An aluminum alloy sheet having a heat dissipation characteristic that is applicable to a large-size lithium ion battery container, excellent in formability and shape freezability and excellent in laser weldability is provided. An aluminum alloy sheet comprising a cold rolled, annealed material containing Fe: 0.05 to less than 0.3 mass %, Mn: 0.6 to 1.5 mass %, and Si: 0.05 to 0.6 mass %, has a balance of Al and impurities Cu: less than 0.35 mass % and Mg: less than 0.05 mass %, has a conductivity exceeding 45% IACS, has a 0.2% proof strength of 40 to less than 60 MPa, and displays a 20% or more value of elongation is also provided. An aluminum alloy sheet comprising an as-cold-rolled material having a conductivity exceeding 45% IACS, a 0.2% proof strength of 60 to less than 150 MPa, and displaying 3% or more value of elongation is also provided.

Al—Mn-based 3000 series alloys are relatively excellent in strength, formability, and laser weldability, so are used as materials when producing containers for lithium ion batteries and other secondary batteries. They are formed into the desired shapes, then are laser welded to seal them tight for use as containers for secondary batteries. Along with the 3000 series alloys, aluminum alloy sheets for secondary battery container use which are based on existing 3000 series alloys but are further increased in strength and formability have been developed.
For example, PLT 1 describes aluminum alloy sheet for a box shaped battery case characterized by having as the composition of the aluminum alloy sheet the composition which is prescribed in JIS A3003, having an earring ratio of 8% or less, having an average particle size of recrystallized crystal grains of 50 μm or less, and having an electrical conductivity of 45 IACS % or less.
On the other hand, as a battery case, an aluminum alloy sheet for a battery case which is excellent in swelling resistance at the time of a high temperature, internal pressure load has been developed. PLT 2 describes an aluminum alloy sheet for a battery case which is excellent in swelling resistance at the time of a high temperature, internal pressure load characterized by containing Mn: 0.8 to 2.0% (wt %, same below), being restricted in impurity elements to Si: 0.04 to 0.2% and Fe: 0.04 to 0.6%, having a balance of Al and unavoidable impurities, having an amount of Mn in solid solution of 0.25% or more, having a proof strength value of 150 to 220N/mm2 in range, and having an average area of crystal particle size at a cross-section parallel to the rolling direction of 500 to 8000 μm2 in range.
However, in an aluminum alloy sheet based on a 3000 series alloy which has been improved in composition, sometimes an abnormal bead is formed. It is known that there is a problem in laser weldability. Therefore, an aluminum alloy sheet improved in laser weldability for secondary battery container use which is based on the 1000 series is also being developed. PLT 3 describes an aluminum alloy sheet which is excellent in laser weldability which is free of uneven bead when laser welding an A1000-based aluminum material. According to this, in the aluminum alloy sheet, it is sufficient to include Si: 0.02 to 0.10 mass %, restrict the Fe content to 0.30 mass % or less, include a balance of Al and unavoidable impurities, and restrict the number of intermetallic compound particles with a circle equivalent diameter of 1.5 to 6.5 μm to 1000 to 2400/mm2.

Aluminum alloy sheet for battery case use excellent in formability, heat dissipation, and weldability


Disclosed are a phenoxyalkylamine represented by the following general formula I and a salt of said phenoxyalkylamine represented by the following general formula II: ##STR1## wherein R represents a linear saturated hydrocarbon having 7 to 12 carbon atoms, n is an integer of from 1 to 5, m is an integer of from 2 to 4, and HX represents a mineral acid.. These compounds have strong bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions for plants with no phytotoxicity. Therefore, these compounds are effectively used as the active ingredient of an agricultural and horticultural bactericide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel phenoxyalkylamine and a salt thereof, and a novel agricultural and horticultural bactericide.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inorganic copper-containing agents, organic copper-containing agents and antibiotic agents such as streptomycin have been used as bactericides for phyto-pathogenic bacteria in agricultural plants.
However, these conventional bactericides are defective in that the effect is practically insufficient and the phytoxicity is caused. Accordingly, development of a bactericide having strong bacteriostatic and bactericidal actions (both of the actions will be collectively called "antibacterial action" hereinafter) and weaker phytotoxicity is desired at the present.

Phenoxyalkylamine and agricultural and horticultural bactericide


This specification discloses a method of transporting particulate solid material as a slurry through a pipeline. A pumpable slurry is formed of the particulate solid material in a solution of alcohol and water as a carrier liquid having an additive therein to thicken it. The slurry is pumped through the pipeline to transport the particulate solid material to a desired location.

This invention is concerned with transporting particulate solid material through a pipeline in the form of a slurry and in particular is concerned with transporting coal through a pipeline in the form of a slurry.
It is well recognized that the amounts of recoverable hydrocarbons in the form of crude oil and natural gases are finite and shortages thereof have been experienced. Much consideration has been given to using coal as a substitute for crude oil and natural gas. Large reserves of coal are known to exist in this country. Many of these reserves, however, are located in areas remote from locations where they are desired as fuels. Thus, consideration must be given to transporting coal to remote facilities for use as fuel or of relocating those facilities at the site of the coal deposits.
Coal has been transported from one location to another by trains and barges and to a lesser extent by pipelines. Numerous techniques have been described for transporting coal as a slurry or suspension in a carrier liquid through pipelines.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,637,263 there is described a method of transporting coal wherein an aqueous slurry is formed of a mixture of particulate coal and an inorganic finely divided water insoluble solid carrier having a specific gravity of at least 1.6 and the slurry is pumped through a pipeline. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,164 comminuted coal of a size, for example, of 10 to 200 mesh, is slurried in shale oil and the slurry is subjected to pyrolysis to visbreak the shale oil and to release liquid products from the coal.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,095, bulk solids such as bulk chemicals, grains, coal, and ores are transported through a pipeline by being suspended in a pseudo-plastic or thixotropic fluid exhibiting non-Newtonian viscosity properties. It is there said that any thixotropic or pseudo-plastic fluid, such as polymer solutions, gels, and emulsions, with suitable pumping characteristics and which can suspend bulk solids may be used. High internal phase emulsions where the internal phase is a major part of the emulsion were found to be particularly well suited for this use. In Republic of South African Pat. No. 741835, there is disclosed a fuel composition that may be transported through a pipeline. The fuel composition is a combustible slurry including coal and methanol. The coal is in particles of critical and sufficiently small size to tend to remain in suspension in the slurry instead of separating out. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,999, there is described a method of transporting a slurry of coal and methanol through pipelines in arctic environments without melting the permafrost of the environment. Methanol is cooled to a temperature of less than 32.degree. F. and particulate coal of a size less than 200 mesh is mixed therewith to form a coal combustible mixture and the coal combustible mixture is pumped through the pipeline. There is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,926,203 a method of transporting crude oil or tars recovered from arctic areas through a pipeline in the arctic areas in the form of an oil dispersion in a methanol or a methanol-water dispersing medium. Preferably a surface active agent is provided in the oil-methanol or oil-methanol-water systems to better provide a satisfactory dispersion of the oil in the dispersing medium. In a described aspect of the invention, natural gases produced along with the crude oil or otherwise recovered may be converted to methanol for use as a dispersing medium.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,034, there is described a method of pipelining solids by suspending the solids in a liquid containing lamellar micelles and pumping the mixture at flow rates predetermined to produce retro-viscous behavior in the liquid at noncryogenic temperatures. The liquid is a composition containing a surfactant, preferably a petroleum sulfonate and at least two substantially immiscible liquids, such as liquid hydrocarbon and water, and optionally up to 20% of a cosurfactant, preferably an alcohol containing 1-20 carbon atoms and/or an electrolyte, preferably an inorganic salt. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,134, there is described a substantially water-free, high solid content, stable and combustible fuel slurry that is comprised of solid particulate carbonaceous material, such as powdered coal, a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, such as Bunker C fuel oil, a slurry suspension stabilizing agent, preferably starch, and a viscosity reducing agent, preferably a detergent.
In German Offenlegungsschrift No. 1558969 there is described a method of transporting solid particles through pipes in the form of a suspension in an aqueous carrier liquid, which carrier liquid contains an aromatic hydrocarbon sulfonate and an ethylene oxide polymeride with a high molecular weight for transfer of dilatant properties to the carrier liquid.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,092 there is described a fuel composition that can be transported and stored. The fuel composition is characterized by a combustible, pseudothixotropic liquid-solid suspensoid including a critical proportion of coal particles having a critical settling velocity substantially uniformly dispersed in a solution of methyl fuel including methanol, water and other alcohol-soluble constituents of the coal. Additives may be employed to impart more nearly perfect shear thinning thixotropic rheological characteristics of the liquid-solid suspensoid.

Transporting particulate solid material as a slurry through a pipeline


A member-fastening structure permits three members to be fastened and fixed such that a first member and a second member holds a third member therebetween. The fastening of three members is accomplished with a meter visor that has a first through-hole formed therein. A speaker ring has a projecting part formed thereon which is inserted into the first through-hole. The projecting part has a second through-hole formed therein in a direction perpendicular to a projecting direction of the projecting part. A speaker grille is positioned on the meter visor, and the projecting part of the speaker ring is then caused to project downward through the first through-hole of the meter visor. A clip is inserted into the second through-hole of the projecting part projecting from an underside of the meter visor, and is engaged with the second through-hole of the projecting part and the underside of the meter visor.

The present disclosure relates to a member-fastening structure to fasten and fix an on-vehicle member or the like held between a plurality of members.
As exemplified by the disclosure of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-41678, known fastening structures for on-vehicle members fasten and fix three members together by way of a fastening member, such that the first and second members hold the third member therebetween. The first member is a mounting part (made of plastics) on the vehicle body, the second member is a speaker grille (made of plastics), and the third member is a speaker main body. To install such a fastening structure, the third member is positioned on the first member and then the second member is laid on the third member and finally the third member is fastened and fixed to the first member by means of tapping screws.


A method includes receiving images of a rock sample. The method also includes modifying a set of voxels related to one or more of the received images by applying a digital pore growing operation that changes non-pore voxels surrounding a pore space to pore voxels, wherein the digital pore growing operation is based at least in part on a predetermined dead oil estimate. The method also includes estimating a property of the rock sample based at least in part on the modified set of voxels.

Many conventional reservoir rocks have substantial amounts of crude oil in the pore system when recovered. Over time this oil losses its lighter components to evaporation and what remains is called dead oil. For traditional core analysis the dead oil must be removed before proper results can be obtained for porosity, permeability and most other rock properties that involve storage capacity or fluid transport. Removing the dead oil often requires days, weeks, or even months of soaking and flushing with organic solvents. Many of the solvents used are potentially hazardous either from toxicity, flammability, or both. In addition, solvent extraction may remove bitumen which could lead to overestimation of porosity and permeability in organic rich shales.
Digital rock physics (DRP) uses scanning electron microscope (SEM) images to determine many rock properties of interest without requiring the above-mentioned core cleaning process. This is possible, in part, due to the contrast in density and X-ray attenuation between dead oil and rock framework minerals. For example, even for a conventional core sample that has not been cleaned, DRP analysis is able to count dead oil as pore space.
Available geochemistry data shows that there is a substantial ratio of oil to organic matter solids (OMS) or oil to total organic carbon (TOC) in shale samples, perhaps in the range of 20-30%. Conventional core cleaning of these shale samples is problematic due to their low permeability. DRP analysis of the shale samples is also problematic due to the dead oil being essentially indistinguishable from the OMS in SEM images of the shale samples. This is true whether using secondary electron or backscatter electron imaging. To the extent DRP analysis counts dead oil as OMS (or does not count dead oil as pore space), the accuracy of the porosity estimate as well as other rock properties of a shale sample decreases.
It should be understood, however, that the specific embodiments given in the drawings and detailed description below do not limit the disclosure. On the contrary, they provide the foundation for one of ordinary skill to discern the alternative forms, equivalents, and other modifications that are encompassed in the scope of the appended claims.

Digital pore alteration methods and systems


A display holder (10) is formed from a main frame member that is a single extrusion. The main frame member includes opposite edge frame portions (28, 30) and a center panel (10). Frame portions (64, 66) snap onto the ends of a center panel (10) to complete a frame that extends entirely about the periphery of the display holder (10). The display holder (10) may be mounted by a mounting member (44) which includes a hinge strip (92). Hinge strip (92) and a pair of mounting member flanges (42, 90) may be made by a co-extrusion process. A rigid structural plastic is used to form the flanges (42, 90). A bendable, resilient plastic is used to form the hinge strip (96). The hinge strip (96) will bend in response to a side force applied to the display holder (10). Hinge strip (92) will act as a spring and will swing the display holder (10) back to its at rest position when the force is removed. A mounting member (118) may be used which includes a longitudinally split, tubular rib (130), with trunnions (136, 138) inserted into the end portions of the rib (130). These trunnions (136,138) may extend through aligned openings (152, 156) and mount the display holder (10) for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. A plurality of display holders (10) may be mounted close together by use of the trunnions (136, 138) and the openings (152, 156).

The following United States patents show various types of sign boards which are adapted to be mounted in a vertical orientation: U.S. Pat. No. 1,559,010, granted Oct. 27, 1925, to George B. Schwieger; U.S. Pat. No. 1,793,563, granted Feb. 24, 1931, to Eugene Schwartz; U.S. Pat. No. 1,866,723, granted Jul. 12, 1932, to Howard C. Powers; U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,241, granted Jul. 21, 1953, to Robert E. McLean; U.S. Pat. No. 2,787,433, granted Apr. 2, 1957, to Robert J. Slavsky and John R. Slavsky; U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,798, granted Sep. 22, 1970, to Donald C. Williams and Richard G. Growei U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,507, granted Mar. 11, 1986, to Paul G. Elliott; U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,799, granted Oct. 14, 1986, to Hugo E. Rebentisch; U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,331, granted Feb. 21, 1989, to Charles H. Boggess and Richard G. Krautsack; U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,867, granted Sep. 19, 1989, to Kenneth H. Clark; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,707, granted Nov. 21, 1989, to Benjamin L. Garfinkle; U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,464, granted Mar. 20, 1990, to Stanley L. Levine and Lee R. Wiese; U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,256, granted Sep. 18, 1990, to Mary B. Boeding; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,606, granted May 12, 1992, to Randy B. Reynolds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,331 discloses a display holder that is adapted to be mounted onto the front of a store shelf by a structure which holds the display holder in a vertical orientation and in a position that is generally perpendicular to the front edge of a shelf, but which allows the display holder to pivotally move out of the way of a customer or article that strikes it. The display holder includes a bias means which automatically returns it to its normal position when the force causing it to swing has been removed. This ensures that the advertising message or display continuously remains in a direct view of approaching customers. An object of the present invention is to provide a display holder capable of performing the function of the display holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,331, but which is much simpler in construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,707 discloses a display holder similar to the display holder disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,331, except it includes a hinge comprised of a plurality of stria which are formed from a flexible material such as thermoplastic elastomer. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of the display holder and a flexible strip hinge which is selectively usable with the display holder for better serving the objectives of the display holder and hinge disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,707.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mounting structure for the display holder which both structurally reinforces a frame member of the display holder and provides a support for upper and lower trunnions which are used to mount the display holder for pivotal movement about a vertical axis.


A device that synchronizes an output stage of an electronic memory by enabling the output stage of the memory device after data has been retrieved from the memory, the memory chip is enabled, and output of the memory data is requested. The device also can enable the output stage of the memory regardless of whether the data has been retrieved from the memory based upon receipt of a forced activation signal, and can enable the output stage of the memory for selected bits.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a synchronization device for output stages, particularly for electronic memories.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is known that there are two fundamental control pins in electronic memories. The first one, CEN (inverted chip enable), is the pin that enables the memory. The second one, OEN (inverted output enable), is the pin that enables the output stage of the memory.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a possible conventional memory, wherein the memory circuit is designated by the reference numeral 1. The memory circuit sends the data to a latch circuit 2, which stores the data before sending them to the output stage 3. The memory circuit 1 is enabled by the CEN signal, that is to say, the circuit is enabled when said signal is equal to "0". The CEN signal and the OEN signal constitute the inputs of a NOR gate 4 which enables the output stage 3 if both input signals are "0".
Accordingly, if the OEN signal is at logic level "1", the output stage 3 is set to a high impedance, and this allows the logic to communicate with the interior of the memory. If instead the OEN signal is set to logic level "0", the output stage 3 is enabled to send out the data produced within the memory. This second operating mode is characterized by a response time that is faster than the corresponding time for the propagation of the data in the memory circuit 1 required to fully read the CEN signal. This means that the output stage 3 can switch randomly or on the basis of data which had been read earlier and is therefore obsolete.
It is known that switching on the outputs produces severe noise on the internal circuits of the memories and in general slows down the read times; the more this event occurs asynchronously and the higher the number of outputs, the slower the read time. Accordingly, it is desirable to avoid false switchings in order to achieve best performance. To deal with this variability in read times, a LOAD signal is generated within the memory circuit, and activates the latch circuit 2 when the dam from the memory circuit 1 reaches it. However, this has no effect on the output stage 3, which may still include false or useless data.

Synchronization device for output stages, particularly for electronic memories


Disclosed are reduced salt polyallylamine polymer compositions, a process for producing a cross-linked polyallylamine polymer from a reduced salt, aqueous solution of a polyallylamine polymer and a multifunctional cross-linking agent and to cross-linked polyallylamine polymer compositions produced thereby.

Cross-linked polyallylamine polymers have found many therapeutic applications. See for example, WO 98/57652, JP 07309766-A and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,618,530, 5,679,717, 5,693,675 and 5,607,669 for reducing blood cholesterol levels by reducing reabsorption of bile acids, U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,696 for decreasing the absorption of dietary iron from the gastrointestinal track, and WO 96/21454 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,545 for removing phosphate from the gastrointestinal track. Further, JP 05244915 discloses the use of cross-linked polyamine polymers as a food preservative.
Methods to produce cross-linked polyamine polymers are known. See for example, the references cited hereinabove and U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,701, DE 4227019 A1 and EP 732352 A1. These references disclose cross-linking the polyallylamine polymer by reacting the polymer with a suitable cross-linking agent in aqueous caustic solution or an aqueous caustic solution and immiscible solvent mixture.
The existing methods to produce cross-linked polyamine polymers create difficult and costly handling and cleanup procedures, especially in an industrial production process. For example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,618,530, 5,679,717, 5,693,675, 5,702,696 and 5,607,669 the cross-linked polyallylamine forms a continuous mass within the reaction vessel after it congeals which is impractical on a large scale. Further, when the cross-linking reaction occurs in a basic aqueous solution the removal of undesirable impurities, such as salts, e.g., sodium chloride, as well as unreacted allylamine monomer, low molecular weight polyallylamine polymer, low molecular weight compounds from initiator degradation during and after the free-radical polymerization of the allylamine monomer, solvents, etc., is very complicated as it must be performed on the solid, insoluble, cross-linked polyallylamine polymer. Moreover, when using a basic aqueous solution and dispersion solvent mixture, such as disclosed in WO 98/57652, the solvent, e.g., acetonitrile, must be reclaimed or disposed of. The present invention addresses these problems and gives a more practical solution to them.

Process for producing cross-linked polyallylamine polymer


The magnetic core of an inductive device is formed of a plurality of wires that extend through the inductive device, and beyond the electric winding. The ends of the wires are formed around the electric winding, meet, and are connected together enveloping the magnetic core and windings forming a complete magnetic circuit. The inductive device may be a transformer with two or more windings, a choke coil with only one winding, or other inductive device. The electric windings may be wound directly onto the wire magnetic core, or may be formed separately and then placed on the magnetic core. A mounting post or the like may be bound into the core and used as a mount for the inductive device; and, cooling tubes and/or large rods for support may be incorporated into the core.

The present invention relates to the field of inductive devices, and more particularly to wire core inductive devices such as transformers, chokes, coils, ballasts, and the like.
It is common and universal for low frequency application transformers and other inductive devices to be made up of a magnetic core comprising a plurality of sheets of steel, the sheets being die cut and stacked to create the desired thickness of a core. For many years the thickness (thus number of necessary pieces) of the stampings has been determined by a strict set of constraints-magnitude of eddy currents versus number of necessary pieces. For that reason, individual sheets of selected thickness are oxide-coated, varnished or otherwise electrically insulated from one another in order to reduce/minimize eddy currents in the magnetic core.
The magnetic core of a transformer or the like generally passes through the center of the electric winding, and closes on itself to provide a closed magnetic circuit. Since the magnetic core then supports the electric windings, it is natural that the core has also been used as the support for the transformer. That is to say, one attaches the magnetic core to a container or baseboard in order to support the transformer.
Transformers and other inductive devices inherently generate heat, and the heat must be dissipated or the power characteristics of the device will change. If the transformer or other device becomes too hot, the electric windings can become short circuited and burn out. In small devices, one usually relies on air cooling, sometimes with metal fins/heat sinks or the like to assist in dissipating the heat. In large devices, the windings and magnetic core may be cooled by forced air or immersed in an oil or other fluid. One then may use fins on the container, radiator pipes, or both, so convection currents move the heated fluid through the cooling fins or pipes. If further cooling is needed, one generally resorts to pumps to force fluid movement and/or fans to move more air across the cooling means.
When a stack of metal sheets is used as the magnetic core for an inductive device, it is usual to provide a shape, such as an E with the electric windings on the center leg of the E. After the windings are in place, an additional stack of sheets usually in an I configuration is applied to connect the ends of the E, thereby completing the magnetic circuit. Using such a technique, it will be understood that the windings are necessarily wound separately, and subsequently placed on the magnetic core. The windings must therefore be large enough to slip onto the magnetic core. Such construction contributes to the inherent noisiness of an inductive device, because the electric windings must be somewhat loose on the core. As a result, when an alternating voltage is applied to the electric windings, the sheets making up the core tend to vibrate with the alternating magnetic field or in sympathy in a subharmonic. Any resulting gaps and spaces between the electrical components and the magnetic components also reduce coupling and efficiency of action.
Transformers and other inductive devices also inherently generate electromagnetic fields. Such fields external to the device lessen efficiency, as well as pose interferences to the immediately surrounding environment. Although the strength of these electromagnetic fields decreases with distance from the transformer, shielding of either the electromagnetic field source or the affected components is often required. As components in today""s electronics are made more sensitive and their packaging more dense, susceptibility to electromagnetic interaction increases dramatically. To assure optimum performance of these components, stray electromagnetic fields must be minimized often at a substantial cost. As noted above, one manner in which these fields may be minimized is to provide shielding around the source in order to contain the electromagnetic fields and to prevent interference from external sources.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for overcoming the limitations of the prior art, and to provide an improved inductive device having a magnetic core formed from a plurality of wires.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inductive device by extending wires forming the magnetic core around the electric windings and the magnetic core to substantially contain electromagnetic fields emanating from the device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of making an inductive device utilizing a plurality of wires to form the magnetic core and to provide shielding.
Additional objects, advantages and other novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention as described herein, there is provided an improved inductive device, the magnetic core comprising a plurality of wires bundled to form the core. The electric windings are either wound directly onto the magnetic core, or are wound separately and slipped over the core.
In accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, the ends of the wires forming the magnetic core are spread and formed over the electric windings, the two ends of the wires meeting to form a complete magnetic circuit. A band or other connector means holds the ends of the wires together. Advantageously, the wires formed in this manner envelop the electric windings and magnetic core to provide a shield substantially containing the electromagnetic fields emanating from the device and reducing the intrusion of electromagnetic fields from external sources. Additional shielding may be provided by binding at least a portion of the wires forming the shield with a transversely wound wire.
The inductive device may include a mounting post bound within the plurality of wires forming the magnetic core and extending therefrom for supportably mounting the device. The mounting post may extend from either side or both sides of the magnetic core as desired. Also, the make-up of the magnetic core may be otherwise varied considerably. Wire of various diameters may be used to achieve greater density of the core; a few large wires may be spaced around the core to provide rigidity; and, one or more tubes may be incorporated into the core, the tubes carrying a fluid for cooling the inductive device. The cooling tubes are preferably constructed of non-magnetic and non-electrical-conducting material.
In carrying out the inventive method, the step of forming the magnetic core includes forming a magnetic core from a plurality of wires, placing at least one electric winding along the length of the formed core, and forming the wires of the magnetic core over the at least one electric winding to envelop the winding and form a complete magnetic circuit.
Still other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description wherein there is shown and described the preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of some of the modes best suited to carry out the invention. As it will be realized, the invention is capable of other different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various, obvious aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.


A road traffic information processing apparatus determines the continuity of road conditions of a traffic jam, control, etc., in a traffic information link (v1, v2) received by road traffic information reception section and the continuity of road conditions of a traffic jam, control, etc., existing in traffic information links of different roads.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a road traffic information processing apparatus installed in a system that can display road conditions, typified by an in-vehicle navigation system, a road traffic information processing method, a program for causing a computer to function as the road traffic information processing apparatus, and an information record medium recording the program.
2. Description of the Related Art
A road traffic information communication system (Vehicle Information Communication System) using FM multiplex telecasting and beacons installed on roads for transmitting and receiving various pieces of road traffic information indicating traffic jam conditions, traffic control conditions, etc., is developed. A road traffic information processing apparatus for serving as a receiver for receiving the road traffic information is installed in most recent in-vehicle navigation systems.
The in-vehicle navigation system contains storage means (storage medium) storing map data made up of a large number of pieces of information such as road data and facility data, and reads the regional map on the periphery of the current position of the vehicle or the regional map of the region to be checked by the user from the storage means, and displays the map on display means implemented as a liquid crystal display, etc.
Further, the in-vehicle navigation system installing a road traffic information processing apparatus can also superpose information indicating the road conditions from time to time on the map for display based on various pieces of road traffic information received, so that the driver can check the road conditions changing every moment while seeing the map.
FIG. 7 schematically shows the principle structure of road data contained in the map data. The road data has the basic configuration of combinations of links and nodes. The link means a line connecting an intersection on a road and another intersection adjacent to that intersection via the road and is given a link number, etc., for management; in FIG. 7, the links are represented as L1, L2, L3 . . . The node is a point connecting two or more links and is given a node number, etc., for management; in FIG. 7, the nodes are represented as N0, N1, N2 . . . Two node information pieces and the link information connecting the nodes make up the above-mentioned basic configuration as one road unit. Further, the road unit contains information called traffic information link aside from the links L1, L2, L3 . . . and is represented as v1 or v2 in FIG. 7.
As seen in the figure, in this example, at least two traffic information links are contained corresponding to one link. The traffic information links are provided corresponding to lanes headed in opposite directions; for example, the traffic information link numbers are given in such a manner that v1 and v2 are given to up and down lanes, respectively, of a main national load or that v1 and v2 are given to inner and outer lanes, respectively, of a two-way belt expressway.
Road traffic information transmitted in the road traffic information communication system is limited to that of the main roads at present, and information concerning all roads is not yet transmitted. Thus, in the above-mentioned map data, the traffic information links are provided only for the road units corresponding to the traffic information transmitted in the road traffic information communication system; for example, no traffic information links are provided for road units corresponding to roads whose traffic information is not transmitted like the road unit containing the link L7 in FIG. 7.
The traffic information transmitted in the road traffic information communication system is made up of at least link number information, traffic information link number information, road condition information, and condition section information. The road condition information contains traffic jam information and control information as condition types so that the traffic conditions of actual roads can be differentiated from each other for recognition. Further, the traffic jam information is classified into information of types responsive to the traffic jam degree such as "heavy traffic jam" and "congestion" and the control information is classified into information of types responsive to the control contents such as "closed to vehicles" and "speed regulation". The condition section information indicating the road section where a traffic jam occurs and the controlled section contains occurrence start position information and occurrence section information of each occurrence section. The occurrence start position information is distance information from the start point in the travel direction of the vehicle in traffic information link; for example, if the distance information indicates 0 meters, the start point of the traffic information link is assumed to be the start position of the occurrence section and if the distance information indicates 200 meters, the point at a distance of 200 meters from the start point of the traffic information link is assumed to be the start position of the occurrence section and the traffic jam or control (regulation) continues following the position in the travel direction. The occurrence section information (traffic jam distance, etc.,) of the section where the traffic jam or control occurs is distance information from the start position.
Upon reception of road traffic information by the road traffic information processing apparatus installed in an in-vehicle navigation system, the in-vehicle navigation system superposes arrows generated based on the road condition information and the condition section information on the map along the road displayed based on the road data contained in the map data for display, as shown in FIG. 8. In the example in the figure, the road traffic information processing apparatus receives the road condition information indicating a heavy traffic jam concerning traffic information link v1 of link L2, traffic information link v1 of link L4, and traffic information link v1 of link L10, receives the road condition information indicating congestion concerning traffic information link v1 of link L3, and further receives the road condition information indicating control concerning traffic information link v2 of link L10; the arrows are displayed in response to the road condition information and the condition section information in the information. In the figure, for convenience of the description, the links, the traffic information links, and the nodes are represented by dashed lines, but only roads and arrows represented by solid lines are displayed on display means of an actual navigation system.
In the example, in the heavy traffic condition concerning the road indicated by link L2 and the congestion condition concerning the road indicated by link L3, a heavy traffic jam or congestion does not occur in all area and occurs from the point at a predetermined distance relative to each forward intersection.
As seen in the figure, a current position mark P indicating the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the road map, whereby approach to a traffic jam section or a control section or the like can be checked in comparison with the position of the vehicle. The current position of the vehicle can be provided by a known current position detection apparatus made up of a GPS receiver, a gyro sensor, a vehicle speed pulse detector, etc.
The in-vehicle navigation system has a function of calculating the route to the destination set by the user and aiding in guiding the vehicle along the determined route. For example, it is made possible to produce voice output such that "turn to right at XX intersection meters ahead" for prompting the driver to make a turn at the intersection. Further, the in-vehicle navigation system installing a traffic information receiver has a function of notifying the driver of the conditions and the section if traffic jam information or control information exists on the route along which the vehicle is guided upon reception of road traffic information. For example, the in-vehicle navigation system produces voice output such that "XX-kilometer traffic jam occurs ahead."
The notifying function faithfully informs the driver of the received road traffic information about the first encountered traffic jam or control when the vehicle runs along the route. For example, in FIG. 8, it is assumed that a route passing through links L1, L2, L3, and L4 in order is set as the route to the destination. A notification based on the traffic information link v1 of the link L2 is made at a predetermined timing when the vehicle runs on the link L1. The vehicle further moves and a notification based on the traffic information link v1 of the link L3 is made at a predetermined timing when the vehicle runs on the link L2. Likewise, a notification based on the traffic information link v1 of the link L4 is made at a predetermined timing when the vehicle runs on the link L3.
Thus, to faithfully inform the driver of the received road traffic information, the driver is notified of the information for each traffic information link at each corresponding timing.
On the other hand, if the driver visually checks these information pieces through the display means of the in-vehicle navigation system, even if the traffic jams are separate, the drive may recognize the traffic jam as a visually continuous traffic jam to no small extent. That is, in the example, as the visually checked sections, the road traffic information concerning the traffic information links of the links L2, L3, and L4 is recognized as a continuous heavy traffic jam or congestion. However, only the notification based on the traffic information link of the link L2 is made from the voice output as described above and consequently the user may recognize the visually checked information and the information provided from the voice output as different information.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Road traffic information processing apparatus, road traffic information processing method, computer program, and information record medium


A specimen holder has flexible walls to provide good electrical contact between a material to be tested for its electrical properties and the conductors of a coaxial cable. The walls of the specimen holder are tubular in shape and coaxial and have a plurality of longitudinal slots spaced therearound to provide strips which are flexible in the radial direction. The walls are permanently distorted in a radial direction to urge them towards each other and into spring-like contact with an annular material specimen inserted between them. The specimen holder is particularly suited for measuring the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of materials.

The present invention relates in general to the measurement of electrical properties of a material, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for holding a specimen of a material to be tested in good electrical contact with the conductors of a coaxial cable in an electrical property measurement system.
With the increasing use of electromagnetic devices of all types in modern times, there is an accompanying increase of electromagnetic energy which is radiated from these devices into the environment. Depending upon its frequency and power level, this radiation is generally undesirable since it can adversely effect the operation of electronic components and electromagnetic devices other than that from which it is radiated. Therefore, it has become necessary to shield many electrical, electromagnetic and electronic devices, such as computers, computer terminals and microprocessors, for example, to protect them from incoming radiation and to prevent outgoing radiation.
Various means have been used to shield electrical and electronic devices by reducing the energy level of incoming and outgoing radiation. Metallic enclosures have proven to be the most effective device for shielding such devices from electromagnetic radiation since almost all types of metallic enclosures are thick enough to provide adequate shielding by both reflection and absorption of incident electromagnetic energy. However, the use of plastic enclosures has become more widespread in recent years due to their lower cost and weight as well as the ease with which they can be fabricated. Plastic materials do not provide electromagnetic shielding in their usual form and therefore must be modified to provide such an effect.
One conventional method for rendering a plastic enclosure effective to shield electromagnetic radiation is to apply a metallic coating to the plastic, thereby enabling the plastic enclosure to function in the same manner as a metallic enclosure. Another conventional method for rendering a plastic enclosure effective to shield electromagnetic radiation is through the use of conductive composites. The conductive composites are made by incorporating a conductive filler in a resin. The conductive filler can be carbon particles or metallic particles such as aluminum flake or aluminum fibers, for example. Both coated plastics and conductive composites have adequate electromagnetic shielding capabilities to enable them to be utilized in a variety of applications.
In the manufacture of plastics which have been treated to give them electromagnetic shielding capabilities, it is necessary to measure the shielding effectiveness of the material. Shielding effectiveness (SE) is generally defined as the ratio of the power which is incident on a material to the power which is transmitted through the material and is usually expressed in units of decibels, i.e., EQU SE=10 log (P.sub.i /P.sub.t) in dB.
In the past, shielding effectiveness has been measured by placing a flat panel of the material to be tested across an opening in a large room which is totally enclosed by steel walls so that no electromagnetic radiation can escape other than through the panel. A transmitter is placed in the room and a receiver is located outside the room and the power level of the signal received at the receiver is measured without the panel across the opening in the room and subsequently with the panel in place across the opening. The ratio of the two measured signals provides an indication of the shielding effectiveness of the panel of material over a relatively broad range of frequencies. If the measurement of shielding effectiveness is limited by space or cost considerations, essentially the same procedure can be carried out using a small box in place of the large room.
These prior art methods have a number of limitations which seriously effect the accuracy of the data obtained during the measurement. In addition to the cost of constructing a large shielded room and the use of large material specimens, these limitations include the effects on the measurement of the resonance of the room at critical wave lengths, the resonance of the aperture in the room and the frequency response characteristics of the transmitter and receiver antennas. It has been found that these limitations are substantial enough to produce different sets of data from different measurement facilities even though the same material specimen is being measured at each facility.
More recently, a method of measuring the shielding effectiveness of material specimens with the use of a coaxial conductor has been developed to overcome the limitations associated with the previously discussed method of measuring shielding effectiveness. In this method, the material to be tested is placed in electrical contact with the conductors of a coaxial cable. The shielding effectiveness is determined by a standard substitution method conventionally used to measure insertion loss of various components at different radio frequencies, wherein the power level of a signal transmitted from one end of the coaxial cable and received at the other end is first measured without the material in contact with the conductors of the cable and then with the material in place in the measurement system. The amount of attentuation of the transmitted signal introduced by the material specimen is detected and provides an indication of the shielding effectiveness of the material.
This coaxial line method of measurement has several advantages over the prior method discussed previously. Among other features, it is capable of functioning effectively over a broad band of frequencies and it operates in the transverse electromagnetic mode, i.e., the same mode at which energy is propagated in free space, to thereby render an effective indication of the shielding effectiveness of the tested material in a practical application. The electromagnetic signal used in the measurement of the effectiveness is totally enclosed within the coaxial line and therefore leakage is not a significant factor in the measured data. Resonances which may be due to room size, antenna characteristics and the reflections of surrounding structures are eliminated. In addition, the coaxial cable enables relatively small specimens of the material to be used in the measurement system.
One problem associated with the coaxial line method of measuring shielding effectiveness is the difficulty of attaining good electrical contact between the material specimen and the inner and outer conductors of the coaxial line. In order to achieve good electrical contact, it is necessary to have good physical contact. If good physical contact is not obtained, there will be a gap between the material specimen and the walls of the coaxial transmission line, which will introduce a capacitive reactance into the line in series with the predominantly resistive load of the shielding material. This capacitive reactance can seriously effect the accuracy of data which is obtained during the shielding effectiveness measurement. It is not economically feasible to machine a specimen of material to the precise dimensions necessary to achieve good electrical and physical contact between the material and the conductors of a standard coaxial cable.
One device for use in the measurement of shielding effectiveness in a coaxial line is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,160, issued to Byrd. The Byrd patent discloses a measuring device for placing wire insulation, such as that found on ignition wires, in contact with the conductors of a coaxial cable to enable the shielding effectiveness of the wire insulation to be measured. The device disclosed in the patent can only be used to measure the effectiveness of wire insulation or other tubular materials, and is not suitable for use in measuring the shielding effectiveness of a specimen from a sheet of material. In addition, the dimensions of the wire insulation and the device for holding the insulation must be within very small tolerance ranges in order to achieve good electrical contact between the coaxial cable and the specimen of insulation, resulting in a substantial cost factor in the measurement of shielding effectiveness.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for holding a specimen of material in good electrical contact with the conductors of a coaxial cable.
It is another object of the present invention to increase the applicability of the coaxial line method of measuring shielding effectiveness by providing a novel specimen holder which can accommodate planar specimens of a material to be tested.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for testing the shielding effectiveness of material specimens.

Method and apparatus for electrically contacting a material specimen to the conductors of a coaxial cable


A reflector for a lamp is provided, the reflector including a vent hole extending through the reflector body. A first enclosure extends into the reflector body from an outer reflective surface, and a second enclosure extends into the reflector body from an opposite inner surface. The second enclosure overlaps and intersects the first enclosure in such a way as to form a continuous vent hole extending from the outer surface to the inner surface, the vent hole being obscured when looking at the first surface.

The present invention relates to a reflector for use with a lamp, the reflector having a vent hole for venting fluid through the reflector from the front of the reflector to the rear of the reflector,the vent hole being obscured when viewing the front surface of the reflector. The reflector is particularly useful with lamp assemblies in automotive applications.
There are many uses for reflectors with lamp assemblies. For example, the use of reflectors is known in the automobile industry, reflectors being commonly used, for example, with headlamps. Headlamps are typically enclosed assemblies which generally include a lamp extending into a housing which is enclosed by a lens, an inner surface of the housing forming the reflector. During the life of the headlamp, there is a tendency for air and moisture to accumulate in the housing. The moisture tends to cloud the lens and otherwise present an unsightly headlamp structure. In order to overcome this problem, it is known to provide a through hole which extends through the housing, including the reflective surface. In such an embodiment, air and moisture within the housing are vented from the interior of the housing, the air and moisture flowing through the through hole and out of the housing. To facilitate such venting, it is known to attach a vent tube to a coupling extending from the exterior of the housing adjacent the through hole. The vent tube serves to direct the air and moisture flowing out of the vent hole, as desired.
One of the problems inherent with such vent hole arrangements is that there is a tendency for the through hole to be quite visible when viewing the reflector through the lens. As a practical matter, the through hole appears as a dark spot upon an otherwise spotless reflective surface. Like the moisture, which in the absence of the vent hole would accumulate in the housing, such a dark spot presents an unsightly headlamp structure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved reflector for use with a lamp.
It is another object of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an improved reflector for use with a lamp.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved reflector for use with a lamp, the reflector including a vent hole which does not appear as a dark spot upon the reflective surface.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved reflector for use in automobile applications.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved reflector for use in an automobile headlamp assembly.
This invention achieves these and other objects by providing a reflector for use with a lamp. The reflector includes a vent hole which extends through a reflector body from an outer surface to an inner surface. The vent hole is provided by first and second apertures. The first aperture is formed by a first enclosure extending into the reflector body from the outer surface towards the inner surface. The second aperture is formed by a second enclosure extending into the reflector body from the inner surface towards the outer surface. The first enclosure is structured and arranged relative to the second enclosure (a) to provide for fluid flow from the outer surface, through and between the first aperture and the second aperture, to the inner surface, and (b) to obscure the first and second apertures when viewing the outer surface.


A retainer for a ball grid array (BGA) fan is disclosed. The retainer has a pair of oppositely mated frame members each having a first flange, a second flange parallel to the first flange and extending from an inner face thereof and a space defined between the first and the second flanges for receiving the substrate therein; and means for engaging the fan with the mated frame members after the substrate is received between the opposite spaces.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retainer for a ball grid array (BGA) fan, and more particularly to a BGA fan retainer which requires no predetermined space on a substrate to mount the fan thereon, such that an operator is able to easily mount the BGA fan in a compact space.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional method of mounting a BGA fan is shown in FIG. 7. A substrate (90) provided with a centrally located die (91) has a plurality of bonding wires (92) which are provided to electrically connect the die (91) to the circuit on the substrate (90). A plastic cover (93) is then formed over the die (91) to complete the packaging. Furthermore, a plurality of solder balls (94) arranged in a matrix form are formed on the bottom of the substrate (90) to electrically connect the die and bonding wires to a mother board, interface card or other electrical device. As with ordinary integrated circuits, a fan (95) is mounted on top of the cover (93) to dissipate excess heat generated by the packaged integrated circuit chip. Normally, the the fan (95) is glued to the cover (93). However, a simple glued connection between the fan (95) and the cover (93) will withstand a shock or vibration test required before the product shipped to the market.
To overcome this defect, a modified fan (80), as shown in FIG. 8, has a pair of extensions (82) (only one is shown) diagonally formed on the bottom thereof, such that the fan (80) is able to be securely mounted on a mother board (98) by means of a bolt and a nut. Although, the fan (80) is able to be fixed on the mother board (98), an additional predetermined space must be left for mounting the fan, which can be a difficult thing to do, especially on a printed circuit board (PCB).
The present invention aims to provide an improved retainer for a BGA fan to overcome the aforementioned problems.


A gear includes a body defining a portion of a sphere and including at least one curved surface. A plurality of teeth extend from the at least one curved surface. The plurality of teeth are arranged in rows and columns that define a plurality of longitudinal and latitudinal arcuate channels along the curved surface.

In the growing field of robotics and clean electricity generation, new methods of mechanical actuation will be valuable in developing different types of robotic and power generating systems. Before the advent of optical mice, a traditional mouse generated directional signals for the cursor on the screen via a rubber ball which was in contact with two roll pins mounted perpendicular to one another in the XY plane. This allowed the cursor on the computer screen to move in any direction with respect to the XY plane of the screen. When moving the mouse forward or backwards with respect to the user, only the y-roller pin would be actuated and the mouse on the screen would move up and down. When the mouse was moved from side to side, only the x-roller pin would move and the cursor would move side to side on the screen.
However when the mouse was moved at a diagonal with respect to the user, a combination output of the roller pins would allow the cursor to move at various vectors with respect to the XY plane of the computer screen. In this sense, the roller pins of the mouse were passive devices that took "input" from the trackball and then displayed that motion as movement of the cursor on the screen. Furthermore, if these pins were actuated via a motor and "outputted" motion to the trackball, a force feedback mouse could in theory be created. This is an excellent way to create motion in a robot, or in theory to even generate electricity, but is limited by the fact that the rubber on plastic interaction between the track ball, and the rolling pins is unable to generate large amounts of torque.
Furthermore, when the x-pin for example is actuated by the track ball, the rubber ball will actually "drag" along the y-roller pin and will generate friction. This is true in the opposite situation as well. When both pins are being actuated (when the mouse is moving for example at a 45 degree angle) there is drag occurring on both pins. Thus, in addition to the inability to create large amounts of torque this device also creates friction between the trackball and the roller pins. This is acceptable in some robotic systems such as those seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,796 entitled "Cobots", as well as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,139 entitled "Passive robotic constraint devices using non-holonomic transmission elements", the entireties of which are herein incorporated by reference. However in systems that require larger amounts of torque with lower friction, the surface-to-surface trackball system cannot work in its purest form.
Accordingly, an improved system and method for generating high-torque and low-friction for two-degree of freedom mechanical applications is desirable.


An ink jet recording apparatus having a recording head wherein an electrothermal converting element for generating the emission energy and a semiconductor functional element are integrally formed within a semiconductor substrate. The functional element with its base and collector shorted is electrically connected to the electrothermal converting element. Thereby, variation in ink emission is limited so that the recording head can record high quality images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording. head for use in a copier, a facsimile, wordprocessor, an output printer of terminal of host computer, or video output printer, in particular to a recording head and recording apparatus wherein an electrothermal converting element and a recording element are formed on a common substrate.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, there has been known a semiconductor device in which a plurality of semiconductor elements are arranged and are simultaneously or solely made operative, thereby controlling a current supply to each segment to be controlled.
FIG. 1A shows an example of such a semiconductor device. In the diagram, reference numeral 24 denotes an insulative substrate; 25 a semiconductor substrate; 26 an anode semiconductor region; 27 a cathode region.
The above semiconductor device has a feature such that it has a construction in which individual diodes are respectively arranged at intervals on the insulative substrate and are adhered thereto. Since the device has the above construction, a degree of freedom for a requirement of the standards for the diodes is large and a proper diode can be selected in a wide range in accordance with the use object. Further, since an electrical mutual interference between the diodes can be prevented, a high reverse bias voltage can be blocked by the insulative substrate and a large current can be supplied and a semiconductor device which has a high withstanding voltage and can endure a large current is realized.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of an electric circuit using the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1A.
In such a circuit, for instance, to supply a current to a segment 28 such as a load resistor or the like, a switch 29 is closed, a positive potential H.sub.1 is biased, and further, a switch 30 is closed, thereby turning on a diode 31 corresponding to the segment to be supplied with a current. At this time, only the desired segment 28 can be solely made operative without influencing the other segments.
In the recording head also, the above described circuit structure is used. Respective segments, such as electrothermal converting elements, are electrically connected to respective diodes so that the segment can be solely made operative.
However, in the above conventional example, since the individual semiconductor elements have been arranged on the insulative substrate, there are the following technical problems.
1 Since the individual diodes are arranged on the insulative substrate one by one and are adhered thereto, the number of necessary steps is very large and the costs of the semiconductor device are high.
2 Since the individual diodes are used, there is a large deviation among the characteristics of the diodes. In the case of using a number of diodes, a degree of allowance cannot be set to a large value in consideration of the whole balance in designing of the system.
3 When executing the bonding to electrically couple the diodes, it is necessary to consider a space and a layout upon arrangement of the diodes and it is also necessary to provide gaps to electrically isolate the diodes. Thus, a yield per unit area decreases and the miniaturization of the whole semiconductor device is limited.
In order to solve the above problems 1-3, it seems desirable to form respective elements on a common substrate as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,321 (Matsumoto).
In the case where transistors are arranged in the semiconductor substrate and a circuit is constructed as shown in FIG. 1C, if there is a variation in current amplification factors of the transistors, a current concentration occurs in the diode having a large predetermined current amplification factor.
In the case where the above-mentioned semiconductor device is used in a recording head such as an ink jet recording head comprising a discharge opening to discharge an ink, a liquid passage communicated with the discharge port, and an electrical/thermal converting element serving as a discharge energy generating element which is provided within inside of or outside of a liquid path in correspondence to the discharge port or in a thermal head which is used for thermal copy transfer recording, thermal recording, or the like, it is difficult to avoid the enlargement and high costs of the recording head due to the above causes and, further, the whole recording apparatus increases in size and costs.
Particularly, in the recording head which is used in the ink jet recording apparatus, it has been found from many experiments that the construction of the recording head must be determined by sufficiently considering an influence by the heat which is generated in the semiconductor device, an influence by the heat generation of the electrical/thermal converting element, and the like in order to use a liquid (ink).
That is, when the head structure is such that the electrothermal converting element for generating thermal energy and the semiconductor functional elements are formed on a common semiconductor substrate, an image quality would vary greatly with an electric wiring, element structure and driving conditions. In concrete, a variation in emitted ink adhesion position on recording paper would be greatly changed. Therefore, in order to achieve high quality ink jet recording, a structure for minimizing the variation of dots is desired.


A system for revising a set of teeth including a bracket for revising a set of teeth and a bracket positioning jig is provided. The bracket positioning jig includes a cap at the lower portion of which a groove contacting tooth is formed, and which has a throughhole to lengthy direction on the upper portion of a cap body, and a connector one side of which has a fixed protrusion which is detachably inserted into and fixed to the throughhole of the cap, and the other side of which is bent toward the lower end of the body and has a coupler which is combined on a slot of an orthodontics treatment bracket for revising a set of teeth. An individual prescription value which is the most appropriate for an individual patient is given to the bracket positioning jig on a computer program to thus manufacture a desired jig, so that a non-prescription bracket as well as a bracket having a given prescription value can be used.

In general, a nonuniform set of tooth or a false occlusion (a bite of tooth does not fit) is caused by cacogenesis of tooth themselves, cacogenesis of jawbones, or bad habits of sucking fingers early in life, with a result that tooth do not grow right in place.
People who have a nonuniform set of tooth or a false occlusion would hide their mouths due to the ugly tooth row when talking or laughing with another person or cope negatively with personal relations. Accordingly, they may not live a smooth social life, respectively. They may not also pulverize food evenly at the time of food intake. Further, food dregs may be caught in gaps between the tooth. As a result, various kinds of cacodontias or disease of the digestive system may be caused.
To solve these conventional problems, continuous force is applied to tooth, to thus medically treat correction of a row of irregular tooth of a principle of bring about a transfer of tooth with reconstruction of alveolar bones which enclose tooth.
A conventional bracket has a characteristic angle known as so-called prescription between a base portion and a groove or slot. The bracket helps treatment easily performed due to an inherent set angle, but the conventional bracket is of an expensive additional production cost including a processing treatment cost for this reason, to thereby cause a price of a product to amount very high.
That is, the bracket for revising a set of teeth according to the conventional art is made using a method of giving an average prescription value with respect to each bracket. That is, it is the best to give a suitable prescription value to individual patients, respectively. However, considerable effort and expense is required to give a suitable prescription value to individual patients, respectively. Thus, it is not so easy in actuality to employ the method of giving an average prescription value with respect to each bracket, to resultantly drop a function of the bracket.
The conventional bracket is manufactured by resin or ceramics and is not seen well due to the fact that the color of the bracket is similar to the color of tooth but causes prices to increase.
Also, brackets become smaller so that a patient does not feel less a sense of a foreign matter but feel comfortable when the brackets are attached to the patient's teeth. However, this also becomes a price rising factor. Further, brackets are required to become products which can be easily installed for patients in a short time.
On the other hand, orthodontics treatment is performed by attaching a bracket for revising a set of teeth on the respective surfaces of the tooth and controlling a wire which is combined into a groove or slot formed in the bracket. To transfer a force of the wire correctly to the bracket at the time of the orthodontics treatment, positioning of the bracket which is attached on the surfaces of the tooth plays a very important part in the orthodontics treatment process and result. Therefore, it is required a tool for reconstructing a position of the bracket designed or planned through diagnostic on the surfaces of the tooth of the patient's exactly.
A tool which exactly holds a bracket's installation position in the patient's teeth is called a bracket positioning jig or transfer jig. Most conventional bracket positioning jigs or transfer jigs have been manufactured by dentists directly or manufactured manually in a workshop. That is, liquefied resin is poured into a bracket-mounted gypsum tooth model and then cured. Then, the gypsum tooth model is removed and the gypsum tooth are cut and elaborated to fit in the respective teeth. Accordingly, a customized jig for the respective teeth is manufactured.
In the following, a conventional orthodontics treatment bracket for revising a set of teeth and a conventional bracket positioning jig will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.
As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a general orthodontics treatment bracket 10 for revising a set of teeth has a shape that a pair of wings 14 and 16 which are spaced by a predetermined interval are integrally formed on a base 12 attached on a tooth "A." A slot 18 into which a wire (not shown) is inserted is formed between the wings 14 and 16 is formed.
The orthodontics treatment bracket 10 for revising a set of teeth is attached on the surface of a lip side (that is, an outer side) of the tooth or a tongue side (that is, an inner side). However, the orthodontics treatment bracket 10 is recently attached on the tooth at the tongue side, considering that the orthodontics treatment bracket is exposed externally at the time of personal relations.
Before an orthodontics treatment bracket 10 for revising a set of teeth is mounted on the tooth, the bracket 10 is installed in the lower portion of a jig 30 that is manually manufactured, as illustrated in FIG. 1B.
The jig 30 includes a cap 34 having a receptacle 32 which accommodates a tooth, and a support 38 which is installed at one side of the rear surface of the cap 34, and which has a coupler 36 which combines an orthodontics treatment bracket for revising a set of teeth with the lower portion of a jig body. Here, in the case of the conventional jig, the cap 34 and the support 38 are integrally formed into one body.
A process of using the jig 30 as constructed above will be described as follows.
First, the orthodontics treatment bracket 10 for revising a set of teeth is coupled on the coupler 36 of the jig 30. Then, the orthodontics treatment bracket 10 is placed on the surface of the tooth and the receptacle 32 formed in the cap 34 of the jig 30 is placed on the tooth.
Thereafter, the bracket 10 is fixed on the surface of the tooth by curing thermosetting resin which is attached on the bottom of a base of the orthodontics treatment bracket 10 for revising a set of teeth 10, using laser and the jig 30 is separated from the tooth.
In this case, because the jig 30 has the cap 34 and the support 38 which are integrated into one body, there is a problem that the jig 30 is not easily separated from the tooth.
When the bracket 10 is attached on the surface of the tooth, a user a dentist can mount the bracket 10 correctly and safely as a portion (an area) where the jig 30 contacts the tooth becomes wider. However, since the conventional bracket positioning jig is formed into a single body, the area where the jig 30 contacts the tooth is limited due to a problem which occurs at the time of removal of the jig after the orthodontics treatment bracket has been mounted on the tooth.
In addition, a three-dimensional relationship (that is, angle/distance) of a tooth and a bracket for treatment is called as "prescription." This means a relationship between a wire for treatment and a groove (slot) which is located in the bracket. Therefore, since the jig should express these relationships among the bracket, the wire, and the tooth, but the jig that has been manually manufactured is based on the external shape not a slot of the bracket, accuracy of the jig drops.
In addition, in the case that an orthodontics treatment bracket for revising a set of teeth which has been attached to a patient is detached from the patient, the orthodontics treatment bracket should be attached to the patient again in the conventional technology. However, if the manually manufactured jig has been lost, the lost jig should be newly manufactured again together with a jig for other tooth.
In particular, since a conventional bracket positioning jig is manually manufactured, a production and purchase cost is very high, and quality of the product is also consistent. As a result, such a conventional bracket positioning jig makes a bad influence upon the result of treatment, and should be abolished after use one time.
Further, in the case of the conventional jig, one patient needs about 20-30 jigs. Accordingly, it is very difficult to keep recording of marks for different jigs.
Korea Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-20214 discloses "Integral multi-purpose bracket attachment apparatus with indicated height and angle of tooth" but the structure is very complicated and thus there is a problem that a manufacturing cost is high.
In addition, Korea Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2002-16324 discloses "Positioning and attachment auxiliary apparatus for settlement type orthodontics treatment brackets, which includes a molding portion which is coupled with the top end of a tooth, a main body which is extended from the upper portion of the molding portion to the surface of the tooth, and a rubber ring which combines the main body and a bracket. However, since the molding portion and the main body which play an important role of deciding a bracket attachment position are manually manufactured in this technology, it is difficult and complicated to perform a correct positioning work for a bracket, and it is not simple to separate the molding portion and the main body after attachment of the bracket. Further, there is a problem that cost rises because the orthodontics treatment apparatus is manually manufactured.

Orthodontic bracket, bracket positioning jig, and system for revising a set of teeth


The dual layshaft transmission with load compensation has one axially and radially mounted drive shaft, one main shaft mounted coaxially thereto which is connected via a PTO-shaft with an output shaft for the PTO-operation and two layshafts, there being situated between the two layshafts one gear which upon application of a load automatically centers itself upon the two layshafts. Upon the PTO-shaft (2) is additionally situated at PTO-wheel (3) which meshes with a main shaft wheel (4) disposed upon the main shaft and is driven thereby.

The invention relates to a dual layshaft transmission with load compensation for motor vehicles and having an axially and radially mounted drive shaft, one main shaft mounted coaxially thereto and connected via a PTO-shaft with an output shaft and two layshafts.
In transmissions of this kind having at least two layshafts, the load compensation is generally designed so that the drive shaft and the layshafts are rigidly supported relative to the housing while the main shaft (or output shaft) is floatingly supported in the summation wheels disposed upon it which are located in the power flow.
EP-A 43443, for ex., thus describes a power distribution among several layshafts having a radially and axially mounted drive shaft. An input pinion provided upon the drive shaft passes the torque on the gears meshing therewith and firmly connected with the layshafts. Said gears pass on the torque to idler wheels disposed upon the output shaft axially fixed and radially freely movably and by means of a respectively associated clutch system to the output shaft. Said output shaft is here floatingly supported coaxially to the drive shaft.
When there are two or more constants, the problem then arises that with several drive wheels that the non-shifted drive wheel needs radial play due to manufacturing tolerances. When a torque is reduced on a layshaft radial and axial forces generate on a helically geared meshing of teeth on the drive shaft. To be able to absorb these, the gear located in the power flow has to be guided to the drive shaft.
Layshaft transmissions are generally designed so that the drive shaft is fixedly guided radially and axially while the main shaft (that is, the output shaft), due to the required load compensation, is radially free and only axially fixed. For a working load compensation all idler wheels are axially fixed but radially free upon the drive shaft and upon the output shaft.
However, the needed load compensation is disturbed when an asymmetric force occurs. This is the case, for example, when a PTO takes place via one layshaft only.
To develop a dual layshaft transmission in the sense that an asymmetric force by also possible, especially one in which a PTO does take place via only one layshaft, it has been proposed in the applicant""s EP 68387 that at least one input pinion provided upon the input shaft be an axially fixed and radially freely movable idle wheel which for torque transmission is coupled via a shifting system with the drive shaft and via a movable fixing device is radially locked. By means of said radial locking or centering of the input pinion situated upon the drive shaft, an asymmetric force invasion or a one-sided output via a layshaft is possible without the operating capacity of the toothed gear change transmission being impaired. Since in general two drive gears are available, but always only the shifted input pinion has to be radially fixed for an operating capacity, the other input pinion remains radially free.
A dual layshaft transmission with this feature of load compensation in which, therefore, one gear is situated between the two layshafts axially fixed with very great radial play, which upon application of a load automatically centers itself between the two gears of the layshafts, has been manufactured and offered by the applicant under the name xe2x80x9cAstronicxe2x80x9d. In this known transmission, during PTO-operation, the constant is at that time connected centered, that is, radially fixed, upon the drive shaft in order that the load compensation is not disturbed by the one-sided torque reduction, that is, on only one of the layshafts.
The problem on which this invention is based is to provide a dual layshaft transmission which makes the reduction of a torque for the PTO-operation possible without disturbing the load compensation of the gear between the two layshafts so that the PTO-operation is no longer dependent on the shifted gear and the centering of the constant can be eliminated.
It is therefore proposed according to the invention that the PTO-shaft used be driven by its own gear, the PTO-wheel, via a main shaft wheel, the radial force between PTO-wheel and main shaft wheel being absorbed by a plate mounted on the PTO-shaft and on the main shaft wheel. It is here of the essence that the support be between the main shaft wheel and the plate and not between the main shaft and the plate. Thereby the main shaft remains free and like formerly can center itself also when the other main shaft wheels are shifted.
The tangential force on the PTO-wheel generates a component which is absorbed by the bearing between the plate and the PTO-shaft. In order that as result of the occurring tangential force the plate does not move with the PTO-wheel and the PTO-shaft relative to the main shaft wheel, the plate is advantageously retained by brackets situated on the housing.
The PTO-shaft is supported on the housing in a bearing which allows a certain wobbling motion. Said wobbling motion must also be ensured in the connection of the PTO-shaft with the transmission housing and the shaft by the PTO proper. Thereby the PTO-shaft has a behavior similar to that of a prop shaft which transmits a torque and yet has a certain clearance motion space.
The PTO-shaft, the PTO-wheel, the plate and the main shaft wheel form a unit which can move with relative freedom due to the PTO-shaft support and the brackets. It is thus made possible to the main shaft wheel to center itself between the layshafts despite a reduction of a torque for the PTO.
The centering of the constants is therefore, eliminated with the inventive development of the dual layshaft transmission; the PTO-operation is thereby independent of the gear shifted.


An optical package structure is provided. The optical package structure includes a substrate, a frame layer, an optical unit, a bonding layer, a transparent plate and an encapsulation layer. The frame layer formed on the substrate surrounds a cavity where the optical unit is located. The bonding layer covers a portion of an upper edge of the frame layer and exposes the other portion of the upper edge of the frame layer. The transparent plate mounted on the bonding layer extends across the optical unit and extends beyond an outer edge of the bonding layer. The encapsulation layer covers a lateral edge of the transparent plate and the outer edge of the bonding layer.

Please refer to FIG. 1, a side cross-sectional view illustrating the conventional image sensor package structure. In the image sensor package structure 10, an image sensor chip 12 is mounted on a substrate 11 and electrically connected to external circuits (not shown) via wires 13 and through holes 14 in the substrate 11. A frame layer 15 is disposed on the substrate 11 and surrounds the image sensor chip 12. A transparent plate 16 is mounted on the frame layer 15 so that the image sensor chip 12 is disposed in a cavity defined by the substrate 11, the frame layer 15 and the transparent plate 16. An encapsulation layer 17 covers the substrate 11, the frame layer 15 and edges of the transparent plate 16.
When the image sensor package structure 10 is put in a strict environment (high temperature and high humidity) for use or test, vapor or moisture easily enters in the cavity through the through holes 14 and small water drops are formed on a sensing surface of the image sensor chip 12 or a lower surface of the transparent plate 16. Under this condition, sensed image quality of the image sensor chip 12 is seriously affected due to the small water drops. Furthermore, the vapor or moisture floating in the cavity affects electrical performance of electrical elements in the package structure. Therefore, such influence seriously degrades the quality and reliability of the optical unit so that the image sensor package structure 10 can not meet product specification and long term use requirement.
Furthermore, the large package size of the conventional image sensor package structure 10 has been a major issue for years. Thus, the production cost cannot be reduced due to the required material consumption, abrasion of production tools and corresponding maintenance cost.
Moreover, since the encapsulation layer 17 of the image sensor package structure 10 covers a portion of an upper surface of the transparent plate 16, encapsulation material is likely to contaminate or dirty the upper surface of the transparent plate 16 during the encapsulation process. Thus, abnormal operation of the image sensor package structure 10 may occur.
Therefore, an optical package structure with higher reliability and smaller dimension without degrading the performance thereof is desired to solve the above-mentioned problem.


A data correlator has a selectable word length for hamming distance measurement. The correlator includes four 32-bit correlators which output a correlation result and a carry signal. The input of the four 32-bit correlators is controlled by a data select circuit, which inputs serial data to each of the four 32-bit correlators in accordance with the selected word length. When the 32-bit length is selected, the data select circuit simultaneously supplies serial data to each of the 32-bit correlators; when the 64-bit length is selected, the data select circuit effectively provides two simultaneously-performing 64-bit correlators; when the 128-bit length is selected, data select circuit streams the serial data through the four 32-bit correlators. A summation circuit preserves the carry-in signal of each 32-bit correlation in order to generate two 64-bit correlation values and one 128-bit correlation value. The data comparator also includes a CPU bus interface for sharing data on a CPU bus and a control register for automatic addressing of internal registers of the data comparator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data correlators designed to perform hamming distance correlations on real-time data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data correlators have been developed which use hamming distance as a measure of correlation between real-time data and a predetermined reference pattern. Data correlators count the number of occurrences of bit matches between a serial input data and a reference data pattern producing a hamming distance correlation value. Such data correlators are effective in applications which require fast correlations between real-time input bit streams and a reference pattern. Such applications include image comparison and recognition, radar/sonar pattern matching, data synchronization, flag word detection, check sorting equipment, bar code identification, video frame synchronization, and time delay measurement systems.
A 64-bit data correlator implementing hamming distance correlation was developed by TRW LSI Products, Inc., La Jolla, Calif., known as the TDC 1023 Digital Output Correlator. The TDC 1023 has an implementation resembling the exemplary circuit diagram shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a data correlator 100 which correlates serial input data to stored reference pattern data in real-time. The data correlator 100 receives SERIAL INPUT DATA one bit at a time by serially shifting and latching the SERIAL INPUT DATA into data register 10. The serial shifting and latching are enabled on the transition of a clock-1 signal (not shown). The SERIAL REFERENCE PATTERN DATA is clocked into a temporary reference data register (not shown) one bit at a time by serially shifting and latching on the transition of a clock-2 signal (not shown). The data in the temporary reference data register is latched into reference data register 15 by a LATCH ENABLE signal (not shown). The data correlator 100 receives serial mask data one bit at a time by serially shifting and latching the serial mask data into mask register 20. A threshold register 25 is loaded 7 bits in parallel by an IO bus and latched by a CLOCK-3 (not shown). The hamming distance correlation is performed by the XOR-AND circuit 30. Logic level zero bits in the mask register 20 effectively mask out the results of the hamming distance correlation for those bit positions. The XOR-AND circuit 30 outputs a logic level 1 when a bit of data in the data register 10 is not the same logic value as the corresponding bit of data in the reference data register 15, excluding masked bit positions. A summation circuit 35 sums all of the bits in agreement (e.g., when the hamming distance equal zero) received from the XOR-AND circuit 30, i.e all of the ones from the XOR-AND circuit 30 are added. The summation circuit 35 either can output the sum directly to the 7 bit parallel bus IO or to a comparator 40. The comparator 40 compares the summed value from the summation circuit 35 to a threshold value stored in threshold register 25. The comparator 40 outputs a logic value 1 when the summed value is greater than or equal to the threshold value.
A major limitation of the device of FIG. 1 is that the word size is fixed at 64 bits. To overcome this problem, a 128-bit data correlator implementing hamming distance correlation has been developed by TRW LSI products, known as the TMC 2221 CMOS Programmable Digital Output Correlator. The TMC 2221 has an implementation resembling the exemplary circuit diagram shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a 128-bit data correlator 200 with four 32-bit data correlators 100 similar to the 64-bit data correlator shown in FIG. 1. The 32-bit data correlator 100 is the same as 64-bit data correlator 100 except that the 32-bit data correlator 100 has 32 bit registers instead of 64-bit registers. The serial input signals SERIAL DATA IN and SERIAL REFERENCE IN are serially loaded as described for the 64-bit data correlator except the serial data flows from one 32-bit data correlator to the next adjacent correlator 100 until the correlator 100-3 stores the first thirty-two bits of the serial data. Each 32-bit data correlator 100 outputs a correlation value as described for the 64-bit data correlator. The correlation values are summed two at a time by adders 210-0 and 201-1 and then combined in combining matrix 220. The combining matrix 220 outputs the sum of the correlation values on a 8 bit parallel bus RESULTS.
As shown above, the data correlators have a predetermined word size, so a different chip is required when an application requires a different size word to be correlated. This limitation becomes apparent when flexibility in word-length is needed: not only does it become costly to maintain a stock of several different word size chips but also the space required for the additional chips increases the size of the PC board to which the chips are mounted. Further, if the apparatus of FIG. 2 was to be used in a 32-bit configuration mode, correlators 100-1, 100-2 and 100-3 would be disabled, resulting in inefficient use of circuitry.
Finally, the necessity of a different chip to obtain a different size word to be correlated requires the user to make design and programming changes based upon the different protocols for each chip.
It would be desirable to provide a data correlator arrangement which was specifically implemented for high speed real-time data correlation which was user configurable. Specifically, it would be advantageous to allow the user to select a 32-bit, 64-bit or a 128-bit word size data correlator. In addition, if the data correlator is interfaced with a microprocessor, it would be desireable to be able to load all correlation parameter data through the microprocessor bus, except for the serial input data which undergoes bitwise hamming distance data correlation. Finally, it would be desirable if the data correlator arrangement was implemented to allow real-time data correlation at speeds up to 50 MHz, thereby increasing the number of different applications.

Hamming data correlator having selectable word-length


A displacement sensor is disclosed, which permits a semiconductor laser to be used as a light source with less thermal effects thereof. A spindle 18 with a scale 32 mounted thereon is disposed in a housing 11 or displacement. In the housing are also provided a semiconductor laser 35 for projecting a laser beam onto the scale and a transducer 36 for converting light form the scale into an electric signal. A heat insulation arrangement 41 is provided between the semiconductor laser 35 and the scale 32 to prevent transmission of heat from the semiconductor laser 35 to the scale 32. A heat radiation arrangement for radiating heat from the semiconductor laser 35 to the outside of the housing 11 is mounted in the housing 11. Thus, thermal effects of the semiconductor laser 35 on the scale 32 are reduced, and thus the accuracy of measurement is improved.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to displacement sensors and, more particularly, to a displacement sensor, which measures linear displacements, angular displacements, etc. optically with a semiconductor laser as a source of light.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In the prior art, there have been displacement sensors for optically measuring linear displacements. One such displacement sensor comprises a housing, a spindle provided therein for displacement in the axial direction, a probe provided at one end of the spindle, and a scale provided at the other end thereof and having an optical lattice extendinc in the direction of displacement. The housing furtheI accommodates a light source for projecting light onto the scale and a photoelectric transducer for converting light from the scale to an electric signal.
In the above displacement sensor, if the scale is subject to thermal expansion and contraction with ambient temperature changes, it will cause variations of the clearance between the scale and photoelectric transducer or cause generation of thermal stress in the scale. In this case, high accuracy measurement can not be obtained.
In the meantime, in the photoelectric displacement detection, it is desirable that the optical signal has high contrast between the brightness and darkness. To attain this, it is desirable to use a semiconductor laser as a source of light. The semiconductor laser, however, generates great heat. Therefore, the scale which is disposed near a semiconductor laser is subject to thermal expansion, thus leading tc errors in the displacement detection and making it impossible to obtain high accuracy measurement.
An object of the invention is to a displacement sensor, which can solve the above problems and permits a great heat generation semiconductor laser to be used as a light source with less thermal effects thereof on the accuracy of measurement.

Displacement sensor including a heat insulating member partitioning the moving scale and the semiconductor laser


A self-lubricating coating is provided which includes a mixture of a curable acrylate composition including a dipentaerythritol pentaacylate and a solid lubricant, such as polytetraflourethylenr. The curable acrylate composition may also include triethylene glycol dimethacrylate. An aramid pulp may also be added to the coating mixture. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the coating, and a self-lubricating bearing having the coating disposed on its surface.

Bearings having a self-lubricating coating are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,842 to Orkin discloses a self-lubricating bearing assembly in which one bearing surface is a woven fabric impregnated with a cured acrylate composition. The use of a woven fabric may not be suitable or convenient in some bearing applications, for example, where only a small orifice may be available into which to inject a coating.
In addition, customers demand bearing coatings with good wear properties. Under high temperature conditions, bearings typically wear more quickly. Therefore, a particularly desirable bearing coating would be easy to apply to a variety of surface and would have good wear properties even under high temperature use.