A method of judging a vehicle loading condition includes detecting rotational speeds of wheels mounted on a vehicle, calculating a judging value of tire pressures based on the difference of the sum of rotational speeds of two pairs of wheels located at the opposing corners of the vehicle and detecting an acceleration to a lateral direction of the vehicle. The loading state of the vehicle is judged by the change of a primary coefficient based on an approximated relation between the acceleration to a lateral direction and the judging value of the tire pressures. A tire deflation warning system detects the stop of the vehicle, and the air pressure of four wheels is judged not to be decreased if the loading condition of a vehicle is changed more than a fixed value before and after a vehicle stop. The tire deflation warning system can prevent a deflation alarm for a vehicle with a heavy load.

The present invention relates to a judging method of loading condition of a vehicle with four wheels. Further, the present invention relates to a device for detecting whether the pressures of four wheels are simultaneously decreased or not in the vehicle with four wheels. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for judging four-wheel diffusion by distinguishing a case of high loading on a vehicle.
There is a method of using the judging value of tire pressures based on the difference of the sums of rotational speeds of two pair of wheels which are located at the opposite corners of a vehicle, in order to detect that the tire pressures are decreased. However, the diffusion of one wheel or two wheels located at the opposite corners can be detected by the judging value of tire pressures, but it cannot be detected that the pressures of four wheels are simultaneously decreased.
The tire pressure is gradually lowered even if the tires are not damaged. Simultaneous decreased pressure occurs occasionally because air permeates the rubber of tires, in addition to simultaneous decreased pressure caused by the dimension growth of new tires. In such a case, the pressures of four wheels are often simultaneously decreased; therefore one happens to be not aware of the decreased pressure. When a vehicle runs while the air pressures of four tires are simultaneously decreased, there is danger of provoking the burst of tires at high speed running and gas mileage is also deteriorated; therefore there is also a concern over influence on the environment.
In order to alarm the four-wheel diffusion, there is a "load sensitivity method" which judges diffusion by utilizing rotational property (the difference of rolling=the difference of load fluctuation) at the decreased pressure of four wheels. The principle utilizes that the inclination of the acceleration to a lateral direction of a vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as Lateral G) to the judging value of tire pressures (hereinafter, referred to as DEL value) differs between at normal time and at the time of the four-wheel diffusion.
FIG. 1 is an example in which the Lateral G and DEL value are plotted in a case that tires are at normal air pressure and a case that the pressures of four wheels are decreased together by 40%. A regression straight line is calculated against a combination of the Lateral G and DEL value and its primary coefficient (inclination) is referred to as the load sensitivity. As shown in FIG. 1, the load sensitivity (the inclination of Lateral G to DEL value) differs between a case of normal air pressure and a case that the pressures of four wheels are decreased. Accordingly, when the load sensitivity is changed at a fixed value or more in comparison with the inclination of the normal air pressure, it can be detected that the pressures of four wheels are decreased.
However, the load sensitivity method is sensitive for a load as shown by its name, and the procedure shown in the fore-description is limited to a case that a load is nearly constant.
Further, there is a method of detecting four-wheel diffusion by measuring the load through providing a load sensor and correcting the load sensitivity in accordance with the load (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 145654/1996).

Judging method of vehicle loading condition


An anti-theft apparatus for a vehicle having a vehicle floor, a vehicle fire wall, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal mounted on a downwardly extending brake pedal lever, includes a cradle for fitting around the brake lever and including structure for retaining the brake pedal against substantial lateral and downward movement relative to the cradle, a bracing portion connected to the cradle and including a leg and a foot mounted to extend downwardly relative to the cradle to abut the vehicle floor for preventing removal of the cradle from the brake lever and brake pedal, and for preventing depression of the brake pedal and brake lever to operate the vehicle by bracing the cradle against substantial movement relative to the fire wall and floor, and a lock mechanism for releasably securing the leg at the given extension relative to the cradle that the foot abuts the vehicle floor. The cradle bottom wall is preferably concavely arched to follow and receive a forwardly curved brake lever. The cradle may alternatively be fitted onto a clutch pedal and lever to prevent operation of a vehicle clutch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of devices for preventing theft of vehicles. More specifically the present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing operation of the vehicle brake so that a thief cannot drive the vehicle.
The apparatus includes a cradle for retaining one or both of a downwardly extending vehicle brake pedal and brake lever and having a telescoping leg connected to the cradle which is extended either downwardly or forwardly toward the fire wall to firmly abut the vehicle floor and means for releasably locking the leg against movement relative to the cradle. Extension of the locking leg to the floor prevents depression of the brake pedal.
The apparatus preferably retains the brake pedal or lever in one of two ways. One preferred way is for abutment of the leg against the floor to hold the cradle engagingly around the brake pedal or lever to both prevent displacement of the cradle from its engaging position and to brace and wedge the apparatus in theft-preventing engagement. The other preferred way is to slide an enclosing member against the brake pedal or lever while the pedal or lever is retained within the cradle to secure the pedal or lever against removal from the cradle, and by extending the leg to the floor to brace the apparatus and prevent brake pedal depression.
The lock mechanism for releasably securing the leg at the given extension is released with a key or equivalent element to permit retraction of the leg for apparatus removal. For the second embodiment, the lock mechanism also secures the enclosing member in its holding position against the pedal or lever. The lock mechanism further optionally secures an extensible hook member which is engagingly fitted around the vehicle steering wheel to both further anchor the apparatus and to prevent steering wheel rotation. The cradle may alternatively be fitted onto the clutch pedal to prevent operation of the clutch
Another optional feature, illustrated for the first embodiment, is a laterally extensible accelerator cover plate slidably retained within a cover plate sheath secured to the cradle. This feature doubles the protection against vehicle theft, because access is blocked to both the brake and accelerator pedals.
Still another optional feature for vehicles with clutches is a laterally extensible leg sheath and cradle fanning structure, which is secured to the cradle opposite the accelerator cover plate. After mounting the cradle onto the brake lever and pedal, the fanning structure is expanded to the left so that the leg sheath swings behind the clutch pedal, thereby obstructing clutch operation. Parts of the apparatus are preferably made of case hardened steel and stainless steel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been devices for preventing theft of various types of vehicles. Most of these devices have been designed for automobiles, because they are the most frequently stolen vehicle. Yet these prior devices have generally required unsightly alteration of the vehicle, have been difficult and awkward to install, or have been readily circumvented and removed by thieves.
One such prior device is that of Hodgson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,465, issued on May 31, 1988. Hodgson discloses a device for preventing access to the vehicle operating pedals, including the brake, accelerator and clutch pedals. A steel plate is pivotally connected to the vehicle floor in front of the pedals with a hinge, to pivot up and over all two or three pedals at once. A latch arm pivotally extends from the plate driver side face to fit over a U-shaped metal loop anchored to the vehicle floor. A pad lock is inserted into the loop to lock the latch arm onto the loop and thereby lock the steel plate in position blocking the pedals A problem with Hodgson is that the steel plate hinge and the loop must both be fastened to the vehicle floor, requiring skilled labor and permanently marring the appearance of the automobile.
Russell, U.S. Pat. N. 4,632,209, issued on Dec. 30, 1986, reveals an anti-theft device for automobiles. Russell is much like Hodgson, in that a steel plate is hingedly connected to the vehicle floor in front of the pedals to pivot upwardly and obstruct access to the pedals. A latch arm extends from the plate to a metal loop anchored to part of the automobile, and a pad lock secures the latch arm and steel plate in the obstructing position. The problems of Hodgson are again presented.
Hsieh, U.S. Pat. No 5,094,092, issued on Mar. 10 1992, teaches an auto vehicle pedal lock. The Hsieh device consists of an elongate plate having an outwardly opening U-shaped pedal lever receiving structure at each end, and a downward U-shaped curvature in its middle-section. The U-shaped end structures are designed to fit around clutch and accelerator pedal levers, while the downward U-shaped curvature receives the brake lever. A problem with Hsieh is that all three pedal levers must have the highly unusual, horizontally protruding shape shown in the Hsieh Figures to be potentially capable of receiving the device. Another problem is that if one U-shaped end is fitted onto the clutch or accelerator lever, pivoting the plate to complete mounting can only cause the other U-shaped end structure to abut rather than to receive the remaining accelerator or clutch lever.
Sorkin, U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,136, issued on Jan. 9, 1996, discloses an anti-theft gas pedal lock. Sorkin is similar to Hsieh in that it is designed to fit an unusual horizontally extending accelerator pedal. Sorkin consists of a lever collar structure for releasably encircling the accelerator lever and a pedestal structure connected to the collar and secured to the vehicle floor. A problem with Sorkin is that it would not fit most accelerator levers. Another problem is that the device would have to be permanently fastened to the floor if it is to stop movement of the pedal, so that the floor would have to be permanently marred.
Schield, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,852, issued on Sep. 18, 1984, reveals an anti-theft device for automotive vehicles. Schield, et al., includes a lockable member that, when activated while the brakes have been applied by the driver, inhibits any substantial change in the then existing fluid pressure condition in the brake fluid pressure system of the vehicle. The device also optionally includes a lockable brake lever engaging member for immobilizing the brake pedal to prevent the pedal from being depressed The brake lever engaging member includes a rectilinear rack with teeth along one longitudinal face and a lever hook at its upper end for hooking around the accelerator lever. A pedal brace slides up the rack to abut the lower face of the pedal. A problem with the Schield, et al. brake pedal engaging member is that the rack must be of just the right length for the particular vehicle, to simultaneously hook around the lever and abut the vehicle floor. There is no universal fit. If the rack is too long, the hook end will not engage the brake lever, and if the rack is too short, it will not abut the floor and the pedal therefore can be depressed and operated. Another problem is that brake lever is engaged at only one point along its length, presenting the possibility of a thief being able to work the device off the lever.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a brake lever engaging vehicle anti-theft apparatus which fits virtually any automobile or truck
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which engages the brake lever at a sufficient number of points to prevent a thief from working the apparatus loose.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which optionally additionally covers the accelerator pedal, optionally extends behind and blocks the clutch pedal, or optionally engages the steering wheel, for enhanced security.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is relatively easy to install and remove, does not require modification of or marring fastening to the vehicle, and which is sturdy and inexpensive to manufacture.

Pedal lock anti-theft apparatus for vehicles


In a method for accuracy estimation of network based corrections for a satellite-aided positioning system, with a network of reference stations code and phase measurements are recorded by the reference stations and transferred to a network processing centre. The measurements are converted to observables and single-differences between a master station and at least one auxiliary station selected for each reference station are calculated. Estimates of single-difference between each reference station and the corresponding master station are generated and slant residuals for each reference station and satellite are calculated by using the difference between calculated single-differences and estimates. Subsequently double-differences are formed by differencing satellite s and the slant residuals of a reference satellite k, leading to zenith residuals calculated by mapping the double-differences to a zenith value. Error values for each reference station are computed by using the zenith residuals and residual dispersive and non-dispersive error values for a potential rover position are estimated by combining residual dispersive and non-dispersive error values of all reference stations. The accuracy of network based corrections is represented graphically by generating a map as a grid of potential rover positions with estimated residual dispersive and non-dispersive error values.

For satellite-aided positioning systems or global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), particularly the Global Positioning System (GPS), the multiple reference station RTK approach is widely known as a differential method for combining the data from a regional reference station network to provide precise measurement correction to users in the field. This is performed by measuring the regional errors at the reference station locations and interpolating them for the location of the rover. The quality of those corrections is dependent on the reference station spacing, the location of the rover, and the characteristics of the measurement errors.
Generally, the quality of Network RTK corrections is a function of the following factors: network geometry, measurement errors, elimination of nuisance parameters (i.e. ambiguities), and the interpolation model that is used. All of these aspects are intermixed, for example, the interpolation model that is used should have the same spatial shape as the measurement errors. Alternatively, if the measurement errors are uniform then the reference stations can be located further away than if the measurement errors are not uniform.
The factors that affect Network RTK performance are generally focused around the qualities and characteristics of the measurement errors. An accurate understanding of the measurement errors leads to an optimal interpolation model and network geometry for a given level of desired rover performance.
In some of the more advanced cases of prior art the measurement error properties are extrapolated using network geometry to predict the performance for the rover in addition to the performance of the network. Many quality indicators for network RTK use the residual errors measured by the network reference stations to derive the current error conditions and characteristics. These characteristics are compared against the current interpolation model to determine the model residuals. For example, if the measured network residuals are linear and a linear interpolation model is used then there is a high likelihood that the rover will experience a high level of performance. The model residuals can then be used to predict the model inaccuracies as a function of the distance to the nearby reference stations. For example, if the model residuals are high but the rover is at a reference station then the model errors have no effect.
The ability to determine the model residuals is a function of the degrees of freedom of the interpolation model. If there are no degrees of freedom then no residuals can be determined. In this case degrees of freedom can be created by excluding one of the reference stations from the model calculation.
Network-Based RTK methods use a network of reference stations to measure the correlated error over a region and to predict their effects spatially and temporally within the network. Although the name suggests that these methods are real-time specific, they can also be used in postmission analysis. This process can reduce the effects of the correlated errors much better than the single reference station approach, thus allowing for reference stations to be spaced much further apart thereby covering a larger service area than the traditional approach, while still maintaining the same level of rover performance.
Network RTK is comprised of six main processes:    1. Processing of the reference station data to resolve the network ambiguities,    2. Selection of the reference stations that will contribute to the corrections for the rover,    3. Generation of the network corrections,    4. Interpolation of the corrections for the rover's location,    5. Formatting and transmission of the corrections and    6. Computation of the rover position.
The main task of the network computation is to resolve the ambiguities for all stations in the network to a common ambiguity level, such that the bias caused by the ambiguities is cancelled when double differences are formed. The network correction computation uses the ambiguity levelled phase observations from the network reference stations to precisely estimate the differential correlated errors for the region.
A subset of stations from the reference network, known as a cell, is selected to generate the correction for the rover based on the rover's position. One station in the cell, usually the one closest to the rover, is selected as the master station. The correction interpolation process models the network corrections to determine the effects of the correlated errors at the rover's position. Depending on the correction concept (Master Auxiliary, VRS or FKP), the interpolation may be done either by the reference station software or the rover itself. The corrections are formatted in such a way that the rover or standard RTK software can interpret them.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,322 a networked differential GPS system is disclosed that provides interpolations of reference station corrections tailored for particular user locations between the reference stations. Each reference station takes real-time ionospheric measurements with codeless cross-correlating dual-frequency carrier GPS receivers and computes real-time orbit ephemeredes independently. An absolute pseudo-range correction (PRC) is defined for each satellite as a function of a particular user's location. A map of the function is constructed, with "iso-PRC" contours, wherein the network measures the PRCs at a few points, so-called reference stations and constructs an iso-PRC map for each satellite. Corrections are interpolated for each user's site on a subscription basis. Although a central processing facility comprising means for generating quality control information by using over-specified reference station information and applying a root-sum-squares algorithm is disclosed, no further specification of the quality control information is given and no map like representation is specified.
The GPS satellites currently transmit ranging signals on two frequencies L1 and L2. The ranging signal consists of unambiguous code measurements and ambiguous, but higher precision, phase measurements. The L1 and L2 code or phase measurements may be transformed into dispersive (or ionospheric) and non-dispersive (or geometric) values using the geometry free linear combination and the ionosphere free linear combination respectively,
            Φ      dispersive        =                            f                      L                                                                          2                    2                                      f                          L                                                                                2                        2                    -                      f                          L                                                                                1                        2                                            (                              Φ                          L                                                                                1                                -                      Φ                          L                                                                                2                                      )                        Φ              non        -        dispersive              =                  1                              f                          L                                                                                1                        2                    -                      f                          L                                                                                2                        2                                            (                                            f                              L                                                                                1                            2                                                  Φ                              L                                                                                1                                              -                                    f                              L                                                                                2                            2                                                  Φ                              L                                                                                2                                                    )            where ΦL1 and ΦL2 are the raw measured code or phase measurements in meters for the L1 and L2 signals respectively, Φdispersive is the dispersive code or phase measurements in meters, Φnon-dispersive is the non-dispersive code or phase measurements in meters and fL1 and fL2 are the frequencies in Hz of the L1 and L2 signals respectively. See e.g. RTCM (2007) "RTCM Standard 10403.1 Differential GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) Services—Version 3 With Amendment 1", Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services, 27 Oct. 2007, page 3-29. Euler, H-J. and Zebhauser, B. E. (2003): "The Use of Standardized Network RTK Messages in Rover Applications for Surveying", Proc. Of ION NTM 2003, Jan. 22-24, 2003, Anaheim, Calif. explain how such network RTK positioning can be achieved using the Master Auxiliary Concept and how sending dispersive and non-dispersive corrections at different rates can magnify the measurement noise. However, this paper does not include how a quality indicator may be calculated that is able to predict the level of residual error after the corrections are applied or the performance of the rover. This paper summarises the basic theory that is the foundation of the Master Auxiliary Concept, namely the idea of a common ambiguity level and the representation of the network corrections as dispersive and non-dispersive correction differences, and provides an example of how these correction differences can be interpolated for a particular rover location. The theory is also useful as background to this invention which describes the quality of the corrections for a set of arbitrary rover locations and which is also derived from ambiguity levelled phase ranges.
In Wanninger, L. (2004): "Ionospheric Disturbance Indices for RTK and Network RTK Positioning", Proc. of ION GNSS 2004, Long Beach, Calif. an approach with an ionospheric Network RTK index I95L is disclosed where the index is computed from a 4 station sub-network with the ionospheric correction model being based on the observations of 3 surrounding reference stations and a fourth station being used as a monitor station. However, the approach provides only an index without calculation of values for a given rover location. Further, the index does not apply to the non-dispersive, i.e. troposphere and geometry component. Wübbena, G., Schmitz, M., Bagge, A. (2004) "GNSMART Irregularity Readings for Distance Dependent Errors", White Paper, Geo++, mention the ionospheric delay of GNSS observations as the major error source in the atmosphere, which results into a dependency of a GNSS user from the separation to a reference station. Therefore, focus is placed on the ionospheric error component with an irregularity proposed as an indicator to decide on processing strategies on a RTK rover system in the field. However, the approach is based on per satellite residuals and does not calculate values for a given rover location. The distance based irregularity parameter is discontinuous and applies only to the dispersive component.
Two different ionospheric linearity indicators to predict Network RTK performance are proposed in Chen, X., Landau, H., Vollath, U., (2003) "New Tools for Networked RTK Integrity Monitoring", ION GPS/GNSS 2003, Sep. 9-12, 2003, Portland, Oreg. The ionospheric residual integrity monitoring omits one reference station from interpolation and then compares the interpolation results at that station with the real measurements. It computes a weighted RMS over all satellites which can also be considered as integrity monitoring for residual interpolation and ambiguity resolution in the network. The ionospheric residual interpolation uncertainty as second indicator uses sufficient surrounding reference stations and produces standard deviation of interpolation with an interpolation method such as weighted linear interpolation method. The standard deviation represents the ionospheric linearity over the interpolation region for the field user. In this document it is also proposed to use similar indicators that can be used for the non-dispersive part. However, neither non-dispersive errors are disclosed in detail nor are equations specified. The values are generated when a position (latitude, longitude and height) is received from a rover. This requires the rover to determine the height and to transmit the information. Further, the model is discontinuous, i.e. artificial irregularities do exist between different parts of the network, and does not use the data of the whole network in the calculation of the quality estimates. The representation is based on the distance and change in height from a single reference station.
An overview of prior art is also given in Alves, P., Geisler, I., Brown, N., Wirth, J. and Euler, H.-J. (2005) "Introduction of a Geometry-Based Network RTK Quality Indicator", GNSS 2005, Dec. 8-10, 2005, Hong Kong. In this document also a network RTK quality indicator based on the characteristics of the measurement errors is introduced. The indicator assumes that the more linear the regional correlated errors, the better the interpolation methods will perform. The linearity of the network measurement errors is measured and weighted based on the distance to the rover. However, the approach also is discontinuous and does not use the data of the whole network in the calculations. It does not apply to the non-dispersive component and does not use height information.

Method for accuracy estimation of network based corrections for a satellite-aided positioning system


An RS flip-flop has an inverter, connected to an input terminal of the RS flip-flop, a NOR gate having an Enable-Set input, a NAND gate having an Enable-Reset input, and a first and a second transistor connected to the inverter. The outputs of the NOR and NAND gates are connected, via the gate paths of the first and second transistors, to the gate electrode of a third and a fourth transistor, respectively. The third and the fourth transistor are connected in series and form a holding element, whose common connection point is connected to the output of the inverter and to the output terminal of the flip-flop.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an RS flip-flop having an inverter connected to an input of the RS flip-flop, a NOR gate with an Enable-Set input, a NAND gate with an Enable-Reset input, and a first and a second transistor connected to the inverter.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an RS flip-flop with Enable inputs. An input connection IN of the RS flip-flop is connected to an input of an inverter 1 whose output is connected to one input of an AND gate 2. The other input of the AND gate 2 is connected to an input which is an Enable-Set connection ENS. The output of the AND gate 2 is connected to the Set connection of a flip-flop 3. In addition, the input connection IN is connected to one input of a second AND gate 4 whose other input is connected to an input connection ENR for an Enable-Reset signal. The output of the second AND gate 4 is connected to the Reset input of the flip-flop 3.
In the circuit described above and also in the circuit described below, a signal at the connection ENS may be the inverse signal of a signal at the connection ENR (ENS=ENR).
FIG. 3 shows a specific circuit design with the flip-flop 3. NAND gates 5, 6 are used in place of the AND gates 2,4. The actual flip-flop 3 comprises two further NAND gates 7, 8. An output connection of each NAND gate 7, 8 is fed back to an input connection of the respective other NAND gate.
Irrespective of the specific design, the RS flip-flops shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 require a signal to pass through a total of three gates from the input connection IN to an output connection Q of the flip-flop 3. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3, a signal has to pass through gates 1, 5, and 7. This results in a relatively long delay time (transit time), so that existing RS flip-flops are fairly slow and cannot provide or develop a pulse quickly.


A self-calibrating transmitter includes an up-conversion mixing module, summing module, calibration determination module, and a calibration execution module. The up-conversion mixing module is operably coupled to mix an I component of a base-band signal with an I component of a local oscillation to produce a mixed I signal and is also operably coupled to mix a Q component of the base-band signal with a Q component of the local oscillation to produce a mixed Q signal. The summing module sums the mixed I signal with the mixed Q signal to produce a modulated radio frequency (RF) signal. The calibration determination module is operably coupled to produce a calibration signal, which it generates by interpreting the local oscillation and the modulated RF signal. The calibration execution module is operably coupled to calibrate the DC level of the I and/or Q component of the base-band signal, and/or the gain of the I and/or Q component of the base-band signal based on the calibration signal.

Communication systems are known to support wireless and wire lined communications between wireless and/or wire lined communication devices. Such communication systems range from national and/or international cellular telephone systems to the Internet to point-to-point in-home wireless networks. Each type of communication system is constructed, and hence operates, in accordance with one or more communication standards. For instance, wireless communication systems may operate in accordance with one or more standards including, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digital AMPS, global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and/or variations thereof.
Depending on the type of wireless communication system, a wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone, two-way radio, personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer (PC), laptop computer, home entertainment equipment, et cetera communicates directly or indirectly with other wireless communication devices. For direct communications (also known as point-to-point communications), the participating wireless communication devices tune their receivers and transmitters to the same channel or channel pair (e.g., one of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) carriers of the wireless communication system) and communicate over that channel or channel pair. For indirect wireless communications, each wireless communication device communicates directly with an associated base station (e.g., for cellular services) and/or an associated access point (e.g., for an in-home or in-building wireless network) via an assigned channel. To complete a communication connection between the wireless communication devices, the associated base stations and/or associated access points communicate with each other directly, via a system controller, via the public switch telephone network, via the internet, and/or via some other wide area network.
For each wireless communication device to participate in wireless communications, it includes a built-in radio transceiver (i.e., receiver and transmitter) or is coupled to an associated radio transceiver (e.g., a station for in-home and/or in-building wireless communication networks, RF modem, etc.). As is known, the receiver receives RF signals, removes the RF carrier frequency from the RF signals directly or via one or more intermediate frequency stages, and demodulates the signals in accordance with a particular wireless communication standard to recapture the transmitted data. The transmitter converts data into RF signals by modulating the data to RF carrier in accordance with the particular wireless communication standard and directly or in one or more intermediate frequency stages to produce the RF signals.
As the demand for enhanced performance (e.g., reduced interference and/or noise, image rejection, compliance with multiple standards, compliance with multiple frequency bands, increased broadband applications, et cetera), smaller sizes, lower power consumption, and reduced costs increases, wireless communication device engineers are faced with a very difficult design challenge to develop such a wireless communication device. Typically, an engineer is forced to compromise one or more of these demands to adequately meet the others. For instance, an engineer may choose a direct conversion topology (i.e., convert directly from an RF signal to a base-band signal or directly from a base-band signal to an RF signal) to meet size, cost and low power requirements. However, for a direct conversion transmitter, LO pulling, RF carrier leakage due to I-Q DC offset, and I-Q gain/phase imbalance problems are more pronounced than in multistage up conversion transmitters.
As is known, local oscillation leakage results from I-Q DC offset and imperfections of the mixers within a transmitter that allow the local oscillation, which equals the RF, to be present in the resultant RF signal. The local oscillation leakage can be minimized by using multiple IF stages within the transmitter. In such an implementation, each IF stage uses a local oscillation that has a significantly different frequency than the RF, with the sum of the multiple local oscillations equals the RF. Since each local oscillation has a significantly different frequency than the RF, each local oscillation is outside the RF band of interest (i.e., the frequency spectrum of the resulting RF signal). But this requires an abandoning of the direct conversion topology and its benefits with respect to size reduction, power consumption reduction, reduced costs, and reduced complexity for broadband applications.
Therefore, a need exists for a low power, reduced size, reduced cost, and enhanced performance radio, radio transmitter, radio receiver, and/or components thereof.

Self-calibrating direct conversion transmitter


A bed covering system for assisting in the making of a bed and for securing the bedding upon a bed. The bed covering system includes a lower cover having an upper portion and a side wall positionable about a mattress, an upper cover having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a zipper having a lower track attached to the lower cover and an upper track attached to the upper cover for selectively securing the upper cover to the lower cover. The zipper is preferably comprised of a structure that allows opposing ends of the zipper to be partially removed depending upon the end of the mattress the individual sleeps upon. The zipper is attached to a longitudinal side of the upper cover and the lower cover which is preferably adjacent an obstruction such as a wall. A middle cover is preferably permanently attached to the lower cover positioned beneath the upper cover.

Not applicable to this application.
Not applicable to this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bedding and more specifically it relates to a bed covering system for assisting in the making of a bed and for securing the bedding upon a bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bed covering has been in use for years. Typically, bed covering is comprised of a sheet with covering loosely positioned over the sheet. The sheet and covering are positioned upon the mattress with the end portion thereof typically tucked in beneath the mattress.
The main problem with conventional bed covering is that they are difficult to utilize in making a bed, particularly beds that are elevated such as a bunk bed or a loft bed. Another problem with conventional bed covering is that they often times become undesirably removed from about the mattress.
Examples of patented devices which are related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,680 to Hackett; U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,852 to Quandt; U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,044 to Bogle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,411 to Eiler; U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,124 to Hadley; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,927 to Lachmar.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for assisting in the making of a bed and for securing the bedding upon a bed. Conventional bed covering is not suitable for usage upon elevated mattresses or where it is desirable to maintain the bed covering properly positioned upon a mattress.
In these respects, the bed covering system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of assisting in the making of a bed and for securing the bedding upon a bed.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of bed covering now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new bed covering system construction wherein the same can be utilized for assisting in the making of a bed and for securing the bedding upon a bed.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new bed covering system that has many of the advantages of the bed covering mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new bed covering system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art bed covering, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a lower cover having an upper portion and a side wall positionable about a mattress, an upper cover having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a zipper having a lower track attached to the lower cover and an upper track attached to the upper cover for selectively securing the upper cover to the lower cover. The zipper is preferably comprised of a structure that allows opposing ends of the zipper to be partially removed depending upon the end of the mattress the individual sleeps upon. The zipper is attached to a longitudinal side of the upper cover and the lower cover which is preferably adjacent an obstruction such as a wall.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a bed covering system that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.
A second object is to provide a bed covering system for assisting in the making of a bed and for securing the bedding upon a bed.
Another object is to provide a bed covering system that can be utilized upon various sizes and styles of beds.
An additional object is to provide a bed covering system that reduces the amount of time and effort required to make a bed.
A further object is to provide a bed covering system that may be utilized upon elevating beds, camper beds, houseboat beds and other beds that are difficult to make.
Another object is to provide a bed covering system that does not require any portion of the covering to be tucked beneath the mattress.
A further object is to provide a bed covering system that reduces the likelihood of the bed covering from being removed.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to the reader and it is intended that these objects and advantages are within the scope of the present invention.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.


A photovoltaic cell is provided, which includes a substrate; a first passivation layer and a first anti-reflection layer disposed on a front surface of the substrate; and a second passivation layer, a PPW layer and at least one silicon nitride layer SiuNv (1<u/v<4) disposed on a rear surface of the substrate. The at least one silicon nitride layer has a refractive index and a thickness in respective ranges of 1.9 to 2.5 and 50 nm to 100 nm. The second passivation layer includes at least one aluminum oxide layer AlxOy (0.8<y/x<1.6), a refractive index and a thickness of which are respectively in ranges of 1.4 to 1.6 and 4 nm to 20 nm. The PPW layer includes at least one silicon oxynitride layer SirOsNt (r>s>t), a refractive index and a thickness of which are respectively in ranges of 1.5 to 1.8 and 1 nm to 30 nm.

A typical passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) uses stacked aluminum oxide/silicon nitride as a rear passivation layer. An aluminum oxide layer has a relatively high fixed negative charge density, and a large number of the fixed negative charges may shield electrons on a silicon substrate surface, thus reducing the electrons usable for recombination and achieving suppression of carrier recombination on the surface. The PERC has become a mainstream technology in the photovoltaic cell. However, for a PERC based photovoltaic module, a potential induced degradation (PID) effect may negatively affect the performance of the cell, thus resulting in lowered conversion efficiency. An important cause of the PID effect may be that a potential difference between the cells and other structures (such as a packaging material) of the photovoltaic module disturbs a normal current path in the cells during the power generation, then the photovoltaic cell presents undesirable situations such as power attenuation and lower power generation. Therefore, it is desirable to improve an anti-PID effect of the PERC and maintain high efficiency of the PERC.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Photovoltaic cell, method for manufacturing same, and photovoltaic module


A working machine for use in milling the surface of a road includes a drive engine that produces engine exhaust gases. The working machine also includes a milling drum that is mounted for rotation against the surface of the road so as to generate milled material including dust from the road surface. The milling drum is contained within a milling chamber, and a spray assembly directs water into the milling chamber in such a manner that, during a period of rotation of the milling drum against the surface of the road, at least a portion of the water is converted to a vapor. A conduit is provided for conducting at least a portion of the engine exhaust gases into an enclosed space in communication with the milling chamber to raise the temperature of a gas stream therein containing vapor and dust from the milled material.

A road milling machine includes a milling drum with a plurality of cutter teeth mounted thereon which is contained within a milling enclosure or chamber. The milling machine is adapted to be advanced across a road surface to "mill" the surface to remove asphaltic or Portland cement concrete road pavement in preparation for recycling the pavement and/or in preparation for applying a pavement overlay. Road milling machines can also be used to "profile" or make smooth an asphalt or concrete road surface. The typical milling machine includes one or more conveyors to take the milled material from the vicinity of the milling drum and direct it away from the machine and into an adjacent dump truck. A road stabilizer/reclaimer machine is similar to a milling machine in that it comprises a wheeled or track-driven vehicle that includes a milling drum with a plurality of cutter teeth mounted thereon which is contained within a milling enclosure or chamber. However, the milling drum of a road stabilizer/reclaimer machine is generally employed to mill or pulverized an existing road bed or roadway to a greater depth than does a milling machine prior to repaving (usually called reclaiming) or prior to initial paving (usually called stabilizing), and it leaves the pulverized material in place. During the operation of a milling machine or a road stabilizer/reclaimer machine, the surface pavement is broken by the cutter teeth of the milling drum, thereby generating dust in the milling chamber.
The cutter teeth on the milling drum of a milling machine or a road stabilizer/reclaimer machine are typically made of metallic carbides or other very hard materials. As these teeth are forced through the road surface as the milling drum is rotated, they are heated by friction to a high temperature. A water spray bar with nozzles is typically mounted within or adjacent to the milling chamber to direct water to cool the hot cutter teeth and/or to control dust emissions. When this cooling water hits the cutter teeth, some of the water is turned into steam. The change in phase of water to steam creates volumetric expansion, and some of the dust and gas stream contents of the milling chamber can be blown out through gaps between the milling chamber and the road surface. Some of the dust that is blown out of or escapes the milling chamber of a milling machine or a road stabilizer/reclaimer machine can contain silica, which in certain forms comprises a health concern for the machine operators and other nearby personnel. To minimize or prevent the escape of the particulate silica and other dust from the milling chamber, it is known to equip the working machine with an emission control system. In some such systems, the dust and its entraining gas stream are routed to an area of safe discharge or to a dust separation device such as a filter assembly where the dust is separated from the entraining gas stream. In some such systems, the milling chamber is placed under a negative pressure using a fan device.
The critical importance of the temperature of the gas stream that contains water in a vapor (gaseous) state and dust generated during milling of a roadway for the efficient operation of an emission control system has not been appreciated. If the temperature of the gas stream is not high enough, the temperature of the gaseous water vapor in the gas stream may fall below its dew point so that the water vapor will condense to a liquid state. This can lead to mudding and fouling of ductwork and to mudding and fouling of separation and filtering devices such as cartridge filters, cyclones, baghouses and other devices. It would be advantageous if a method and apparatus could be developed for control of the temperature of the gas stream entraining dust generated during the milling of a roadway to insure efficient operation of an associated emission control system. Although the invention described herein may be employed in connection with an emission control system including a dust collection device in a working machine such as a milling machine or a road stabilizer/reclaimer machine, it may also be employed in connection with emission control systems with no dust collection device.
Notes on Construction
The use of the terms "a", "an", "the" and similar terms in the context of describing the invention are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising", "having", "including" and "containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including, but not limited to,") unless otherwise noted. The terms "substantially", "generally" and other words of degree are relative modifiers intended to indicate permissible variation from the characteristic so modified. The use of such terms in describing a physical or functional characteristic of the invention is not intended to limit such characteristic to the absolute value which the term modifies, but rather to provide an approximation of the value of such physical or functional characteristic. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise specified herein or clearly indicated by context.
The use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as" and "preferably") herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and the preferred embodiments thereof, and not to place a limitation on the scope of the invention. Nothing in the specification should be construed as indicating any element as essential to the practice of the invention unless so stated with specificity.
Various terms are specifically defined herein. These terms are to be given their broadest possible construction consistent with such definitions, as follows:
The term "water" refers to a fluid that is primarily or wholly comprised of water or a solution, emulsion or mixture in which water is the primary component.
The terms "steam", "water vapor", "vapor" and similar terms refer to water in a gaseous state.
The term "gas stream" refers to a stream or flow of a gas which may include air and water vapor.
The term "dust" refers to particulate material that can be entrained in a gas stream.
The term "working machine" refers to a milling machine and/or a stabilizer/reclaimer machine and/or any other road working machine that includes a milling drum and a spray assembly for use in dispensing water for heat and/or dust control.
The terms "upper", "top" and similar terms, when used in reference to a relative position or direction on or with respect to a working machine, or a component or portion of such a machine, refer to a relative position or direction that is farther away from the surface on which the working machine is placed for operation.
The terms "lower", "bottom" and similar terms, when used in reference to a relative position or direction on or with respect to a working machine, or a component or portion of such a machine, refer to a relative position or direction that is nearer to the surface on which the working machine is placed for operation.
The term "front end" and similar terms, when used in connection with a working machine or a component or portion of such a machine, refer to the end of the machine, or the component or portion thereof which is in the direction of travel of the machine while it is being operated.
The terms "forward", "in front of", and similar terms, as used herein to describe a relative position or direction on or in connection with a working machine, or a component or portion of such a machine, refer to a relative position or direction towards the front end of the machine.
The terms "back end", "rear end" and similar terms, when used in connection with a working machine or a component or portion of such a machine, refer to the end of the machine or the component or portion thereof which is farther from the front end of the working machine.
The terms "rearward", "behind", and similar terms, as used herein to describe a relative position or direction on or in connection with a working machine, or a component or portion of such a machine, refer to a relative position or direction towards the rear end of the machine.
The term "linear actuator" refers to an electric, hydraulic, electro-hydraulic or mechanical device that generates force which is directed in a straight line. One common example of a "linear actuator" is a hydraulic actuator which includes a cylinder, a piston within the cylinder, and a rod attached to the piston. By increasing the pressure within the cylinder on one side of the piston (over that on the opposite side of the piston), the rod will extend from the cylinder or retract into the cylinder.
The term "rotary actuator" refers to an electric, hydraulic or electro-hydraulic motor or other device that generates force that is directed along an arc or about a center of rotation.
The term "actuator" refers to a linear actuator or a rotary actuator.

Method and apparatus for controlling dust emissions with temperature control


A new and distinct plum variety that possesses heavy and consistent production of large (about 65 mm) fruit in late July and early August in Kern County, California. The fruit skin has a smooth yellow finish with mildly-tart flavor, while the flesh color is yellow, with crisp, juicy texture. The flavor is sweet with high sugar levels (about 18° brix), and balancing acidity.

This invention relates to the discovery and asexual propagation of a new and distinct variety of plum, Prunus salicina variety 'Suplumthirtyone.' The variety originated by hybridization, being first hybridized by Bruce Mowrey in March 1993, and selected by David Cain as '93P062-119-187.' The new variety was first evaluated during August 1998, by David Cain and Terry Bacon near Wasco, Kern County, Calif.
The new variety 'Suplumthirtyone' is characterized by producing fruit with a yellow-colored flesh with a crisp, juicy texture and a sweet flavor. The variety has a high sugar content (18° brix) and balanced acidity. The fruit skin has a smooth yellow finish with mildly-tart flavor. The new variety 'Suplumthirtyone' has heavy and consistent production of large (65 mm) fruit in late July and early August in Kern County.
The new variety 'Suplumthirtyone' was selected from an open pollinated progeny of the '90P-059' (unpatented), which was selected from a progeny of 'Queen Rosa' (unpatented) crossed with pollen of '232-205' (unpatented). The parent varieties were first crossed in March 1993, with the date of planting of February 1994, and the date of first flowering being 1996. The new plum variety was first asexually propagated by David Cain near Wasco, Kern County, Calif. in 1997, by budding onto 'Nemared' (unpatented) rootstock. The new variety has been shown to maintain its distinguishing characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
The new variety 'Suplumthirtyone' is similar to its seed parent '90P-059' in most characteristics. However, the new variety differs from its seed parent in that the new variety ripens approximately 4 weeks later and has larger fruit (approximately 65 mm diameter compared to approximately 63 mm for '90P-059').
The new variety 'Suplumthirtyone' most nearly resembles the commercial plum 'Flavor Queen' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,420) but may be distinguished from 'Flavor Queen' by the following combination of characteristics: the new variety has larger fruit (approximately 65 mm compared to approximately 63 mm for 'Flavor Queen'), and has yellow skin compared to the greenish-yellow skin of 'Flavor Queen.'


A power supply control circuit includes a control circuit that controls an output transistor to be rendered conductive by forming a second electrical path between a second power supply line and a control terminal of the output transistor when a power supply voltage is applied in a reverse direction between first and second power supply lines, and that controls a second electrical path to be electrically disconnected when the power supply voltage is applied in a forward direction between the first and second power supply lines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply control circuit. In particular, the present invention relates to a power supply control circuit having a function of protecting an output transistor that controls power supply to a load, against overvoltage which may be superimposed on a power supply line (herein after, referred to as "overvoltage protection function"), and also having a function of protecting the output transistor against reverse connection of a power supply (hereinafter, referred to as "power supply reverse connection protection function").
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-028747 (hereinafter, referred to as "Patent Document 1"), for example, discloses a power supply control circuit having an overvoltage protection function. The structure of the power supply control circuit is described with reference to FIG. 1. A power supply control circuit 100 includes a gate charge discharging circuit 108, a gate resistor 107, an output MOS transistor 109, a switch 110, a dynamic clamp circuit 111, and a load 112.
The switch 110 and the clamping diode 111 are connected in series with each other between a gate of the output transistor 109 and a power supply line 101 (connected to a positive terminal of a battery power supply or the like). Further, a ground potential (electrically connected to a negative terminal of the battery power supply) 130 is applied to a gate of the switch 110 as a reference voltage. Thus, the overvoltage protection function is realized. Operations thereof are described in detail in Patent Document 1, so a description thereof is herein omitted.
Meanwhile, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-019812 (hereinafter, referred to as "Patent Document 2"), for example, discloses a power supply control circuit having a power supply reverse connection protection function. The structure of the power supply control circuit is described with reference to FIG. 2. Note that components identical with those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. A transistor 114 serving as a control Nch switch is connected between a power supply line (electrically connected to a negative terminal of a battery power supply) 103, which is an illustrative example of a third power supply, and an output transistor 109. As disclosed in Patent Document 2, an electric charge is applied to the output transistor 109 through a parasitic diode 115 of the transistor 114 when a power supply is reversely connected, with the result that the output transistor 109 is rendered conductive and protected. The transistor 114 functions as a power supply reverse connection protection circuit.
Note that a power supply line 102 connected to one end of the load 112 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and serving as a second power supply is connected to the negative terminal of the battery power supply.
While the circuit of FIG. 1 having the overvoltage protection function and the circuit of FIG. 2 having the power supply reverse connection protection function have been proposed as described above, the present inventor has thought that a power supply control circuit having both the functions has not been realized yet. To realize the power supply control circuit having both the functions, the control switch transistor 114 may be provided, as shown in FIG. 2, between the gate of the transistor 109 shown in FIG. 1 and the power supply line connected to the negative terminal of the battery power supply. This structure has a problem in that, in the case where the load 112 generates a counter electromotive voltage upon non-conduction of the output transistor 109, the switch 110 is not rendered conductive and a predetermined clamp voltage is not applied to the output transistor 109.
The transistor 110 for implementing the overvoltage protection function needs to be rendered conductive based on a counter electromotive force generated by the load 112, when the state of the output transistor 109 changes to a non-conductive state. A mechanism thereof is as follows. A change in voltage to a negative voltage due to the counter electromotive force generated from a load of an output terminal 106 is transmitted to the gate of the output transistor 109 through the transistor 108 and the gate resistor 107, thereby rendering the transistor 110 conductive. When a gate potential of the output transistor 109 is lowered, however, the parasitic diode 115 of the transistor 114, which is provided to implement the power supply reverse connection protection function, is rendered conductive, and the decrease in gate potential of the output transistor 109 is suppressed. As a result, the transistor 110 is inhibited from being rendered conductive.


Methods, systems and computer products are provided for reducing the design size of an integrated circuit while preserving the behavior of the design with respect to verification results. A multiplexer is inserted at the gate being analyzed, and the multiplexer selector is controlled to provide a predetermined output for one frame at the point being analyzed. It is then determined whether the circuit remains equivalent during application of the predetermined output in order to decide whether the gate being analyzed is a candidate for replacement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital circuitry designs of state machines, and more specifically, to systems, methods and computer products for efficiency improvements in the digital circuitry designs.
2. Description of Related Art
An electrical circuit with memory elements may be modeled using state equations and state variables to describe the behavior and state of the system. A complete set of state variables for a system, coupled with logic that defines the transitions between states, typically contains enough information about the system's history to enable computation of the system's future behavior. Simplifying the model to reduce the number of state variables, or simplifying the logic that defines state transitions, lessens the computational cost of analyzing the model, for example, to verify that it conforms to a given specification.
The synthesis and verification of state variable models can require tremendous amounts of computational resources. A process for reducing design size would be useful in reducing computational requirements, thus enhancing logic synthesis and verification. What is needed is an automated method of reducing design size while preserving the behavior of the design with respect to verification results.

Method, system and application for sequential cofactor-based analysis of netlists

International Business Machines Corporation


A method is disclosed for a system including at least one process management computer and a number of field devices, whereby status and control signals are transmitted between at least some of the field devices and the process management computer using a TCP/IP protocol over a communication channel, preferably a radio connection and/or the Internet. A process management system includes a process management computer with a web-server, a client computer with an Internet browser and a number of sensors and actuators. The process management system may preferably be operated by way of the Internet, using the client computer.

To control a technical installation, a process control system is normally used which includes a number of components which specialize in particular tasks and are installed at various locations within the technical installation, for example in a power plant for generating electric power.
In this case, the process control system usually has a hierarchic structure involving a plurality of levels. At a field level, the signals which arise during operation of the technical installation and describe the operating state of installation components are detected and control signals are sent to actuating elements for the installation components.
At an automation level, the control functions used to operate the installation are implemented in a plurality of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), for example. During implementation, a specific piece of control software developed for control tasks is usually used (e.g. step 5, step 7 etc.), which can be executed only on particular types of CPUs which are in turn operated by a specific operating system. The automation level receives signals from the field level and sends commands to the field level. In this case, the connection between the field and automation levels can be in the form of individual wiring of each pickup and/or of each actuating element to corresponding inputs and outputs for the automation level, but it is also possible to use a field bus system with a particular, usually very specific transmission protocol for this purpose.
An operator control and monitoring level forms a man/machine interface which an operator can use to operate the technical installation and to obtain information therefrom. In this case, the operator obtains, for example on a screen in a computer system in the form of process images, graphical information about the installation state and he can use, by way of example, a mouse and/or a keyboard in the computer system to input operating commands into the computer system. The operator control and monitoring level is often connected to the automation level by way of a power plant bus system, in which case the bus system is in the form of an optical fiber system, for example, and is operated using a specific transmission protocol.
The computer system for the operator control and monitoring level usually includes a specific piece of operator control and monitoring software installed thereon. The control software is usually produced directly at the automation level using a programming device which is connected to the automation devices (PLCs) and which is used to generate the "target code" for the corresponding automation device, and/or using a separate engineering system which, by way of example, is formed by a computer on which modules are selected from a library and are connected to one another graphically, for example, in order to provide a desired control function. Subsequent compilation generates the target code from the graphical function diagram, and said target code is then loaded on the desired automation device (PLC) at the automation level and is executable.
The use of such a known process control system thus requires the use of hardware and software components respectively tailored to particular tasks. The operator control and monitoring software is not executable on the automation devices. Further, conversely, the control software is not executable on the operator control and monitoring system's computer system.
To operate a technical installation, it is thus necessary to use various systems in parallel beside one another which are not suitable for taking on tasks from one of the other systems. In addition, the systems also cannot be arranged at almost any physical distance from one another, since the connection between them, usually a bus system or individual wiring, cannot be extended arbitrarily. Further, such an extension—if it is at all possible to implement—would be very expensive and susceptible to error.
Conventional process control systems are thus usually arranged in strictly hierarchic form, with each level of the hierarchy using systems which are specifically matched to the respective task, such as the aforementioned PLC or the aforementioned automation bus systems (for example the Sinec H1 bus from Siemens or the Profibus). The systems are then also usually operated with software packages developed specifically for automation technology. Since, as already mentioned, the maximum reachable distance at which the components of a known process control system can be installed away from one another is limited, it is usually the case in practise that virtually all the components of the process control system are installed within the technical installation.
Such a known process control system is very expensive, since specific hardware and software is used which still needs to be configured and parameterized by experts for use in the technical installation. In addition, it is possible to diagnose, maintain and optimize components and functions of the process control system practically only in situ. Furthermore, known process control systems have only very limited control options from locations which are outside the technical installation (to this end, known process control systems usually have a separate system, such as a gateway, with this specifically configurable gateway often being able to be used to perform only a portion of the control tasks externally; in this case, it is frequently necessary to couple systems having different transmission protocols with a great deal of involvement).
In addition, an operator needs to obtain specific training in order to be able to operate the process control system.
The strict hierarchic structure of a known process control system can take the following form, for example:
At least one automation device (e.g. a PLC) at the automation level stores control programs produced in a specific programming language, and these control programs are executed there. By way of example, the automation device stores the control algorithm for operating a motor.
The operator control and monitoring system stores the graphical process images, for example, in which the current process measurement and state values are overlaid as dynamic image components, and command areas are provided in which the user can send an operator control command (e.g. start up/set in motion; prescribe nominal value etc.) using a mouse click or a keyboard input, for example. The operator control command is then transmitted, for example using a power plant bus system, to the automation level, where it is then executed by a control program running on the automation device, this involving the control program driving actuating elements in the technical installation and reading in measurement values from sensors, for example.
In the case cited by way of example, the operator control and monitoring system has the motor's process image stored in it, for example. Further, the current operating states of the motor (e.g. the speed, power, operating time, temperature etc.), which are sent to the operator control and monitoring system by the automation system using the power plant bus system, are overlaid in said process image. The user is then able to click on a command button on the screen or to press a key, for example, and thereby to start the motor, to stop it or to request a higher power etc. (in which case the control program associated with the respective command is executed in the automation system).
An engineering system for the process control system engineers the process control system's control functionality, for example, by calling control modules from a software library, connecting them to one another and supplying them with parameter values, for example on a graphical user interface. The resultant control programs put together from a plurality of control modules are then converted (compiled) to that target code which is then loaded on a target device at the automation level and is executable there. The engineering system is also able, by way of example, to create and parameterize the process images with their static and dynamic image components; the process control system is thus configured and engineered using the specialized engineering system.
Furthermore, there can additionally be a separate diagnosis system which is used to monitor the operating state of the technical installation particularly the critical operating states.
In summary, it can be said that, in order to perform its tasks, a known process control system requires a multiplicity of specialized, heterogeneous subsystems in which usually specific hardware and software are used. Operating and configuring such a heterogeneous overall system are therefore very complex, and the implementation and purchase costs of such systems are very high. In addition, such process control systems are not very flexible, inter alia on account of the high level of specialization of its subsystems.

Method and process management system for the operation of a technical plant


Provided is a light detecting apparatus including: a phase locked loop portion that generates a sampling clock based on a synchronization signal output from a light source that emits pulsed laser light; an A/D convertor that performs sampling of signal light output from a sample as a result of radiating the laser light thereon in accordance with the sampling clock; and a received-data processing portion that accommodates, every time N items of the sampling data are continuously acquired, the N items of data in a single data sequence. The phase locked loop portion is provided with a clock generating portion that generates a clock that has a frequency that is N times a pulse frequency of the laser light and that is synchronized with a phase of the laser light, and a delay adjusting portion that generates the sampling clock by adjusting a delay amount of the generated clock.

There is a known laser-scanning microscope in which trigger signals are generated by using synchronization signals from a light source that emits pulsed laser light, and in which synchronization signals that indicate a timing and a period for sampling fluorescence with a predetermined cycle are generated (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2001-159734).
There is a known pulsed laser-scanning microscope that, by sampling both laser light and fluorescence at a frequency that greatly exceeds the pulsed oscillation frequency of the pulsed laser light, performs computation by using fluorescence data synchronized with the timing of excitation caused by the laser light (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2013-117529).

Light detecting apparatus and laser-scanning microscope


An interior release for a split, rear folding seat back having a center mounted latch with a flexible cloth side pull tether that wraps around the side edge of the seat back, remote from the latch. A specially designed cable mounting box fixed to the rear of the seat back, near the side edge, translates the pull of the flexible tether ninety degrees around into a stiff cable wire routed along the seat back rear surface to release the latch.

In order to temporarily enlarge the trunk space, newer automotive vehicles may incorporate a fold down rear seat back, often divided into two separate fold down seat backs of differing width. The rear surfaces of the seat backs are releasably latched to a cross member of the vehicle body, sometimes called a "package shelf", that runs behind the seat backs, between them and the trunk space. The latches can be released to fold the seat back down by an exterior cable release, accessible only from within the trunk space. It is also convenient if a second, interior seat back latch release is provided, which can be accessed from the rear seat space. The latch mechanism is fixed to the seat back, and clamps around a striker fixed to the package shelf. It is desirable that the latches be located, on the seat back, where they can most efficiently retain the seat backs firmly in their raised, latched positions, so as to best resist the forces of cargo within the trunk space pushing against the seat backs. The optimum location for seat back retention puts the latch near the center of the seat back, remote from the outboard side edge of the seat back. The optimum latch location in terms of ease of release, however, depends on the type of release mechanism used. If a rigid, push down plunger type of release mechanism is used, then the latch can be placed near the center of the upper edge of the seat, which is also the best latch location in terms of seat back retention strength. However, plunger type mechanisms create a visible, solid intrusion into the rear seat space, and can tend to wrinkle the seat back upholstery near the top edge. Soft, flexible, cloth tether type pull handles are physically non intrusive, and potentially visually neutral, if color matched to the upholstery. If such tethers are located near the outboard side edge of the seat back, then they are easily accessed and pulled. However, known cloth loop tethers used in such a location require that the latch be located right at or very near the outboard side edge of the seat back as well, not remotely, so that they can be directly released by the tether. This is not the optimum latch position for seat back retention strength.

Vehicle folding rear seat back with side pull interior latch release


A photoresist layer is applied to the surface of a substrate. The photoresist layer is exposed and then developed, to form a structured polymer. A solution is then applied to the structured polymer that contains at least one organic electrically conductive compound. The structured polymer is converted into a conducting or semiconducting structured polymer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing conductive or semiconducting structured polymers.
In microelectronics, photoresists are widely used for a variety of lithographic technologies. Normally, a photoresist layer is applied to a substrate that is to be structured (or patterned) and subsequently exposed. Following the exposure, the photoresist layer is developed so that, depending on whether it is a positive or a negative resist, the exposed portions of the photoresist layer are removed by the developer or the unexposed portions of the photoresist are removed by the developer.
Thereafter, the structured photoresist layer is used as an etch mask for the etching of the substrate. In this procedure, the structure of the structured photoresist layer is transferred into the substrate. Normally, the photoresist layer is then removed from the substrate. Accordingly, the photoresist layer is an auxiliary layer which is used for structuring the substrate and then removed again. Customary photoresist layers are nonconducting, thereby preventing short circuits due to incompletely removed photoresist residues.
The prior art has disclosed, for example, what are known as chemically amplified resists (CARs) for lithographic technologies and processes. The CAR photoresists can be used in accordance with the principle of acid-catalytic cleavage. In accordance with this principle, in the case of positive-working photoresists, a polar carboxylic acid group is formed from an apolar chemical group, such as a tert-butyl carboxylate group, for example, in the presence of a photolytically generated acid. In a subsequent developing step, the exposed photoresist layer is treated with aqueous-alkaline developer solutions, with the polar regions rich in carboxylic acid being dissolved and the unexposed regions of the resist remaining. Reference is had, in this context, to the description in Solid State Technology, Vol. 39 (1996), No.7, pages 164–173.
In a process known from European patent document EP 0 395 917 for the subsequent processing of photoresist structures which have already been developed, a special kind of photoresist system developable by aqueous alkali is used. In this case, a base polymer is used in the resist that contains further reactive groups. The groups allow the developed resist structure to be aftertreated with appropriate reagents. In the course of the aftertreatment, the structures are widened (chemical amplification of resist lines: CARL) and the resist trenches and resist holes narrowed, leading among other things to an enlargement of the processing window during production.
In accordance with a process known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,793, the aftertreatment is utilized for silylation in a two-layer resist system (SI-CARL).
Chemically amplified photoresists are also known from Advanced Materials for Optics and Electronics, Vol. 4 (1994), pages 83–93.
The purpose of the abovementioned photoresists is to serve as etch masks for structuring a substrate, and then to be removed.
Organic semiconductors and electronic components based on polymer electronics offer an attractive alternative to conventional inorganic components. The reason for this attractiveness lies, for example, in low production costs, simple packing, and compatibility with flexible substrates. By way of example, organic p-semiconductors are already known from Römpp, Lexikon der Chemie, Thieme-Verlag. Examples of organic p-semiconductors are polypyrrole, poly(phenylene-vinylene) or doped polyacetylene.
In their original chemical form, semiconducting and conducting polymers are very difficult to process owing to their conjugated double bond structure. Because of the rigid polymer structure caused by the double bonds, these polymers are in particular often of sparing to zero solubility even in suitable process solvents. Increasing the solubility and hence enhancing the processability needed for producing a film having a certain minimum thickness requires complex chemical modifications of the conductive organic polymer molecules. By means of suitable chemical modification of the semiconducting or conducting organic starting substances it is possible to increase the solubility, at least to some extent. This is described, for example, in Physics World, March 1999, pages 31–34. In this case the solubility can be increased by attaching suitable flexible, long sidechains. To do so, however, requires considerable synthesis effort, since it is necessary to retain the conductivity of the molecules during chemical modification, thereby increasing the costs.

Method of producing conductive or semiconducting structured polymers


The invention is directed to a method of forming, producing or manufacturing functionalized nanomaterials, and, specifically, soluble functionalized nanomaterials. The presently described invention also relates to nanomaterial-based composites consisting of a target material, which can include ceramic, polymer, or metallic matrices incorporated into or grown on nanomaterials, as well as a method or synthesis technique for the formation, production, or manufacture of nanomaterial-based composites through microwave-induced reaction.

Single Wall Nanotubes (SWNTs)
There has been an intense interest in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) since their discovery by Iijima in 1991, in large part because they possess unique structural and electronic properties. Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are the fundamental form of carbon nanotubes with unique electronic properties that emerge due to their one dimensionality. An SWNT comprises a single hexagonal layer of carbon atoms (a graphene sheet) that has been rolled up to form a seamless cylinder. Three types of SWNTs with differing chirality are expected to open new frontiers with applications ranging from new materials, to electronics and molecular scale sensing. Several processes for large scale synthesis/manufacture of SWNTs are also being developed by various research groups around the globe. These include Laser ablation (PLV) reported by Smalley's and Eklund's group (Guo et al., Chem Phys Lett., 243 (1995) 49; Eklund et al., Nano Letters (2002), 2(6), 561-566), arc discharge by Journet and coworkers (Journet et al., Nature (London) (1997), 388 (6644), 756-758) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method by several different groups (Nikolav et al., Chem. Phys. Lett., 313 (1999) 91; Wang et al., Chem. Phys. Lett., 364 (2002) 568-572; Kato et al., Thin Solid Films, 457 (2004) 2-6; Lyu et al., J. Phys. Chem. B, (2004), 108, 1613-1616). CVD methods include high pressure and catalytic CVD. SWNTs produced from different methods show slight variations in their electronic properties, and in size distribution (Kuzmany et al., Synthetic Metals, 141 (2004) 113-122). (All references cited in this paragraph are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety).
Functionalization of SWNTs has been of much interest to the scientific community because it enhances applicability. For example, insoluble SWNTs can be rendered soluble, which will lead to easy processibility, as working with a suspension is always a challenge. Functionalization may also lead to more efficient purification/separation techniques, such as, those based on chirality, or, the separation of metallic SWNTs from semi-conducting ones. More importantly, functionalization leads to the development of new classes of material with specificity for different physical and chemical properties.
SWNTs have no functional groups and are consequently quite inert. Limited reactivity arises due to the curvature induced stress from the non-planer sp2 carbons and the misaligned n orbitals. While there is a wealth of literature on the derivatization of the SWNTs, the two most general approaches appear to be 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, and oxidation of some of the atoms at the tube ends or on the tube wall, and then substitution of the functionality thus formed (—F, —OH, —COOH). At this point, a variety of synthetic organic reactions can be carried out. An example of the former approach is a reaction with azomethine. The latter approach, on the other hand, requires a more aggressive oxidation, such as, refluxing with HNO3, ozonation, or reaction with solid KOH.
Much of the effort so far has involved the use of conventional techniques such as refluxing and sonication. For different functionalization purposes, carbon nanotubes are usually treated in different solvents by refluxing, or heating and stirring. Many of these reactions need to be carried out over a long period of time. For example, for generating carboxyl groups, carbon nanotubes are often refluxed in concentrated HNO3 for tens of hours; thereafter, several days are required for refluxing (or heating) for further functionalization in processes such as acyl chlorination and amidation, diimide-activated amidation, or 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.
Acid treatment has been the most commonly used functionalization approach. It leads to debundling of the nanotubes, and is the first step towards amidation, esterification and other applications. Conventional acid treatment is a long process, however, as it requires several hours to several days depending upon the requirements of the final product. Further, most of the reported methods also involve multiple steps, and only a limited solubility has been achieved (order of few milligrams per liter) (see for example, Loupy A. Solvent-free microwave organic synthesis as an efficient procedure for green chemistry, C. R. Chimie (2004)7(2):103-112; Lewis et al., Accelerated imidization reactions using microwave radiation, J. Polym. Sci. A (1992) 30:1647-1653). The development of a fast, efficient and controllable technique for SWNT functionalization will dramatically speed-up their real world applications.
A key issue in functionalization of SWNTs has been the desire to increase their solubility in both water and organic solvents. One disadvantage of many nanomaterials is their limited solubility in common solvents. Solubility of nanomaterials, specifically carbon nanotubes, in water would allow chemical derivatization and manipulation of the nanotubes to be facilitated simply and less expensively. Due to the tremendous benefits that soluble nanomaterials would create, considerable efforts have therefore been made in the past to make carbon nanotubes soluble in water and in organic solvents, but to date have been met with only limited success. Moreover, the solubilities achieved are mostly due to water-soluble macromolecules attached to the nanotubes, rather than the development of a soluble nanomaterial.
Microwaves
Microwaves are electromagnetic radiation in the 0.3-300 GHz frequency range (corresponding to 0.1-100 cm wavelength). To avoid interference with communication networks, all microwave heaters (domestic or scientific) are designed to work at either 2.45 GHz or 0.9 GHz, of which, the former is more prevalent. According to Planck's law, the energy at this wavelength is 0.3 cal/mol, and is therefore insufficient for molecular excitation, thus most of the energy is used in substrate heat-up. The mechanism of microwave heating is different from that of conventional heating, where heat is transferred by conduction, convection or radiation. In microwave heating, electromagnetic energy is transformed into heat through ionic conduction and the friction due to rapid reorientation of the dipoles under microwave radiation. The larger the dipole moment of a molecule, the more vigorous is the oscillation in the microwave field, consequently more heating. This type of heating is fast, has no inertia, and is in-situ without heating the surroundings.
Chemistry under microwave radiation is known to be quite different, fast and efficient (Gedye et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 27 (1986) 279; Giguere et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 27 (1986) 4945; Loupy et al., Chimie, 7 (2004) 103-112). It also reduces the need for solvents, thus it is eco-friendly. It has been exploited in a variety of organics synthesis including hetero cyclic, organometallic, and combinatorial chemistry. Some of the reported advantages are rapid reactions under controlled temperature and pressure (especially in a closed system), higher purity products achieved due to short residence times at higher temperatures, and better yields at even very short residence times. Another important factor is that during dipolar polarization under microwave radiation, the activation parameters are modified. For example, it has been reported by Lewis that during imidization of polyamic acid, the activation energy reduced from 105 to 57 KJ/mol. (Lewis et al., J. Polym. Sci., 30A (1992) 1647) (All referenced cited in this paragraph are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety)
Composites
The mechanical properties of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) such as their stiffness, elasticity and high Young's modulus, make them ideal candidates for structural reinforcements in the fabrication of high strength, light weight, and high performance composites. Considerable investigations have been conducted on the SWNT based composites by both theoretical and experimental means. These prior art approaches involve, among other things, dispersion, melt mixing, milling, covalent grafting or in-situ growing SWNTs in different polymer or ceramic matrix to achieve the certain composite. The results, however, conflict among studies wherein some studies revealed that the introduction of SWNTs in polymer clearly enhances both the physical and mechanical properties while others showed that the carbon nanotube contributed no mechanical improvement to the composites.
The ineffective utilization of nanotubes as reinforcement in composites is normally suffered from two factors, non-uniform dispersion of SWNTs in matrix and poor interfacial bonding between them. The latter one consequently will result in low efficiency of load transfer across the nanotube/matrix interface, and the pull-out of carbon nanotubes from the matrix can be observed when the composites are under extension.
The excellent mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes and SWNTs would be significantly enhanced by the development of nanocomposites containing ceramic, polymer and metal incorporated into carbon nanotubes. Desirable properties for ceramic, polymer and metal composites include mechanical toughness, wear resistance, and the reduction in crack growth coupled with improved thermal conductivity, resistance to thermal shock and increased electrical conductance. For example, the ceramics are inherently brittle and the incorporation of SWNTs is known to have improved toughness by as much as 24% (Kamalakaran et al., Microstructural characterization of C—SiC-carbon nanotube composite flakes, Carbon (2004) 42(1): 1-4).
Significant efforts have gone into theoretical and experimental investigations of carbon nanotube-based composites, but challenges in fabrication, particularly for ceramics and metals have not been overcome. Fabrication methods such as, hot pressing, sintering, milling, covalent grafting and in-situ catalytic growth in ceramic and polymer matrices via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), have been used. These methods may be classified as those where the carbon nanotubes and the ceramic were physically mixed and then bonded by heat-treatment, or those where the nanotubes were grown in a ceramic matrix via CVD. This typically generates a mixture of single and multiwall nanotubes along with amorphous carbon. As an example of the former approach, Al2O3/nanotube composites were prepared by ball milling a methanol suspension of the ceramic and nanotubes for 24 hours (Wang et al., Contact-damage-resistant ceramic/single-wall carbon nanotubes and ceramic/graphic composites, Nature Materials (2004) 3: 539-544). An example of the latter is the synthesis from a slurry of SiC and ferrocene in xylene, which was sprayed into a reactor at 1000° C. under argon (Kamalakaran et al.). The observed ineffective utilization of carbon nanotubes as the reinforcing material in many of these composites has been attributed to the non-uniform dispersion of carbon nanotubes, and the poor interfacial adhesion to the matrix. For example, the latter results in ineffective load transfer across the nanotube/matrix interface, and the "pullout" of carbon nanotubes has been observed when the composite is under strain. An important issue has been the high temperature and reactivity of some of the current methodologies, which can destroy and/or damage the carbon nanotubes.
In summary, functionalization of carbon nanotubes by known conventional methods is a tedious and time-consuming procedure. Consequently, there is a need to develop techniques for fast functionalization and solubilization of SWNTs, as well as composites thereof.

Microwave induced functionalization of single wall carbon nanotubes and composites prepared therefrom