In a method of manufacturing a tunnel erase type combined magnetic head core using a first core member having a predetermined pole height dimension defined by a surface on a magnetic gap formation side and an apex, and a predetermined back height dimension defined by the apex and a bottom of a coil core into which a coil is inserted, and a second core member, the bottom of the coil core of the first core member is used as a back height reference face and the combined magnetic head core is manufactured with the back height reference face as reference, thereby facilitating processing of a surface on the pole height side at intermediate steps, namely, a final contact face with which magnetic recording media are brought into contact. Since the back height reference face is used as reference, when combined core chips are incorporated into sliders to manufacture magnetic heads, the process is not affected by variations in core dimensions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combined magnetic head core and a manufacturing method therefor and more particularly to a combined magnetic head core made up of a pair of a record/reproduce cores and an erase core for use with a device, such as a floppy disk drive, and a manufacturing method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a ferrite core formed using ferrite as core material has been known as a magnetic head core. The ferrite core generally has a ring form made up of a pair of ferrite members, whereby a ring magnetic path (magnetic circuit) is formed. A predetermined magnetic gap is provided between the opposite ferrite members in the direction crossing the magnetic path. By the use of a magnetic gap, predetermined recording and reproducing are performed on magnetic recording media such as a magnetic disk by bringing the outer face of the ferrite members, between which the magnetic gap is formed, into contact with the magnetic recording medium. A space is formed between the paired ferrite members and is used as a hole for coil winding.
In addition to using such a single ferrite core as a magnetic head core, there may be a combined magnetic head core into which the two ferrite cores are integrated, one example of which is shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. Hei 2-47002 and 3-11002. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a combined magnetic head having a conventional combined magnetic head core structure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the conventional combined magnetic head core structure.
The conventional combined magnetic head 18 consists mainly of a combined magnetic head core 10, a slider 16, two coil assemblies (not shown), and two back cores (not shown). The combined magnetic head core 10 comprises a record/reproduce core (read/write core: R/W core) 12 and an erase core (E core) 14. The R/W core 12 has an outer core section 20 and an inner core section 22. The outer core section 20 is made of a ferrite member whose side is formed like an L letter; it consists of a contact area 20a with which magnetic recording media are brought into contact in the upper right of FIG. 2 and a coil core 20b inserted into an insertion hole of the slider 16. The inner core section 22 is made of a ferrite member whose side is formed like a letter "I" letter; it has a contact area 22a with which magnetic recording media are brought into contact in the upper center of FIG. 2, like the outer core section 20. The outer core section 20 and the inner core section 22 form a magnetic gap (read/write gap) 30 between the contact areas 20a and 22a. A read/write track 32 for recording and reproducing data on and from magnetic recording media is formed in the contact areas 20a and 22a.
The read/write track 32 is determined so that it has a predetermined width (w) according to the type of magnetic recording medium with which it is brought into contact. The track width is defined by track definition grooves 34 formed in both magnetic path sides of the magnetic gap 30, namely, formed in both sides of the magnetic path in the axial direction of the contact areas 20a and 22a. The track definition grooves 34 are tilt grooves formed across both the contact areas 20a and 22a.
The erase core 14 has an outer core section 36 and an inner core section 38. The outer core section 36 is made of a ferrite member whose side is formed like a letter "L"; it consists of a contact area 36a and a coil core 36b. The inner core section 38 is made of a ferrite member whose side is formed like a letter "I"; it has a contact area 38a with which magnetic recording media are brought into contact in the upper center of FIG. 2. The outer core section 36 and the inner core section 38 form two magnetic gaps (erase gaps) 40 between the contact areas 36a and 38a. Tilt track definition grooves 42a and 42b are formed in the surface of the contact areas 36a and 38a, across the contact areas 36a and 38a, in the center and in both sides of the magnetic path of the contact areas 36a and 38a. The magnetic path of the contact area 36a formed in the left and right of the track definition groove 42a forms erase tracks 44.
The inner core sections 22 and 38 of the record/reproduce core 12 and the erase core 14 are located back to back with a predetermined gap. The gap between the inner core sections 22 and 38, the track definition grooves 34, 42a, and 42b, and the magnetic gaps 30 and 40 are filled with glass 46 to protect the read/write track 32 and the erase track 44.
A method of manufacturing the conventional combined magnetic head core comprises the steps of "surface groove processing of a first core member (U bar blank) and deposition of a second core member (I bar blank)," "first glass bonding (first GB)," "first GB finishing," "track definition groove processing on record/reproduce core," "track definition groove processing on erase core," "second glass bonding (second GB)," "second GB top processing," "coil groove processing," and "core cutting and core chip preparation."
The method is described in conjunction with FIGS. 3 and 4. First, in FIG. 3, with a surface 50a on the side of incomplete dimension (pole height (PH)) of magnetic gap depth of a U bar 50, a first core member made of ferrite, etc., whose section perpendicular to the length of it is formed substantially like a letter U as processing reference, an opposite face 52 is processed and the full width of U bar blank is set. The PH dimension of the U bar 50 is defined by the magnetic gap formation surface and the apex (AP), and the back height (BH) dimension is defined by the AP and the bottom of coil core 50b. Generally, the U bar 50 and an I bar 54, a second core member made of ferrite, etc., whose section perpendicular to the length of it is formed substantially like a letter I are set as having the same width (W in FIG. 3). With, as reference, the surface 50a on the PH side of a combined core structure, into which two core blanks subjected to first glass bonding by aligning the surface 50a on the PH side of the U bar 50 and one face of the I bar 54 are integrated by second glass bonding, the opposite face 52 to the PH side is processed and the combined core structure is cut to a predetermined thickness to provide combined core chips 56. This BH becomes complete BH. Therefore, for the U bar 50, high precision is required for the PH although the BH at the blank time may be low in precision.
Next, in FIG. 4, when the combined core chips 56 are bonded to the sliders 16, if faces 16a on the magnetic recording medium contact side of the sliders 16 are aligned on the side reference of the PH side of the combined core chips 56 for bonding, the lower faces 16b of the sliders 16 and the surfaces 10 on the BH side of the core chips 56 do not align due to the dimension difference between the sliders 16 and the core chips 56. To process the faces 16a on the magnetic recording medium contact side of the sliders 16 as shown in FIG. 4, even if the PHs of the core chips 56 are precise, if the heights of the sliders 16 vary in precision, the height difference B between the sliders 16 occurs. Since a plurality of pieces are processed at the same time with the lower faces 16b of the sliders 16 as reference, gap depth (GD) precision becomes bad. Therefore, height precision of the sliders 16, although not essentially necessary, is extremely strict; for example, a to levance of about: 2 .mu.m is required. As described above, the width of the U bar 50 is set to the same as that of the I bar 54 because it is difficult to provide a predetermined difference, such as about 100 .mu.m, between them. If a processing method on surface reference on the BH side described below is not adopted, processing precision of the U bar 50 and the I bar 54, variations depending on deformation of blanks of both bars, and variations in set of glass bonding of both bars are involved and a predetermined difference, such as about 100 .mu.m, cannot be guaranteed. To consider the variations, if the U bar 50 and the I bar 54 are made having different in widths, the difference must be set to a larger value than the predetermined difference. When coils and back cores are incorporated to form a magnetic head in post processing, the larger setup difference affects the contact area of the back core; when the contact area is small, magnetic resistance becomes large, resulting in degradation of the electromagnetic conversion characteristic of the head. Therefore, the U and I bars have been set to the same width.
However, in such a manufacturing method, processing is performed with the surface on the PH side of the U bar 50 as reference as described above, thus the number of steps in processing the surface on the BH side increases and extremely strict height precision of the sliders 16 and extremely strict PH precision of the U bar 50 is required, raising manufacturing costs. On the other hand, GD precision is lowered due to variation in height precision of the sliders 16, and the electro-magnetic conversion characteristic is degraded.
Formerly, track definition groove processing of the record/reproduce core 12 and that of the erase core 14 were performed in separate batches because the track definition grooves 34 and 42a and 42b differ in pitch. In track definition groove processing of the record/reproduce core 12 and that of the erase core 14, as shown in FIG. 5, a core blank 60 of either of the record/reproduce core 12 or the erase core 14 was set on a jig 62 which was set on a work table 64. By moving a blade 66 back and forth in the direction Y and the vertical direction Z and moving the work table 64 in the horizontal direction X, a large number of track definition grooves 34 were cut in the length of the core blank 60R/W of the record/reproduce core 12; a large number of track definition grooves 42a and 42b were cut in the length of the core blank 60E of the erase core 14.
In cutting track definition grooves 34, 42a, and 42b of core blanks 60 of the record/reproduce core 12 and the erase core 14, the relationship between the number of core blanks 60R/W of the record/reproduce cores 12 and a cumulative pitch error is shown as curve R/W in FIG. 6; the relationship between the number of core blanks 60E of the erase cores 14 and a cumulative pitch error is shown as curve E in FIG. 6. The curves R/W and E are not the same because the processing conditions do not match and the processing time is prolonged as described above. As the processing time is prolonged, air and grinding lubricant temperatures of a pneumatic spindle 68 of the dicing saw change and the spindle 68 may therefore expand or contract.
Assume that the feed rate of a core blank (GB bar) 60R/W of the record/reproduce core 12 is 5 mm/sec and that of a core blank 60E of the erase core 14 is 2 mm/sec and that the core blank length is 100 mm. With pitch P as 600 .mu.m, two grooves are cut per pitch for the core blank 60R/W of the record/reproduce core 12. The number of grooves is EQU 100,000.div.600.times.2=333 grooves.fwdarw.330 grooves
Three grooves are cut per pitch for the core blank 60E of the erase core 14. The number of grooves is EQU 100,000.div.600.times.3=499 grooves.fwdarw.495 grooves
Assume that the X axis feed width of the move shaft of the work table 64 which is at right angles to the rotation shaft (spindle 68) of the blade 66 of the dicing saw is 200 mm as shown in FIG. 7. If core blanks 60 are arranged on 4-mm pitches, then 200+4=50 core blanks are arranged. The cutting time per groove of the 50 core blanks 60 requires EQU 200 mm.div.5 mm/sec=40 sec
for the core blanks 60R/W of the record/reproduce cores 12; EQU 200 mm.div.2 mm/sec=100 sec
for the core blanks 60E of the erase cores 14.
Therefore, the total processing time for 50 core blanks 60 (8250 core chips) is EQU 40.times.330=13200 sec=220 min=4 hr
for the core blanks 60R/W of the record/reproduce cores 12; EQU 100.times.495=49500 sec=825 min=14 hr
for the core blanks 60E of the erase cores 14. If the return time of the blade 66 of the dicing saw is contained, the total processing time takes 5 hr for the core blanks 60R/W of the record/reproduce cores 12 and 15 hr for the core blanks 60E of the erase cores 14.
The blade 66 is attached to the pneumatic spindle 68 of the dicing saw, and the spindle 68 air and grinding lubricant temperatures change with time, expanding or contracting the spindle 68.
Assume that the temperature changes 5.degree. C. for 5 to 15 hr, the time taken to process 50 core blanks 60R/W or 60E. If the overhang amount from the Y axis measurement position of the spindle 68 is 200 mm, EQU 200,000 .mu.m.times.5.degree. C..times.100.times.10.sup.-7 (line expansion coefficient)=10 .mu.m
A pitch error occurs even if Y axis pitch feed precision is improved.
If the core blanks 60R/W and 60E are long, they extend over a large number of pitches, thus 1-pitch errors are accumulated, thereby increasing pitch shift as the pitches are placed backward.
As described above, if the track definition grooves 34, 42a, and 42b of the record/reproduce core 12 and the erase core 14 are cut separately, even when the track definition grooves 34 of the record/reproduce core 12 are cut on small pitches, the track definition grooves 42a and 42b of the erase core 14 become large or vice versa.
Therefore, if a combined magnetic head core is manufactured by joining the inner core section 22 of the record/reproduce core 12 and the inner core section 38 of the erase core 14, center line T1 of the record/reproduce core 12 does not match center line T2 of the erase core 14 as shown in FIG. 8, and if a misalignment between the center line T1 of the record/reproduce core 12 and the center line T2 of the erase core 14 exceeds the allowable range of 4 .mu.m, an adjacent track erases a record and the actual recording track width is narrowed.
Since 1-pitch errors are accumulated as described above, track groove processing cannot be performed for a long (30 mm or longer) ferrite core structure, hindering efficient manufacturing of combined magnetic head cores.
Further, a guide to the unformatted recording capacity of a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive is 2M bytes. The magnetic head used for 2M-byte floppy disks is of tunnel erase type. For the erase characteristic of the head, the actual capability of the product is sufficiently superior to the specification. For example, for sweep track erase (STE), the specification is -28 dB while the actual capability is -40 dB.
However, for the read/write (R/W) characteristic, the actual capability of the product is not sufficiently superior to the specification. Particularly for Sidel, for example, for 2F output, the specification is 1.3 mVpp or more while the actual capability is about 1.5 mVpp (nominal); for overwrite (OW), the specification is -28 dB while the actual capability is about -30 dB; for resolution (Res), the specification is 70% or more while the actual capability is about 75%.
Further, the OW and Res specifications must be satisfied for disks manufactured by various manufacturers and the read/write characteristic of the magnetic head must be even as consistent as possible.
The read/write characteristic varies depending on the degree of loss in record/reproduce core 12 and the degree of loss occurring between the core 12 and a disk. To make the magnitude of the former loss even, it is important to make magnetic resistance of the record/reproduce core 12 even.
FIG. 9 is a front view of a core structure for illustrating magnetic resistance of a core made of ferrite, etc. FIG. 10 is a side view of the core structure in FIG. 9. In FIGS. 9 and 10, the magnetomotive force of the core, inductance (L), is inversely proportional to magnetic resistance of the core and proportional to the square of the number of coil turns, N. EQU L=k (1) EQU R=Ri=Rg+Rc+Rbg (2)
where
Rg is magnetic resistance of magnetic gap 30; PA1 Rc is magnetic resistance of core (outer core section 20, inner core section 22, back core section); and PA1 Rbg is magnetic resistance of back gap 30a. PA1 combining a first core member having a predetermined pole height dimension defined by a surface on a magnetic gap formation side and an apex and a predetermined back height dimension defined by the apex and a bottom of a coil core which is inserted into a coil, and a second core member so that a magnetic gap of a predetermined dimension is formed on the pole height side and forming a core blank by a first glass bonding; PA1 forming track definition grooves of a predetermined depth on a surface on the pole height side of the core blank for forming tracks of a predetermined width and forming a read/write core structure and an erase core structure; PA1 combining the read/write and erase core structures and forming a combined core structure by a second glass bonding; and PA1 cutting the combined core structure to a desired thickness to provide combined core chips, PA1 using the bottom of the coil core of the first core member of the core blank as a back height reference face and with the back height reference face as reference, grinding the surface on the pole height side of the core blank; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member of the core blank as reference, forming track definition grooves of a predetermined depth on the surface on the pole height side of the core blank for forming tracks of a predetermined width and forming a read/write core structure and an erase core structure; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member as reference, combining the read/write and erase core structures and forming a combined core structure by the second glass bonding; and PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member as reference, grinding the surface on the pole height side of the combined core structure. PA1 combining a first core member having a predetermined pole height dimension defined by a surface on a magnetic gap formation side and an apex and a predetermined back height dimension defined by the apex and a bottom of a coil core which is inserted into a coil, and a second core member so that a magnetic gap of a predetermined dimension is formed on the pole height side and forming a core blank by a first glass bonding; PA1 forming track definition grooves of a predetermined depth on a surface on the pole height side of the core blank for forming tracks of a predetermined width and forming a read/write core structure and an erase core structure; PA1 combining the read/write and erase core structures and forming a combined core structure by a second glass bonding; and PA1 cutting the combined core structure to a desired thickness to provide combined core chips, PA1 using the bottom of the coil core of the first core member of the core blank as a back height reference face and with the back height reference face as reference, grinding the surface on the pole height side of the core blank; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member of the core blank as reference, forming track definition grooves of a predetermined depth on the surface on the pole height side of the core blank for forming tracks of a predetermined width and forming a read/write core structure and an erase core structure; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member as reference, combining the read/write and erase core structures and forming a combined core structure by the second glass bonding; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member as reference, grinding the surface on the pole height side of the combined core structure; and PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member of the combined core chip as reference, combining the combined core chip and a slider and grinding a top of the slider and a surface on the pole height side of the combined core chip for forming a magnetic gap of the combined core chip to a predetermined gap dimension. PA1 combining a first core member having a predetermined pole height dimension defined by a surface on a magnetic gap formation side and an apex and a predetermined back height dimension defined by the apex and a bottom of a coil core which is inserted into a coil, and a second core member so that a magnetic gap of a predetermined dimension is formed on the pole height side and forming a core blank by a first glass bonding; PA1 forming track definition grooves of a predetermined depth on a surface on the pole height side of the core blank for forming tracks of a predetermined width and forming a read/write core structure and an erase core structure; PA1 combining the read/write and erase core structures and forming a combined core structure by a second glass bonding; and PA1 cutting the combined core structure to a desired thickness to provide combined core chips, PA1 using the bottom of the coil core of the first core member of the core blank as a back height reference face and with the back height reference face as reference, grinding the surface on the pole height side of the core blank; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member of the core blank as reference, placing a read/write core blank on one side of a jig and an erase core blank on the other side of the jig so that they are positioned opposite to each other and forming track definition grooves of a predetermined depth on the surface on the pole height side of the two core blanks for forming tracks of a predetermined width and forming the read/write core structure and the erase core structure; PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member as reference, combining the read/write and erase core structures and forming a combined core structure by the second glass bonding; and PA1 with the back height reference face of the first core member as reference, grinding the surface on the pole height side of the combined core structure. PA1 a read/write core and an erase core each provided by combining a first core member having a predetermined pole height dimension defined by a surface on a magnetic gap formation side and an apex and a predetermined back height dimension defined by the apex and a bottom of a coil core into which a coil is inserted, and a second core member so that a magnetic gap of a predetermined dimension is formed on the pole height side; PA1 the erase core having track definition grooves whose depth from the surface on the pole height side of the erase core shallows gradually from the second core member to the first core member for defining a track of a predetermined width; PA1 the read/write core having track definition grooves whose depth from the surface on the pole height side of the read/write core structure is constant for defining a track of a predetermined width, PA1 wherein the second core members of the read/write and erase cores are located and fixed so that they are opposite to each other.
The magnetic resistance Rc changes with a change in the track definition groove depth. Particularly, the inner core section 22 has large magnetic resistance, thus it is desirable to make the track definition groove depths as shallow and even as possible.
FIG. 11 is a front view of a core blank with dimension indication to calculate the BH dimension and the grooving height.
In this case, since the workpiece touch face of the jig 62, which is the reference face, is inclined, the height precision of the jig 62 is bad, therefore the precision of the C dimension becomes bad; the C dimension must be made large. Thus, the magnetic resistance R becomes large. As compared with horizontal track definition grooves, inclined track definition grooves 34 are cut deeper in the inner core section, thus the magnetic resistance R becomes larger, but the ferrite member of the inner core section 22 is originally thin and the magnetic resistance R is large; it is not preferable to increase the magnetic resistance R.
FIG. 12 is an illustration of a gap disconnection section in a core structure. With the inclined track definition groove 34 as shown in FIG. 12, reflected light does not come into view, thus the gap disconnection section dimension Q is not seen.
With the conventional record/reproduce core 12, only the track definition grooves 34 are filled with glass 46 and other portions of the contact area 20a remain with the ferrite member intact. The ferrite part may be broken off, causing signal read noise to occur. It is necessary to work so as not to break off the ferrite part. This makes it impossible to raise the work speed.
FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 are sectional views showing the state of the contact face taken on lines I-I', II-II', and III-III' of FIG. 1 respectively . At the conventional combined magnetic head core 10, on the section taken on line I-I' of the record/reproduce core 12, an aqueous solution is used for lapping in the manufacturing process. Thus, as shown in FIG. 13, high melting point glass portions a at the left and right of a read/write track 32 in the inner core section 22 of the record/reproduce core 12 are recessed about 0.02 .mu.m and low melting point glass portions b are recessed 0.05 .mu.m. On the section taken on line II-II' of the erase core 14, as shown in FIG. 14, high melting point glass portions c at the left and right of an erase track 44 in the inner core section 38 are recessed about 0.02 .mu.m and low melting point glass portions d are recessed 0.05 .mu.m. Further, on the section taken on line III-III', as shown in FIG. 15, high melting point glass portions e are recessed and the inner core section 22 of the record/reproduce core 12 slopes slightly down to the left, opposite a center shield part f.
Since glass centers around the magnetic gap (read/write gap) 30 and the magnetic gap (erase gap) 40, the glass 46 is stepped and the magnetic gap (read/write gap) 30 is recessed 0.005-0.01 .mu.m below its surrounding, leading to a spacing loss and causing the read/write characteristic to be lowered 10-20%. Since the track definition grooves 34, 42a, and 42b of the record/reproduce core 12 and the erase core 14 are tilt grooves, orientation of the record/reproduce core 12 and the erase core 14 are not visible and they are hard to assemble.

Method of manufacturing a combined tunnel erase head


A dispenser display rack includes a body portion having a front end, an opposing rear end, and a pair of upper and lower jar guides having a generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration. The upper jar guide and the lower jar guide are positioned within the rack body at an angled orientation with respect to each other so that the upper and lower jar guides converge toward each other adjacent the rear end of the rack body. A vertical passageway area is disposed adjacent the rear end of the rack body where the rear end portions of the upper and lower jar guides converge. The upper jar guide further includes an opposed front end portion having a container loading area defined therein adjacent the front end of the rack body. The lower jar guide also includes an opposed front end portion having a container dispensing area defined therein. The vertical shaft area of the dispenser rack is provided with shock-absorbing pads to absorb shocks due to impact of containers moving in the display rack from the upper jar guide, through the shaft area, to the lower jar guide. A plurality of glass jar containers are loaded on their sides through the container loading area. The new and improved dispenser racks successively feed one container at a time to the container dispensing area to thereby provide a self-feeding and self-facing storage, dispensing and display system.

The present invention generally relates to gravity-feeding racks for storing and displaying a plurality of containers and for dispensing the containers one at a time at a front, forward-facing product unloading area. More particularly, it relates to a vertically oriented rack with a barrel-roll feeding feature adapted to receive and store glass jar containers on their sides for display and dispensing in a supermarket refrigerated display case.
Storage and display devices for displaying a variety of food products in supermarkets are well known. Plastic packaging provides margin portions from which products may be hung on a hook or clamped for suspended display. In the field of a refrigerated or fresh foods, as opposed to staples and dry goods, storage and display devices should not only separate different products in an organized manner, but also preferably will assist store personnel in rotating the stock so that new products are added to the rear of the display for vending after previously stored products have been vended. Maintaining organized displays of distinct products matched to their pricing codes in supermarket shelves is a difficult and time consuming task. Usually, several man hours per week are required to assure proper stock rotation, to re-face the shelves and to manage proper shelf inventories. Refrigerator display cases need to be examined generally at least once every day to monitor the shelf volumes to ensure that sufficient product is placed in the front display cases from rear, walk-in refrigerated storage areas to meet current demands.
Special problems may arise with foods stored in glass jars, especially those which must be stored in refrigeration display cases. The glass jarred products may be loaded onto shelves and freely stacked to form a double layer of product. However, stacking the jars without retaining bins, dividers or shelf guards creates a significant risk of breakage in ordinary supermarket environments. Moreover, the products frequently become mixed and matched which creates a disorganized, unattractive display which is often confusing to shoppers.
Furthermore, stock rotation of free standing glass jar products is difficult. Usually, in refrigeration display cases, space is at a premium and reloading capabilities are difficult. If the product is to be displayed on a refrigerator shelf having another shelf above it, for example, having sufficient clearance for restocking is frequently a difficult problem. In these circumstances, in order to resupply the shelves, older products on the shelf must be taken out or moved onto the floor or adjacent shelving to permit newer products to be installed toward the back of the shelf. Thereafter, the previously stored product must be re-shelved. This is extremely time consuming and presents significant risk of breakage in crowded refrigeration cases where products must be restocked while shoppers are shopping.
Another problem with free-standing stacks of jarred products placed in refrigerator cases is visibility. More particularly, as shelves are continuously re-faced during the day to push the products forward into the display zone at the front of the shelf, it may be difficult to ascertain the quantity of backup product located behind the front display products, because the view may be obstructed by the overhead shelves or lighting may be a problem. Frequently, an item may be sold out before it is noticed that new inventory needs to be brought out from storage. This results in lost sales for both the supermarket owner and the food product manufacturer.
Another major problem associated with free standing stacking of glass jar containers in refrigerator display case environments is that only small amounts of inventory can be stored at a given time. This lack of space means the shelves must be constantly tended, re-sorted, re-faced, re-stocked and rotated, which takes supermarket employees away from other jobs making them unavailable at times for customer check out cashiering and bagging.
Accordingly, to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art display racks, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved display rack storage system providing better shelf and product organization.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a display rack system in which product rotation and shelf re-facing occurs simply and preferably automatically.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved display rack storage system which offers better utilization of space, for example, by permitting a larger number of jars to be stored within the same linear feet of shelf space.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved storage display rack system which prominently displays the products being merchandised in a neatly-ordered, attractive matter.

Self-facing, multi-container refrigerator display apparatus


A device for securement to forward terminal end portions of a binocular organization, including an elastomeric band mounted to each binocluar end portion, with each band mounting a hood member whose exterior convex surface is coextensive with the band, wherein the hood is formed of a flexible material to provide shield and shading to the forward lens portions of the binocular organization.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to binoculars and equipments therefore, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved binocular shield wherein the same is arranged for attachment to forward end portions of a binocular for providing shade and protection to lens structure of the binoculars.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shielding equipment for use in affording protection to lens structure to binocular or camera type organizations is utilized in the prior art. Such devices for example may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,617 to Boyd sets forth a camera hood structure utilizing a rigid pivotal cap for affording protection to the camera lens.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,117 to Villarreal sets forth a sunshade structure that is secured to a forward terminal end of a telescope formed as a split band member formed with a forwardly directed shade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,767 to Kawai sets forth a hood structure for use in a camera and the like that is clamped to the camera lens.
Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,517 to Fukino, et al. sets forth a similar type lens hood for clamping to a camera lens housing.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a new and improved binocular shield as set forth by the instant invention which addresses both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


Two HSAs are mounted to a single rigid actuator arm such that the HSAs interleave one another, with a transducer head of one HSA projecting through an aperture on the load beam of the other HSA. Thus, the HSA mounted to the top side of the rigid actuator arm will access the disk below the rigid actuator arm itself, while the HSA mounted on the bottom side of the rigid actuator arm will access the disk above the arm itself. Various types of HSAs can be used with the disclosed interleaving or interfitting. Decreased disk-to-disk spacing is achieved by the disclosed arrangement.

Manufacturers and designers of drive systems are continually looking for ways to increase storage capacity while maintaining specific form factors for drive designs. There is a strong market for HGA (Head Gimbal Assembly) options that would allow decreased disk-to-disk spacing in the hard disk stack.
These manufacturers and designers are also searching for ways to increase yields through the drive manufacturing process and to increase product reliability. One option that many drive designers are using is to add a lifting mechanism to dynamically lift and lower the transducer head toward and away from the disk. The use of lifting mechanisms reduces wear on the HGA and on the disk during start-up and stop. A lifter thus adds reliability to the drive. Lifting devices are also used to hold the transducer head away from the disk during drive assembly. With increasingly closer disk spacing, there is very little clearance for lifters and for suspension clearance. There is also a potential for defects to occur if the lifter contacts the disk or if the transducer head is not properly lowered onto the disk.
The present invention provides a new load beam/HGA concept that offers:
Significantly diminished disk-to-disk spacing.
Simplified lifting method requiring only a single lifter extension for a paired set of HGAs attached to the same rigid actuator arm. The lifter raises or lifts each suspension away from its respective disk by entering between the two suspensions attached to the same rigid actuator arm.
Improved resonance characteristics due to the use of upright rails on the suspension.
Other workers in this field have proposed different types of staggered placement of HGAs to provide decreased disk-to-disk spacing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,693, assigned to Hewlett-Packard Co., describes HGAs mounted in circumferentially spaced pairs on individual projections of a rotatable actuator, with the active faces of the heads pointing in opposite directions. This Hewlett-Packard patent and the present invention both effectively offer significant lowering of disk spacing and both position the transducer heads so that they are not one above the other in the head stack. However, the present invention allows both suspensions and their attached heads to be mounted in a direct line from the gap of the heads to the pivot of the E-block assembly. This configuration offers the ability to design for lower mass and inertia of the actuator assembly. Also, the design of the Hewlett-Packard patent requires the transducer heads to be mounted 90.degree. to the load beam and, if the transducer heads are mounted in line with the load beam, significant disk surface can not be utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,824, assigned to IBM, describes a rigid actuator arm formed with exterior parallel arms supporting two transverse bridge elements spaced along the length of the arms so that each bridge supports two opposed load beams each provided with a magnetic transducer transducer head.
Current lower mass and inertia actuator designs require less power, offer better head positioning accuracy and faster access capabilities. The mounting of the suspensions in line with the pivot of the actuator and using rotary actuation is currently the most common way of configuring the actuator relative to the disks. Thus, the retro fit of the concept of the present invention requires significantly less drive design changes and allows the use of traditional form factors for drives with existing rotary actuator designs. The concept of the present invention permits the transducer head to be attached in line with the load beam, which is most common for current suspension/flexure designs.
A lifting mechanism can easily be implemented into the design of the present inventive suspension. The lift mechanism may be a stationary comb to which the present inventive actuator/suspension configuration can access directly as the actuator is moved toward the outer edge of the disk. The lift mechanism requires only one prong per paired suspension. By having paired suspensions lifted at the same time and on the same position of the comb ramp, the dynamic lifting and loading of the heads to the disk is uniform and consistent.

Suspension for in-line offset head mounting


A package for surgical suture material includes a base member and a cover member, wherein the cover member is configured to be placed adjacent to the base member to form the package for the surgical suture material. The base member includes an outer wall extending from an outer circumference thereof. The outer wall has a predetermined height such that it engages the cover member when the cover member is placed adjacent the base member. Partition structure extends from a bottom surface of the cover member and defines at least one suture retaining area. A plurality of protrusions are positioned adjacent the outer wall for maintaining surgical suture material a predetermined distance toward a center portion of the package.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to packages for surgical sutures, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for packaging surgical sutures.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A common form of surgical suture package is made of a folded stiff treated paper suture holder contained in a sterile, hermetically sealed envelope. This envelope is further sealed in a second, usually clear, thermoplastic heat-sealed envelope outer wrap to maintain the sterility of suture holder and inner envelope. When the suture is to be used, the outer clear wrap is opened, typically in the operating room, and the sealed sterile inner envelope is placed in a sterile area. Operating room personnel then open the inner envelope when access to the suture is needed.
Packages for surgical sutures having needles attached at one or both ends are constructed according to the nature of the suture material and to how the sutures will be used. Generally, the package holds the suture and attached needles in place, protects them during handling and storage, and allows ready access to the suture for removal with minimum handling at the time the suture is to be used.
An important aspect of the design and manufacture of suture packages is that the suture should be removable without becoming entangled with itself, kinked, coiled or bound in undesired ways. The nature of the suture material itself may impose limitations on the configuration of the package, how the suture is placed within the package, the placement of the needles, or how the suture is drawn from the package.
An exemplary packaging for surgical suture material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,659. The '659 patent discloses a packaging for surgical suture material which has a base from which a wall extends in a spiral manner. The wall defines a suture duct within the area defined by the base. The suture duct opens at its first end into a suture-removal area. A cover is located above the suture duct. The spiral wall is provided on its outward-facing side with suture-deflector protrusions spaced apart from one another in the course of the suture duct.
A drawback in the case of the previously known packaging for surgical suture material is that, when the surgical suture material is being removed, the suture can pull tight in the suture retaining area in which it is guided over several spiral turns. That is, in the attempt to remove the suture from the packaging, the direction of the pulling force often causes the suture to move toward locations within the packaging which could cause the suture to become bound.
For example, the suture can move within the suture retaining area into an area which is formed by a junction between the wall extending like a spiral and the cover. The suture retaining area is defined by the spiral wall, the base and the cover. However, the wall in the suture package in the '659 patent, as well as many other prior art suture packages, extends from the bottom of the package toward the cover. Thus, a gap is frequently formed at a location which is defined by the junction of the wall and the cover. It is not uncommon for the suture to become wedged in the gap, thereby making further removal of the surgical suture material much more difficult or impossible.
The ability to readily access sutures and efficiently retrieve the sutures from their packaging is of utmost importance, especially when time is of the essence during a surgical procedure. Although apparatus and methods that adequately provide packaging for surgical suture material are known, the problems associated with the sutures becoming bound or otherwise caught within the suture package have not been entirely eliminated. Thus, a continuing need exists for improved suture packages which virtually eliminate any possibility of the suture becoming entangled or caught within the suture package.


A content introduction screen linked to relevant sites can easily be created. A content-information input screen is displayed. When content information has been completely input, then, link elements are extracted from the content information. Then, one of the link elements is selected. A site related to the link element is searched for. A content introduction screen in which the input content information is linked to the searched site is generated and displayed. Metadata, including the content information, the URL, etc., which are used to generate the content introduction screen, is stored.

There exist services for introducing information regarding content provided via transmission media over networks, such as the Internet. A service for providing a program guide for programs to be broadcast on television is a representative example of the services.
In this service, the broadcast times of programs to be broadcast, the names of broadcast stations, the names of performers, the contents of the programs, and so forth are provided via the Internet. A user is able to access the provided information to determine a program to be viewed.
Since the program guide is published on the Internet, during the use of the program guide, a user may use a search site to search for information of particularly interest (e.g., the performers) through a homepage related to the information (Patent Document 1). In this case, the user accesses the search site to search for homepages for the performers, etc., using the name of the performers, etc., as keywords.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-32413

Information processing apparatus and method, and program


A test probe for use in testing a liquid crystal display device includes a rigid carrier block (20) having a lower surface to which is secured a flexible circuit (44) having a free end (50) aligned with the free end (26) of the carrier block. A plurality of projecting probe contact features (54) are integrally formed on traces (56) of the flexible circuit (44) and project from the plane of the flexible circuit adjacent the free end. An elastomeric back-up pad (40) is interposed between the carrier block (20) and the projecting contact features (54). The lower side of the carrier block is recessed (30) and the flexible circuit is pre-formed to the configuration of the recess in which it is mechanically secured by a rigid clamp or pressure bar (60). Conductive traces (56) of the flexible circuit have inner ends (58) bearing electrical contacts (68) for connection to test circuitry. The rigid carrier block (20) is mounted to enable the projecting probe contact features to be pressed against a line of contacts (16) on a display device panel (12) while maintaining a clearance between the aligned free ends of the carrier block (26), elastomer (42) and flexible circuit (50) and the edge (70) of a member (18) that overlies the display panel (12) and extends closely adjacent to and parallel to the row of display panel contacts (16).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the testing of liquid crystal displays and more particularly concerns improved methods and apparatus using flexible circuits with bumps for testing purposes.
2. Description of Related Art
Liquid crystal display devices are being produced in ever increasing numbers, particularly as popularity of the portable lap-top type computer is rapidly growing. The screen of many lap-top computers is a flat liquid crystal display device formed by a device panel having as many as two to five thousand electrically conductive circuit lines extending to the edges of its four sides for connection to input/output display circuitry. A thin flat member overlies the panel and the circuit lines and has outer edges that run parallel to the rows of contacts formed by the ends of the conductive circuit lines. The edges of the overlying thin flat member are positioned closely adjacent the ends of the display device contacts that are defined by the ends of the lines.
As with all electronic device system components, it is desirable to test operability of the liquid crystal display devices before assembly of the computer and before assembly of the display device with its input/output circuitry. Conventional testing employs test cards provided with a number of small blades or needles often formed of a resilient or spring-like tungsten. The blades or needles are mechanically and electrically connected to a test circuit board and act as contacts with the display device to be tested. The needles are mounted with configuration and spacing to enable each needle to individually contact one and only one circuit line of the device under test. Electrical leads extend from the contacts to the outer edge of the board for connecting the probe card to test circuitry. In use the test board with its needles is moved into engagement with ends of lines on the liquid crystal display device. For proper positioning the individual blades or needles must be individually adjusted. This adjustment is accomplished by bending the resilient needles to produce a pattern and spacing to match the existing pattern and spacing of the lead ends of the display device which is to be tested.
Ends of the needles and blades must all fall in the same plane in order to assure that each one makes electrical contact with a conductive trace on the device under test. This is accomplished by bending the blades after they are mounted on the probe card, which is laborious, time consuming and expensive. Even after such adjustment the needles tend to creep back toward their original position so that their adjusted locations are lost. This loss of adjustment also comes about from the pressure of the needles against the device to be tested, aggravated by scrubbing action, where such is necessary or desired to assure penetration of an oxide that may cover circuit lines. As a result, constant maintenance is necessary or the probe cards will not perform their intended function. Even when in proper adjustment the needles cannot compensate for significant differences in planarity of the liquid crystal faces or the conductive line ends, and thus some needles may apply excessive force against the display device, thereby damaging some of the leads. Furthermore, close spacing necessary for testing exceedingly fine pitch lines (0.004 to 0.005 inch pitch for example) cannot be achieved with conventional needle contacts, or, at best, makes the test probes very expensive and susceptible to mechanical damage during testing.
Further, in test of a liquid crystal display panel, the close proximity of the edge of the overlying member to the ends of the conductive lines on the display device define a very small clearance, thus requiring ever more accurate and precise positioning of the needle contacts in order to avoid interference with the edge of the overlying member.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for testing by methods and apparatus that avoid or minimize above mentioned problems.

Test probe for panel having an overlying protective member adjacent panel contacts


A device having an FET structure for the emission of an optical radiation integrated on a substrate of a semiconductor material, includes a first mirror, a second mirror of a dielectric type and an active layer comprising a main zone designed to be excited to generate the radiation. The device also includes a first electrically conductive layer containing two doped regions constitutes a source well and a drain well between which a current flows, a second electrically conductive layer which constitutes a gate, and a dielectric region between the first and second layer, to space corresponding peripheral portions of the first and second layers so that the current is channeled in the main zone for generating excitation radiation. The first and second electrically conductive layers and the active layer define an optical cavity.

In recent years much effort has been aimed at the development of resonant cavity light emitting devices used as light sources, in the field of optical transmissions within a communications network. One such device is a Resonant Cavity Light Emitting Diode (RCLED). European Patent Application Publication No. EP 1 734 591 describes an RCLED having an electro-luminescent active layer placed between two mirrors made with a succession of layers of silicon dioxide and of silicon. The active layer constitutes the resonant cavity. The last layer of the lower mirror and the first layer of the upper mirror are made from doped silicon so as to constitute two electrically conductive layers. Such layers operatively constitute two armatures used to supply a pumping electrical signal to the cavity between which the electric field necessary for the generation of the radiation is established. Such electrically conductive layers are entirely included within the mirrors, lower and upper respectively.
It should be observed that the materials for making the mirrors are restricted by the fact that the last layer of the lower mirror and the first layer of the upper mirror must be made from silicon in order to be able to constitute the two armatures.
It should also be noted that the threshold voltage and the working voltage of such a device are quite high, typically around values of 25-30 V (threshold voltage) and 150-200 V (working voltage).

Resonant cavity optical radiation emission device and process for manufacturing same


A CO slip catalyst, for treating an exhaust gas from a lean burn internal combustion engine, is disclosed. The CO slip catalyst comprises palladium and a ceria-containing material. The invention also includes a method for oxidizing excess CO in an exhaust gas, wherein the excess CO results from the periodic contact of an upstream catalyst under rich exhaust conditions. The method comprises contacting the excess CO in the exhaust gas with a CO slip catalyst at a temperature in the range of 100 to 700° C.

Internal combustion engines produce exhaust gases containing a variety of pollutants, including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter. Increasingly stringent national and regional legislation has lowered the amount of pollutants that can be emitted from such internal combustion engines. Many different techniques have been applied to exhaust systems to clean the exhaust gas before it is emitted to the atmosphere.
One proposed method for cleaning exhaust gases produced in lean burn applications utilizes a three-way catalyst (TWC) followed by a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. This concept, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,216,521, is to operate lean for an extended period of time during which the CO and hydrocarbons in the engine exhaust gas stream will be primarily oxidized to CO2 and H2O over the TWC. Periodic rich events are used to produce ammonia (NH3) over the TWC. The NH3 is stored and used by the downstream SCR catalyst to selectively reduce the NOx generated during the lean phase. The duration of these rich events requires optimization to provide adequate quantities of NH3 to the SCR to meet NOx conversion targets. Unfortunately the consequence of longer rich events is the generation of excess CO in the exhaust. It is critical to maintain high conversions of hydrocarbons, NOx, and CO during both lean and rich operating phases. As rich pulse times become longer to optimize the NH3 generation, CO becomes the most difficult species to control using only a TWC.
It is desirable to develop new and improved catalysts and methods that enable longer rich events while maintaining a high level of CO conversion. We have discovered a new CO slip catalyst that is capable of converting a large concentration of CO generated during rich operation.


Methods and systems are provided for addressing spark plug soot fouling. In one example, a method may include alternating one or more combustion events with spark timing advanced with one or more combustion events with nominal spark timing. The approach allows spark plug over-heating, and related issues such as knock, to be reduced.

Engine ignition systems may include a spark plug for delivering an electric current to a combustion chamber of a spark-ignited engine to ignite an air-fuel mixture and initiate combustion. Based on engine operating conditions, spark plug fouling can occur wherein a firing tip of the spark plug insulator becomes coated with a foreign substance, such as fuel, oil, or soot. Once fouled, the spark plug may be unable to provide adequate voltage to trigger cylinder combustion until the spark plug is sufficiently cleaned or replaced. For example, the spark plug may be cleaned by burning off the soot accumulated on the fouled spark plug by operating the engine in speed-load conditions that sufficiently raise the spark plug tip temperature.
In modern boosted engine systems, which have a large dynamic operating range, a heat range for spark plugs is selected to avoid abnormal combustion events, such as pre-ignition, at wide open throttle and high engine speed conditions. In particular, the spark plugs selected are typically a low heat range plug to avoid pre-ignition at high engine speed and load conditions. Consequently, even if engine spends more time at high speed and load conditions than a normally aspirated engine, the spark plugs still do not get warm enough to trigger pre-ignition. However, for the same reason, the spark plugs also do not get warm enough to burn off soot deposits. Other attempts to address the spark plug fouling issue include advancing spark timing to burn off the deposits over the spark plug. One example approach is shown by Yamada et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,605. Therein, in response to spark plug fouling, spark timing is advanced for a number of combustion events, the amount of spark advance supplied adjusted based on an indicated mean effective pressure of the cylinder. In addition, to reduce further spark plug fouling, fueling to the affected cylinder is adjusted to provide a leaner air-fuel mixture. The spark timing advance and fueling adjustment is maintained until soot is burned off from the fouled spark plug, after which nominal fueling and spark timing is resumed.
However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such approaches. As one example, the continued advancement of spark timing in '605 may induce engine knocking. That is, if spark timing is maintained advanced to raise the spark plug tip temperature and burn off the soot, the elevated temperature may trigger cylinder knock events. On the other hand, if spark timing is not sufficiently advanced, and the spark plug tip temperature not sufficiently raised, the spark plug may remain soot fouled, leading to cylinder misfire events. In addition, the engine controller may be conflicted between advancing spark timing to address spark plug fouling and retarding spark timing to address knock. Further still, the prolonged advancing of spark timing may affect engine fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions.
In one example, the issues described above may be at least partly addressed by a method for addressing spark plug fouling by periodically advancing spark timing and interspersing bursts of spark timing advance with operation at nominal spark timing. One example method comprises: supplying a first advanced spark timing to a cylinder for a first single combustion event; supplying a nominal spark timing to the cylinder for a predetermined number of combustion events after supplying the first advanced spark timing to the cylinder; and supplying a second advanced spark timing to the cylinder for a second single combustion cycle after the predetermined number of combustion events. In this way, soot deposits on a fouled spark plug may be burnt off with reduced propensity for inducing knock.
In one example, spark plug soot fouling may be determined based on the output of an ionization sensor. In response to the indication of spark plug fouling, a first advanced spark timing may be supplied to the affected cylinder for at least one combustion cycle. For example, the degree of spark timing advance applied and the number of combustion events the first spark timing advance is applied for may be adjusted to sufficiently raise the spark plug tip temperature to a temperature that enables soot burn-off. For example, spark timing may be advanced for only a single combustion event. Then, spark timing may be returned to a nominal spark timing (e.g., MBT or borderline spark timing) for a predetermined number of combustion events. The predetermined number may be adjusted to prevent overheating of the spark plug tip temperature, and induction of knock events. Then, a second advanced spark timing may be supplied to the cylinder for one or more combustion events. Herein, the second advanced spark timing may be adjusted (e.g., in real-time) based on ionization sensor output following the applying of the first advanced spark timing (and the nominal timing). For example, based on the ionization sensor output, a soot load remaining on the fouled spark plug may be inferred and a margin to knock may be determined. A degree of spark timing advance applied and the number of combustion events the second spark timing advance is applied for may then be adjusted to burn off the remaining soot while reducing a propensity, and intensity, of knock. The spark timing may then be returned to the nominal spark timing. In one example, since a portion of the soot load may have been burned off when the first advanced spark timing is applied, the second advanced spark timing may be less advanced than the first advanced spark timing.
The technical effect of supplying a nominal spark timing in-between the applying of a first and a second advanced spark timing is that overheating of the spark plug may be reduced. As such, this reduces the likelihood of knock being induced when using spark timing advance to burn off soot accumulated on a fouled spark plug. By using periodic advanced spark events with intermediate nominal events, spark plug tip temperatures may be raised sufficiently high to burn off soot (and address spark plug fouling) but not raised so high that overheating issues arise, such as knock, NVH, and durability constraints. By improving the engine's knock margin, the amount of spark timing advance that may be applied to burn off the soot can also be enhanced. By improving spark plug fouling control, the likelihood of misfires is reduced. In addition, spark plug temperatures may be controlled, reducing the likelihood of knock events. Overall, spark plug health and life can be improved.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


The intelligent saturation controller calculates the exact maximum saturation any valid YCbCr pixel can undergo before it becomes invalid in RGB space. The controller models the saturation operation in RGB color space and calculates the maximum saturation level at which the RGB values falls outside the valid range. The saturation operation is performed independently for every pixel of the incoming video frame and ensures that each output pixel is a valid. The controller finds the maximum saturation for each input pixel and checks whether it is less than the input saturation factor. If so, then this calculated maximum saturation value is applied. If not, the input saturation factor is applied. Accordingly, the output RGB pixels are valid, and no clamping is necessary if no other video processing is done in YCbCr space. Increasing the saturation of the video signal results in a more vivid and more colorful picture.

For video applications, the YCbCr format is typically used because it is the industry standard for video transmission and storage. The YCbCr format is also typically easier to convert to and from RGB than from HSV. The ease in conversion is important because the final display is usually configured to accept data in RGB format. Increasing the saturation of a video signal results in a more vivid, and hence a more colorful picture. However, increasing the saturation of a YCbCr pixel is a processing step that is very prone to generating blatantly invalid pixels which result in invalid RGB values (and potentially visually annoying artifacts).
An appreciation of the present invention and its improvements can be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, which are briefly summarized below, to the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, and to the appended claims.


The object of the present invention is to chromatographically separate the higher and lower molecular weight components of juices, liquors, syrups and/or molasses (e.g., inorganic-organic complexes and organic non-sugars), thereby permitting the lower molecular weight sugar and soluble salt-containing fraction(s) to be further processed into natural sweetener products.

Juices, liquors, syrups, and/or molasses comprise a class of sugar-containing solutions which are produced during raw sugar manufacturing and sugar refining. Juice refers to the liquid part of a plant or fruit which is extracted for sugar recovery. Syrup is the term generally applied to liquid sugar solutions made by boiling or evaporating mixtures containing sugar and water, such as raw sugar juice or clarified raw sugar juice. The term liquor generally refers to partially concentrated sugar solutions and syrups generated during the raw sugar manufacturing and sugar refining processes.
Molasses is a dark brown sugar-containing composition which is generated during raw sugar manufacturing and sugar refining. The mixture of sugar and mother liquor discharged from the sugar boiling pan is called massecuite. In raw sugar practice the different grades of massecuites are given either letter (A, B, C) or number (1.sup.st, 2.sup.nd 3.sup.rd) designation. The mother liquor or molasses purged from the massecuites are given similar designations, (i.e., A massecuite yields A molasses). Refinery massecuites are usually named strikes and the mother liquor is refereed to as a syrup. Blackstrap or final molasses is the by- or end-product of raw sugar manufacturing and sugar refining. It is a viscous liquid which is separated from the final low grade massecuite. The sucrose present in blackstrap molasses cannot be crystallized therefrom by conventional methods.
A generalized analytical listing of the composition of juices, liquors, syrups, and/or molasses cannot be made because of the many variations in starting materials and manufacturing processes used to obtain or prepare these compositions. These variations include variety and maturity of starting material e.g., sugar cane, beet, etc., climate, soil condition, extent of milling, and clarification technique.
The primary components of interest to the present invention are always existent in juices, liquors, syrups, and/or molasses, and comprise the lower molecular weight components of these solutions which include sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) and inorganic salts ("ash"). A secondary group of interest comprises the higher molecular weight components of juices, liquors, syrups, and/or molasses, and these include the organic non-sugars, nitrogenous compounds, non-nitrogenous acids, waxes, sterols, phosphatides, gums, starches, pentosans and vitamins. Various inorganic-organic complexes are present in this high molecular weight grouping as well. These high molecular weight components are usually present only in small amounts, such as a few percent by weight.
Process juices, liquors, syrups and/or molasses are a group of sucrose containing solutions that are produced during the various steps of raw sugar manufacturing and sugar refining. The higher molecular weight components present in these solutions tend to retard sucrose crystallization. Removal of the high molecular weight components is very desireable because it permits a higher recovery of sucrose from crystallization of the process solutions.
The sucrose present in blackstrap or final molasses is not recoverable by conventional techniques, although several processes for such recovery have been suggested. These are generally referred to as "de-sugarization" processes, and the most attractive of them requires pre-treatment of the molasses followed by ion exclusion chromatography to separate the sucrose from the non-sucrose impurities.
One such de-sugarization process is used in the processing of beet molasses. In this process beet molasses is pre-treated to reduce the calcium ion concentration therein, then processed by ion exclusion chromatography to separate the sucrose from the non-sucrose components. The resulting sugar-rich fraction is evaporated and the sucrose crystallized therefrom.
A major drawback to the proposed desugarization processes, particularly when applied to de-sugarize molasses derived from cane sugar processing, results from fouling of the ion exclusion resin due to blockage of the resin pores by the higher molecular molasses components. This fouling results in the need for frequent regeneration or replacement of the chromatographic resins, a requirement which significantly increases processing costs to an unacceptable level.
It is known in U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,078, hereby incorporated by reference, in toto, to separate dextrans in carrier solvents (70-95% solvent) by a chromatographic method involving a sequential valve operation. Other U.S. Patents of interest involving chromatographic or related separations are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,257,884, 4,717,425, 4,379,751 and 4,363,672, all hereby incorporated by reference.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an effective method for separating the lower molecular weight sugars from the higher molecular weight non-sugar impurities of juices, liquors, syrups and, particularly, molasses, which process may be economically employed on a commercial scale to achieve increased recovery of sugar. This is achieved by increasing sugar recovery from the feed of juices, liquors, syrups, molasses or mixtures of them by removal of the higher molecular weight non-sugar impurities which in turn permits further processing of the lower molecular weight fraction by ion exclusion chromatography, ion exchange chromatography and/or crystallization to produce a natural sweetener product for use in the food, pharmaceutical, dairy and bottling industries.

Chromatographic separation of organic non-sugars, colloidal matterials and inorganic-organic complexes from juices, liquors, syrups and/or molasses


A system and method for detecting a rollover of a vehicle that includes at least one wheel reaction force sensing device for transmitting wheel reaction force signals indicative of an amount of force exerted on at least one wheel of the vehicle is provided. The system includes a controller operably coupled to the at least one wheel reaction force sensing device and including at least one accelerometer sensor for transmitting acceleration signals. The controller is configured to determine a first force index in response to the wheel reaction force signals, determine a first lateral acceleration of the vehicle in response to the acceleration signals, compare the first force index to a threshold force index and the first lateral acceleration to a threshold lateral acceleration, and deploy a restraint system based on the comparison.

1. Technical Field
The embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a vehicle rollover accident detection.
2. Background Art
The number of fatal accidents each year in the U.S. has hovered at about 40,000 for a decade. Safety organizations, the government, and industry are working diligently to reduce that number to 30,000. Rollover based accidents account for about 30% of light-vehicle fatal accidents. A portion of vehicle rollovers may be attributed to 'hard trips' where a vehicle enters into a rollover state after traveling over a curb or obstacle. Other such vehicle rollovers may be attributed to 'soft trips' where a vehicle enters into a rollover state after traveling over sand or grass lands.
In view of the number of fatalities associated with rollover accidents, original equipment manufactures (OEMs) are continuing to develop sensing algorithms to detect vehicle rollovers and implementing various advanced restraint systems to mitigate injuries of occupants from being ejected while the vehicle encounters a roll over event.


A modular storage system which includes a support rail mounted on wall or ceiling, in horizontal or vertical orientation, with slidably adjustable cantilevered hooks, from which are hung storage boxes fitted with a frame on the open side, and a transparent hinged door. A hanger and straps are utilized to attach the rigid frame to a storage box. Reinforcing support brackets can also be attached to a storage box on its underside or top, and suspended from cantilevered hooks of the modular storage system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular storage system, and more particularly to a wall or ceiling mounted system for mounting storage boxes on a rail system.
2. Description of Related Art
It is an axiom of modern life that storage needs expand to equal and exceed the amount of storage space available. In the office and in the home, various systems have been developed over the years to store materials. Filing cabinets are utilized for papers which need to be frequently accessed, and storage drawers are similarly used. Store rooms, garages, file rooms and document rooms are also equipped with shelves on which cardboard boxes are placed, with stored material inside the cardboard boxes. When the shelves are full, or until they are built, a common method of storage is to put materials to be stored in cardboard boxes, and stack the cardboard boxes in stacks. This has the advantage of being cheap and easy to do, but has the disadvantage that you may have to unstack the entire stack of boxes to find objects which are located in the bottom box. If you don't have a record of what is in each box, you may have to open each box searching for the material to be retrieved from storage.
Bookshelves also have the disadvantage that whether they are filled with boxes or totally empty, the bookshelves occupy an entire area, such as a wall, and essentially prevents that wall from being used for anything else.
What is needed is a storage system which mounts easily to an unused space, such as a wall or a ceiling, but when not in use allows that space to be utilized for other purposes. What is also needed is a storage system which is modular, so that storage boxes may be opened and inspected without having to unstack a vertical stack of boxes. Such a modular system also has to be adjustable, to account for various sizes of boxes. What is also needed is a way to determine the contents of a particular box without having to open the lid of that box or unstack a stack of boxes. It would also be desirable to be able to view the contents of a box or open a particular storage box by accessing the side of a box facing the user, rather than having to open the flaps on the top or removing a lid from the top of the box.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a storage system which mounts to an unused space, such as a wall or a ceiling. It is also an object of this invention that the storage system be modular and provide storage boxes which are not stacked upon each other, but may be individually viewed and opened to remove stored contents. It is a further object of the invention to provide a modular storage system which is adjustable, so that boxes of various sizes may be utilized and when not necessary, storage boxes may be removed from the system. It is a further object of the invention to provide a modular storage box which allows the contents of a particular box to be viewed, and for the box to be opened and the contents removed or added to without having to unstack other boxes.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


An optical head scans the information layer (3) of an optical record carrier (1) by means of a radiation beam (13). Optical aberrations in the beam such as coma and spherical aberration, caused by tilt and thickness variations in the optical disc respectively, are compensated by an aberration compensator (27) arranged in the radiation beam. The tilt or thickness variation is measured by a detector (30) and used to control the aberration compensator. The radiation beam is focused onto the information layer by an objective system (11). A displacement of the objective system in the transverse direction (26) as used for radial tracking of the optical beam, causes a mismatch between the wavefront to be compensated and the wavefront introduced by the aberration compensator (27). The mismatch is reduced by using a position detector (33) for measuring the transverse position of the objective system and using the position signal (34) as input for the control of the aberration compensator.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an optical head for scanning an optical recording carrier having an information layer and a transparent layer, comprising a radiation source for generating a radiation beam and an objective system for converging the radiation beam through the transparent layer to a focus on the beam information layer, an aberration detector for detecting an optical aberration in the radiation beam, an aberration compensator arranged in the optical path between the radiation source and the objective system, and a control circuit connected to an output of the aberration detector for controlling the aberration compensator.
The information stored in an optical record carrier is arranged in tracks in the information layer of the record carrier. The information is written, read or erased by means of a focussed radiation beam that follows the track. The position of the focus is kept in the plane of the information layer by means of a focus servo that controls the axial position of the objective lens used for focussing the radiation beam. A second servo system controls the transverse position of the focus in order to keep the focus on the track being scanned. The transverse direction is the direction in the plane of the information layer perpendicular to the direction of the track. The second servo system causes the objective lens to move in the transverse direction, i.e. in a direction perpendicular to its optical axis, thereby moving the focus also in the transverse direction. On a disk-shaped record carrier the transverse direction corresponds to the radial direction; therefore the second servo system is also called the radial tracking servo.
The trend of increasing information density on optical record carriers requires a commensurate decrease in the size of the focus of the radiation beam formed on the information layer. A smaller focus can be realized by increasing the numerical aperture of the radiation beam incident on the record carrier. However, an increase of the numerical aperture increases the susceptibility of the optical system in the head to optical aberrations. One of the aberrations is coma, caused by the transparent layer of the record carrier when it is not perpendicular to the principal ray of the radiation beam incident on the record carrier. Such non-perpendicular incidence of the radiation beam on the record carrier, generally referred to as tilt, may be caused by warping of the record carrier. Optical heads having a high numerical aperture require compensation of the coma caused by the tilt in order to scan the information layer of the record carrier properly.
2. Related Art
European Patent Application No. 0 745 980 shows an optical head provided with a tilt compensator. The tilt compensator is an electrostriction device arranged in the optical path between the radiation source and the objective system. The known head is also provided with a tilt detector for detecting tilt of the record carrier. The output signal of the tilt detector is used to control the tilt compensator, which introduces a wave front aberration in the radiation beam that compensates the coma caused by the tilted record carrier. It is a disadvantage of the known device, that the aberration compensation does not operate properly when the optical head is following a track.
It is an object of the invention to provide an optical head that has a good aberration compensation independent of the tracking of the focus.
This object is achieved if, according to the invention, the optical head of the preamble comprises a position detector for determining a transverse position of the objective system and that the control circuit is connected to an output of the position detector. The invention is based on the insight that the aberration introduced by the aberration compensator causes other aberrations in the radiation beam when the objective system is displaced in a transverse direction. The magnitude of the other aberrations depends both on the amount of aberration introduced by the aberration compensator and on the displacement of the objective system. Therefore, the aberration compensator should not only be controlled by the output of the tilt detector but also by the output of a position detector for determining the transverse position of the objective system, in order to take the transverse position into account when controlling the aberration compensator.
Preferably, the aberration compensator introduces an amount of a first optical aberration in the radiation beam of the type as measured by the aberration detector and an amount of a second optical aberration of a lower radial order than the first aberration. If not otherwise stated, all aberrations in a cross-section of the radiation beam are centred on the optical axis of the radiation beam at the cross-section. Hence, the first aberration is centred on the optical axis, whereas the objective system may be off-centre when tracking. The aberration compensator should also introduce an aberration that is off-centre to the same extent as the objective system. Such an off-centre aberration may be described as a linear combination of a first aberration of the same type as the off-centre aberration but centred on the optical axis and a centred second aberration of a lower radial order than the first aberration. This can be explained as follows. The second aberration is the difference between the off-centre aberration and the same centred aberration. For a small decentring, the second aberration proportional to is the derivative of the aberration in the radial direction of the decentring. Hence, the radial order of the second aberration is at least one order lower than that of the first aberration.
The aberration compensator may introduce the aberrations in the radiation beam in two ways, as a decentred first aberration or as a combination of a centred first aberration and a centred second aberration. In the first case, the amount of the decentred first aberration may be controlled by the output signal of the aberration detector and the amount of decentring by the output of the position detector. Alternatively, the amount of the decentred first aberration is controlled by a combination of the output signals of the aberration detector and the position detector, the magnitude of the decentring being fixed, and the sign of the decentring is controlled by the sign of the output signal of the position detector. In the second case, the amount of the first aberration may be controlled by the output signal of the aberration detector and the amount of the second aberration by the output signal of the position detector.
The aberration detector may be a tilt detector for detecting tilt of the record carrier, and the aberration compensator introduces coma as a first aberration in the radiation beam, which compensates the coma caused by the tilt. The astigmatism caused by the off-centre objective system is preferably compensated by astigmatism introduced as a second aberration by the aberration compensator.
In a preferred embodiment of the optical head, the aberration compensator introduces astigmatism by means of two similar, transversely displaced electrode structures. Each of these structures introduces coma in the radiation beam. Since this coma is off-centre, it can be described as a combination of centred coma and astigmatism. If the objective system is off-centre in one direction, one set of electrode structures will be energized; if the objective system is offset in the opposite direction, the other set of electrodes will be energized.
In a special embodiment the aberration compensator comprises the series of strip electrodes in a symmetrical arrangement. The strips may have a curved shape. Any combination of coma and astigmatism may be obtained by setting each of the strips at a specific voltage. In a preferred embodiment the voltages are formed by a series arrangement of resistors having taps, the strip electrodes being connected to the taps. The desired voltage distribution over the strips can be achieved by providing the voltages to the end taps and to least one intermediate tap. The electrode structure is preferably etched in a transparent conductive layer. The same conductive layer may be used to form the series arrangement of resistors.
A further aspect of the invention relates to a device for scanning an optical record carrier having an information layer and a transparent layer, comprising an optical head according to any of the previous claims and an information processing unit for error correction.