An apparatus for wrapping a joint of pipe with a web of reinforced concrete includes an improved applicator that wraps the joint of pipe with a web of concrete that is reinforced with a steel mesh and which is also layered with a web of poly film. The improved applicator has a motor drive and a gear box that interfaces the motor drive with one of the belt pulleys that drives the applicator belt. The primary applicator belt can be disengaged from the pipe, thereby transferring both pulleys to idler pulleys after pipe wrapping is initiated. This allows the large motor drives that actually rotate the pipe to control the speed at which the web of concrete is applied to the pipe. The motor drive for the applicator belt is initially engaged for a few seconds to overcome initial friction associated with start up of the applicator. A timer can be used to regulate the number of seconds that the applicator motor operates until it is disengaged using the clutch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the concrete coating of pipe and like tubular material, namely the spiral wrapping of a joint of pipe with an elongated continuous web of concrete and more particularly to an improved applicator apparatus for the wrapping of a joint of pipe with a web of concrete. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved applicator apparatus that continuously spirally wraps the pipe with the web of concrete, the improved applicator including two endless belts, one main transport belt that supports the concrete from below and a second auxiliary belt that shapes an edge of the concrete web to provide an overlapping seam.
2. General Background
In the pipe coating industry, it is well known to spirally wrap a joint of pipe with a reinforced concrete web. Sometimes the web is thick, making the pipe very heavy for underwater installation. Early example of patents that discuss the spiral wrapping of a concrete web about a metal joint of pipe include for example Australian Patent No. 5702/32 dated Aug. 4, 1932 and entitled "PIPE COATING METHOD, MACHINE AND PRODUCT"; U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,656 issued Nov. 6, 1934 entitled "APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING PIPE"; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,037,043 issued Apr. 14, 1936 entitled "PIPE WRAPPING MACHINE". This technology was first commercially developed in about the late 1940's or the early 1950's by Compression Coat of Houston, Tex. Many patents have issued that were assigned to Compression Coat. Examples of compression coat patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,006,049; 4,058,428; and 4,333,783. Each of these patents disclose or contemplate a mixture for mixing aggregate and cement to produce a concrete mass to be formed into a web, a mill for mixing water into the concrete mass, and a pipe conveyor for supporting, advancing and rotating a joint of pipe. This patent also discloses an applicator for wrapping the joint of pipe with a web of concrete, the applicator including an endless belt and a pair of pulleys that support the belt.
Pipe wrapping with concrete is usually accomplished by utilizing an elongated pipe conveyor that supports, advances, and rotates the pipe. A mobile head supports the front end portion of the pipe joint that has already been wrapped in concrete as it leaves an applicator. The applicator for wrapping the joint of pipe with a web of concrete can include an endless belt and a pair of pulleys that support the belt. The concrete web is typically transported to the pipe on the endless belt with a plastic film band placed under the concrete, between the concrete and the belt. Reinforcing wire can be fed from a roll to the endless belt for addition to the concrete web as reinforcement.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,656 (issued to N. Whitman in 1934); U.S. Pat. No. 2,037,043 (issued to Postlewaite in 1933); U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,291 (issued to J. B. Mallard in 1973); U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,049 (issued to Garner Feb. 1, 1977); U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,428 (issued Nov. 15, 1977 to Case et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,783 issued to Gardner Jun. 8, 1982); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,426 (issued to Stockman Oct. 1, 1985) all disclose pipe wrapping devices that spirally wrap the pipe with a web of concrete that is fed with an applicator belt to the pipe on a layer of plastic, reinforced with wire. In some of these patents, the plastic film layer and reinforcing wire are fed continuously from a roll (see FIG. 3of U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,428 and FIG. 1of U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,783).
The Whitman U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,656 relates to the wrapping of steel pipe with a mortar shell. The method of the Whitman patent includes the step of placing a spiral layer of mortar around the steel pipe and binding the same in place with an outer layer of material which may be fabric or other suitable material such as wire mesh or suitably prepared paper. When the coating process is completed, the binding material becomes a permanent part of the covering and provides the means of holding the mortar in place around the pipe. It also acts as a means of protecting the coating during handling. The Whitman device provides a means of rotatably supporting a section of pipe to be wrapped. A table is movable longitudinally of the pipe. The table having means for applying a preliminary coating of grout to the pipe. The table also having means for supporting a continuous tape arranged to be spirally wound around the pipe over the preliminary coating. The table also allows a layer of mortar to be deposited on the tape before it is wounded around the pipe.
The Postlewaite U.S. Pat. No. 2,037,043 relates to a machine for wrapping cylindrical objects (such as pipe) with a relatively thick coating of plastic material (such as a bituminous or cementitious mastic) which hardens or sets to form a firm adherent protective layer. The '043 patent is also directed to a method of and a means for applying such plastic material on a continuous tape or band of flexible material which is smoothly and uniformly lapped at the joints between adjacent turns. The machine of the '043 patent includes a shoot disposed at an angle to the pipe and space therefrom, the shoot adapted to guide a flexible tape to be wrapped helically around the pipe by relative motion thereof. Plastic material is supplied onto the tape whereby a continuous coating of appreciable thickness is formed on the pipe beneath the tape.
Australian patent 5702/32 issued in 1931 to Warren Kraner disclosed a process that includes the steps of continuously forming a layer of plastic concrete from a mass and continuously covering the layer away from the mass and continuously wrapping the layer spirally upon a pipe. The layer was formed with a reinforcing strip like wire screening embedded within the strip. The edges of the convolutions applied to the form lapped and then compacted. A strip of surfacing material will simultaneously wound upon the exterior of concrete applied to the pipe form. The Kraner patent also disclosed a means for supporting and rotating a pipe to be coated and a hopper is adapted to receive a mass of concrete. The hopper is adapted to receive a mass of concrete. The hopper included a lower discharge opening for guiding a strip of material like wire screening beneath the opening whereby concrete fed through the opening was distributed upon both sides of the strip. The strip together with the layer of concrete covering both sides of the same was then wound spirally on the pipe.
One of the problems that can occur in the application of the web of material to the pipe is that of overlapping the web "wraps" so that the concrete coating is continuous.
This overlapping of the wraps must also be accomplished at relatively high speed. The pipe is advancing along the line that coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the pipe joint. At the same time, the pipe is being advanced and rotated with driven pipe rollers. The applicator must feed the web of concrete to the pipe, matching the speed of the web with the speed of rotation of the outer surface of the pipe. At the same time, the newest wrapped that is added to the pipe must fit the edge of the previous wrap.
An overlapping seam is preferably provided, eliminating any gaps or void spaces from one wrap of concrete to the next.
Trimming devices create a problem because concrete contains aggregate that can form a discontinuous or irregular portion at an edge of the web when that piece of aggregate hits the trimming device. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved applicator that has a secondary belt with a raise portion along one edge that defines the desired overlapping shape to the edge of the web.
It is another object of the present to provide an endless belt arrangement that continuously supports the web of concrete during application of the web directly to the pipe, wherein the web holds the concrete to the pipe through a measure of about ninety (90.degree.) degrees of travel.

Applicator apparatus for wrapping a joint of pipe with a web of concrete material


Methods of coupling a bearing assembly to a downhole tool include forming at least a portion of a downhole component from a diamond-enhanced material, applying a metal material to a surface of the downhole component using an ultrasonic molten metal process, and coupling at least a portion of the surface of the downhole component to at least another component of the downhole tool. Downhole tools include at least one component of a bearing assembly that is configured to move relative to a portion of the downhole tool. The at least one bearing component comprises a diamond-enhanced material and is coupled to a portion of the downhole tool by an ultrasonic molten metal process.

Downhole tools for earth boring and for other purposes, including rotary drill bits, are commonly used in bore holes or wells in earth formations. One type of rotary drill bit is the roller cone bit (often referred to as a rock bit), which typically includes a plurality of conical cutting structures (often referred to as cones or cutters) secured to legs dependent from the bit body. For example, the bit body of a roller cone bit may have three depending legs each having a bearing pin (otherwise referred to as a journal pin). A rotatable cone may be mounted on each of the bearing pins. The bit body also may include a threaded upper end for connecting the drill bit to a drill string. During drilling, the rotation of the drill string produces rotation of each cone about an associated bearing pin thereby causing the protruding elements on the cone, which may be integrally formed with the cone or comprise inserts secured to the cone, to engage and disintegrate the rock by a crushing and grinding action.
The bearing surfaces employed between the cones and the bearing pin are often the source of significant operational problems during drilling, as these bearings operate in an extremely hostile environment due to high and uneven loads, and elevated temperatures and pressures. Particulate matter present in both the cuttings from a formation being drilled and the solids-laden drilling fluid often enter into the gap between cooperating bearing surfaces, causing accelerated wear. This is particularly true when drilling deep bore holes under high pressures. In addition, rock bits are subject to corrosive chemical environments, again from both the formation environment and chemicals employed in drilling fluids. Another factor that can lead to early bearing failure is the inability of the bearings to withstand changes in the magnitude of forces directed against the roller cone. For example, the side forces (e.g., applied from the side of the bore hole) may tend to deflect the cone off its designed axis of rotation, pinching the bearings and contributing to early bearing failure. In addition, as the bearings wear and gaps between cooperating bearing surfaces increase, more wobble of the cones on the bearing pins may occur. The resulting play in the bearing assembly increases the wear rate on the bearing elements as well as the sealing elements in the cone intended to prevent intrusion of well bore fluids, limiting the usable life of the bit. In addition, the limits of the bearing's capacity may limit both the load that can be applied to the bit as well as the angular velocity at which the bit can be rotated, each of which constrains achievable penetration rates and feasible cutter designs.
In order to withstand the extremely hostile environment, bearings may be formed from a variety of wear-resistant materials. However, further difficulties may arise in coupling or integrating such wear-resistant bearings with the other components of downhole tools in a desirable and reliable manner.

Methods of coupling components of downhole tools, downhole tools and components of downhole tools


An image processing apparatus includes a projecting unit configured to project an image; an image capturing unit configured to capture the projected image to generate a captured image; an area identifying unit configured to identify a high-lightness area and a low-lightness area of the captured image; and a correcting unit configured to correct a lightness of the projected image in a manner that gradually changes the lightness of the high-lightness area of the captured image obtained by projecting a white image to the lightness of the low-lightness area of the captured image and sets the lightness thus changed as the lightness of the projected image. The projecting unit projects the projected image having the corrected lightness and an image to prompt a user for a response to the change in the lightness of the projected image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a method thereof, and a computer-readable recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In business organizations, educational institutions, and administrative organizations, activities such as presentations, lessons, conferences, and lectures are performed on a daily basis by using a projection device such as a projector. A user of the projection device normally performs, for example, a presentation by projecting various images onto a white screen. However, if the images are projected while, for example, there are dirt or stains on the screen, the image projected onto the contaminated portion appears in a color different from the original color.
In this regard, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-313346 discloses a device for inspecting a projected video image that measures an optical quantity of a projected video image by comparing an optical quantity obtained by optical sensors arranged on a screen with an optical quantity of captured data of the video image, creates correction data by comparing chromaticity and illuminance values with reference data, and corrects the chromaticity and illuminance values of a video image projection device.
However, there has been the following problem. Whether the projected image projected onto the screen is corrected in lightness in a natural manner depends on a subjective judgment of a user. The device as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-313346 corrects the chromaticity and illuminance values by comparing the chromaticity and illuminance values with the reference data in a standardized manner. There has been a problem that the user cannot check whether the actually performed illuminance correction is really useful. In addition, the visibility of the projected image is low.
Therefore, there is a need for an image processing apparatus which is capable of improving a usability in lightness correction of a projected image and of improving the visibility of the projected image.

Apparatus, method and computer-readable recording medium for improving visibility of an image projected on a screen


A vehicle immobilization system (10) is coupled to a network system (20) and includes a vehicle that has a speed sensor (34) generating a vehicle speed signal, a telematics control unit (48) receiving and transmitting signals to and from the network (20), and a speed control module (72). An immobilization controller (30) is coupled to the speed sensor (34), the telematics control unit (48), and the speed control module (72). The immobilization controller (30) receives an immobilization signal from the network (20) and sets a maximum operating speed for the power train controller. When the vehicle speed signal is below the maximum operating speed, the immobilization controller reduces the maximum operating speed within the speed control module until a lower predetermined speed limit is met. The lower speed limit is preferably greater than zero so that some limited mobility of the vehicle may be achieved.

The present invention relates generally to theft deterrent devices for automotive vehicles, and more specifically, to an engine immobilization system that allows rapid recovery of a vehicle.
Vehicle anti-theft systems typically sound an alarm upon the unauthorized entry into the automotive vehicle. Other anti-theft systems provide engine immobilization using an electronic circuit such as a transponder, which in addition to a cut key allows the engine to be started. Such systems are not effective to reduce carjacking or reduce risks in police pursuit. That is, once a thief obtains the keys for the vehicle the vehicle may be driven away. Also, many systems are capable of being bypassed and thus allow the vehicle to be driven away.
Telematic systems are becoming popular items on motor vehicles. Telematic systems include a network connection to a satellite or cellular phone system that allows directions or the like to be obtained. Such systems typically operate in conjunction with a global positioning system.
In a carjacking situation, it is desirable to let the thief drive away so that the proper authorities may apprehend the suspects. However, once away from the vehicle owner, the proper authorities have no means to restrict the operation of the vehicle.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a system that increases the likelihood of vehicle recovery after a vehicle has been stolen.


A vapour and gaseous effluent purification process wherein the gaseous flow is made to proceed between metal plates (1) subjected to oscillating electrical high voltages and then over a porous siliceous mass (2) having adsorbed therein an oxidation catalyst active at room temperature.

In a large number of industrial processes one can observe the emission towards the atmosphere of gaseous flows containing organic solvents from painting, spraying, drying processes, furnaces and so on. The conditioning technologies available nowadays to solve this problem, since the regulations enforced by the various regional authorities state particularly low limits, may be summarized in two families:


Described are video monitor assemblies (10) including a bezel assembly (16) coupled to a passenger seatback (12), wherein the bezel assembly includes a monitor (30) and a bezel (28), the monitor coupled to the bezel via low load fasteners (44) and high load fasteners (46), wherein the low load fasteners (44) are configured to fail or shear from a force applied to the monitor (30) during a head impact, and the high load fasteners (46) are configured to withstand the force applied to the monitor during the head impact.

Head Injury Criterion ("HIC") is a measure of the likelihood of head injury resulting from an impact. The HIC is used to assess safety related to occupants. Normally, this variable is derived from the acceleration/time history of an accelerometer mounted at the center of gravity of a dummy's head when the dummy is exposed to crash forces. As a result, HIC includes the effects of head acceleration and the duration of the acceleration (i.e., large accelerations may be tolerated if the duration is very short). Another test criterion is delethalization, which includes requirements that limit the exposure of sharp edges to occupants. During a crash event, sharp edges may occur as a result of head impact.
In various modes of transportation, many passenger seats are placed behind other passenger seats. These passenger seats may be designed with a variety of comforts for passengers seated thereon, including communication and entertainment features, such as video monitors, telephones, shrouds, or other items. For convenience and individual comfort, the video monitors are typically mounted in the line of sight of the occupants, usually behind the headrest of the forward seat. During a minor crash landing, a passenger may be thrown forward so that the passenger's head and/or body strikes these structures due to inertial loads from the event.
Therefore, the addition of video monitors in passenger seatbacks may pose a challenge to occupant safety since impact testing must show allowable HIC according to FCC regulations. Furthermore, the video monitor display may delaminate upon impact, which may create sharp edges and also pose a challenge to occupant safety since impact testing must also show allowable delethalization according to FCC regulations.
Conventionally, energy dissipation solutions focused on allowing the passenger seatback to pivot forward in a controlled manner via features located in the lower back area of the passenger seatback that give way under a certain load. Generally, these features include metallic brackets with a designed shear area or shear bolts that are attached to the back diaphragm of the seat. There are, however, limitations on the adjustability of the load under which these features are designed to give way.
As a result, it may be desirable to integrate monitors into passenger seatback that have energy dissipation features included at the location of the monitor installation, which will allow for energy dissipation within allowable HIC values and prevents monitor display screen delamination.


The present invention provides a system and method for utilizing the Advanced Switching network protocol to communicate over long distances, such as multiple kilometers. The present invention utilizes an existing status bit, referred to as the Perishable Bit, within the AS packet header, to reduce the number of packets which must be stored in the retry buffer. This reduces the required size of the retry buffer and simultaneously reduces the latency associated with retransmitting time critical packets after NAKs are received. The receiving device also utilizes the Perishable Bit in determining which packets to accept and which to discard.

Network protocols are standardized methods of moving information, typically in the form of packets, from one node (the source) to another (the destination). There are several different classes of service that can be provided by a network protocol. One such class, known as "best effort", defines the scenario in which information is sent by the source with no guarantee that it is successfully received by the destination. A second class of service also exists, whereby information sent by the source is guaranteed to arrive at the destination. There are a number of methods by which this can be implemented. The most common method is through the use of acknowledgements (also known as ACKs), which are transmissions sent by the destination back to the source indicating that a previous transmission from the source has been successfully received. In the case where an acknowledgement has not been received by the source, or a negative acknowledgement (also known as a NAK) has been received, the source will retransmit the unsuccessfully transmitted packet.
In order for the source to be able to retransmit a previously unsuccessful packet, it must save that packet until it receives an acknowledgement that it has been received. In some implementations, the source is not permitted to send any additional packets until the previously sent packet has been acknowledged. This minimizes the amount of previously sent information that the source must retain. However, it imposes a significant performance impact. Before the source can transmit a second packet, it must wait for the packet to be transmitted to the destination, the destination to process the packet and the acknowledgement to be returned to the source. It is not uncommon for this round trip delay to be in the order of several microseconds. Thus, the source is forced to be idle for a prolonged period of time.
To mitigate this performance impact, many protocols permit the transmission of multiple packets without waiting for receipt of an acknowledgement. Each outgoing packet is given a unique identifier, typically a sequence number. At a later time, the destination sends an acknowledgement to the source, identifying the packet by the sequence number. One such protocol implementing this scheme is ASI (Advanced Switching Interconnect).
ASI is an industry standard protocol, based on the PCI Express specification. Advanced Switching (AS) allows for the standardization of today's proprietary based backplanes. Advanced Switching uses the same physical-link and data-link layers as the PCI Express architecture, taking advantage of the tremendously large ecosystem. AS is a multi-point, peer-to-peer switched interconnect standard offering encapsulation of any protocol, multiple messaging mechanisms, QoS including congestion management, extended high availability features and much more. The ASI specification is written, updated and maintained by the ASI SIG (Special Interest Group) and the current version of the specification can be found at www.asi-sig.org/members/Core AS Rev10.pdf, and is hereby incorporated by reference. Similarly, the PCI Express specification is written, updated and maintained by the PCI SIG and the current specification can be found at www.pcisig.org/members/downloads/specifications/pciexpress/pciexpress base 10a.pdf, and is also hereby incorporated by reference.
Many other network protocols, including ASI, define a retry buffer that resides within the source. This retry buffer saves sent packets until they have been acknowledged by the destination. Once an acknowledgement has been received by the source for a specific packet, that packet can then be discarded from the retry buffer. Many protocols, including ASI, also allow a destination to acknowledge multiple transmitted packets simultaneously. For example, assume that packets with sequence numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 have all been transmitted. An acknowledgement from the destination, indicating a sequence number of 6 would signify that packets with sequence numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6 had all been successfully received. This reduces the number of acknowledgements that need to be transmitted, thus preserving valuable bandwidth. The receipt of this acknowledgement would also cause the source to discard the packets with sequence numbers 3, 4, 5 and 6 from its retry buffer.
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical flowchart for the processing of ACKs and NAKs by the source. Decision Box 10 compares the sequence number received in the acknowledgement (AckNak_Seq_Num) to the last outgoing sequence number (NEXT_TRANSMIT_SEQ-1). If the sequence number specified by the acknowledgement does not correspond to an unacknowledged packet, the incoming acknowledgement is discarded, as shown in Block 50. The sequence number specified by the acknowledgement is also compared to the last received acknowledgement (ACKD_SEQ), as shown in Decision Box 20. If the sequence number differs from this value by too great an amount, then the incoming acknowledgement is discarded, as shown in Block 50. Decision Boxes 10 and 20 serve to guard against erroneously received acknowledgements, and corrupted sequence numbers.
Decision Box 30 compares the sequence number specified by the incoming acknowledgement (AckNak_Seq_Num) to the last received acknowledgement (ACKD_SEQ). If it is different than the previously received sequence number, the source discards from the retry buffer all packets with sequence numbers indicating that they were transmitted earlier than the received sequence number (AckNak_Seq_Num), as shown in Block 60. The source then stores the newly received sequence number as the last received sequence number (ACKD_SEQ), as also shown in Block 60.
Decision Box 40 then determines whether the an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NAK) was received. If a NAK was received, the source resends all unacknowledged packets again, as shown in Block 70. Thus, in order for the above process to function properly, the source must store packets since the last acknowledged packet.
This protocol is very effective, especially in scenarios wherein acknowledgements are sent relatively soon after the transmission of the packet. In fact, most protocols specify a time limit within which an acknowledgement must be sent before it is considered a failed transmission. This time limit is sometimes known as the Replay Timer.
Often times, the specified time limit, or Replay Timer, is a function of the underlying communication link. For example, it is common to calculate the timer limit using the following parameters. The packet transmission delay is the actual physical time required for the packet sent by the source to reach the destination. This time is based solely on the length of the communication link. The packet processing delay is the time required for the destination to interpret the packet and generate an acknowledgement in response. The destination send delay is the time required before the acknowledgement can be transmitted. Often, this time is defined as the amount of time required to transmit the longest packet allowed by the protocol. For example, assume that just as the destination is preparing to send the acknowledgement, it begins transmitting (or receiving) a new packet, and that this packet is the longest allowed by the protocol. The destination must wait until this packet has been sent (or received) before it can transmit the acknowledgement. Finally, there is the acknowledgement transmission delay which is the actual physical time required for the acknowledgement to be sent by the destination and received by the source.
To illustrate these parameters, assume a 100 meter link, operating at 2.5 Gb/s, with a maximum packet size of 2 kilobytes. Furthermore, assume that the network protocol has an efficiency of 80%. The packet transmission delay is given by:100 m*5 ns/m=500 nsThe processing delay is based solely on the performance of the destination and therefore cannot be calculated here.The destination send delay is given by:(2 KB*8 bits/byte/0.8)/2.5 Gb/s=8000 nsFinally, the acknowledgement transmission delay is the same as the packet transmission delay, or 500 ns. Thus, the specified time limit or Replay Timer must be greater than 9 microseconds, to account for the packet processing delay at the destination. In the preferred embodiment, there are two timers, the Replay Timer and a second timer in the destination. This second timer, or Ack Latency Timer, specifies the maximum time that the destination may wait before returning an acknowledgement to the sender. This value is preferably less than the value of the Replay Timer. The AS specification suggests recommended time limits for both of these timers, based on maximum payload size and link speed. The specification does allow for multiple packets to be transmitted before an acknowledgement is received.
The size of the retry buffer can then be determined, based on the specified time limit indicated by the Replay Timer. For example, in most protocols, the speed of the communications link is well known. Therefore, the number of bits that can be transmitted during the defined time limit can be defined as:Number of bits transmitted=link speed*time limit.However, not all of the bits transmitted are actual data, which needs to be stored in the retry buffer. Often, there is network information, or overhead, associated with each packet. Therefore, the number of actual data bits which are transmitted during the time limit is given by:Number of data bits=# of bits*protocol efficiency.This number of data bits defines the minimum size of the retry buffer. Referring to the previous example, to support the communications link described above, the retry buffer must be able to store in excess of:2.5 Gb/s*9 μs*0.8=18000 bits, or 2.25 Kbytes.
Even if the protocol specifies a Replay Timer value that is several times greater than the theoretically minimum value to allow multiple outstanding packets, the amount of storage required is feasible in current semiconductor technologies.
However, this implementation is far less feasible when the length of the communications link is significantly increased. Assume that instead of a 100 meter link, the communications link is instead 5 to 10 kilometers, such as is used for MANs (Metro Area Networks). In this scenario, the packet transmission delay and acknowledgement transmission delay increase from 500 ns each to:10 km*5 ns/m=50 microseconds each.Thus, the total specified time limit, or Replay Timer, must be in excess of 108 microseconds. Therefore, the retry buffer must be able to store in excess of:2.5 Gb/s*108 μs*0.8=216000 bits, or 27 Kbytes.If the speed of the link is increased from 2.5 Gb/s to 10 Gb/s, which is also allowed by the AS specification, the buffer requirements grow to in excess of 100 Kbytes.
In addition to the increased amount of storage required for the retry buffer, there is also significant latency in retransmissions. For example, assume that there is a time critical packet to be sent. Just after this time critical packet is sent, a NAK is received for a packet that was transmitted over 100 microseconds ago. Because of this transmission error, all packets that were received after the offending packet will be rejected by the destination and must be resent by the source. In this situation, the entire contents of the retry buffer must be retransmitted, with the time critical packet being the last packet in the retry buffer. Thus, the time critical packet is forced to wait more than 100 microseconds to be transmitted. Such a large delay is unacceptable for a time critical packet.
Thus, in order to utilize the protocol and architecture of AS to achieve long distance interconnections, the issues of buffer size and latency must be addressed. A system and method is needed to retain the AS protocol, while not requiring the large retry buffers and long retry latencies typically associated with long haul protocols.

System and method for implementing ASI over long distances


A conveyor unit for conveying flat objects includes at least first, second and third endless belts, together with a cylinder. The first endless belt extends along a part of the circumference of the cylinder and forms, with the cylinder circumference, a section of a path of conveyance for the objects. The second and third belts define another section of the path of conveyance.

Conveyor units are typically employed in folding apparatus, for example, for conveying signatures which had been previously cut from a web of an imprinted material.
The signatures each consist of a variable number of sheets which are not connected to each other. For conveying the signatures, it is therefore of great importance that the two endless belts and the cylinder of the conveyor unit move at exactly matched speeds in order to avoid any shearing forces acting on signatures clamped between them, which shearing forces could lead to deformation and to fanning of the signatures in the course of their being transported.
In conventional conveyor units of the above-mentioned type, the first endless belt, which partially loops around the surface of the cylinder, is driven by the cylinder, by friction. Therefore, if no objects are conveyed between them, the path speed of the first belt corresponds to the circumferential speed of the cylinder. If conveyed objects are located in the area of the loop between the cylinder and the first belt, this has an effect on the speed of the first belt, which acts as it would with an increase of the diameter of the cylinder. Therefore, the speed of the first belt increases in accordance with the thickness of the objects to be conveyed. The movement of the second belt is coupled to the rotation of the cylinder at a fixedly set transmission ratio via a speed-transforming gear. Therefore, the speed of the second belt is constant. This results in the two belts only running exactly at the same speed at a defined thickness of the objects to be conveyed, so that the objects are not subjected to shearing forces only during this operating condition.
DE 94 17 127 U1 and EP 0205143 A2 both describe a collection cylinder, against whose circumference a belt system rests and which is provided with sheets via two further cooperating belt systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,126 describes a folding apparatus with belts driven by an electric motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,520 discloses a collection cylinder for sheets, having several belts. One belt is driven by the collection cylinder.

Conveyor unit for conveying flat objects


An inspection system for the edge of a sheet of glass e.g. automobile glass. The system has at least one laser, with the laser beam directed at the edge of the glass. Light reflected from the edge is recorded e.g. with a camera. The path length from the laser to the glass edge and back to the camera is maintained constant as the glass moves through the apparatus.

The present invention relates to a non-contact inspection system for detection and identification of defects on the edges of sheets of glass, especially the edges of flat automotive glass. The system is intended to operate on a continuous production line at line speed, and to be used for detection and identification of a wide variety of types of defects, including chips, cracks, poor grinding and other edge defects.
In processes for manufacture of glass in sheet form, it is necessary to be able to inspect the sheets of glass for defects. Such defects may be in the form of scratches, bubbles, chips, blemishes and a wide variety of other defects. In addition, the manufacturer of the sheet glass needs to know whether the defects are insignificant e.g. minor in nature and thus acceptable to the customer, or significant such that the sheet of glass would not conform to specifications established by the customer. It is important to able to conduct the inspection on-line in the production process, at production speeds, so that defects may be rapidly identified and communicated to production personnel and/or the sheets of glass with the defects may be readily and quickly separated from sheets of glass meeting quality specifications in an effective manner.
Methods have been developed for the inspection of sheets of glass using optical techniques. Apparatus and a method that are particularly intended for use in inspection of sheets of glass in a production line, at production speeds, in a manner that shows the magnitude, type and location of the defects in the sheets of glass are disclosed in Canadian Patent Application No. 2252308 of Adam Weiss and Alexandre Obotnine filed Oct. 30, 1998. Such apparatus and method, referred to herein as viewing area apparatus, are especially intended to be an integral part of a glass processing system.
The aforementioned Canadian Patent Application No. 2252308 is directed to a method for the inspection of sheets of glass, in which the sheets of glass are transported through the beams of lasers. Such an inspection is intended to detect bubbles and other defects in the sheets of glass but not defects on the edges of the sheets of glass except to the extent that those defects extend from the edges of the sheets of glass into the sheets of glass. The lasers are not in a position to inspect the edges of the sheets of glass.
Detection of defects on the edges of the sheets of glass is also important, as such defects may affect both visual and physical properties of the sheets of glass.
Apparatus and a method have now been found for inspection of the edges of sheets of glass in a production line, at production speeds, especially in a manner that shows the magnitude, type and location of the defects.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides an inspection system for the edge of a sheet of glass, comprising:
a) means to support and move a sheet of glass in a plane in a first direction, said means to support and move the sheet of glass maintaining the glass in a constant plane;
b) a laser that provides a beam of laser light;
c) an optical recording device for said laser beam;
d) means to direct the laser beam onto said edge of the sheet of glass at an angle to said first direction and to direct light reflected therefrom to said optical recording device, the light reflected from the edge of the sheet being coaxial with light directed onto the edge of the sheet; and
e) means to control the total path length of said laser beam from said laser to said edge and from said edge to said optical recording device at a substantially constant length.
In preferred embodiments of the apparatus of the present invention, the system additionally comprises software that utilizes information from the light detection system to determine the location, type and magnitude of defects in the edges of the sheet of glass.
In a further embodiment, the system additionally has means to record the location, type and magnitude of defects in the edges of the sheets of glass, optionally including a display or a defect map, especially a defect map displayed on a screen.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for the inspection of the edge of a sheet of glass, comprising:
a) supporting and moving a sheet of glass in a plane in a first direction, said sheet of glass being maintained in a constant plane;
b) directing a laser beam onto said edge of the sheet of glass at an angle to said first direction and directing light reflected therefrom to an optical recording device, the light reflected from the edge of the sheet being coaxial with light directed onto the edge of the sheet; and
e) controlling the total path length of said laser beam from said laser to said edge and from said edge to said optical recording device at a substantially constant length.


An optical subassembly (“OSA”) for use in optical communications modules is disclosed. The OSA solves various issues related to the insertion and removal of an optical fiber connector into and from the OSA receptacle, including hard plug, wiggle performance, and shavings production. In one embodiment, an optical communications module is disclosed and includes a housing and an optical subassembly of the present invention partially contained within the housing. The optical subassembly includes various components, including a body composed of a first material, and a plug receptacle formed with the body. The plug receptacle includes an inner surface on which surface features, such as threads, are formed. A hollow cylindrical sleeve composed of a second material is received in the plug receptacle such that the outer sleeve surface engages the surface features of the plug receptacle inner surface and such that an optical fiber connector can be received by the sleeve.

1. Technology Field
The present invention generally relates to optical transmitters and receivers. In particular, the present invention relates to an optical subassembly that is configured to eliminate problems relating to hard plugging, fiber wiggle, and shavings when connecting with an optical fiber.
2. The Related Technology
Optical transceivers are used to transmit and receive optical signals from an optical network and to enable electrical network components to interface with and communicate over optical networks. Many optical transceivers are modular and are designed in accordance with industry standards that define mechanical aspects of the transceivers, form factors, optical and electrical requirements, and other characteristics and requirements of the transceivers. For example the Small Form-Factor Module Multi-Source Agreement ("SFF MSA"), the Small Form-Factor Pluggable Module Multi-Source Agreement ("SFP MSA") and the 10 Gigabit Small Form Factor Pluggable Module Multi-Source Agreement ("XFP MSA") Revision 3.1 define such standards.
The basic optical components of conventional transceivers include a transmitter optical sub-assembly ("TOSA") and a receiver optical sub-assembly ("ROSA"). The TOSA receives electrical signals from a host device via circuitry of the transceiver module and generates a corresponding optical signal that is then transmitted to a remote node in an optical network. Conversely, the ROSA receives an incoming optical signal and outputs a corresponding electrical signal that can then be used or processed by the host device. Additionally, most transceivers include a rigid printed circuit board ("PCB") containing, among other things, control circuitry for the TOSA and ROSA.
The TOSA and ROSA are each connected to the optical network via optical fibers that are capable of transmitting optical signals. Each optical fiber includes a connector that mates with a corresponding port defined in the respective TOSA or ROSA.
Various challenges have been known to arise when connecting connector-equipped optical fibers with TOSA and ROSA ports. One of these challenges is referred to "hard plug," a condition in which difficulty is encountered when attempting to insert or remove the optical fiber connector to and from the port. This condition can be caused by several factors, including the port being formed of a material, such as zinc or aluminum, that are relatively soft when compared to the connector material, which can cause deformation of the relatively softer port material when the connector is repeatedly inserted and removed from the port. Other port materials, such as nickel may migrate while the connector is plugged into the TOSA or ROSA port, which can also cause hard plug.
To alleviate hard plug problems, some OSA port designs have employed a split sleeve that is inserted into the port to define the contact surface for the port when the optical fiber connector is inserted therein. The sleeve is longitudinally split along its length so that it flexes slightly when the optical fiber connector is inserted into or removed from the port, thereby reducing hard plug. Such port designs, however, are also known to poorly perform when subjected to a "wiggle" test, wherein the optical fiber is grasped and wiggled while its connector is received within the TOSA or ROSA port and variance in the optical coupling and optical power between the fiber and the TOSA or ROSA is measured. Because of its tendency to flex, the OSA port having a split sleeve design enables substantial movement of the connector within the port. This, in turn, can significantly reduce the optical power transmitted between the optical fiber and the TOSA/ROSA. As many vendors require certain levels of wiggle performance, problems in this area can represent a serious problem for manufacturers. Moreover, it is noted that split sleeve portion designs often require the insertion of a fiber plug therein, thereby necessitating further process steps and assembly cost.
In yet another attempt to solve hard plug issues, the optical subassembly body that defines the port has been manufactured out of relatively hard materials that will not deform or otherwise be compromised when connector insertion or removal is performed. However, manufacture of an optical subassembly from such materials is relatively expensive, both in terms of the cost of the materials and the process needed to manufacture the part. In the current competitive environment where costs are constantly being driven downward, such solutions quickly become untenable.
Other problems can arise with materials and designs previously used for TOSA and ROSA port configurations. These problems include the production of shavings from the port surface when the connector is inserted, and corrosion of the port material due to high iron content. Also, many of the above configurations require labor intensive procedures to prepare the optical subassembly and the port, including precision machining and boring, plating, repetitive process steps, etc.
In light of the above discussion, a need exists in the art for an optical subassembly that includes a port for operably connecting the connector of an optical fiber. Moreover, a need exists for an optical subassembly port that does not suffer from hard plug upon either insertion or removal of the optical fiber connector into or form the port. Any solution should also exhibit acceptable wiggle performance, reduce the incidence of shaving production within the port, and should reduce overall costs of subassembly production.

Optical subassembly having insertable cylindrical sleeve


A cassette housing assembly for a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus includes a cassette housing adapted to receive a cassette tape and having a locking lever. An X-lever supports vertical movement of the cassette housing with respect to a deck chassis. A locking member fixes the locking lever to retain the cassette housing is in a down position. The locking member is made of substantially the same material as the X-lever, such that abrasion of the locking member and the locking lever is substantially prevented. The locking member may be integrally formed with the X-lever, such as a drawing boss or a burring boss.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved cassette housing assembly and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic recording and reproducing apparatuses, such as video cassette recorders (VCR) and digital versatile camcorders (DVC), use a magnetic tape as a recording medium, and include a deck for withdrawing and running the tape from a cassette tape to record or reproduce certain information, a photographing unit having a viewfinder, and a signal processing unit.
The deck includes a deck chassis that includes a reel table for rotating a tape reel of the cassette tape, a loading motor, a capstan motor, a plurality of guide rollers constituting a tape running system and a head drum, and a cassette housing assembly mounted to move vertically with respect to the deck chassis to mount the cassette tape. A locking unit fixes the cassette housing assembly in a down position.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic views of the structure of the cassette housing assembly employed in a conventional magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, respectively showing up and down positions of the cassette housing assembly. Reference numeral 10 denotes a cassette housing, 20 denotes an X-lever, and 30 denotes a locking unit.
The cassette housing 10 is mounted to the deck chassis (not shown) to be vertically moved by the X-lever 20. The X-lever 20 consists of a first lever 21 and a second lever 22 connected across each other. One end of each of the levers 21 and 22 is connected to a flank of the cassette housing 10, respectively, while the other end of each of the levers 21 and 22 is connected to the deck chassis (not shown).
The locking unit 30 fixes the cassette housing 10 to the deck chassis to maintain the down position of the cassette housing 10. The locking unit 30 includes a locking lever 31 having a hook 31a formed on the flank of the cassette housing 10 and a locking member 32 integrally formed with the deck chassis by partly bending the flank of the deck chassis.
In the up position of the cassette housing 10, as shown in FIG. 1, when a cassette tape (not shown) is loaded in the cassette housing 10 and the cassette housing 10 mounting the cassette tape is pressed down to the deck chassis, the cassette housing 10 descends by the operation of the X-lever 20. Therefore, the hook 31a of the locking lever 31 is caught by the locking member 32 of the deck chassis, thereby maintaining the down position of the cassette housing 10, as shown in FIG. 2. If an end 31b of the locking lever 31 is pushed in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2, the locking lever 31 is released from the locking member 32, and accordingly, the cassette housing 10 goes to the up position to remove the cassette tape, as shown in FIG. 1.
Recently, steel electrolytic commercial cold (SECC), which is inexpensive and superior in processibility, has been used to manufacture the deck chassis in consideration of low manufacturing costs. Generally, however, the locking lever 31 is made of steel use stainless (SUS) while the locking member 32 is made of SECC (as is the deck chassis).
When the locking lever 31 is made of SUS and the locking member 32 is made of SECC, the cassette housing 10 may be unstably received since the locking member 32 has a relatively lower strength and is subject to abrasion. Such an unstable mounting of the cassette housing 10 may cause malfunction of the tape running operation.
Accordingly, a need exists for a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having an improved cassette housing that is stably inserted in and withdrawn from the deck chassis to improve quality and reliability of the magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus.

Cassette housing assembly having an x-lever with a locking member connected thereto and a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having the same


An assembly for use in a bearing compartment having an axis includes a bearing outer race configured to be located in the bearing compartment. The assembly further includes at least one annular spring positioned in the bearing outer race and being asymmetric in at least one of the axial direction or the circumferential direction relative to the axis to reduce the likelihood of amplification of vibration experienced by the at least one annular spring.

Gas turbine engines include compressor sections to compress an airflow, combustor sections that combine the airflow with fuel for combustion and generate exhaust, and turbine sections that convert the exhaust into torque to drive the compressor sections. Gas turbine engines may include one or more shaft that transfers torque from the turbine section to the compressor section.
Rotating shafts and other rotating turbomachinery in engines are supported by arrays of antifriction bearing assemblies connected to nonrotating structures. During operation, the rotating shafts and other rotating turbomachinery can vibrate about the engine centerline. If not dampened, these vibrations may cause excessive structural loads and result in damage. Dampers are used adjacent to the bearing assemblies to reduce the amplitudes of vibrations in the rotating shaft that are transmitted to the rest of the gas turbine engine. Coulomb and viscous dampers are two of a variety of dampers that can be utilized. One commonly used viscous damper is the squeeze film damper, which utilizes a small, fluid-filled annular gap between the bearing and a nonrotating housing. Radial motion of the rotating shaft causes relative motion between the bearing and the nonrotating housing, which changes the gap to squeeze a damping fluid within the annulus, dampening the motion of the rotating shaft. The nonrotating housing and the bearing assembly may be connected by a centering spring to support the rotating shaft and to move the bearing and shaft towards the centerline when they become off centered. A centering spring design known as the squirrel cage is often used to connect the housing to the bearing assembly and may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced beam springs, acting as the centering springs. Squirrel cages have several notable disadvantages.


Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods for volume adjustment are disclosed herein. An example method includes collecting data corresponding to a volume of an audio signal as the audio signal is output through a device, when an average volume of the audio signal does not satisfy a volume threshold for a specified timespan, determining a difference between the average volume and a desired volume, and applying a gain to the audio signal to adjust the volume of the audio signal to the desired volume, the gain determined based on the difference between the average volume and the desired volume.

In recent years, a multitude of media of varying characteristics has been delivered using an increasing number of channels. Audio media, specifically, may be received using more traditional channels (e.g., the radio), or using more recently developed channels, such as using Internet-connected streaming devices. As these channels have developed, systems which are able to process and output audio from multiple sources have been developed as well. Some automobile media systems, for example, are capable of delivering media from compact discs (CD's), Bluetooth connecting devices, universal serial bus (USB) connected devices, Wi-Fi connected devices, auxiliary inputs, and other sources.
The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.

Methods and apparatus for volume adjustment


A gas separation process and a unit therefor. The process comprises the steps of: introducing a gas consisting of two or more components into an adsorption system in which adsorbent particles circulate in a fluidized state, thereby to allow, at atmospheric pressure or an elevated pressure, the adsorbent particles to adsorb a gas component to be separated from the gas; transferring the adsorbent particles adsorbing the gas component to a desorption system; and then desorbing the gas component from the adsorbent particles in the desorption system which is regulated to have either a lower pressure or a lower pressure and a higher temperature than the adsorption system.

Conventionally known gas separation methods include, for example, (i) chemical absorption method, (ii) cryogenic separation method, and (iii) adsorption method. Although these methods have been widely used, each has merits and demerits and therefore, has been employed in fields for which the method is suited.
The chemical absorption method (i) has been used for the removal of hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide gas and has also been put to trial use for the desulfurization of exhaust gases. However, this method is defective in that in the case of using an organic compound as an absorbent, there are problems in treatment of waste fluid, treatment of harmful substances resulting from decomposition of the absorbent, etc., and that in the case where an acidic gas is treated using a hot aqueous alkali solution as an absorbent, the consumption of heat energy is large.
The cryogenic separation method (ii) has been used, for example, for the separation of air and the separation of hydrocarbon gases such as natural gas. However, this method is disadvantageous in that a large-sized freezing equipment is required and this method is costly. Therefore, practical use of the cryogenic separation method is limited to applications in which separation by the other methods is difficult.
The adsorption method (iii) has been extensively used because it is simple and the unit used therefor can have a size ranging from a small to a relatively large one. Known types of units for this method include fixed bed type and fluidized bed type.
In adsorption, the amount of a gas adsorbed onto an adsorbent becomes larger with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature, and becomes smaller with reducing pressure and increasing temperature. The adsorption method utilizes this phenomenon in conducting the adsorption step where a gas is adsorbed onto an adsorbent and the desorption step where the adsorbed gas is desorbed from the adsorbent. Adsorption separation units of the fixed bed type can utilize the above phenomenon by being provided with a means for changing pressure and temperature. However, in the case of adsorption separation units of the conventional fluidized bed type in which fluidized adsorbent particles circulate in the unit, a pressure difference is rarely utilized in the adsorption-desorption operation although a slight pressure is applied as a driving force for circulating adsorbent particles, from the standpoints of smooth migration of adsorbent particles between the desorption part and the adsorption part. For these reasons, the adsorption-desorption operation in the conventional units of the fluidized bed type utilizes a temperature difference only. In the case of adsorption separation units of the fixed bed type, since a larger bed height results in an increased pressure loss, the area of the adsorbent bed should be increased, or the whole unit should be enlarged, in order to heighten treating capacity. However, the possible unit size is limited. Furthermore, size increase of switch valves is also limited.
With a recent increase in the amount of chemical products produced in a single plant in the chemical industry or the like, the amount of gases to be treated by gas separation has become large. Therefore, there is a need of developing an adsorption method capable of coping with such recent large amount gas separation treatment.
Studies have recently been made of the separation and fixation of carbon dioxide gas present in fossil fuel-combustion gases as one means for preventing the earth from warming up due to carbon dioxide gas, and it has been proposed to use an adsorption unit of the fixed bed type for the carbon dioxide gas separation. However, in such carbon dioxide gas separations from combustion gases including exhaust gases discharged from thermal power stations, an enormous amount of gas should be treated and treating operation is required to be conducted continuously using an exceedingly large-sized unit. Treatment of such a large amount of gas using a fixed bed type unit is, therefore, difficult because of the limitations on adsorbent bed thickness and on size increase of switch valves as described above.

Gas separation process and unit therefor


A wireless communication system comprises a portable telecommunication terminal and a server unit possessed by the communication service provider for the portable communication terminal. The portable communication terminal has a first communication section performing a communication by way of a first wireless path to which flat rate billing system is applied, a second communication section performing a communication a communication by way of a second wireless path to which measured rate billing system is applied; and a communication control section, detecting a candidate for wireless path being available at the current position and, performing a communication at the current location by the first communication section when the first wireless path is detected as a candidate for wireless path.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a technique for a portable communication terminal capable of utilizing a plurality of wireless paths with different billing systems to select a communication path.
2. Description of Related Art
It has been made possible for a portable communication terminal such as a portable telephone set to access a communication network and acquire a data file of music, pictures or the like from a given server device. Patent Document 1 (JP-3164085B) and Patent Document 2 (JP 2002-64869A) disclose techniques for reducing the communication cost of such a service. When the volume of communication data to be transmitted between a client and a server exceeds a predetermined level in the system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the data to be transmitted is divided and sent out by way of a communication network with a measured rate billing system and a communication network with a connection time billing system. A portable wireless terminal of Patent Document 2 uses a non-public wireless line for downloading contents and a public mobile communication system for settlement of accounts.
However, with the system of Patent Document 1, if the contents are partly transmitted by way of a communication network with a connection time billing system, it will be difficult to reduce the communication cost because the transmission time becomes longer as the communication data increases. The system of Patent Document 2, on the other hand, is accompanied by a problem that the mobility of the user who is trying to download contents is limited because all the contents have to be acquired from a given server by way of a non-public wireless line and hence the user has to remain in the area where the line can be captured.

Method for selecting wireless path of portable communication terminal, portable communication terminal and wireless communication system for use thereof


A motor-adjustable steering column for a motor vehicle, includes a support unit, which can be mounted on a vehicle body, and by which an actuator unit is held, in which a steering spindle is rotatably mounted about a longitudinal axis. An adjusting drive is connected to the support unit and to the actuator unit, and by which the actuator unit can be adjusted relative to the support unit. The adjusting drive includes a drive unit and a threaded spindle engaging in a spindle nut with a threaded spindle axis, wherein the threaded spindle can be driven in rotation or in translation by the drive unit. The drive unit is connected to a component of the steering column such that it is movable in a transverse direction transversely to the threaded spindle axis.

Steering columns for motor vehicles comprise a steering shaft with a steering spindle, on whose rear end, in the driving direction, facing toward the driver, there is mounted a steering wheel for effectuating a steering command by the driver. The steering spindle is mounted rotatably about its longitudinal axis in an actuator unit, which is held adjustably by a support unit. The movement of the actuator unit enables on the one hand an adjustment of an ergonomically comfortable steering wheel position relative to the driver's position in the operating condition, also known as the driving or operating position, in which manual steering can be performed.
It is known in the prior art to provide a motorized adjusting drive with a drive unit for the adjustment of the actuator unit relative to the support unit, which drive unit generally comprises an electrical servomotor which is connected by a gearing to a spindle drive. At the power takeoff side of the drive unit, which is connected in fixed manner to the actuator unit or the support unit, there is coupled a threaded spindle, which can be rotationally driven about its threaded spindle axis or displaced in translation along this threaded spindle axis. The rotationally driven threaded spindle of a first embodiment engages with a spindle nut, which is mounted in a fixed manner on the actuator unit with respect to the threaded spindle axis, or in a second, alternative embodiment of the translationally movable threaded spindle the threaded spindle engages with a spindle nut, wherein the threaded spindle is coupled nonrotatably with the actuator unit and the threaded spindle can be displaced in translation by the rotation of the spindle nut by means of the electrical servomotor in the direction of the threaded spindle axis and the movement of the actuator unit is realized in this way. The spindle drive forms a motorized adjusting drive operating between the support unit and the actuator unit and by which the actuator unit can be adjusted for the adjustment relative to the support unit.
The greatest possible rigidity and the highest eigenfrequency of the adjustment assembly formed by the support unit and the actuator unit can be realized in that the actuator unit is force-guided by the support unit with little play. While the arrangement of the threaded spindle of the adjusting drive between the support unit and the actuator unit allows an adjusting force to be applied, it results in a mechanically overdetermined system. Even slight deviations from an exact arrangement will result in constrained states, in which undesired transverse forces occur in the spindle drive and in the bearings. Such constrained states, which lead to less quiet running and increased wear, are unavoidable, even when allowing for the usually occurring manufacturing tolerances.
In order to balance out manufacturing tolerances, the prior art in US 2016/0252133 A1 describes clamping the actuator unit inside a casing unit in spring-loaded manner transversely to the longitudinal axis, the casing unit being carried by a support unit. In this way, the actuator unit can move transversely to the longitudinal axis during the adjustment in the longitudinal direction, and thereby equalize any angle errors occurring between the threaded spindle axis of the threaded spindle and the longitudinal axis. While this reduces possible constraining forces, it is an unavoidable drawback that the rigidity and the eigenfrequency of the telescopic assembly formed from actuator unit and casing unit are decreased in unacceptable manner.
Thus a need exists for a steering column with an improved adjusting drive, which ensures the greatest possible rigidity with low tolerance requirements.

Motor-adjustable steering column for a motor vehicle


An embedded touch control display device is disclosed. The embedded touch control display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate which are set oppositely; an in-plane switching (IPS) or fringe field switching (FFS) display mode display structure and a capacitance touch structure which are set between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the IPS or FFS display mode display structure is located on the first substrate and comprises a pixel electrode layer, a first medium layer, a public electrode layer and a crystal layer, and the capacitance touch structure is located on the second substrate and comprises touch electrode and a second medium layer; an planarization layer which is located between the second medium layer and the crystal layer; the distance between the touch electrode and the crystal layer is 4 micrometers to 7 micrometers.

Display devices commonly used in market are separate-type touch screens in which a touch panel and a liquid crystal panel are manufactured separately and then are assembled together. The display device manufactured in this way is relative thick and has significantly decreased transmittance and contrast since several layers of glass and film are introduced. In addition, the cost for the manufacture is high. To make the liquid crystal display device with a touch panel with smaller thickness, better display effect and more desirable cost, embedded touch technology is proposed, in which the touch panel and the liquid crystal panel are integrated, where the touch panel may use capacitive touch technology, resistive touch technology or infrared touch technology, etc., and a structure of the liquid crystal panel may be in a common twisted nematic liquid crystal (TN) mode, an in plane switching liquid crystal (IPS) mode or a fringe field switching liquid crystal (FFS) mode, etc. At present, the embedded touch technology mainly has two trends.
One is on-cell (outside liquid crystal cell) embedded touch display device, in which touch sensors are disposed between a color film substrate and a polarizer. Each liquid crystal panel and each touch assembly need to be assembled through lamination, and the final assembly cost depends on not only the cost of material but also yield of lamination process. Improving lamination yield and reducing number of times of lamination will be main stream in technology development of such touch panel.
The other is in-cell (inside liquid crystal cell) embedded touch display device, in which the touch sensors are embedded into liquid crystal pixels. For the in-cell embedded touch display device, touch sensing elements may be manufactured with a standard thin film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display (LCD) process, and the lamination for the appearance and the alignment of mechanisms in the display device are avoided, resulted in lighter and thinner products with largely reduced weight and thickness, barely changed viewing angle, better transmittance for the panel and better image quality for the screen.
In general, the performance of existing in-cell (inside liquid crystal cell) embedded touch display device is unsatisfactory.

Embedded touch control display device configured to minimize parasitic capacitance

Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Co., Ltd.


This portable electromagnetic induction heating device is used to carry an induction current in a conductor, make the conductor generate heat by Joule's heat, and heat adhesive by the heat generating conductor. A heating induction coil (13a) is formed by a plurality of coil bodies (21-24 and 51-54), the respective coil bodies can change mutually center-to-center distances. Simultaneously, by changing any one of polarities thereof, a polarity and a position of a magnetic force line generated by the conductor are changed, whereby a heating state of the adhesive can be changed depending on a region of the adhesive.

In order to bond a conductive member such as metal and a nonconductive member such as wood by the adhesive, a technique for making the conductive member generate heat by an induction coil, i.e., a heating coil and for heating the adhesive is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 8-73818. Also, in order to bond the nonconductive members to each other, a technique for interposing between the nonconductive members a metal sheet to whose surfaces adhesive layers are applied and for heating the adhesive layers and bonding the nonconductive members by making the metal sheet generate heat by the induction coil is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Nos. 63-308080, 5-340058, and 6-100840.
In these techniques, when a high-frequency current is supplied to the induction coil, magnetic force lines of an alternating magnetic field generated by the induction coil penetrate the conductive member and the metal sheet and an electromotive force is created in the conductive member such as the metal sheet by the electromagnetic induction effect As a result, an induction current flows in the conductive member and the Joule's heat is generated and the heat is transmitted to the adhesive, so that the adhesive is heated. This electromagnetic induction heating device carries the high-frequency current in the induction coil to create an eddy current, whereby a particular portion can be quickly made to generate heat Therefore, by making the conductive members generate heat, interior materials and exterior materials of a building can be bonded to a building body in a short time. Simultaneously, the interior materials and exterior materials can be peeled off in a short time in remodeling the building, so that the peeled interior materials and exterior materials can be recycled.
When such an electromagnetic induction heating device is used, operation efficiency of assembling the interior materials can be improved in comparison with the cases of attaching the interior materials to a building frame by, for example, nails, screws, and rivets. More specifically, when the interior materials are to be assembled by nails or the like, heads of the nails protrude from surfaces of the interior materials, so that the heads have to be concealed by ornaments or the like and further noise is generated during construction. Meanwhile, when the solvent adhesive is used to bond the interior materials or the like to the building frame by the adhesive, the noise is not generated. However, it takes time to cure until the adhesive solidifies.
In contrast, when the electromagnetic induction heating device with the induction coil is made to heat and melt thermoplastic adhesive and then cool and solidify it, the adhesive can be not only heated and melted but also solidified in a short time, so that a time required for constructing the building can be largely shortened. As described above, it has been found out that an adhesive heating method for heating the adhesive interposed between the conductive member such as metal and the nonconductive member such as wood by the electromagnetic induction heating device and for bonding both members or, in order to bond the nonconductive members to each other, an adhesive heating method for interposing between the nonconductive members the metal sheet to whose surfaces the adhesive layers are applied, heating the adhesive, and boding both members can be applied for various uses, for example, the cases of assembling a large quantity of products such as automobiles and electronic devices and of bonding the sheet-like members to one another without being limited to the interior materials and exterior materials of the building. For example, regarding automobile parts or the like produced by combining resin members and metal members, a production time can be shortened and concurrently the used parts can be disassembled by melting the adhesive and be reused.
As a conventional electromagnetic induction heating device, a coil formed into a disk-like shape by spirally winding a coil material has been used. Generally, a little eddy current is generated in a portion of a conductor facing a center portion of such a spiral round coil and, consequently, the coil has the characteristic that heating temperature of the adhesive at a portion corresponding to the center portion becomes low. When two members are to be bonded by the adhesive, heating the metal sheet by using the conventional coil is limited to donut-shaped heating or heating dependent on a donut-shaped induced electromotive force and a shape of the metal sheet. Therefore, limit has been imposed on the heating of target regions of the metal sheets of various shapes. For example, in heating a rectangular tape, only both ends of a tape portion facing the coil center portion are heated, whereby an end-burnt phenomenon is caused and there is in a state of being not usable in practice. Countermeasures of the conventional techniques include a hole-strewed tape and a tape whose both ends are cut into wave-like shapes. However, these are insufficient as the burnt-end countermeasures, and involve risks of fire. For bonding of, for example, tiles that require wide-region bonding, there is no corresponding model among conventional devices, so that since these devices aim at only regions capable of being heated by the conventional coils, the heating of the center portion and corner portions becomes insufficient. In the bonding of tiles, the respective induction coils capable of corresponding to the heating of only edge portions and an entire surface are required.
Moreover, in order to melt the adhesive applied on the wide region in a short time, the large current has to flow in the induction coil. In the electromagnetic induction devices developed thus far, the current amount has been limited in terms of electrical power, heating efficiency is low, and control of the bonding region is limited. The present invention provides actually practical techniques which compensate for such problems of the conventional techniques.
Meanwhile, several techniques for utilizing iron cores in induction heating coils are known. Such an iron core depends on a kind and shape of a magnetic conductor, normal conductor, or the like used as unheated metal, so that the optimum polarity and shape of the core are specified with respect to heating conditions. In the conventional techniques, the core shape optimum to the heating conditions is not considered, and a U-shaped, E-shaped, or T-shaped core is uniformly used presently.
In the present invention, the magnetic poles and the shapes of a core portion can be changed under design in which a generation state of a magnetic flux loop relating to a magnetic flux emitting portion and a magnetic flux collecting portion of the core is considered with respect to the kind, shape, and position of unheated metal and to the heating conditions, whereby the above problems are solved. In terms of techniques, this is the same case as the case of changing of the position and polarity of the spiral coil. However, uniform heating of a large area, which cannot be performed by the conventional techniques, is prevented by such design that ends of the core are increased. Also, regarding control of the heating time, if the bonding portion is an ignitable member, over heating is extremely dangerous, so that detecting the heating temperature and controlling the supplied power are essential. The conventional techniques lack consideration for performing such strict heating control. The present invention provides specific techniques for solving the practical problems.

Portable electromagnetic induction heating device


The invention is directed at an exhaust system exhibiting an increased flow uniformity under diversion conditions comprising: (1) a honeycomb structure having an inlet and outlet end disposed in a housing located in an exhaust gas stream and downstream from an engine, and having a first substantially unobstructed flow region, and a second more obstructed flow region adjacent the first region, both providing a flow path for the exhaust gases in the exhaust gas stream; and, (2) a fluidics apparatus disposed in the exhaust stream comprising a diverter body located proximate to the first region, a diversion fluid source, a conduit for directing the diversion fluid toward the diverter body and an exhaust flow divergent device.

While catalytic converters are well known for reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and oxidizing hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from automobile exhaust, these reactions typically take place after the catalyst has attained its light-off temperature, at which point the catalyst begins to convert the hydrocarbons to harmless gases. The typical catalytic light-off time for most internal combustion engine systems is around 50 to 120 seconds (generally in the temperature range of 200.degree.-350.degree. C.), with the actual catalytic light-off time for any system depending on a number of factors; including, the position of the catalyst relative to the engine, the aging of the catalyst, washcoat technology, as well as the noble metal loading. Seventy to almost ninety five percent of hydrocarbon emissions from automotive vehicles are emitted during this first minute, or so, of "cold start" engine operation. Without additional measures large amounts of hydrocarbons are likely to be discharged into the atmosphere during this period. Environmentally, increasing the effectiveness of automotive emission control systems during cold start, so that the amount of hydrocarbons discharged into the atmosphere during cold-start are kept at extremely low levels, has become increasingly important.
Various methods have been proposed for meeting the stringent hydrocarbon emission standards during cold start including, the use of electrically heated catalysts (EHCs), the use of molecular sieve structures (hydrocarbon adsorbers) to adsorb and hold significant amounts of hydrocarbons until the converter has attained its light-off temperature, as well as combinations of both. Recently, an improved in-line exhaust system was in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/484,617 (Hertl et al.); assigned to the instant assignee, and herein incorporated by reference. Specifically, Hertl et al. discloses an in-line exhaust system having a main catalyst, a housing downstream of the main catalyst having an inlet and an outlet end, and having disposed therein a molecular sieve structure for adsorbing hydrocarbons. The molecular sieve structure exhibits: (1) a first region forming an unobstructed or substantially unobstructed flow path for exhaust gases of an exhaust stream; and, (2) a second, more restricted flow path or region adjacent the first region. Furthermore, the exhaust system includes a burn-off catalyst disposed downstream from the adsorber having a light-off temperature. The system also includes a diverting means disposed in the housing for passing secondary air into the housing; the flow pattern of the secondary air directs a portion of the exhaust gases of the exhaust stream through the second region of the adsorber prior to the main catalyst attaining its light-off temperature.
Although, the system of Hertl performs better than earlier exhaust systems, environmental concerns and legislation drafted to meet those concerns continues to lower legally acceptable hydrocarbon emission standards, e.g., the California ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) standards. Notwithstanding the foregoing developments, work continues to discover improvements to existing systems and to provide new systems capable of meeting the stricter exhaust emission standards.
One such improvement is disclosed in copending, coassigned application, U.S. Ser. No. 08/578,003 (Brown et al.) wherein it discloses an exhaust system comprised of the following: (1) a honeycomb structure having an inlet and outlet end disposed in a housing and possessing a first substantially unobstructed flow region, a second more obstructed flow region adjacent the first region; and, (2) a fluidics apparatus disposed in the exhaust stream proximate to the first region for creating a negative flow zone within the first region. The fluidics apparatus of Brown includes a source of a diversion fluid, typically air, and a diverter body for diverting the diversion fluid, both of which combine to result in a negative flow zone which aids in diverting the exhaust gas away from the first flow region toward the second flow region.
Although this system provides improved performance for substrates possessing two flow paths/regions, the resulting flow characteristics for this system when the fluidics apparatus is functioning, e.g., under adsorbing conditions, are not ideal. For example, the system of Brown, although an improvement over exhaust systems to date, produces an exhaust or air flow pattern, under diverted conditions which, generally exhibits a high flow volume in the cells proximate to the center hole and a significantly decreased flow volume in those the peripheral cells nearer the edge of the substrate. As a result, work continues to discover improved fluidics systems for use with exhaust systems and accordingly, it is one of the objectives of the instant invention to provide an engine exhaust system exhibiting a more uniform diverted exhaust flow.


The present disclosure generally relates to improved water closet flanges and methods for installing such water closet flanges. In one exemplary embodiment, an improved water closet flange apparatus includes a flexible conduit portion (i.e. sleeve) and an integral membrane element sealing the top opening of the flexible sleeve. The membrane element is made of flexible materials such that the membrane element may be removed without breaking into pieces. In one embodiment, the integral membrane element includes indented portions to facilitate its removal. In another embodiment, the flange apparatus includes an outer flange connected to the flexible sleeve. Related methods for installing the disclosed flange apparatus between plumbing fixture discharges and waste drainpipes are also described.

Water closets, also called toilets, are waste disposal devices commonly installed in most bathrooms. These kinds of plumbing appliances generally include a water-storing receptacle called a water tank that is attached to a siphon seat-shaped bowl called toilet bowl. Periodically, waste is removed from the toilet bowl by flushing, thereby allowing water to drain from the water tank through the toilet bowl and into a waste drainpipe. In order to work, however, the toilet bowl must be connected to the waste drainpipe by fluid carrying conduits. Typically, the toilet bowl will sit flat on a floor and connect with a rigid water closet flange. The water closet flange in turn connects with conduits leading to a waste drainpipe.
Conventional water closet flanges are typically designed to interconnect between conduits lying on a common longitudinal axis. Accordingly, such water closet flanges are formed to be rigid and generally do not provide any kind of flexibility along their conduit portion and are therefore insufficient for allowing any non-negligible distortion of the flange. Such flexibility may be desirable in situations where the waste drain pipe has suffered deformation caused by stress or external forces applied by the materials surrounding the pipe (e.g. concrete, cement, etc.). These stresses may result in the opening of the pipe taking an oval shape, which in turn, would prevent prior art rigid flanges from entering the pipe, thus requiring the use of a wax seal applied directly to the pipe opening.
Moreover, flexible flanges may be desirable when connecting between discharge pipes and waste drain outlets having offset, misaligned, angled, or otherwise incongruous configurations. Use of rigid flanges in such situations would necessitate the use of wax seal applied directly to the pipe opening.
Still further, it has been found that dimensions of drainpipes often vary depending on the manufacturer. This situation is common in jurisdictions where such dimensions are not regulated and manufacturers minimize cost by manufacturing drainpipes to be thinner and/or smaller than needed.
As can be appreciated, the aforementioned problems are typically more prevalent in those jurisdictions lacking proper regulations, and having varying construction methods and materials. As explained above, because of the rigidity of the conduit portions of the closet flanges that are currently available, there are several problems related with oval shaped pipes, incongruous pipes and under or over sized pipes. Most professionals who deal with these kinds of problems turn to the use of wax seals and/or modification of the waste drainpipe. However, these solutions are not reliable because the seal connection is not strong enough to prevent leakage and associated odors, and oftentimes they can be expensive and inefficient due to delays in the installation process.
In most instances, plumbing code standards require leak tests to be conducted for all piping system installations. As a result, conventional water closet flanges are often designed with a rigid element for sealing the bore of the flange to allow leak tests to be conducted, which often involve applying hydrostatic or air pressure for a fixed amount of time and determining whether there is an unacceptable amount of pressure drop inside the pipeline. After leak tests have been completed, the applied pressure is relieved and the sealing element may then be removed. If the water closet is not immediately installed after the water closet flange is installed, the sealing element may be kept intact to prevent the sewage gases from being released into the atmosphere at the construction site. The sealing element is removed when the water closet is ready for installation. Rigid sealing elements, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), have been found to be difficult to remove and often inconveniently break into pieces and fall into the drainpipe during the removal process.
Improved water closet flanges for addressing the above-described problems are desired. Related methods for installing improved water closet flanges are also desired.

Flexible flange apparatus with a flexible membrane


An active matrix substrate 5 is provided with: a plurality of source wiring lines and a plurality of gate wiring lines, which are arranged in a matrix pattern; and picture elements, each of which has a thin film transistor provided in the vicinity of a part where each source wiring line and each gate wiring line intersect each other, and a picture element electrode 26 connected to the thin film transistor. In the active matrix substrate, a base member 5a is provided such that the source wiring lines and the gate wiring lines intersect each other, and on the base member 5a, the connecting portion 28a of an auxiliary capacitor electrode and the connecting portion 29a of an auxiliary capacitor wiring line are connected to each other by having therebetween a nitride film 33 composed of a high melting point metal material.

Liquid crystal display televisions, monitors, cellular phones, or the like have been widely used in recent years as flat panel displays that are characterized by thinness, light weight, and the like in comparison with the conventional cathode-ray tube display. This type of liquid crystal display device is known to use as a panel display for a liquid crystal panel an active matrix substrate on which are arranged in a matrix pattern pixels that have picture element electrodes including a plurality of data wiring lines (source wiring) and a plurality of scan wiring lines (gate wiring) arranged in a matrix pattern, and switching elements such as thin film transistors (TFTs) arranged in the vicinity of the intersections of the data wiring lines and the scan wiring lines, the picture element electrodes being connected to these switching elements.
Moreover, addition of sufficient auxiliary capacitance and improvement of the aperture ratio are required in order to improve the display quality of the liquid crystal display device using the active matrix substrate configured in this manner.
On the conventional active matrix substrate as described, for example, in the below listed Patent Document 1, an auxiliary capacitor wiring formed from aluminum or an alloy layer mainly constituted by aluminum and an auxiliary capacitor electrode formed from a transparent electrically conductive film formed from indium tin oxide (ITO) or the like are connected together with a high melting point metal layer therebetween (formed from a high melting point material such as molybdenum or the like or an alloy thereof). In this conventional active matrix substrate, it has been possible to prevent dissolution of the auxiliary capacitor wiring line and reduction of the auxiliary capacitor electrode, caused by a development solution used during patterning of the auxiliary capacitor wiring lines, and to prevent the resulting deterioration of transparency of the auxiliary capacitor electrode and the accompanying great decrease of transmittance of the picture element.

Active matrix substrate and display device