A fire protection nozzle of this invention has a base defining an orifice and an inlet section defining a conduit for flow of fire-retardant fluid, leading to an upstream end of the orifice. A diffuser is supported by arms extending from the base in a position downstream of the orifice where fire-retardant fluid flowing from the inlet section emerges from the orifice in a coherent stream which impinges on the diffuser to be deflected in a spray pattern. The inlet section, in the direction of the fire-retardant fluid flow, has a cross-sectional shape of an inwardly convex curvilinear arc with a length equal to or greater than the diameter of the orifice. In a preferred embodiment, the diffuser defines two or more slots, each having a cross-sectional open area equal to at least eight percent of the total cross-sectional area of the diffuser measured in a plane transverse to the direction of fire-retardant fluid flow from the orifice.

Fire protection nozzles are used to discharge water, with or without additives, in a relatively fine spray, which is generally referred to in the industry as mist. Nozzles with an inwardly curvilinear inlet section and, in particular, nozzles with an inwardly convex section for which normals to the tangent lines at neighboring points on the curve tend to diverge, are utilized for the purpose of discharging a fire-retardant liquid.
Various types of nozzles discharging a fine water spray have long been used in fire protection systems. Although often not described as such at the time, perforated diffuser sprinklers such as described in Parmalee U.S. Pat. No. 6,257 discharged water in a fine spray by nature of the diffuser holes being in the order of 0.06 inch in diameter. Other examples of fine spray nozzle designs intended for use in fire protection system applications are described in Lewis U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,798, which is based on the use of impinging jets to create a "cloud" of spray, as well as Loepsinger U.S. Pat. No. 2,361,144 and Papavergos U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,675, which are based on establishing a gas-water mixture to create an atomized spray. Further techniques for delivering fine spray for fire suppression purposes include: using an array of nozzles originally designed for fine oil mist atomizing, e.g. in oil burner applications, and using nozzles with an internal fixed scroll, or a whirling device, e.g. as described in PCT Publication No. WO 92/20454.
The mechanism(s) by which fine spray (water mist) acts to control, suppress or extinguish a fire can be a complex combination of two or more of the following factors, depending on the operating concept of the individual nozzle, the size of the orifice(s), the operating pressure and flow rate:
1. Heat extraction from the fire as water is converted into vapor
The amount of evaporation and hence heat withdrawn from the fire (i.e., cooling of the fuel) is a function of surface area of water droplets applied, for a given volume. Reducing droplet size increases surface area and increases the cooling effect of a given volumetric flow rate of water.
2. Reduced oxygen levels as the vapor displaces oxygen near the seat of the fire
When water converts to vapor, it expands by a factor of about 1650 times, displacing and diluting oxygen, thereby blocking the access of oxygen to the fuel. Arsonist fires in enclosures are, therefore, the easiest for water mist systems to extinguish because of the virtually instantaneous vaporization which can occur due to the relatively high level of heat present at nozzle operation, even with fast response release elements.
3. Deluging of the protected area
Small water droplets are extremely light, and tend to remain suspended with the slightest air currents. This results in a "mist" that tends to distribute itself throughout an enclosure, outside of the direct spray range of an individual nozzle. Fine water droplets are, therefore, more likely to be drawn into the seat of the fire, further enhancing the effectiveness of the system by chemically inhibiting the combustion radicals. This three-dimensional effect of the expanding mist also acts to cool the gases and other fuels in the area, blocking the transfer of radiant heat to adjacent combustibles, as well as, pre-wetting them.
4. Direct impingement wetting and cooling of combustibles
In addition to the pre-wetting and cooling of the flames by vaporizing water droplets, fire extinguishment by direct contact of the water droplets with the burning fuel to prevent further generation of the combustible vapors is one of the modes of fire extinguishment normally associated with traditional sprinklers having orifice diameters most often of about 0.44 inch or larger. However, with a fast response release mechanism, high momentum mist can be effective in this mode during the early development stage of exposed fires.
Generally speaking, the sizes of the orifices used in water mist nozzles are in the order of 0.06 inch in diameter or less, with the orifice diameter becoming smaller as the flowing pressure is increased, in order to restrict the flow to a reasonable value. For example, nozzle assemblies made up of fine oil mist-type sprayers generally have orifice diameters in the order of 0.02 inch or smaller and are operated at pressures of about 1,000 psig or higher. As compared to traditional sprinklers with orifice diameters most often of about 0.44 inch or larger, water mist nozzles with orifice diameters of about 0.06 inch or smaller require the use of fine inlet mesh strainers to prevent clogging due to debris in the water supply, while nozzles with orifice diameters of 0.02 inch or smaller are considered to be excessively susceptible to clogging by either debris or mineral deposits in the water supply or corrosive atmospheres like that associated with a marine environment. As such, very fine mesh inlet strainers are needed to protect the orifices, the nozzle bodies need to be made of costly corrosion resistant materials and, in addition, the use of deionized water as well as protective exterior caps (which would blow off following nozzle operation), should be considered. Lastly, operation of water pumps at 1,000 psi or higher, especially in marine service, raises questions as to the degree of maintenance required in order to ensure the level of reliability necessary for helping to assure safety of life in a fire situation.
Dual media water mist systems such as the gas-water mixture system described in Papavergos U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,675 tend to have a larger and more acceptable water discharge orifice diameter (in the order of 0.12 inch) and operate at pressures in the order of 45 psig to 75 psig. However, dual media systems have the extra costs and complexity associated with installing two sets of piping to each nozzle, they must be operated as a deluge system (e.g., water is flowed from a number of nozzles at once, to cover a relatively wide area), and a separate source of relatively high flow rate compressed gas must be maintained. The gas source is normally provided by using cylinders of compressed nitrogen at pressures of greater than 2,000 psig, and, because of the fixed volume of gas supply, it is also necessary to make provisions for discharging multiple shots of the water mist, with each shot lasting a few minutes, in the event that the fire re-ignites after the first shot of the mist. This makes the equipment more complex and costly. Lastly, with the dual media system, care must be taken to prevent over-pressurization of a compartment, otherwise structural damage to the compartment might result upon release of the gas-water mixture.
There is also a variety of background information concerning nozzles, with various types of inwardly convex curvilinear inlet sections for which normals (i.e., perpendiculars) to tangents at neighboring points on the curve tend to diverge, that have been used for applications such as discharging: fire-retardant fluids, water for irrigation, rocket fuels, and chemicals used in industrial processes. Prior art illustrating nozzles with various types of inwardly convex curvilinear inlet sections, which are used for discharging fire-retardant liquids, include the following: Gilmore U.S. Pat. No. 488,003; Reed U.S. Pat. No. 781,159; Berna U.S. Pat. No. 1,315,079; Livingston U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,928; Livingston U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,305; Klein U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,961; Polan U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,656 and Simons U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,592.
Prior art nozzles for irrigation applications are described in Varner U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,956 and Drechsel U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,199. A prior art nozzle with inwardly convex inlet sections for use in rocket fuel applications is described in Ledwith U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,248, while prior art nozzles with inwardly convex inlet sections for use in chemical process applications are described in Devillard U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,920 and East U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,864.


A power tool comprises a tool body having a grip portion and composed of a pair of base and cover housing halves, a chuck which is mounted onto the front end of the tool body and onto which a bit for working a workpiece is detachably mounted, a bit accommodating portion having an opening formed on a surface portion of the tool body and being adapted to accommodate a spare bit, and a bit holding member, having an elastic property, disposed in the bit accommodating portion for elastically holding the spare bit accommodated in the bit accommodating portion. The bit accommodating portion is formed as a recessed portion extending along a longitudinal direction of the tool body and having a length suitable for the accommodation of the spare bit. The bit holding member is disposed in the bit accommodating portion at substantially a longitudinally central portion thereof so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the bit accommodating means to thereby form the bit accommodating portion as a pair of bit accommodating recesses to both sides of the bit holding member for accommodating two spare bits therein. The bit accommodating portion is provided with a groove at the joint portion of base and cover housings of the tool body.

This invention relates to a power tool and, more particularly, to an electric power driven tool provided with a bit accommodation unit for accommodating a spare bit for performing a desired task.
In known electric power tools of a pistol type structure having a tool body, a chuck is mounted onto its forward front, and a bit as a rotary tool blade is mounted in the chuck, which is driven by an electric motor. The motor is driven by operating a trigger switch incorporated in the tool body to thereby rotate and drive the bit mounted in the chuck to perform a desired task. Some of these known electric power tools are equipped with bit accommodation units each for accommodating another bit to be exchanged with one mounted in onto the chuck.
One example of the prior art electric power tools of the structure described above is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid open (KOKAI) Publication No. 50 83672, in which an inner space is defined in the tool body at a side portion thereof. The inner space has a cover opened or closed by handling a gripping portion additionally provided for the tool body. This space is utilized for accommodating a bit to be exchanged with one used, and the bit is taken out from the space through the front end portion of the gripping portion by opening the cover.
The prior art further provides a bit accommodation unit, such as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid open (KOKAI) Publication No. 53 153584, in which a bit accommodation case is disposed on an upper portion of a main handle provided for a tool body and a case cover is provided on the upper portion of the tool body to be opened or closed. A bit to be exchanged is accommodated in this case and taken out by opening the cover.
The prior art further provides a bit accommodation unit, such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid open (KOKAI) Publication No. 56 56388, in which a bit accommodation recess is formed inside a grip portion of the tool body and a bit accommodation case is disposed detachably in the recess. The bit case is mounted in the recess or taken out therefrom with the bit being accommodated in the case.
However, in the first type structure of the prior art, since the gripping portion is additionally provided on the tool body, the bit cannot be accommodated in the tool body which is not provided with such an additional gripping portion. In the first and second type structures of the prior art, it is required to open the cover to transfer the bit in or out of the tool body and close the cover after the transfer, thus being inconvenient and making complicated the structure of the tool body. Furthermore, there is a fear of damaging or losing the cover during the life of the power tool. Also, if the cover is not completely closed, the bit may fall out.
Still furthermore, in the type of the third structure of the prior art, since the bit accommodation recess is formed in the gripping portion of the tool body, spaces for accommodating or incorporating other elements such as a motor switch are limited, thus being not practical. The transfer of the bit in or out of the bit accommodation unit would be troublesome.


A quality control apparatus for a beverage held in a beverage container. The apparatus includes a sensor configured to be in thermal communication with the beverage and detect attainment of a first predetermined temperature. The apparatus also includes a timer coupled with the sensor. The timer is configured to commence timing in response to detection of the attainment of the first predetermined temperature by the sensor. The apparatus also typically includes an indicator coupled to the timer and configured to indicate to a user a status of the timer.

In restaurants and cafes, coffee often is brewed into decanters, such as glass coffee pots, which are placed on hot plates to keep the coffee warm. Coffee typically is brewed at a temperature near 200.degree. F., and kept warm at a temperature near 180.degree. F. At these high temperatures, coffee breaks down over time, and becomes bitter and distasteful to the consumer. Therefore, old coffee periodically is thrown out and replaced with freshly brewed coffee. However, the hectic pace in a restaurant or cafe can cause the waitstaff to forget how long a given pot of coffee has been on the hot plate.
One current device to prevent broken-down coffee from being served is a plastic dial indicator shaped in the form of a clock face that clips around the outside of the neck of a coffee pot. The clock face includes hands that may be rotated by a user to show the time that the pot was brewed. Although the indicator has the face of a clock, it does not keep time.
Such a dial indicator device suffers from several problems. During the workday, waitstaff often are rushed, and may set the dial indicator some time before or after the coffee was brewed, or forget to set the dial indicator at all. Where the dial indicator is set when the coffee is brewed, it may be set to an incorrect time. When it is time to throw the coffee out, the waitstaff may notice the dial indicator late, or may not notice the dial indicator at all. Finally, the waitstaff may notice the dial indicator but purposefully ignore it, presuming, perhaps correctly, that the dial indicator is not accurate. As a result, it is difficult to ensure consumers that they will receive a fresh cup of coffee.
Another device to prevent broken-down coffee from being served is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,143 to Peterson, which shows a coffee pot stopper device having a pouring passage that is closed by a valve vane after a timer has expired, thereby preventing coffee from being poured from the pot. Several problems exist with the Peterson device. For example, the device must be removed each time coffee is added to the pot such as when the coffee pot is placed under a brewing machine. In addition, the device might close as a waitperson is pouring a cup of coffee for a patron. Further, the device must be set by a waitperson when coffee is introduced to the pot, which the waitperson may forget to do or delay doing. Finally, the device is bulky and contains moving parts that are likely to become soiled or rusted.
As consumers increasingly are demanding freshly brewed coffee, it is imperative for restaurants and cafes to provide quality controls to serve patrons as freshly brewed coffee as possible. To that end, it would be desirable to provide a device that attaches to a coffee pot, automatically keeps track of the length of time since the coffee was brewed, and indicates to the waitstaff when to throw the coffee out and brew a fresh pot.

Beverage quality control apparatus and method


In many fields, such as manufacturing and mining, compressed air is used as a power source for industrial equipment, hand power tools, etc. Extensive compressed air systems are installed in these environments to supply compressed air where it is needed. In mining, extensive belts are frequently used to move mined material. Idler rollers are located intermittently along these belts. Embodiments of the present invention include compressors located within these idler rollers. As the belt moves and causes the roller to turn, a compressor within the roller generates compressed air. Because the belt moves nearly continuously, but the compressed air may not be consumed continuously, the air will be vented periodically. Embodiments of the present invention use these vents to clean the filters for the system. Also, some embodiments of the compressor may be produced using a laminated, or stacked, method.

Compressed air is used extensively to power tools and mechanical systems. For example, manufacturing plants have entire systems of compressors, surge tanks, and pipes located throughout them in order to provide supplies of compressed air to power air cylinders in manufacturing equipment, hand tools powered by compressed air, air-over-oil hydraulic systems, nozzles for cleaning equipment, etc. The piping is equipped for quick connect to the compressed air system and this includes "drops" throughout the plant where hoses drop from overhead pipes to supply compressed air at needed locations. In manufacturing plants, these systems can be built using generally centralized compressors and tanks with statically located pipes, hoses, and access points.
Underground mining also extensively employs hand tools and equipment powered at least partially by compressed air. However, because of the nature of underground mining, large centrally located air compressors and static piping infrastructure are not as practical. As the desired material is removed from the mines, the locations of high activity in the mines move. Additionally, the mining environment is a difficult environment to install elaborate infrastructure, such as static piping systems. Flexible hoses are not a desirable substitute for rigid piping systems since mining environments are very harsh with the coming and going of equipment posing risks of piercing and cutting the hoses, while equipment or debris could pinch off the hoses. Loss of air pressure for equipment relying on compressed air could have drastic consequences. There remains a need for means of providing compressed air to remote locations in underground mines as well as other above ground applications. Embodiments of the present invention have applications in other environments beyond mining, as well.


A commodity sales data processing apparatus determines, based on the imaged image of the commodity, whether or not the commodity is provided with an image display element for displaying a specific image representing that the commodity is a commodity adhered with a security tag, if it determines that the commodity is a commodity adhered with a security tag, the processing that the first resonant circuit become unusable for the security tag using the first communication device is carried out, in this state, if the first communication device carries out no communication and the second communication device carries out communication, carries out for shifting the processing of next commodity.

In supermarket, retail store, department store and other shops, a security store system (e.g. refer to Patent Document 1) of a gate structure is sometimes adopted to prevent thefts and pickpockets.
This security store system is structured as follows: a gate in which a wireless device for realizing a near-distance wireless communication is built is arranged at the entrance/exit of a store, and a security tag is adhered on the commodity displayed in the store as a wireless tag provided with a resonant circuit. When people carrying a commodity adhered with the security tag, that is, a commodity with an effective security tag, passes the gate, the wireless device built in the gate carries out a near-distance wireless communication to make the resonant circuit of the security label resonate to detect a tag signal, then an alarm device configured at a given position sounds an alarm.
In the case where the security store system above is applied, when a commodity is off a checkout counter, a tag signal eliminating signal should be sent to the resonant circuit of the security tag to destroy the resonant circuit so that even if the wireless device built in the gate carries out a near-distance wireless communication, the resonant circuit of the security tag will not resonate to send a tag signal (hereinafter referred to as 'eliminate the security tag').

Commodity sales data processing apparatus, checkout system and control method


A method of providing access to an online marketplace via a printer driver that is in communication with a networked printing device. The marketplace offers printer capabilities which are compatible with the networked printing device. The computing device receives a request to purchase one of the printer capabilities for the networked printing device. The printer driver associates the purchased printer capability with the computing device.

Printers are common peripheral devices attached to computers. A printer allows a computer user to make a hard copy of documents that are created in a variety of applications and programs on a computer. To function properly, a channel of communication is established between the printer and the computer to enable the printer to receive commands and information from the host computer. Common ways of accomplishing this are through the use of a connective cable directly between the printer and a port on the host computer or through a network connection.
Once a connection is established between the workstation and the printer, the document to be printed is translated into a format that the printer recognizes. To accomplish this, software is loaded onto the host computer that converts code representing a document to be printed into a format that the printer can understand. This software is referred to as a printer driver.
Currently printers may be sold with various options or features, and they may be sold with ancillary products such as toner or paper. Various patents also teach using a computer to connect to a network for purchasing and supplying options, features, or products for a printer. U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2006/0152760, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, teaches an automatic supply ordering system for purchasing consumable or replacement parts in a printer. U.S. Patent Application Publication Numbers 2002/0072998, 2005/0074246, and 2006/0242030, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, teach supply systems for ordering compatible parts of a printing device. However, these systems have limited functions and do not enable customization of printer functions for individual users on a network.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2002/0067504, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, teaches a method and apparatus upgrading a printer driver by searching the web for a new version of the printer driver software. However, this method is an automatic upgrade process and does not provide the user with the opportunity to customize upgrades or select additional items.
The disclosure contained herein describes the methods of resolving one or more of the problems discussed above.

Print driver based marketing system and method


Because we needed a new color saturation processing in tune with dynamic range transformations necessary for handling the recently introduced high dynamic range image encoding, we describe a color saturation modification apparatus (101) arranged to determine linear color differences (R-Y,G-Y,B-Y) on the basis of an input color (R,G,B) and a luminance (Y) of the input color, and to do a multiplication of the linear color differences (R-Y,G-Y,B-Y) with a gain (g), characterized in that the apparatus is arranged to determine the gain as a function of a difference value (V_in-Y) being defined as the value of the highest one of the linear color differences (R-Y,G-Y,B-Y).

Saturation is a more difficult technical quantity than it would seem to lay men who get a small part of the story. Psychovisually, it is one of the meaningful properties of a color (of an object) that can be derived by the brain having an eye with three different cone types. Photometrically/Colorimetrically, it is a measure of how close a color is to a monochromatic spectrum of the same hue, or in other words how far it is from white, and then it is typically called purity. There it relates with such physical properties like e.g. an amount of colorant in an outer layer of an object. Mathematically for image color processing technology, it relates to some radial axis processing in some color space, by moving closer to or further away from some white. And this processing has to model how nature generates purities, and more specifically, how humans would perceive them. Furthermore, since colorfulness is dependent on luminance, the brain can derive three kinds of "saturation", which are called colorfulness, chroma, and saturation respectively, but in this text for simplicity we will use the word saturation, as it will be clear to the skilled person what we mean.
Because another source of "complexity" is that saturation processing (and definitions) can be done in all kinds of spaces (with cylinder respectively cone or biconal shape), some of which are inherently scaled to the gamut extent, but have a deformed relationship compared to the linear nature of light, and others which may be simple, but can lead to clipping, especially because of the non-linear tent shape of 3 (or multi) primary additive displays.
Prior art has yielded a body of general saturation teachings, which were logically mostly concerned with image processing, usually the beautification of images. If one models human preferences for images, then one thing which stands out generally is that humans oftentimes prefer highly saturated images. Of course also desaturated pastel images may be beautiful, and hence color technology needs to be able to make those colors too. And, do so given the particulars of a technology, which we will assume here (non-limiting, for simplicity of elucidation) to be that of additive displays.
There was also specific prior art in the area of camera capturing, and formatting the captured images in the limited gamut of a standard image format, like e.g. PAL. Note that all saturation-related prior art is going to have at least some similarities. One should note that because saturation works in a gamut along outwards direction from the (zero saturation) luminance axis, all equations will likely have some form of the type color component minus unsaturated luma component. However, differences between some coordinate system with e.g. two particular chromatic dimensions versus some three-dimensional specification of the mathematics, and in particular linear versus non-linear color representations and the handling of color transformations in those respective spaces, may have very different colorimetric behavior, i.e. need to be contemplated with care, and hence are not trivially transformed into each other. It should also be understood that a mathematical transformation applied may be linear, e.g. a color matrixing, but if it is applied in a non-linear space, the final colorimetric behavior is still non-linear (because of the extra non-linearity of the transformation to that secondary color space, the physics of light and colorimetry ultimately being linear, as representatble in e.g. some linear RGB representation which can be used to stimulate the primary conopsin reaction in cones).
EP0647069 deals with a system for correctly formatting camera output in regions of higher brightness, so that e.g. no or reduced facial discoloration happens. These cameras have a so-called soft-clipper or knee circuit (FIG. 1, 2) on the luma component, to diminish yet keeping a little bit of the highlights. One should also mind that older type cameras based on scanning might have had a somewhat more non-linear overflow behavior, but CCD cameras would typically have a full-well limitation already, but still, such knee behavior could still help to keep a few highlights in the image, whilst not darkening the main part with the actors too much. In terms of this kneeing system behavior, this patent then adds a saturation-affecting circuit part. Firstly we'd like to note that these systems were not really intended to optimally handle HDR scenes, which might have higher brightness regions which are 10 or even 50 times brighter than the main brightness region on which the camera exposed. One kept a soft knee but clipped most of the really brighter regions to white anyway with that circuit. Secondly it is important to understand, that such cameras use non-linear R′G′B′ color components, and a non-linear luminance component Y′, which we will call for clarity luma (because that is what the YUV of PAL is). This means that the colorimetric behavior, whether in the upper parts of the encodable color gamut or anywhere else, will be different, and circuits even if somewhat similar will not be equatable. Lastly and most importantly, this system just gets whatever K-factor comes out of component 7 (and which is certainly not solely a function of V-Y), but definitely has no means to set a specification as desired by a grader, i.e. any particular saturation-modification behavior, as the specific nature of the current e.g. HDR shot may desire.
DE19812526 is another color saturation modification circuit which of course works on color difference components (again non-linear ones because that is what the standard nomenclature PR and PB stands for), but in addition to the above differences again, like a not allowing for a human-specifiable saturation gain, this patent works only on two color differences and is even further removed from any usable teaching towards our below described technologies. It was well-known that such "UV"-type saturation circuits existed priorly, because it was a very cheap convenient manner to do some saturation processing in a television which already got YUV video as input, i.e. before conversion to the required RGB for controlling the display.
EP1333684 is merely a specific saturation processing method for a display, which guarantees that the largest possible saturation boost doesn't clip. It was well-known that by boosting a color component, which may decrease a color component below 0, or create a luminance above Ymax, or create any undesirable color, which is (or rather should be because the electronics will clip it to an incorrect value) outside the RGB gamut of all possible definable colors, i.e. cannot actually be rendered on a television. The result of the clipping to a color which is displayable, but wrong, will have effects on the luminance or even the hue of that color, i.e. show it as a different hue from what it is supposed to be. That can be an annoying error, especially compared to a (small) desaturation. These kinds of system are typically for small errors, e.g. do to noise or filter behavior [0007], but not involved with potentially large e.g. desaturations needed for dynamic range conversion. This leads to several differences, e.g. that they monitor a maximum Ymax, which our below methods don't do, and in principle we can with the below methods design saturation strategies which do go outside gamut (i.e. clip) for a considerable amount of image colors, all depending on what the human color grading judges suitable for this image being processed. In addition to all that of course also the same differences like with the first mentioned patent exist, in particular that there is no means taught or even vaguely inspired for allowing a human to determine a specific (V-Y)-based saturation strategy, let alone for optimal coding of two image looks of considerably different dynamic range on a range of display peak brightnesses which should be supportable with an optimally graded image of a HDR scene.
EP0677972 is about handling colorimetric behavior above a particular set reference value s (again in a non-linear color space, NTSC, which was the television color space in Japan in the 90s). As can be seen in FIG. 3C, although the circuit comprises a saturation part, it is not about regulating a saturation behavior if not everywhere at least in a substantial part of the color gamut, but only in the highest tip of the RGB gamut. Of course having different design rationale etc., a very different technical system and teaching comes out. E.g. in one circuit embodiment there is a maximum detector, but of R′G′B′ rather than R-Y, G-Y,B-Y, which gives very different numerical values, and even globally very different colorimetric behavior for different reasons.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,743,114 is yet another particular, irrelevant for our purposes, manner to create a saturation strategy which doesn't allow out-of-gamut problems which give severe colorimetric errors. As shown in FIG. 3, it deals with the fact that if one applies saturation processing mathematics in YCrCb (which is the non-linear digital equivalent of YUV), one may get colors which although still existing, i.e. representable, in a [0,255] YCrCb cube, again correspond to unrepresentable RGB (one can verify that even slightly rotating a cube of the same dimensions would already lead to regions codable in one cube which fall outside the rotated one). So one must be careful not to saturate too much. It happens that one can guarantee to use an appropriate maxsat by checking two conditions which correspond to lines, which are mathematically however very different from what we describe below, and again miss features like speciafibility of any desired g(V-Y) function, etc. Or stated yet in another manner, none of the colorimetric behavior as we have in e.g. FIG. 5 is realizable with any of the above circuits, even in case of the very simplest imaginable g(V-Y) specifications.
The below invention embodiments were worked out in particular in a framework of newly emerging high dynamic range image handling (processing and in particular coding for sending over wired or wireless video communication networks to receivers in other long distance or short distance locations, such as home computers, consumer TVs, settopboxes, but also e.g. professional movie theatre video receiving apparatuses etc.).
U.S. Pat. No. 8,218,625 describes a method to communicate both an LDR image and a HDR image to a receiver. However, the method only seems to disclose the requirement for tone, i.e. luminance remapping, and not what should be done with the colors, let alone a need for a specific way of handling color saturation as in the present application. Furthermore the method of '625 would seem to communicate the HDR image as an LDR image plus an image of ratios (L HDR/L LDR), i.e. seems to be at least prima facie an incompatible approach with the one we envisage as a useful HDR encoding application for our new saturation processing, i.e. it is not prima facie clear how it would relate to or lead to any of our below embodiments.
The requirements for this field of HDR video technology are different than what off-the-shelf saturation knowledge can cater for. In particular, we have developed a HDR video encoding framework which can encode a number of images (for one time instant of presentation) intended for displays of various dynamic range capabilities (in particular peak brightnesses of say 5000 nit, 1200 nit, and 200 nit), which bundle of images encoding needs to actually transmit only one image (per time instant) for a reference dynamic range of e.g. 1500 or 1000 or 100 nit, and as metadata a number of functions which are used at the receiver side e.g. in the settopbox to calculate at least one second image, e.g. for a connected display of 700 nit (see WO2011/107905, WO2014/041471, WO2014/056679). E.g., consider we transmit or store for later use an image optimally color graded by its creator for presentation on a 5000 nit High Dynamic Range (HDR) reference display, which image is supplemented with metadata color mapping functions for deriving a 100 nit image for rendering on an Low Dynamic Range (LDR) display. The receiving e.g. television of 100 nit peak brightness, will apply those color mapping functions to the 5000 nit HDR image, to get its appropriate 100 nit LDR image. That LDR image, or rather the metadata functions functionally encoding it, was typically also color graded by the creator as an image which looked reasonable on LDR displays (e.g. a close approximation of the HDR image rendering on a HDR display, given of course the limitations of an LDR display). We have elaborated a number of luminance mapping functions for mapping the luminances of pixels in the two images of different dynamic range, since primarily dynamic range mapping is an optimization giving the original luminances of objects in a e.g. HDR image corresponding luminances in the range of possible LDR luminances (the other way around mapping LDR to HDR is of course similarly possible, with different mapping functions). Dynamic range mapping is a general color mapping problem, not just involving transformation of the luminance color component. E.g., as said above, the colorfulness of an object depends on its luminance, so if we need to map because of gamut/dynamic range technical limitations or artistic choices the luminances of an object in the first image to darker luminances in the second image, then the creator may want to combine this with a boost of the saturation of that object. Also, because the tent-shaped gamut of a (e.g.) 3-primary additive display is rather complex, and pointed as a function of luminance, it may be useful if also for that optimization color control is possible.
However, especially when the metadata needs to be co-encoded and transmitted, there are technical limitations leading to solutions which would be more or less practical. So if any color processing methods or apparatuses have to be consistent with potential remote communicated specification of color processing, they have to conform to those limitations. Even more so because some of the video communication modes in the various different technologies needing HDR video coding (e.g. HDMI) may involve a limited bandwidth or number of data words per image to transmit any metadata. So one must smartly chose which functions are transmitted, since in this framework they determine which images can be encoded, but also determine how reasonably or unreasonably complex the receiving integrated circuits should always be, since they have to do the color mapping. Moreover, the functions also form a toolbox of functions allowing a grader to encode new dynamic range looks for his image content, so those tools should not be too few, nor too many, not be too complex, and in particular have a good major order impact on the color transformation of the image, in particular those aspects which are mostly needed for dynamic range transforms.
It was a problem that neither such adapted color processing tools, nor knowledge sufficiently inspiring how to develop them, was generally available, so we had to develop them. In WO2014128586 we introduced a saturation processing definition as function of a brightness variable like luminance, but we desired another useful saturation adaptation definition, and we will describe embodiments below.

Saturation processing specification for dynamic range mappings


In a method for cleaning the needle bar, in particular a top comb for textile machinery, comprising at least one row of needles or needle-like stamped elements, which are held between two cover plates, whereby the needle tips protrude, while forming free passageways, by a certain amount between those free passageways beyond the lower edge of the cover plates, and whereby compressed air is guided through the free passageways, it is provided, in order to attain an optimum guidance of the fiber band and a complete combing, that depending on the working cycle of the machine, into which the needle bar is inserted, the free passageways between the needles, respectively the region before the needles are alternately activated with overpressure or underpressure. A needle strip according to the invention which is particularly suitable for putting the method into practice, is formed of needle-like stamped elements, which comprise asymetrical lateral projections, and which are lined up in such manner that the projections are directed towards the one or the other side in alternating manner, so that air channels are formed between the projections.

A method of this type and a corresponding needle bar are known from DE 37 22 481 B1. Herein it is already described that is possible to work with overpressure or underpressure for producing a cleaning air-flow. The measures described in the generic patent specification aim exclusively to replace the previously mechanically executed cleaning of the cleaning comb, e.g. by means of cleaning blades, as they are approximately known from DE 29 42 588 A1, by a cleaning by means of an airflow, which mechanically treats the needles with care, and which is also feasible in case of narrow spacial conditions.

Method for cleaning a needle bar, in particular a top comb for textile machinery, and needle bars for putting the method into practice


A vacuum film formation method for forming at least one inorganic layer on a support, which comprise transporting a support of which the area of the surface to be coated with an inorganic layer formed thereon is a (unit: cm2) into a first vacuum tank having a capacity of at most 100a (unit: cm3) under atmospheric pressure, degassing the first vacuum tank into a vacuum, transporting the support from the first vacuum tank to a second vacuum tank while the vacuum condition is kept as such, and forming at least one inorganic layer on the support in the second vacuum tank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming at least one inorganic layer on a support. The invention also relates -to a barrier laminate having an excellent barrier property, to a device and an optical component comprising the barrier laminate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in the field of liquid-crystal display devices, organic EL devices (organic electroluminescent devices) and the like, plastic film substrates have become used in place of heavy and crackable glass substrates, as being advantageous in that they are lightweight and are hardly crackable and, in addition, they are flexible. However, as compared with glass substrates, plastic film substrates are problematic in that their water-vapor barrier property is poor. When a substrate having a poor water-vapor barrier property is used in liquid-crystal display devices or organic EL devices, the devices may have display defects owing to water vapor penetration into the liquid-crystal cell, etc.
Accordingly, for enhancing the barrier property of plastic film substrates, widely employed is a technique of forming an inorganic layer having a barrier property on a plastic film support. For example, there are known a plastic film support coated with silicon oxide through vapor deposition thereon (for example, see JP-B 53-12953 (pp. 1-3)), and a plastic film support coated with aluminum oxide through vapor deposition thereon (for example, see JP-A 58-217344 (pp. 1-4)). In addition, also known is a plastic film support coated with silicon oxide, aluminum oxide or indium/tin composite oxide according to a sputtering method; and the best one of the type exhibits a barrier property of 0.011 g/m2/day/inorganic layer (for example, see JP-A 2002-264274 (p. 4)).
In forming an inorganic layer on a support under a vacuum condition as in a sputtering method, the support must be conveyed and processed in order in plural closed chambers. For example, JP-A 2001-335916 (FIG. 2) describes a process of treating a support by conveying it in order in a load-locking chamber, a degassing chamber, an inorganic layer forming chamber and an unloading chamber all having nearly the same capacity.

Vacuum film formation method for inorganic layer, barrier laminate, device, and optical component


A multi-purpose horseshoe which is light in weight and yet strong and durable, the horseshoe including a lightweight, aluminum U-shaped foot portion which has a continuous groove formed along substantially its entire length and continuous steel calk running along substantially the entire length of the foot portion. The calk includes a wedge-shaped portion having a pointed ridge projecting beyond the foot portion opposite to and at a constant distance from the flat of the foot portion and a continuous rib which is press-fitted within the continuous groove of the foot portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a horseshoe and, more particularly, to a horseshoe having a continuous wedged-shaped calk running along substantially its entire length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past a wide variety of shoes has been utilized to protect horses' hoofs from injury and provide the horses with increased traction. The various conventional shoes, however, have all presented certain disadvantages.
Steel or cast iron horseshoes have conventionally been used to shoe horses for hunting. These shoes are durable and amply protect the horse's hoof, but are heavy and tend to tire and slow down the horse. Steel and cast iron shoes are too heavy to be effectively used for horse racing, polo, steeplechases, three-day events, quarter horse events, and horse shows where speed and quickness are important.
To provide lighter shoes, it has been conventionally known to make shoes from lighter metals such as aluminum. However, these lighter aluminum shoes do not provide the traction that steel shoes do, wear out more easily and, in fact, may break and thereby injure a horse's hoof. To at least partially overcome these problems, aluminum horseshoes have been made to include permanently fixed or removable calks or studs. While one or more of these calks or studs increases the traction of the aluminum shoe, a plurality of calks or studs does not measurably increase the overall strength and durability of the shoe. Furthermore, horseshoes having one or more such calks or studs do not allow the horse to stand with its hoofs in a level position. The resultant unnatural canting of the horse's hoof for a prolonged period of time can injure the horse's hoofs and legs.
Another conventional horseshoe, known as a polyshoe, is made completely of steel but is extremely narrow. This shoe is light in weight, but does not cover and protect much of the horse's hoof. Futhermore, polyshoes have a small weight-bearing surface and, therefore, place the impact and strain of running upon a small portion of a horse's hoof.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a horseshoe which is light in weight, provides good traction, covers and protects a large portion of the horse's hoof and permits the horse to stand with its hoofs in a level position.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention comprises a U-shaped foot portion forming the body of the shoe and including a flat for lying against the horse's hoof, a continuous calk running along substantially the entire length of the foot portion and including a wedge-shaped portion having a pointed ridge projecting beyond the foot portion opposite to and at a constant distance from the flat, and means for securely attaching the continuous calk to the foot portion.
The horseshoe of this invention overcomes the problems of the prior conventional horseshoes by providing a lightweight horseshoe which is strong, durable and protective and which provides the horse with maximum traction. The U-shaped foot portion of the shoe is made of a lightweight metal such as aluminum which permits the use of a wide shoe without unduly increasing the shoe's total weight. The wedge-shaped calk is made of a heavier but stronger material such as steel and provides a shoe of increased strength and durability over conventional aluminum horseshoes. The continuity of the calk permits the horse to stand with its hoof in a flat, normal position; the pointed ridge of the calk provides a firm grip upon almost all surfaces; and the angled surface of the calk allows the shoe to slide rather than to catch on irregular surfaces and thereby avoid tripping the horse.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one embodiment of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Horseshoe with a continuous wedge-shaped calk


A passive armour for protection against shaped charges, comprising a rigid enclosure or body filled with hollow microspheres made of a material having a density greater than 7 g/cm3 and hardness at least equal to Rockwell A 83.4(equal to 64 RC and 800 Vickers). The armour can be made integral to a basic armour element or it could be an add-on to a basic armour plate. It can be used for the protection of an enclosure selected from the group consisting of land vehicles such as battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers and armoured fighting vehicles; static structures and aircrafts.

This invention relates generally to the field of armour and armoured vehicles. More specifically, it concerns a passive armour for protection against shaped charges
In the old days, the armours were normally made of a homogeneous metal plate made of steel or other high strength alloyed metal. The effectiveness of these plates depends on their thickness. Theoretically, these plates could defeat most forms of attack provided that the plate is thick enough. However, in practice the thickness is limited by considerations of cost and weight. The mobility of an armoured vehicle is an important aspect of performance, which is reduced by excessive weight.
An armour plate with an improved resistance to impact has been developed by the militaries. Such armour plate is made of steel with a high content of residual austenite. The presence of residual austenite allows a release of the mechanical stresses when the plate is under tension. The impact of a projectile striking on the plate put the same under tension. This tension leads to a decrease of the intrinsic compression stresses, which were preventing the final transformation of the residual austenite present in the microstructure, and thus induces the transformation of the residual austenite. This transformation, which is accompanied by a volume increase of approximately 4%, makes it possible to delay and even to prevent the material from reaching the maximum stresses sustainable before the point of rupture. This effect occurs when the projectiles have a velocity that corresponds to the velocity of a typical ballistic projectile. However, such armour plate has proved to be inefficient when the projectile travels at very high speed typical of shaped charges.
Shaped charges are weapons also known as hollow charge munitions, warheads with shaped-charged munitions, kinetic energy projectiles or lined cavity charges. A shaped charge can pierce a thick armour plate having a thickness as large as 19 inches (48.26 cm). A shaped charge fired on an armoured vehicle can pierce the armour of the same and explode within the vehicle thereby destroying the protected objects or people within the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,605 gives a description of a shaped charge and of the working of such weapon. FIG. 1 which substantially corresponds to FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,605 shows a shaped charge in the form of a bomblet 1 at the point in time of striking against the surface 100 of a target protected with an armour. The bomblet 1 consists essentially of a housing 2, which is filled with an explosive 3 in such a manner that this explosive 3 surrounds a downwardly opening insert 4, which is constituted of a material, such as copper. The explosive 3 that is through-detonated by means of a fuse 6 presses the insert 4 together at a high rate of speed so that, from the tip region of the insert 4, there is formed a hollow charge-jet or a jet 5. The insert 4 is thus deformed by means of the detonation of the explosive 3 into the jet 5, which moves under a continual stretching effect towards the surface 100 and penetrates into the latter. The peak velocities of the particles, which form the jet 5, lie hereby between 5 and 10 kilometers per second (km/sec), whereas the diameter of the formed jet 5 lies within the millimeter range. At a complete precision, in homogeneous steel armour there are attained penetrating depths, which lie between 4 to 8 times the largest insert diameter. The mechanical impact detonation is effected, as a rule, in that a detonating needle 7 due to its inertia, upon striking against the object moves in a passageway 8 towards the fuse 6, and pierces the latter, as a result of which there is detonated the bomblet 1. The fuse 6 thereby brings the explosive 3 to detonation.
The power capability of the bomblet 1 depends essentially upon the stretching or expansion of the jet 5. This is achieved in that the originally quasi-homogeneous jet at the point in time of its formation is stretched and thereby is caused to be particularized. A depth effect is then obtained from the addition of the individual power of the individual particle forming the jet 5, which must penetrate behind each other in an absolutely precise manner. The stretching of the jet 5 takes place continuously, whereby the distance between the particles from the tip in the direction of the bomblet 1 continually reduces. For a desired penetrating power, it is necessary to provide a specific stretching path 9, which is generally designated as a stand-off. The stand-off 9 is formed by the distance of the lower conical boundary of the insert 4 to the surface 10. It is known that the optimal piercing speed of the jet is obtained at a stand-off of approximately three times the diameter of the insert 4. This phenomenon is known in the US as the Munroe effect whereas, in Germany, it is known as the Neuman effect. FIG. 2b shows the path of the jet within the thickness of an armour. It is now generally recognised by the scientific community that the jet of metal in fusion that propagates within the thickness of the armour is subject to an erosion effect whereby the jet gradually wears away by abrasion against the surfaces (102) defining the hole made by the same in the armour. This erosion effect is believed to be one of the major causes explaining the stop of the jet. The capacity of a shaped charge to pierce thick armour walls results from the extremely high speed (several thousand meters per second) obtained by the jet.
Many attempts have been made in the prior art to reduce the devastating piercing effect of the shaped charges. Among these attempts, there are the reactive armours provided with explosives. These reactive armours consist of a layer of metal backed by a layer of explosive material. The explosive is detonated by the attack and the metal layer is thus projected into or across the path of the attacking device so as to destroy or degrade its attack mechanism. Examples of such reactive armours are given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,152 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,824. One important drawback with such reactive armours is the collateral damages often caused to the people or army troops surrounding the armoured vehicle under attack. In such case, the shaped charge that explodes at the outer surface of the armour does not cause damage to the people or objects within the vehicle but to the people outside the same.
Also known in the prior art are the armours adapted to deviate the jet from its course before it strikes against the target surface. An example of such armour is given in U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,704, which discloses an armour system comprising a plurality of inclined plates positioned with respect to an incoming projectile in front of the wall target. Another example is given in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,605 wherein an arrangement for protection against shaped charges is disclosed. Such arrangement comprises disruptive bodies provided on the surface of the target object. The height, shape and arrangement of the disruptive bodies are dimensioned such that at least one such body, for the disruption of the jet formation of the shaped charge, can penetrate into an internal region of a hollow charge insert or into the so-called stand-off region of the shaped charge. The principle of the arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,605 is predicated on that the formation of a symmetrical jet of a bomblet can be prevented, and thereby the power thereof can be quite significantly reduced.
The so important piercing capacity of a shaped charge on a prior art armour made of steel or other alloyed metal can be explained by the fact that the velocity of the jet at the point of impact on the surface of the armour is such that no plastic deformation of the target material can occur. The material is thus subject to a brittle fracture limited only by the density and the hardness of the target material. Once the crack has been initiated at the surface of the armour, its propagation through the armour is flashing. FIG. 2 illustrates the piercing effect (11) of a shaped charge (1) (FIG. 2b) compared with the effect of a traditional ballistic projectile (13) (FIG. 2a). Since no mechanical properties of the material helps limiting the penetration capacity of the jet, apart from the density and a marginal effect of the hardness of the material, it is possible to pierce thick steel plates of 19 inches (48.26 cm) thickness with a relatively small charge.
The following formula of Christman-Gehring modified by Doyle and Buchholz (1973) give the penetration distance of a jet formed by a shaped charge:
P=(Lxe2x88x92D)(xcfx81p/xcfx81t)xc2xd+0.13(xcfx81p/xcfx81t)⅓(E1/Bmax)⅓
wherein
P is the penetration depth
L is the length of the projectile
D is the diameter of the projectile
xcfx81p is the density of the projectile
xcfx81t is the density of the target
E1 is the kinetic energy remaining after the jet has penetrated beyond the surface of the target; and
Bmax is the hardness of the target.
This formula has two parts, the first one corresponding to the primary penetration and the second one corresponding to the secondary penetration also called inertial penetration. Overall, the only variables limiting the depth of penetration are the hardness and the density. In view of the actual theory around shaped charges and the weight factor of the vehicle to be armoured, it is very difficult to obtain an armour that will satisfactorily protect the vehicle.
A lot of developments have been made to provide an armour for protection against shaped charges, however there is still a need for a passive armour which will be efficacious as well as relatively light as compared to prior art attempts so as to not overload the protected object.
An object of the present invention is to provide a passive armour that satisfies the above-mentioned need.
In accordance with the present invention, this object is achieved with a passive armour for protection against shaped charges, the passive armour comprising a rigid enclosure filled with hollow microspheres made of a material having a density greater than 7 g/cm3 and a hardness at least equal to 800 Vickers (64 RC or Rockwell A 83.4), more preferably the hardness ranges from 2400 Vickers to 3200 Vickers.
The improved capacity of a passive armour according to the invention relies on the fact that the hollow microspheres give to the overall structure a global capacity to plastic deformation, the plastic deformation concept being understood herein to be the deformation occurring in a material prior to its final rupture and to the energy absorbed by such deformation. The microspheres also provide to the structure a multiplicity of surfaces and thus a multiplicity of crack""s initiation sites. In other words, the jet to pierce the armour has to initiate a multiplicity of cracks at the surface of these so many microspheres, which are made of a very hard and dense material. And thanks to the fact that those microspheres are hollow, the cracks thus formed cannot propagate within the microsphere. The jet is thus always facing new surfaces of a hard and dense material, which material requires a very important quantity of energy to initiate a crack therein. Because of these microspheres, most of the initial energy of the jet is used to initiate a multiplicity of cracks at the surface of those microspheres and not to pierce the armour. The energy generated by the high velocity shaped charge thus loses almost all of its devastating effect.
The erosion of the jet against the surfaces of the fragmented microspheres also greatly helps limiting the capacity of the jet to penetrate deep within the armour. This could be explained by the fact that those surfaces which are obtained from the brittle fracture of a very hard material are in the form of sharp edges providing efficacious abrasion surfaces which gradually slow down and stop the propagation of the jet.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the enclosure is preferably in the form of a plate and the microspheres are preferably embedded in a matrix. In such a case, the matrix is preferably made of a material selected from the group consisting of an organic material and a metallic material. More preferably, the metallic materiel is selected from the group consisting of miltary steels, high-strength low-alloy steels, nitinol, tool steels and martensitic steels with residual austenite content.
The hollow microspheres are preferably carbide microspheres, the carbide being more preferably selected from the group consisting of WC, TiC, NbC, SiC and BC.
Also preferably, the microspheres occupy in volume at least 20% of the total volume of the enclosure. Most preferably, the microspheres occupy at least one third of the enclosure.
In accordance with another aspect, the present invention provides a passive armour for protection against shaped charges, the passive armour comprising:
a body made a plurality of hollow microspheres of tungsten carbide embedded in a metallic matrix, the microspheres occupying in volume at least 20% of the total volume of the body and having a diameter ranging from 10 xcexcm to 500 xcexcm. In accordance with a further aspect, the present invention proposes the use of a passive armour as defined above for the protection of an enclosure selected from the group consisting of land vehicles, static structures and aircrafts.
A passive armour according to the invention may be made integral to a basic armour element or it could be used as an add-on to a basic armour plate.

Passive armor for protection against shaped charges


An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit configured to develop an electrostatic latent image, a mounting detection unit configured to detect that a container T is mounted on a mounting unit, a driving unit configured to rotate the container T, a rotation detection unit configured to detect rotation information about the container T, and a controller configured to control the driving unit based on the rotation information. If the container T is detected to be mounted on the mounting unit, control of the driving unit is not carried out based on the rotation information until replenishment information satisfies a predetermined condition.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus on which a container containing toner is mounted.
Description of the Related Art
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus forms a toner image by developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive member with a developer (hereinafter, referred to as toner) in a developing unit. The developing unit can store only a limited amount of toner inside. The developing unit thus needs to be replenished, when needed, with toner from a container detachably mounted on the main body of the image forming apparatus.
US Patent 2014/0016967 discusses a container that includes a rotation unit to be driven to rotate, a pump unit configured to change an internal pressure of a containing unit containing toner to discharge the toner from the containing unit, and a conversion unit configured to convert rotational motion of the rotation unit into expansion and contraction of the pump unit. The container discharges the toner in the containing unit by making the pump unit expand and contract according to the rotation of the container. More specifically, when the pump unit expands, air sucked in from a discharge port loosens the toner in the containing unit. The pump unit is then compressed to pressurize the containing unit, whereby the air in the container pushes the toner covering the discharge port out of the discharge port.
To accurately control the amount of toner discharged from such a container, the rotation speed of the container needs to be accurately controlled. The rotation speed may be controlled, for example, by measuring the time during which a predetermined portion formed on the container in the direction of rotation is detected while the container is rotated, and controlling the rotation speed of the container based on the measured time. However, with such a configuration, the rotation speed of the container can vary even while the predetermined portion of the container is being detected, depending on the rotation angle of the container when the container is mounted on a mounting unit. As a result, it is not possible to accurately measure the time during which the predetermined portion of the container is detected, or precisely control the rotation speed of the container.

Image forming apparatus including a developing unit to develop an electrostatic latent image on a photosensitive member


A coiled, closed-loop RF current attenuator is configured to be placed about an implantable lead conductor. A coiled conductor extends in a coiled shape defining a longitudinal axis from a first coil end to a second coil end. The first coil end is electrically connected to the second coil end. An insulator is disposed about the coiled conductor. The closed loop attenuator can also include in series a short, a capacitor and/or a resistor. In some embodiments the closed loop attenuator can be resonant at an MRI RF-pulsed frequency. The closed loop attenuator can be integrated as a permanent part of an implantable lead conductor, or alternatively, be a stand-alone device that is placed about a premade implantable lead conductor.

It is well known in the prior art that implanted leads, inside of a patient, can overheat during exposure to high RF intense fields, particularly those of an MRI scanner. The pulsed RF field of the MRI scanner efficiently couples to certain lengths of implanted leads, thereby inducing substantial currents. These currents can cause overheating at electrodes or at other locations along an implanted lead, thereby presenting a danger to the patient. One is referred to U.S. Pat. No. 8,244,370, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein with this reference. In particular, with reference to the background of the '370 invention, it will be better understood how MRI scanners can induce currents on implantable leads and how said currents can result in a danger to patients. One is also referred to U.S. Pat. No. 8,301,243, the contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference. The '243 patent provides further information as to how MRI scanners can present a danger to patients with implanted lead.

Coiled, closed-loop RF current attenuator configured to be placed about an implantable lead conductor


The present invention provides a method for accurately evaluating the operation of a device by the synchronized analog simulation of software and hardware using numerical integration to model the hardware. The synchronized simulation is conducted by a control program that is embedded in the software processing model and superimposed on the numerical integration program so as to execute the software operating instructions in proper time relation relative to the calculated hardware waveforms. The invention control program determines whether hardware simulation time has passed to a point at which the prior operating instruction has been completed, and the next instruction is to be executed. The program computes elapsed time for the software and schedules the activation of the next instruction.

The use of microprocessor operated software to control the functioning of analog electronic devices is increasing. Computer modeling software has been developed to simulate and evaluate such analog systems as a design aid. The target role of this computer modeling includes (but is not limited to):                1. Debugging and verifying the microprocessor software and its interactions with the hardware,        2. Verifying specification of new hardware modules proposed for incorporation into the electronic device, and        3. Comparative evaluation of alternative microprocessor products for running the operating software.
To check and refine the complete design in this manner, simultaneous operation of the hardware and the software must both be modeled, but this has been done only in the digital domain. Known digital simulation programs incorporate analog components as behavioral descriptions that do not accurately evaluate the system at an analog waveform level. Therefore, to achieve a desired degree of accuracy, each simulation of an analog system has required custom programming to fit the needs of the project. Custom programs are typically specific to the actual steps in the operating software, whereas a general test and simulation program should be machine-independent down to the hexadecimal code level.
The simultaneous simulation of hardware and software in the digital domain has been done with such products as Seamless® Hardware/Software Co-Verification by Mentor Graphics and SPW® (Signal Processing Workstation) by Cadence Design. However, none of the existing systems for co-simulation of hardware and software supports the analog waveform simulation needed to obtain an acceptable level of detail to accurately verify analog system performance. A custom designed program can be created for such analog accuracy, but associated costs make this route prohibitive for anything short of large scale systems.
A software analog simulation capability has been demonstrated by Avant! comprising a micro-controller model that executes software during analog simulation. Unfortunately, this model restricts the numerical integration of the analog equations to fractions of a microsecond corresponding to the microprocessor clock. This small time-step limitation makes it impractical to simulate significant portions of system operation.
As used in the description below, the operating software directs input to the model or physical hardware based on feedback, and the control software actuates the simulation model.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the synchronized simulation of system hardware together with its controlling microprocessor software in the analog waveform domain.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for accurately synchronizing the execution of software instructions in physically correct time coordination to the numerical integration algorithm that computes the analog hardware waveforms.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the synchronized simulation of a broad range of system hardware and software.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method to incorporate actual implementation of the software, including arbitrary variations consistent with the prescribed instruction set of the microprocessor.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method for the synchronized simulation of system hardware and software without restricting the integration time increments used to compute the hardware waveforms.
These and other objects will become more apparent from the description of the invention to follow.

Synchronized simulation of software and hardware in the analog domain


An apparatus includes a first device connector configured to be coupled to a first device. The apparatus also includes a second device connector configured to be coupled to a second device. The apparatus further includes at least two connection arms forming a hinged connection between the first device connector and the second device connector. In addition, the apparatus includes a flexible connector coupled to the first device connector and the second device connector, at least a portion of the flexible connector extending through the at least two connection arms, the flexible connector comprising a flexible printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) or a flexible flat cable (FFC).

Industrial process control and automation systems are often used to automate large and complex industrial processes. These types of systems routinely include various components including sensors, actuators, and controllers. Some of the controllers can receive measurements from the sensors and generate control signals for the actuators.
Process control and automation systems also typically have hardware components participating in control and input/output (I/O) functions. In many process control and automation systems, redundancy is an important factor for helping to maintain continuous operation of an industrial process. Redundancy solutions help to ensure that if a component in a system (such as an I/O module) goes offline or encounters a fault, a redundant component can take over the operations of the faulty component.

System and method for flexible connection of redundant input-output modules or other devices


An angular position transducer for a rotating member comprising a notched disc connected to said member, an opto-electronic pair for sensing the angular position of said disc and a supporting shell for said pair which is fixable on the support of the rotating member coaxially to said member. The disc is fixable directly to the rotating member at a predetermined position with respect to the shell, and comprises a thin flexible lamina guided on its periphery by a guiding element adjacent to the notches. The flexibility of the lamina compensates for any disalignment and axial displacement of the rotating member. The position signal is periodic and is sent to the terminals of a reference resistor. A control circuit modifies the value of the resistor in order to stabilize the peak value of the position signal within predetermined narrow tolerance limits.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to an angular position transducer for a rotating member which preferably, but not exclusively, is the selection shaft of a type-bearing element or the driving shaft displacing the carriage of office printing machines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several examples of transducers are known which use a disc connected to the rotating member having on its periphery a set of active parts, and a detector which senses the progressive approach of these active parts, thus generating electrical signals which indicate the corresponding law of motion. The transducers may be of various types, e.g. optical, inductive or capacitive.
The angular position being constant, each error in the axial distance between the periphery of the disc and the detector causes a variation in the electrical signal of the detector and generates an error in the parameter to be measured. In order to minimize this inconvenience the transducers comprise a supporting structure in which the disc shaft rotates on precision bearings. The structures of the transducer is fixed directly to the rotating member support, whilst the disc shaft is connected to the rotating member by means of a decoupling joint or, alternatively, a flexible shaft. Both solutions cause an increase in the overall dimensions and cost of the rotating member-transducer combination and complications in mounting the transducer on the member itself.
Another cause of error is the variation in the electrical response due to temperature, supply voltage and other external effects.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a position transducer for a rotating member in which the position errors are minimized and which is also simple and economical.
Another object of this invention is to provide a position transducer using a disc which may be simply and economically connected to the member.
Another object of this invention is to provide a transducer which allows axial displacements of the rotating member without large errors in misalignment between the structure of the transducer and the axis of the rotating member.

Position transducer for a rotating member


A method and system enabling an initiator based process for preventing distracted driving is provided. The method includes continuously retrieving by a mobile device from a plurality of sensing devices, sensor data. The sensor data is analyzed and based on the analysis it is determined that a user of the mobile device is currently operating a vehicle. A message is generated indicating that the user is currently operating the vehicle. The message is transmitted to and stored by a server.

Dangers associated with texting (or communicating) during a driving process are well known. A large number of solutions currently exist with respect to an attempt to prevent a driver from engaging in the aforementioned behavior. Prevention devices may be installed in a vehicle as well as applications installed on a phone such that features of the phone are disabled during vehicle motion. Additional applications may allow parents to control a child's phone from a remote location as well as access reports with respect to usage of the child's phone during driving. Similarly, mobile alert devices may be integrated within a vehicle to detect that a driver is driving and to maintain the status of the driver in order to intercept calls and texts from the initiator to determine what an initiator reacts to the driver's status. Further typical solutions completely lock down recipient devices from receiving any phone calls (e.g., directing a caller to voicemail) and text messages (e.g., disabling text notifications), rather than allowing an initiator to decide/schedule a text to be transmitted at a later time. Additionally, typical vehicle motion detection system s rely determining that a cell phone is connected to an automobile rather than using sensors on a phone or vehicle to detect motion.
However, the aforementioned solutions may require active participation by the driver to enable the solution thereby requiring that a distracted driver (or parent) recognize an inability to police themselves and willingly subject themselves to the inconvenience and frustration of being blocked from engaging in the dangerous behavior. Additionally, the aforementioned solutions may require multiple devices for determining a driver status. As a result, the current solutions do not comprise an effective means for combatting distracted driving within the driving population.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to present an initiator with a communication recipient status to select enabling or disabling a communication initiation process.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

International Business Machines Corporation


According to a lighting fixture of an aspect of the present invention, only by holding the first and second strip-shaped luminous bodies on the strip-shaped luminous body holding device with the first and second strip-shaped luminous bodies being curved into a predetermined shape, the plurality of point light sources of the first strip-shaped luminous body and the plurality of point light sources of the second strip-shaped luminous body can be mounted at predetermined positions in appropriate postures (for example, such positions and postures as to illuminate a predetermined area of the front of the lighting fixture) at once. That is, each of the point light sources can be stereoscopically disposed at a predetermined position in an appropriate posture in a most expeditious manner. Also, the lighting fixture of novel visual quality capable of producing a stereoscopic effect by the real image can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighting fixture using a strip-shaped luminous body, and more particularly, to a lighting fixture of novel visual quality capable of producing a stereoscopic effect by a real image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in the field of lighting fixtures (especially in the field of vehicle lighting fixtures, from the perspective of improving the degree of freedom of vehicle design or the like), a lighting fixture of novel visual quality has been demanded. As such a lighting fixture, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2005-347144 and 2006-216455 propose a lighting fixture which produces a stereoscopic effect by a virtual image by devising a lens shape or a reflecting surface of a reflector. Also, a plurality of point light sources such as LEDs may be stereoscopically disposed, so as to produce a stereoscopic effect by the real image.

Lighting fixture using strip-shaped luminous body


A system and method for operating a cylindrical acoustic projector is provided which allows efficient operation of the projector over a wide bandwidth. The system and method use multiple power amplifiers each tuned to operate over separate and narrow bandwidths, the number of seperate bandwidths corresponding to the number of amplifiers such that the total bandwidth is covered. Each tuning network assembly includes the power amplifier, a transformer and a tuning inductor, with the tuning inductor selected for proper tuning over the frequency bands the amplifier is to operate at. The narrow bandwidths for each power amplifier result in a substantial reduction in the reactive power dissipated in the amplifiers and also the total power consumption of the acoustic projector.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to acoustic projectors, and more particularly to a system and method for operating acoustic projectors over a wide bandwidth while reducing the power supplied and dissipated.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Acoustic projectors of the type having multiple ceramic elements are used to provide wide bandwidth operation. Such projectors are normally powered by an amplifier tuned to the center of the frequency band of operation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,786 to Mishiro recites a torsional vibration apparatus having a plurality of electrodes formed on the two surfaces of a circular member of electrostrictive material. Adjacent electrodes are simultaneously polarized so as to be mutually reversed in a circumferential direction. The electrodes essentially form multiple elements from the circular member. A high frequency voltage is tuned to the slide resonance frequency and impressed on the apparatus to induce resonant vibration. The electrodes are connected to a power supply through a transformer having the primary coil connected to the power supply, the midpoint of the secondary coil connected to ground and the ends of the secondary coil connected to the segmented electrodes in an alternating manner such that adjacent electrodes have opposite polarity. In a stack configuration, the ends of the secondary coil would be connected at each end of the stack. The power amplifier load at the frequency band edges is highly reactive with a large phase angle. This results in the power amplifier and its power source supplying substantial amounts of reactive power to the projector, with power being dissipated in the amplifier. A need exists to operate acoustic projectors more efficiently over a wide bandwidth.

Multi-tuned acoustic cylindrical projector

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


An environmental room for controlling temperature and/or humidity levels at very close uniformity control levels, and at reduced energy requirements. Air flow of the system is divided such that only a portion of total air flow for the room is passed through the temperature and/or humidity air conditioning components, while the remainder of the air flow remains untreated. The treated and untreated air flow is then homogeneously mixed to obtain air having the required temperature and/or humidity levels. By passing only a portion of total air flow through the temperature and/or humidity control components, the required size and capacity of these components can be reduced, and energy requirements and costs for the environmental room can also be reduced. In addition, previously unattainable tolerance and uniformity levels are achieved.

Environmental rooms, which are essentially enclosures designed to provide carefully controlled conditions therein, are useful in a variety of applications. For example, environmental rooms may find use in biological, medical, and pharmaceutical applications, as well as industrial and consumer product testing and development, electronics, aeronautics and aerospace applications, automotive applications, archival storage, materials testing, entomology, crop and soil science and plant growth, control for human performance test labs, film testing and development, and stability/shelf-life testing.
Typically, an environmental room is designed to provide continually controlled conditions, particularly temperature and/or humidity levels. If desired, other variables such as levels of contamination and pressure may be controlled. In such environmental rooms, it is usually desirable to provide very uniform air temperature at working surfaces as well as throughout the entire room, with a high degree of accuracy (referred to as tolerance). Uniformity generally refers to the temperature distribution, and may refer to the deviation from a specified temperature maintained across the room at working height. With environmental rooms, there are two typical temperature uniformity specifications: ±1.0° C. or ±0.5° C. A desired uniformity of 21° C.±0.5° C. would mean that the temperature at one end of the working surface can be 20.5° C., but no other point at the working height can exceed 21.5° C., even when all the specified temperature and moisture loads are active in the space at the same time. A typical relative humidity uniformity level may, for example, be on the order of ±5%.
In addition to uniformity, gradient is also important. In an environmental room, the gradient generally refers to the maximum temperature difference between any two points in the room. For example, in the 21° C. room temperature with a uniformity of ±0.5° C., a maximum gradient may be 1.0° C. In order to achieve a particular gradient, it is important to circulate air to evenly distribute and remove heat within the room.
In certain applications, an environmental room is in the form of a test chamber designed to provide variations in one or more conditions therein to determine how the contents of the enclosure react; for example, through exposure to extreme temperatures, thermal cycling, and/or extreme humidity. Such test chambers, thus, must be designed to provide a particular set of conditions within the chamber and must be able to vary one or more of those conditions within the chamber on demand.
Generally, an environmental room is provided as a stand-alone room within an existing building. For example, as depicted in FIGS. 1A-B, a conventional environmental room 10 may be provided with an overall outer housing structure 11, and provided within the housing structure is a floor, ceiling, inner walls 12, room dividers 14, ceiling plenum(s) disposed between the ceiling and upper surface of the outer housing structure 11, and wall plenum(s) 18 disposed between the inner walls 12 and one or more side surfaces of the outer housing structure 11. A control panel 20 is typically provided at a convenient location in the outer housing structure 11, such as near an entry/exit door 22.
As shown in the top cutaway view in FIG. 1B, which illustrates inside the ceiling plenum space, equipment is disposed therein for maintaining the desired temperature and humidity performance levels within the room. A conventional arrangement is depicted for an environmental room 10 that is divided into a smaller room 24 and a larger room 26. As shown, the smaller room 24 and the larger room 26 each have their own ceiling plenum space, each with their own air treatment equipment located therein. For example, in the ceiling plenum for the smaller room 24, a latent coil 25, an evaporator coil 28, a heater assembly 30, and a humidifier 32 are arranged in series so that air circulated through the ceiling plenum passes through the latent coil 25, evaporator coil 28, heater 30, and humidifier 32, and is then directed into the smaller room 24 below. As further shown, in order to accommodate the larger air flow through the larger room 26 and to maintain the temperature and humidity requirements in that room, two air treatment setups (i.e., evaporator coil 28, heater 30, and humidifier 32) may be provided in the plenum space above the larger room 26.
The ceiling plenum(s) may further house light fixtures 34 to provide adequate lighting to the room below. In some cases, one or more return air wall plenums 36 are provided for directing air from the floor area of the room and to the ceiling plenum area for proper temperature and humidity control.
Conventionally, when designing an environmental room, one generally begins with a determination of the necessary air flow for the entire room. Based on the air flow need, one then selects the appropriate evaporator and condenser units. As such, the size of the overall system needed to control the temperature and humidity levels is based, ultimately, on the total quantity of air flow. In addition, the system is typically designed based on a schematic in which the latent coil, evaporator, condenser, fans, heater, humidifier, etc. are all positioned on one side of a room's ceiling plenum space (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 1B), and the entire air flow is pumped through the system and into the room. Such a system design typically necessitates larger components that utilize a significant amount of energy to run as needed to maintain the very close tolerance and uniformity control levels. Further, while it is often desirable to provide large environmental rooms (thus, greater capacity) with very close tolerance and uniformity levels, construction costs and subsequent operation costs become more expensive with increased complexity and room capacity. In particular, the costs of such rooms generally increase as the size of the mechanical system increases, and as the room architecture to accommodate air distribution plenums and ductwork becomes more complicated.
It would be desirable to provide improvements to such environmental room designs. In particular, it would be desirable to provide improved environmental rooms that are capable of controlling temperature and humidity levels at very close tolerance and uniformity control levels, but with reduced energy consumption during operations and lower overall upfront costs.

Environmental room with reduced energy consumption


An apparatus which uses friction to generate heat for heating liquids. The apparatus includes a cylindrical rotor disk housed inside a close-fitting housing structure. The rotor disk is connected to the shaft of a motor which turns the rotor disk at high revolutions inside the rotor chamber of the housing structure. The rotor disk has a plurality of curved, outward radiating, closed-end passageways formed therein. During operation, liquid flows into the housing structure via an inlet port which fills the rotor chamber of the housing structure and the curved passageways in the rotor disk. When the rotor disk is rotated at high speeds, the liquid located inside the curved passageways is pulled outward by centrifugal forces which creates a vacuum therein. When the vacuum becomes sufficient, the liquid "cracks" or boils at a low temperature. The resulting vapor formed inside the curved passageway suddenly forces the liquid remaining inside the curved passageway outward and exit at relatively high speed. The exiting liquid pushes against the leading inside surface of the curved passageway to help turn the rotor disk thereby increasing the efficiency of the apparatus. As the vapor in the curved passageway cools, it condenses to create a vacuum therein which draws the liquid back therein. When the liquid in the housing structure has reach a desired temperature, the vapor and the liquid is then allowed to exit via outlet ports.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus used to heat liquids and, more particularly, to such apparatus designed to generate heat by friction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various steam generators or liquid heating apparatus have been developed which use friction to generate heat. For example, Schaefer, (U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,349), discloses an elaborate apparatus and method for producing pressurized steam by creating shock waves in a distended body of water. The rotor in this apparatus presents a complex and tortuous passageway to create the amount of water hammer necessary to effect a significant rise in the temperature of the water. In Griggs, (U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,090), an apparatus for heating liquids is disclosed having a cylindrical rotor which features surface irregularities. The rotor is rotated in a housing filled with a liquid to be heated. Shock waves are also produced in this apparatus to heat the liquid.
While the apparatus found in the prior art have been shown to be reasonably efficient in generating heat and/or pressure in water and other liquids compared to more traditional methods (i.e., burning fossil fuels or using electrical resistance coils), all of the apparatus found in the prior art are relatively complex structures which use internal support bearings and shaft seals which require periodic maintenance and replacement. More importantly, none of the apparatus found in the prior art are capable of using water hammer to generate usable mechanical energy as well as thermal energy. An apparatus which generates heat in liquids, which has no support bearings, shaft seals or any other mechanical friction points, which will never wear out or require maintenance of any kind, which is simple to understand and operate, which is simple and less expensive to manufacture, and which operates more efficiently due to its ability to generate useable mechanical energy is clearly and greatly needed.


In a power-system-interconnected inverter device, PI control circuits obtain voltage correction values in directions reducing the current errors on the basis of current errors serving as differences between target current values and detection values. Multiplexers provide modulation circuits with voltage target values corrected by the voltage correction values being added to voltage detection values. The modulation circuits provide gate signals for switch elements in multilevel circuits. In addition, a sign circuit provides gate signals for switch elements in a bridge clamping circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a DC/AC inverter device, and, in particular, relates to a power-system-interconnected inverter device including a multilevel circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, for example, solar power generation systems have prevailed, and, from a viewpoint of the high efficiency thereof, non-insulated types have entered the mainstream of power-system-interconnected inverters (hereinafter, a power system is simply referred to as a "system"). So as to generate a substantially sinusoidal voltage in an insulated type inverter (so as to inject a substantially sinusoidal current into a system), an inverter device has been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-223009, the inverter device being equipped with a multilevel circuit outputting a plurality of voltages whose number is greater than or equal to three.
In FIG. 1 in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-223009, the configuration of a five-level inverter is disclosed where a series circuit including four capacitors and a series circuit including eight switch elements are provided between the positive and negative electrode terminals of a direct-current power supply and switch elements and diodes are connected between the connection points of these capacitors and the connection points of these switch elements.
When an inverter device cooperating with a system is configured, three sets of the single-phase inverter devices are provided in an inverter device connected to, for example, a system of a three-phase alternating current. In addition, so as to configure an inverter device connected to, for example, a household single-phase three-wire system, two sets of the single-phase inverter devices are provided.
However, if the number of levels is n, switch elements whose number is 2(n−1) are necessary for a multilevel circuit. Therefore, in particular, for household use, an increase in the cost of a semiconductor element or another passive component becomes a major issue.

Power system-interconnected inverter device