of a polymer having a rigid skeleton to improve the heat resistance thereof. Meanwhile, however, when made in the form of a resin composition having positive photosensitivity by adding an optically active compound such as naphthoquinoneazide, the above-described polybenzoxazole resin precursor having a rigid skeleton has problems that it per se becomes less soluble in an alkali aqueous solution and that it makes difficult the process of lithography using an i-beam stepper because the transmission of the i-beam, an outgoing light from a mercury lamp, is significantly reduced. There is also a problem that the reduced solubility thereof in an organic solvent makes it difficult to produce the photosensitive resin composition itself (see JP-A-2003-105086).
In contrast, a polybenzoxazole resin precursor using 2,2-bis(3-amino-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane and isophthalic acid or diphenyl ether dicarboxylic acid is excellent in i-beam transmission and easy to process into various shapes because it is highly soluble in an organic solvent. However, a polybenzoxazole resin obtained by curing the precursor has a problem that the heat resistance, chemical resistance, and flux resistance thereof are lower than those of the above-described polybenzoxazole resin having a rigid skeleton (see JP-A-2003-105086).
JP-A-05-27245 discloses a composition containing a polyamide resin obtained by using an acid component of a specified structure such as 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid dodecanoate chloride and an acid component of a specified structure such as terephthalic acid in a certain molar ratio to react a diamine component such as diaminodiphenyl ether therewith. However, the composition disclosed in the document has been developed for use in a liquid crystal alignment layer per se, and has not been intended to be developed as a precursor of heat resistant resin excellent not only in solubility in an organic solvent but also in chemical resistance.
Then, there is a need for a polybenzoxazole resin precursor having increased solubility in an organic solvent wherein the heat curing thereof provide a polybenzoxazole resin which satisfies heat resistance, chemical resistance, and flux resistance at a high level.    Patent Document 1: JP-B-01-46862    Patent Document 2: JP-A-2002-12665    Patent Document 3: JP-A-2003-105086    Patent Document 4: JP-A-05-27245


An efficient process for producing glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate useful as a reactive diluent is provided. When glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate is produced by reacting allyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate with hydrogen peroxide, a solution in which allyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate is dissolved in an aliphatic ester as a solvent is reacted with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a crystalline titanosilicate catalyst. Thus, a production process of glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, which is small in degradation of purity and yield due to generation of peroxides or the like, and products thereof are provided.

Processes that would be available for producing glycidyl carboxylates include (a) a process in which they are produced by a desalting condensation reaction of a carboxylic acid or a salt thereof with epichlorohydrin, and (b) a process in which the allyl group of an allyl ester is epoxidized. As for glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate having the structure represented by the formula (2), an example of the process (a) is known, in which glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate is produced from 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid and epichlorohydrin (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and an example of the process (b) is known, in which an allyl compound as an olefinically unsaturated compound is reacted with hydrogen peroxide to effect epoxidization in the presence of a crystalline titanosilicate catalyst using an alcohol, a ketone or an ether as a solvent (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). In the process (a), however, 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid as a reaction substrate is a compound containing a hydroxy group and a carboxyl group in one molecule, and hence causes side reactions at the time of the desalting condensation reaction with epichlorohydrin to give a reaction yield of 70% or less which is still unsatisfactory.
Additionally, an attempt to synthesize glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate having the structure represented by the above formula (2) was made by the present inventors in accordance with the process (b), and consequently no sufficient reaction rate was attained when the known solvent, namely, alcohol, ketone or ether was used, and little target compound was obtained when no solvent was used. On the other hand, although aliphatic esters typified by ethyl acetate lead to a lower risk of production of peroxides as compared to the above-described solvents (see, for example, Non-patent Document 1), aliphatic esters are poor in compatibility with hydrogen peroxide, water and the like, and there has been no report that an aliphatic ester is used in a reaction in which an olefinically unsaturated compound is reacted with hydrogen peroxide to effect epoxidization in the presence of a crystalline titanosilicate catalyst.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-338680
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-183275
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-188575
Non-patent Document 1: Kanagawa Industrial Technology Research Institute (Kanagawa-Ken Sangyo-Gijutu Sogo-Kenkyu-Sho); Heisei-15 (2003) Industry-Academia-Public Cooperation Conference Proceeding (San-Gaku-Ko Koryu Happyokai Siryo), p. 97.

Process for producing glycidyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate and composition containing the product


A multi-way valve has a housing with a stepped bore forming two piston guiding regions and a shoulder ring with two sealing shoulders. The housing also has a first, second and central transverse bores which are spaced along the cylindrical bore. A contact piston has a piston rod and sealing members secured thereon. The guide members are pressed fit onto opposite ends of the piston rod.

An example of a directional multi-way valve is known from DE 200 23 376 U1. At its two axial ends, the piston rod is guided in guiding bores in the cover parts of the housing. This construction involves additional machining of the respective guiding bores in the cover parts, and also requires an accurate fit of the cover parts relative to the housing in order to ensure an aligned coaxial position of the guiding bores relative to one another and of the guiding bores relative to the continuous axial housing bore.
What is needed is a directional multi-way valve which may be expeditiously constructed.


A process for preparing (R)-hydroxy ester (II)

The invention is a process for providing high yields of an (R)-hydroxy ester by reducing an alpha-keto ester using a ketoreductase enzyme.
Simon et al., Pure & Appl. Chem., Vol. 64, No. 8, pp. 1181–186, 1992, describes properties and mechanistic aspects of redox enzymes from anaerobes suitable for bioconversions. Kataoka et al., Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1122 (1992) 57–62, describes an NADPH-dependent aldehyde reductase (EC 184.108.40.206) isolated from red yeast Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AKU 4429, which catalyzes the reductions of D-glucuronate, D-glucose, D-xylose and D-galactose at high concentrations. Kataoka et al., Arch. Microbial. (1992) 157: 279–283, describes distribution and immunological characterization of microbial aldehyde reductases in red yeast Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AKU 4429. Kita et al., Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 1996, p. 2303–2310, describe cloning of aldehyde reductase gene from red yeast Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AKU 4429, and characterization of the gene and its product.
Yasohara et al., Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. (1999) 51: 847–851, describe synthesis of optically active ethyl 4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate by microbial reduction using Candida magnoliae. Shimizu et al., Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic 5 (1998) 321–325, describes chiral alcohol synthesis with Sporobolomyces salmonicolor and Candida magnoliae yeast carbonyl reductases. Shimizu et al. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 1990 p. 2374–2377, describes stereoselective reduction of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate by a microbial aldehyde reductase in an organic solvent-water diphasic system. Aldehyde reductase isolated from Sporobolomyces salmonicolor AKU 4429 and glucose dehydrogenase were used. Krix et al. Journal of Biotechnology 53 (1997) 29–39 describe enzymatic reduction of alpha-keto acids leading to L-amino acids, D- or L-hydroxy acids. The investigation used leucine dehydrogenase and phenylalanine dehydrogenase isolated from different organisms.
Schummer et al., Tetrahedron Vol. 47, No. 43, pp. 9019–9034, 1991, describes polyfunctional (R)-2-hydroxycarboxylic acids by reduction of 2-oxo acids with hydrogen gas or formate and resting cells of Proteus vulgaris.

Process for reducing an alpha-keto ester

Abstract: from alpha-keto ester I

Abstract: comprising adding the alpha-keto ester I to a mixture comprising the ketoreductase enzyme and non-ketoreductase enzyme components, wherein the ketoreductase enzyme has a molecular weight between 36000 and 38000, and wherein the ketoreductase enzyme has an N-terminal amino acid sequence selected from the group of sequences consisting of

Abstract: (SEQ. ID NO. 1)Ala-Ile-Pro-Asp-Asn-Ala-Val-Leu-Glu-Gly-Ser-Leu- Val-Lys-Val-Thr-Gly-Ala-Asn-Gly (SEQ. ID NO. 4)Met-Ala-Ile-Pro-Asp-Asn-Ala-Val-Leu-Glu-Gly-Ser- Leu-Val-Lys-Val-Thr-Gly-Ala-Asn-Gly, and (SEQ. ID NO. 2)Met-Ala-Lys-Ile-Asp-Asn-Ala-Val-Leu-Pro-Glu-Gly- Ser-Leu-Val-Leu-Val-Thr-Gly-Ala-Asn-Gly.


The inventions presented herein provide an armor forming tool for use with an armor forming machine. The machine feeds a continuous strip of metal to a sub-assembly of a cable so as to wrap the continuous strip around the sub-assembly. The tool applies appropriate pressures to the wrapped continuous strip to form an interlocked armor.

The inventions described herein relate to tools and machines used to form the interlocked armor portion of a power cable of the type generally shown in FIG. 1.
A prior art armor forming tool, shown in FIG. 2 (Prior Art), is referred to generally by reference numeral 100. Forming tool 100 includes an upper pigtail member 102 and a lower guide shoe 104. The upper pigtail member is formed as two pieces 106 and 108 that when assembled with the guide shoe, form a gap 110 therebetween. The one piece forming tool described below was developed because the prior art two piece tooling had variations in height and metal fines/shavings filled the gap between the two pieces causing quality issues such as rough armor and strip breaks. The trials with the one piece forming tool resulted in better quality armored wire and cable than the prior art tooling, longer production runs, less machine downtime, and lower maintenance costs.
The use of the one piece forming tool including an upper pigtail member and a lower guide shoe member reduces damage to the continuous strip of metal as it passes through the tool and is formed into interlocked armor because the strip no longer passes over a discontinuity (gap). Also, the use of a single piece upper pigtail member reduces the chance that a replacement part will not match. This reduces or eliminates the variation of the height from the prior art replacement parts and thus reduces or eliminates any tendency to scrape or scratch the strip thereby improving the overall quality of armored wire and cable products.
The forming tool described herein improves overall quality of the armored surface, improves production by lessening problems with strip breaks, and minimizes variations from the armor forming process.

Forming tool for use in a machine for making armored cable


A vehicular lamp includes a projection lens with an optical axis extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle and a light source with a light emission portion. The light emission portion is directly incident to the projection lens. The projection lens has a plurality of lens areas with different focal points, with the lens areas centered on the optical axis and disposed on generally concentric circles. The focal points corresponding to the plurality of lens areas have respectively different positions on the optical axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp applicable to a low or high beam of a headlamp, a backup lens, a fog lamp, a clearance lamp, and the like, which is particularly useful as an auxiliary beam for a headlamp.
2. Background Art
Related art from this field includes Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2001-6408. A vehicular headlamp described therein is provided with a light bulb disposed between a reflecting mirror and a cylindrical lens, and between a lens and the reflecting mirror. Light emitted from the light bulb is formed from light incident to the reflecting mirrors and light directly incident to the lens so as to create a predetermined illumination from the reflective light and the direct light. In Utility Model Registration No. 2543306, a hemispheric convex lens is disclosed that creates a predetermined illumination from the light reflected by the reflecting mirror and the light passing through the lens.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2001-6408
[Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 2543306


Methods and systems are provided for preparing radio-frequency devices for secure distribution. Multiple such radio-frequency devices are received. Each device has an embedded radio-frequency transponder. Each radio-frequency devices is moved sequentially to stations of a preparation device. At a first station, a radio-frequency identification code assigned to the radio-frequency device is encoded to personalize the radio-frequency device with recipient-specific radio-frequency identification data. At a second station, the radio-frequency devices is packaged within a package such that the radio-frequency device within the package is electromagnetically shielded at radio frequencies.

This application relates generally to radio-frequency ("RF") devices. More specifically, this application relates to security of RFID-device packaging.
An RF device is a device that incorporates electromagnetic technology in the radio-frequency portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit a unique identification signal or data. The specific portion of the spectrum that is used may depend on a particular application, varying from low-frequency RF devices that operate at about several kHz, to higher-frequency RF devices that may operate at GHz levels; the transmission range is greater with higher frequencies, although devices that operate at such frequencies tend to be more costly.
RF devices have recently become popular for use in financial, nonfinancial, and other transactions, being used in lieu of bar codes and magnetic stripes on credit and debit cards. A typical RF device includes an RF transponder that communicates with a transceiver in response to commands transmitted via radio-frequency waves generated by the transceiver. The transceiver may be thought of as a reader, analogous to a bar-code or magnetic-stripe reader. Such a reader may be located, for example, at a retail establishment to permit the holder of the RF device to purchase items and conduct other financial and nonfinancial transactions. Because the transponder in the RF device may be relatively small, it is conveniently integrated into a wide variety of objects rather than being limited to a standard structure, as has tended to be the case for magnetic-stripe cards. For example, RF transponders may conveniently be included in credit cards and other financial cards or instruments, key fobs, jewelry such as bracelets or necklaces, cell-phone covers, and a variety of other types of objects. Financial cards that incorporate RF devices are sometimes referred to as RF or contactless smart cards, and may incorporate various processing and memory components in addition to radio-frequency functions.
While the versatility of RF devices thus provides a diverse array of transaction options, there are also some risks associated with RF devices. One notable risk is the ability for electromagnetic signals to penetrate unsecured packaging. For example, characteristics of an RF device may maliciously be extracted, even from a sealed package that contains the RF device, by activating the transponder using a remote signal in a process sometimes referred to in the art as "sniffing." When the information is extracted by such a process, it may then be used improperly to conduct fraudulent financial transactions.
There is accordingly a need in the art for methods that improve the security of RF devices.


A system for calibrating a power amplifier (PA) includes a memory, a processor, a digital pre-distorter (DPD), and a data converter. The DPD includes a programming interface module, a pattern generator, a multiplier, and a pre-distorter module. The multiplier multiplies reference baseband stream data from the memory with pattern coefficient data generated by the pattern generator to generate shaped reference baseband stream data. The pre-distorter module generates pre-distorted shaped reference baseband stream data. The PA receives a low-power reference radio frequency (RF) signal corresponding to the pre-distorted shaped reference baseband stream data and generates a high-power reference RF signal. The processor receives and compares the pre-distorted shaped reference baseband stream data with amplified shaped reference baseband stream data corresponding to the high-power reference RF signal, and adjusts pre-distortion parameters in the pre-distorter module based on the comparison such that the PA generates a linear high-power RF signal.

The present invention relates generally to cellular communication systems, and, more particularly, to radio frequency (RF) transceivers in cellular communication systems.
A cellular communication system includes a mobile switching center (MSC), home location registers (HLRs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), and user equipment (UE). A BTS facilitates communication between UEs and an MSC over a cellular network. The BTS includes an RF transceiver for transmitting and receiving RF signals to and from the UEs. Terms such as MSC, BSC, BTS, and UE are technology standard specific, and in this case are used in context of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) standard of wireless communication. For instance, the term BTS in the GSM standard corresponds to Node-B in the third generation (3G) and eNode-B in the fourth generation (4G) standards. The RF transceiver modulates a carrier wave by changing one or more characteristics of the carrier wave, viz. amplitude, frequency, and phase, based on an RF signal. The RF transceiver transmits a modulated carrier wave on a transmission medium by using an antenna.
FIG. 1 shows an RF transceiver system 100 that includes an RF transceiver 102 that is connected to an antenna 104 for transmitting the modulated carrier wave (hereinafter referred to as a "high-power RF signal"). The RF transceiver 102 includes a baseband processing unit 106, an RF integrated circuit (RFIC) 108, and a power amplifier (PA) 110. The baseband processing unit 106 includes a digital signal processor (DSP) 112, a system bus 114, a digital pre-distorter (DPD) 116, a direct memory access (DMA) system 118, a system memory 120, an event control module 122, and an antenna interface 124. The RFIC 108 includes an antenna interface 126, a data converter 128, and an RF mixer 130. The data converter 128 includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 132 and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 134.
The DSP 112 performs logical and mathematical operations on digital data such as audio and video data and generates first baseband stream data. The DSP 112 is connected to the DPD 116, the DMA system 118, and the system memory 120 by way of the system bus 114. The DSP 112 is further connected to the event control module 122 and controls the event control module 122 by providing control trigger signals thereto. The event control module 122 generates trigger signals based on the control trigger signals to control the timing of events in the baseband processing unit 106 and the RFIC 108. The DPD 116 receives the first baseband stream data and generates pre-distorted first baseband stream data by multiplying the first baseband stream data with a set of coefficients from a look-up-table (LUT) stored therein. The set of coefficients are referred to as LUT coefficients. Further, the system memory 120 stores the pre-distorted first baseband stream data. The DMA system 118 and the DPD 116 are connected to the data converter 128 by way of the antenna interfaces 124 and 126. The antenna interface 124 receives the pre-distorted first baseband stream data from the DPD 116 and transfers the pre-distorted first baseband stream data to the antenna interface 126.
The DAC 132 receives the pre-distorted first baseband stream data from the antenna interface 126 and generates a first baseband signal. The RF mixer 130 that is connected to the DAC 132 receives the first baseband signal and generates a low-power first RF signal. The PA 110 that is connected to the RF mixer 130 receives the low-power first RF signal and generates a high-power first RF signal.
The RF mixer 130 receives the high-power first RF signal from the PA 110 and generates a second baseband signal. The ADC 134 receives the second baseband signal and generates second baseband stream data. The DMA system 118 receives the second baseband stream data by way of the antenna interfaces 126 and 124, and stores the second baseband stream data in the system memory 120. The DSP 112 compares the second baseband stream data with the pre-distorted first baseband stream data and selects alternate LUT coefficients from the LUT in the DPD 116. The DPD 116 multiplies the first baseband stream data with the alternate LUT coefficients to generate the pre-distorted first baseband stream data. The PA 110 receives the low-power first RF signal corresponding to the pre-distorted first baseband stream data and generates the high-power first RF signal at a higher power level.
It is desirable that the PA 110 achieves high efficiency and linearity. For instance, class A PAs are linear PAs but are expensive and thus unsuitable for cellular communication systems. Hence, inexpensive and non-linear PAs such as class AB, B, and C PAs are widely used. To maintain linearity of the PAs, digital pre-distortion technique is used. The DPD 116 performs a mathematical inversion of the high-power first RF signal of the PA 110. The DPD 116 is a non-linear module and the LUT coefficients have inverse characteristic of the high-power first RF signal. Thus, the pre-distorted first baseband stream data generated by the DPD 116 has an inverse characteristic of the high-power RF signal. When the non-linear PA 110 receives this pre-distorted first baseband stream data from the non-linear DPD 116, the PA 110 generates a linear high-power first RF signal. This process is referred to as digital pre-distortion.
For different RF signal conditions and cell radii of the BTS, it is essential to determine the ability of the DSP 112 to select alternate LUT coefficients for the corresponding RF signal conditions and the cell radii of the BTS. Thus, there is a need to calibrate the PA 110 for these RF signal conditions. The PA 110 is calibrated by adjusting the LUT coefficients of the DPD 116 during initialization of the RF transceiver 102 i.e., when the DSP 112 does not process actual digital data to be transmitted. The calibration of the PA 110 ensures that the PA 110 generates the high-power first RF signal at a desired power level when actual digital data is to be transmitted.
For calibrating the PA 110, the system memory 120 (or an external memory) stores reference baseband stream data. The DSP 112 shapes the reference baseband stream data to generate shaped reference baseband stream data by multiplying the reference baseband stream data with calibration patterns. The DSP 112 generates the calibration patterns that are mathematical polynomials having respective coefficients. The DPD 116 receives the shaped reference baseband stream data and generates a pre-distorted shaped reference baseband stream data. Finally, the PA 110 receives the pre-distorted shaped reference baseband stream data as a low-power reference RF signal and generates a high-power reference RF signal. Further, the DPD 116 repeats the process of digital pre-distortion and the DSP 112 adjusts the LUT coefficients of the DPD 116. Thus, at the end of the calibration process, the DSP 112 adjusts the LUT coefficients to ensure that the PA 110 generates a linear high-power RF signal.
A known technique in the art to calibrate the PA 110 loads the calibration patterns into the baseband processing unit 106 via external sources such as flash memory chips, local area network (LAN) and the like. As the calibration patterns are externally loaded into the baseband processing unit 106, this technique for calibration is not suitable in real-time applications. Further, as the DSP 112 accesses the system memory 120 multiple times to fetch the reference baseband stream data and the calibration patterns stored therein, data traffic on the system bus 114 increases. The increased data traffic results in higher power consumption of the RF transceiver 102.
An alternative solution is the use of the DSP 112 to generate the calibration patterns. However, the mathematical computation of generating the calibration patterns requires a high number of 'million instructions per second' (MIPS) (also referred to as "machine cycles") of the DSP 112 that otherwise could be used for more important tasks such as digital data processing. Moreover, this solution also results in an increase in the data traffic on the system bus 114 and consequently an increase in the power consumption of the RF transceiver 102.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an RF transceiver that calibrates the PA in real-time with reduced number of MIPS of the DSP.


Methods and systems are provided for a coolant system. In one example, a method may include diagnosing a condition of a pump of the coolant system based on a temperature change of coolant. The diagnostic may determine if the pump is stuck on or off.

Engine controls may include on-board diagnosis of various engine components or sensors, particularly when improper operation of such component or sensors can adversely influence various aspects of engine operation and/or emissions. For example, desired operation of an engine coolant system may be determined via diagnosis of whether a coolant pump is operating as desired (e.g., not stuck on or off).
Previous examples of determining proper operation of the coolant pump may include where a chip is arranged on a side of an actuator. The chip may be configured to determine various modes of the pump operation including a dry run, a stuck/stalled impeller, over temperature, over/under voltage, other electrical error, and the like.
However, the inventors have identified some issues with the approaches described above. For example, as a greater number of vehicles become at least partially electrified, chip shortages may be further exacerbated. This may lead to further increased costs to include the chip, while also increasing manufacturing delays.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a method including diagnosing a coolant pump based on only a temperature change of a coolant across a heater core. In this way, the chip may be omitted while diagnostics of the pump may still be executed.
As one example, the diagnostic may be intrusively executed during a condition where the engine is unfueled. In one example, the temperature change may be measured across two or more temperature sensors including a temperature sensor of an engine and a temperature sensor downstream of a heat exchanger, such as a coolant heater and/or a heater core. Conditions for the diagnostic may further include conditions where cabin heating may be desired, which may coincide when ambient temperatures are less than a threshold ambient temperature. The diagnostic may allow manufacturers to omit an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip from the pump. By doing this, manufacturing times and costs may be reduced.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Methods and systems for coolant system diagnostics


A battery module includes a hermetically sealed battery cell assembly. The battery cell assembly includes a housing and an electrochemical cell disposed in the housing, wherein the housing includes a fill hole configured to receive electrolyte into the battery cell assembly. The battery cell assembly also includes a seal disposed over the fill hole and ultrasonically welded to an annular portion of the housing around the fill hole.

The disclosure relates generally to the field of batteries and battery modules. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to fill hole sealing techniques for battery cells that may be used particularly in vehicular contexts, as well as other energy storage/expending applications.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A vehicle that uses one or more battery systems for providing all or a portion of the motive power for the vehicle can be referred to as an xEV, where the term "xEV" is defined herein to include all of the following vehicles, or any variations or combinations thereof, that use electric power for all or a portion of their vehicular motive force. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) combine an internal combustion engine propulsion system and a battery-powered electric propulsion system, such as 48 volt or 130 volt systems. The term HEV may include any variation of a hybrid electric vehicle. For example, full hybrid systems (FHEVs) may provide motive and other electrical power to the vehicle using one or more electric motors, using only an internal combustion engine, or using both. In contrast, mild hybrid systems (MHEVs) disable the internal combustion engine when the vehicle is idling and utilize a battery system to continue powering the air conditioning unit, radio, or other electronics, as well as to restart the engine when propulsion is desired. The mild hybrid system may also apply some level of power assist, during acceleration for example, to supplement the internal combustion engine. Mild hybrids are typically 96V to 130V and recover braking energy through a belt or crank integrated starter generator. Further, a micro-hybrid electric vehicle (mHEV) also uses a "Stop-Start" system similar to the mild hybrids, but the micro-hybrid systems of a mHEV may or may not supply power assist to the internal combustion engine and operates at a voltage below 60V. For the purposes of the present discussion, it should be noted that mHEVs typically do not technically use electric power provided directly to the crankshaft or transmission for any portion of the motive force of the vehicle, but an mHEV may still be considered as an xEV since it does use electric power to supplement a vehicle's power needs when the vehicle is idling with internal combustion engine disabled and recovers braking energy through an integrated starter generator. In addition, a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) is any vehicle that can be charged from an external source of electricity, such as wall sockets, and the energy stored in the rechargeable battery packs drives or contributes to drive the wheels. PEVs are a subcategory of electric vehicles that include all-electric or battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicle conversions of hybrid electric vehicles and conventional internal combustion engine vehicles.
Vehicles using electric power for all or a portion of their motive power may provide numerous advantages as compared to traditional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. For example, vehicles using electric power may produce fewer pollutants and may exhibit greater fuel efficiency. In some cases, vehicles using electric power may eliminate the use of gasoline entirely and derive the entirety of their motive force from electric power. As technology continues to evolve, there is a need to provide improved power sources, particularly battery modules, for such vehicles.
Vehicles using electric power for at least a portion of their motive force may derive their electric power from multiple individual prismatic battery cells packaged into battery modules. Such battery cells generally include an electrochemical cell that is held within a housing, and positive and negative battery terminals extending through the housing to carry electrical energy from the battery cell to an outside load. Many existing battery cells also include an electrolyte fill hole for injecting liquid electrolyte into the battery cell during the assembly process. The liquid electrolyte is used to facilitate the internal ion flow between electrodes within the battery cell. Contamination of the electrolyte, heating of the electrolyte, and escape of the electrolyte from the battery cell through the fill hole can cause unwanted corrosion and/or deteriorated performance of the battery cell. For this reason, among others, it is desirable to seal the electrolyte fill hole in a way that protects both the electrolyte and the battery components and enhances the performance of the battery cell.

System and method for closing a battery fill hole


Methods and systems for providing efficient communications between two mobile stations served by the same base station or relay station are provided. A base station maintains information identifying which mobile stations it is serving. When a connection is set up between two mobile stations, if they are both being served by the same base station, the base station forwards traffic directly between the two mobile stations without forwarding it on to higher level network entities.

If two mobile stations MS1 and MS2 are associated with the same base station (BS) (possibly via one or more relay stations (RS)) and MS1 wants to send data to MS2, the operation of the connections set up and data forwarding by the BS is defined herein as MS-BS-MS operation. The conventional approach to handling this is through a BSC (base station controller) or gateway server without regard to the fact that MS1 and MS2 are associated with the same BS.

Systems and methods for facilitating intra-cell-peer-to-peer communication


An internal combustion engine (10) with dual ignition has two spark plugs (70) and (72) mounted in a cylinder head (16) that forms a combustion chamber (44) in conjunction with the cylinder (14) and piston (18). The spark plugs sequentially ignite the lean air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber towards the end of the compression stroke. The piston (18) has a recess (80) of variable width and depth that has its narrow portion in proximity to the spark plug (70) and wider and deeper portion aligned under spark plug (72). The ignition by spark plug (72) is delayed with respect to the ignition by spark plug (70).

Conventional internal combustion engines achieve a relatively fast burn due to the substantially centralized position of the ignition source within the cylinder and the chemical composition of the mixture. The mixture is stoichiometrically correct or nearly so within 2 to 2.5 air/fuel ratios. However, if lean mixtures of the order exceeding 20:1 air/fuel ratio or higher are introduced into the conventional combustion chamber, the mixture may fail to ignite resulting in a total misfire. If initial ignition is achieved, the resulting flame kernel may be quickly quenched also resulting in total misfire. If the flame kernel is not quenched, the combustion proceeds very slowly and the cycle loses its efficiency, or is still burning when the exhaust valve opens. The excessively slow burn may be characterized as a partial misfire.
Lean burn engines that are designed to quickly burn air/fuel mixture ratios of approximately 20:1, but not substantially higher, have been developed and tested for many years. The benefits of lean burn engines include improved fuel consumption, the practically complete elimination of carbon monoxide and low amounts of unburnt hydro-carbons and oxides of nitrogen. These advantages are particularly noticeable under partial loads. However, these engines do not have much of a misfire limit if run at air/fuel ratios higher than 20:1, and at ratios lower than 20:1, produce excess NO.sub.x. The operating limit, then, is very narrow and difficult to control. Switchover to a rich mixture (about 12.5:1) for maximum power output, if abrupt, produces uncontrollable drivability problems. If the switchover is gradual and progressive, on occasion the engine will find itself running at a combination of a high load point and air/fuel ratios around 16.5:1 where knocking is so prevalent as to result in a possible destruction of the engine.
The theoretical advantages of lean burn engines with a single spark-plug have been hindered by misfiring or by ignition that was either too early or too late in the combustion cycle. Previous constructions of lean burn combustion engines that attempted to control misfiring or knocking required complex and expensive approaches of questionable reliability. Alternatively, modified intake port designs have been incorporated which reduce the volumetric efficiency of the engine and thus limit the power output and versatility. Recently, there have been developments which incorporate four valve designs for increased air flow, swirling air motion, and three or more spark plugs positioned about the periphery of the combustion chamber to assure ignition. These engines only operate within the lean regime at some part loads and lower speeds, then switchover to stoichiometric or rich mixtures for higher loads and speeds. The reason that it these engines do not operate in a lean regime at full throttle is that only about 60% of the power potential is realized. Thus, these engines have only a partial lean burn capacity. Further, as earlier explained, the switchover can be very difficult, hard to accomplish, and detrimental to the engine's durability.
What is needed is a combustion engine that incorporates maximum air flow without swirl type air motion which deminishes flow capacity, orderly movement of the air-fuel mixture without decreasing air flow capacity and orderly combustion within the combustion chamber by dual ignition of the fuel/air mixture. These elements in conjunction with the physical and chemical principles of combustion produce positive ignition and fast burn.
The engine with the above fundemental requirements must operate at all conditions of load, speed, and ambient temperature to truly produce an efficient and low emission powerplant. The engine must produce its full output while operating in the lean regime at wide-open throttle (W.O.T.). As previously pointed out, no previous naturally aspirated engine operating lean (at about a 20:1 air/fuel ratio) and at W.O.T. produces more than about 65% of what a comparable engine produces when running with a rich mixture. Thus, to be able to produce the same potential power output, a supplemental air source must be provided. This engine charging can be either by a mechanical supercharger or by a turbocharger. Resultantly, the power potential of such an engine can be comparable to a rich-running counterpart and the engine can maintain good fuel economy, low emissions of HC, CO and NO.sub.x, produce no particulates or visible emissions, and substantially decrease combustion noise. This engine can also start at normal ambient temperatures (75 degrees F.) without enrichment, and with minimal enrichment at colder temperatures. Present homogeneous-charge spark-ignited engines do not have these desirable start characteristics.

Internal combustion engine with dual ignition for a lean burn


According to the present invention there is provided a module for use with a chair having a seat portion supported by a support portion, for triggering movement of a person sitting thereon. The module is adapted for attachment to the chair between the seat portion and the support portion, and comprises a driving motor, a base platform adapted for fixed attachment to the seat portion, and an angled axis system (AAS). The AAS has a main rotary element having a main axis, and an auxiliary rotary element having an auxiliary axis and coupled with the first rotary element so that the auxiliary axis is oriented at an angle to the main axis. The module is designed such that when the main rotary element rotates about its main axis, the auxiliary rotary element also rotates about the main axis. The base platform is coupled to the auxiliary rotary element so that the rotation of the auxiliary axis moves the base platform entailing the seat portion to perform an oscillating combined rotary-tilting motion, the amplitude of the movement being defined by the angle. The motor is adapted to rotate either of the main rotary element or auxiliary rotary element to provide desired oscillation frequency so that the person seated on the seat portion is triggered to operate his joints and muscles to compensate for the movement in order to remain focused on a target. The frequency and the amplitude being such that the compensation of the movement by the person allows the person to remain focused on the target.

In modern life, mostly in office jobs, laboratory work etc. the majority of work is done sitting on a chair. Sitting for long periods of time is blamed for having several harmful effects on the human body, one major effect being various forms of back pain.
Walking has been suggested as a way of avoiding some of the above effects, being known for its ability to relieve back pain in many cases. However, since walking is not always possible during the work day, most people do not walk enough during a day to gain its benefit.
Some other activities are also known for their ability to relieve back pain such as: riding a horse especially at a walk gait, some dancing movements, swimming etc. Individuals may benefit from one activity better than from another. All of these activities induce motion to the pelvis and the vertebras and this is the trigger for their cure mechanism.
Several devices have been disclosed in order to either treat the symptoms of prolonged sitting or in order to prevent their occurrence in the first place:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,851 to Gamba discloses a chair with a 'singing seat' which is adapted to continuously swing and change the position of a person sitting thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,033,021 to Udo discloses a chair with an automatic seat adapted for cyclical inclination.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,575 to Harza discloses an apparatus for periodically lifting one hip of a seated person and then the other.
WO 2005/072564A1 discloses a sitting support and a sitting surface determined thereon.


A cellulose acylate film, comprising a cellulose acylate having at least one substituent (Substituent A) comprising an aromatic group having at least one C4 or longer aliphatic group, is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cellulose acylate film useful as an optical film or the like, and to its applications, more specifically, antireflection film, polarizing plate and an image-displaying device comprising the cellulose acylate film.
2. Related Art
As liquid crystal displaying devices have become more popular, the demand of the market on their displaying qualities and their durability have been more and more increased; and further improvement in terms of response speed and viewing angle properties, such as improvement of contrast and color-balance in oblique directions, has been required. For responding such demands, there has been provided various liquid-crystal modes; and research and development of retardation films, which can optically compensate birefringence of liquid-crystal layers employing such liquid-crystal modes respectively, are needed.
Cellulose acylate films have been widely utilized as polarizer protective films for liquid-crystal displaying devices, as having transparency and toughness. For example, proposed are optical films of fatty acid acyl cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate propionate, cellulose acetate butyrate, etc. (see JPA No. 2000-352620, referred to as Patent document 1). However, these films may have limited optical properties such as Re and Rth, and they may not always function adequately as a retardation film.
Also proposed is an optical film formed of a composition comprising a cellulose ester of mixed aromatic carboxylic acid (see JPA No. 2006-328298, referred to as Patent document 2).

Cellulose acylate film and its applications