A large electrical machine, includes bar windings composed of twisted individual conductors with irregularities formed at the narrow edges of the bar winding. The bar winding is composed of individual insulated conductors and uninsulated conductors. A synthetic mica-resin putty pressed between the conductors fills the spaces between the conductors. Electrically conductive strips covering the putty are electrically connected to the uninsulated conductors.

This invention relates to electrical machines such as motors and generators, and particularly to bars which form part of the windings on large electrical machines as well as methods for producing such bars.
The windings of large electrical machines possess series connected rods whose cross sections are divided into mutually insulated single or individual conductors. This serves to reduce the additional current-produced heat losses. The individual conductors are twisted about each other at least over the entire length of the iron portion so that each partial conductor undergoes at least one complete helical turn, i.e., a 360.degree. turn of uniform pitch, while passing through a groove. In this manner all single or individual conductors interlink with equally large fluxes transverse to the groove. Only the current caused heat losses resulting from the small height and width of the single conductors, which may, for example, be in the form of Roebel rods, remains.
In conventional copper conductors of rectangular cross section this structure results in cross-overs of the single or individual conductors and in conductor bundles having cross-sections of varying configurations, particularly at the narrow sides of the conductor bundles or packs. This is particularly characteristic of a conventional bar structure, where the conductors pack is cooled by means of interspersed hollow conductors, because these hollow conductors often have larger cross sections than the solid conductors.
Prior to applying the principal or main insulation, it is therefore necessary to use suitable measures to make sure that the conductor bundle is rectangular over the total length of the bar. Failure to apply the insulation with adequate air exclusion, can cause internal discharges due to high operational electric fields. The resulting gaps occurring on the narrow sides of the single or individual conductor cross-over regions must be filled with a suitable filler material (i.e. white zinc bakelite paste or pigmented epoxy resin) so that the bar insulation (is applied) without air entrapment in the bar. See the book by Wiedemann and Kellenberger, entitled "Konstruktion Electrischer Machinen", published by Springer 1967, page 292. The surface of the conductors is often painted with resins containing fillers to fill in all remaining irregularities and to make possible substantially airless installation of the principal or main insulation. See the book by Sequenz, entitled "Herstellung der Wicklungen Electrischer Machinen", published by Springer 1973, page 148. However, only small irregularities can be filled in this manner. Therefore, a structure devoid of air pockets is not normally practical.
It is also possible to fill in irregularities on the narrow sides or edges of the bar windings with wedges of solid insulation material. This method is also suitable for filling larger surface notches. However fitting wedges into a large number of notches is very uneconomical and difficult to do.
It is therefore an object of the invention to produce a bar-winding with twisted single or individual conductors for electrical machines, and a process for its manufacture which avoids the disadvantages of known windings and methods.
Another object of the invention is to produce a better bar structure by means of a simplified and economical process.


A seatbelt system may include a seatbelt configured to constrain a waist and a torso of an occupant. The seatbelt may also include a coupling configured to selectively couple a portion of a vehicle and the seatbelt to one another. The system may also include a reel configured to receive at least a portion of the seatbelt, and a tension sensor associated with the coupling and/or the seatbelt and configured to generate a signal indicative of tension in the seatbelt. The system may also include a deployment sensor associated with the seatbelt and configured to generate a signal indicative of a length of the seatbelt deployed from the reel. The system may also include an occupant detector configured to determine, based at least in part on the signals indicative of tension and the length, whether an occupant is properly wearing the seatbelt, such that the seatbelt constrains the occupant.

A seatbelt is often used for an occupant of a vehicle to protect the occupant from injury during a collision involving the vehicle. Despite laws requiring seatbelt use, many occupants fail to properly wear a seatbelt, sometimes resulting in harm to the occupant. For example, an occupant may either fail to deploy and buckle a seatbelt, or they may improperly wear it, for example, by buckling the seatbelt, but not wearing it in a manner that would provide protection during a collision involving the vehicle.

Seatbelt system including occupant detector


This application relates to audio amplifier circuitry (100). An amplifier module (103) is located in a signal path between an input (101) and an output (102). A detection module (106) is configured to detect a characteristic of a load (104) electrically coupled, in use, to the output. A distortion setting controller (107) is provided for selecting one of a plurality of stored distortion settings {pi} based on the detected characteristic of the load; and a pre-distortion module (105) is configured to apply a first transfer function to a signal in the signal path prior to said amplifier module. The first transfer function is based on the selected distortion setting and for at least one of the stored distortion settings the corresponding first transfer function comprises a non-linear distortion function.

Various electronic devices have audio driver, i.e. amplifier, circuitry for driving an audio signal to an audio load, e.g. a loudspeaker, and often devices may have a connector, in the form of a plug and socket for example, for outputting audio signals to an external device. The external device could be a peripheral device such as a headset with relatively small loudspeakers, e.g. located in earphones or earbuds or the like. Such headset loudspeakers will typically have a relatively low impedance, say of the order of a few ohms or so. Additionally however it is often desired that the same audio driver circuitry can be used to drive higher impedance loudspeakers when connected, say of the order of a few hundred ohms or so. It is also desirable for the same audio driver circuitry to be able to drive a line load of the order of a few kilo-ohms or more via the audio connector, e.g. when connected to a suitable audio system, which may for instance be part of a docking arrangement. Thus the audio driver circuitry should be capable of driving different types of load.
For high quality sound reproduction the distortion of the audio signal, especially THD (total harmonic distortion) and intermodulation distortion, should be low. Various factors may contribute to distortion in an amplifier circuit driving a load. Typically the distortion is worst for lower impedance loads. An amplifier may be designed to maintain adequately low distortion into a low impedance load by increasing the output stage quiescent current, generally requiring larger output devices and higher current pre-driver stages. Distortion may also be managed by designing the amplifier circuitry with multiple amplifier stages to attempt to suppress output distortion by a high open loop amplifier gain. However these approaches generally increase both the power consumption of the amplifier circuitry and the size and complexity, and hence cost, of the circuitry.
For many electronic devices, e.g. especially for battery powered devices where power demands impact on battery life, power efficiency of the components of the device may be a concern. Higher power consumption may also have associated cooling requirements. The size and cost of components are also of concern for such applications.


A method for determining a direction of travel for a following vehicle ensures that the following vehicle follows a path indicative of that of a target vehicle. The target vehicle extends in longitudinal (X) and lateral (Y) directions, the longitudinal direction (X) corresponding to an intended direction of travel of the following vehicle. The method may include determining a measured lateral offset (ΔYmeasure) between the following and target vehicles. The method may also include measuring a lateral position change parameter corresponding to an actual performed, ongoing and/or impending lateral position change of the following vehicle, an actual performed, ongoing and/or impending lateral position change of the target vehicle, or a combination thereof. The method may further include determining a lateral offset modification measure (OY) using the lateral position change parameter, and using the measured lateral offset (ΔYmeasure) and lateral offset modification measure (OY) when determining the direction of travel.

Recently, an increased interest has been directed towards the technical field of target path following. Within the field of target path following, a following vehicle determines the relative position to a target vehicle and the following vehicle is automatically controlled so as to, at least to some extent, follow the path of the target vehicle.
Purely by way of example, the concept of target path following may be used in a vehicle train, which train includes a plurality of vehicles each one of which being adapted to, at least to some extent, follow the path of the vehicle in front.
In order to control a following vehicle such that it more or less follows the target vehicle, the relative distances, longitudinally as well as laterally, between the two vehicles are generally determined and the steering angle of the following vehicle is often controlled such that the relative lateral distance between the following vehicle and the path of the target vehicle is below a predetermined threshold value.
In order to control a following vehicle such that it more or less follows the target vehicle, the relative distances, longitudinally as well as laterally, between the two vehicles are generally determined and the steering angle of the following vehicle is often controlled such that the relative lateral distance between the following vehicle and the path of the target vehicle is below a predetermined threshold value.
In an attempt to reduce the magnitude of the deviation of the following vehicle's path from the target path during cornering, DE 41 33 882 A1 proposes a control method in which a steering angle of the following vehicle is determined by taking the relative longitudinal distance, as well as the relative yaw angle, of the following and target vehicle into account.
However, the control method as described in DE 41 33 882 A1 may not sufficiently reduce the deviation of the following vehicle's path from the target path during cornering.

Travel direction determination method and system


An apparatus for bone conduction hearing testing is provided. The apparatus comprises a planar spring having opposed first and second elements to which are coupled, respectively, a bone conduction vibrator and an engagement element. The bone conduction vibrator contacts a first head portion, preferably the forehead, and the engagement element contacts a second head portion, preferably the rear of the head. The spring preferably has a lenticular shape, and may be either biconvex or D-shaped.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed in general to the field of audiological testing for human or animal patients, and more particularly to systems for conducting multiple diagnostic hearing tests to assess and analyze hearing loss in human patients. Systems of the invention provide an apparatus for reliably determining the air-conduction and bone-conduction hearing thresholds of a patient, and for conducting one or more additional tests involving acoustic immittance, otoacoustic emission, speech recognition threshold and speech discrimination. The systems further comprise components for performing such tests.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent studies suggest that over 20 million people in the United States alone have some degree of hearing loss. The number of people worldwide who have some degree of hearing deficit is estimated to be much greater. Not surprisingly, many hearing-impaired people are unaware that they have suffered a decrease in hearing capacity. Because of the complexity of the hearing process itself, decreased hearing capacity may involve any of several factors, including age, health, occupation, injury, disease, and exposure to ototoxic agents, including some antibiotics. This loss of hearing can lead to significant reductions in quality of life, impaired relationships, reduced access to employment and diminished productivity.
Failure to treat the hearing loss may worsen its impact not only on the quality of life of the patient but also on economic productivity as a whole. According to the Better Hearing Institute, the annual cost in the United States in terms of lost productivity, special education, and medical care because of untreated hearing loss is approximately $56 billion. Much of this staggering cost could be reduced or prevented by early detection and treatment. Unfortunately, few people obtain regular and frequent hearing tests as a part of their routine healthcare due, at least in part, to the lack of a simple, convenient, and relatively inexpensive system for conducting hearing tests.
Traditionally, hearing tests are conducted in a clinical setting by a hearing health professional, such as an audiologist, who administers the hearing tests manually. In perhaps the most common type of testing, the hearing health professional controls an audiometer to produce a series of tones that each have a very specific frequency and intensity. The term "intensity" as used herein refers to the amplitude of the tone and is usually given in decibels (dB), expressed either as Sound Pressure Level (dB SPL), which is a logarithmic scale ratio of the intensity of a sound relative to a threshold value, usually 2×10−2 N/m2, or Hearing Level (db HL), which is a value normalized for a particular frequency to the threshold for patients with normal hearing. See, e.g., Gelfand, S., Essentials of Audiology, 2d ed., chapters 1, 3–6, Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. (2001).
Because each of the tones has a specific frequency and intensity, this type of testing is known as "pure-tone" air conduction audiometry or "pure-tone threshold testing" for air conduction. Threshold testing may also be performed for bone conduction hearing and for speech recognition. In addition, related tests to determine speech discrimination capacity may also be performed. The foregoing types of testing, which involve providing a sound, such as a pure tone or speech, to the ear of the patient and determining whether the patient can hear or distinguish the sound, are referred to collectively as "audiometry," or "audiometric testing." Thus, air-conduction threshold, bone-conduction threshold, speech recognition threshold and speech discrimination tests are specific audiometric tests. Other types of hearing testing include acoustic immittance testing, which includes tympanometric testing and acoustic reflex testing, and otoacoustic emission testing. Such tests are well known in the art of hearing testing and are commonly performed by hearing health professionals.
In the typical manual protocol for pure-tone air-conduction threshold testing, electrical signals produced by the audiometer are converted into the desired pure tones by a transducer, such as earphones or ear inserts, located at or immediately adjacent to the ear of the patient, who is sequestered in a quiet room or sound isolation booth. For each audible tone, the patient gestures or otherwise indicates that he has heard the tone. If the tone is not audible, the patient does not respond. The hearing health professional thereafter adjusts the intensity level of the tone in preset increments until it becomes audible to the patient. By repeating this process for several different tones and compiling the results, the hearing health professional is able to determine the deviation of the patient's hearing threshold, at each frequency tested, from the reference hearing threshold established for normal hearing. The deviation of the threshold, if any, is a measure of the patient's hearing loss.
Manual administration of the pure-tone threshold test has certain advantages. Because the hearing health professional is physically present, he can apply his considerable training and experience during the test. For example, by simply talking to the patient and varying the loudness of his voice, the hearing health professional can determine an initial intensity level at which to start the tones and sounds. Furthermore, the hearing health professional can adapt the pace of the test as needed to accommodate a tired or uncooperative patient. Most importantly, the hearing health professional can discern between false responses or guesses and responses that are legitimate. Finally, the hearing health professional can adjust the results of the hearing test as needed to reflect extenuating circumstances or problems, such as excessive ambient noise, equipment limitations, and other similar factors.
Like most highly trained and specialized medical professionals, however, a hearing health professional's time and services are usually very expensive. Accessibility and convenience can also be issues, as there are fewer hearing health professionals relative to other types of medical professionals. And while hearing health professionals are highly trained, they are limited in their ability to make rapid and accurate calculations of the test data and have to rely on approximations and rules of thumb for guidance in many instances. In addition, few hearing health professionals in the United States can speak a foreign language and, therefore, traditional hearing tests are almost always administered in English, which can be a problem for non-English speaking patients.
Other drawbacks of the traditional, manually administered hearing tests include the need for a quiet room or sound isolation booth in order to properly conduct the tests. The quiet room or sound isolation booth has to comply with ANSI (American National Standards Institute) requirements in terms of how much ambient noise may penetrate the room or booth during a test. Typically, a specially trained technician must evaluate and certify the quiet room or sound isolation booth as meeting ANSI standards before the room or booth can be used. Such testing and/or certification is performed independently of the actual testing administered to a patient, and thus the actual ambient noise levels (and the reliability of the testing) during the testing of a given patient is unknown in current audiometric systems. In addition, there are at present relatively few technicians who are trained to perform such evaluations and certifications. All the above factors combine to increase the complexity of the traditional hearing tests and thereby discourage or at least contribute to a general lack of interest by most people in obtaining regular and frequent hearing tests.
One attempt to simplify the traditional hearing test involves the use of a computer network, such as the Internet, to administer the test. The computer network facilitates interaction between a centralized test administration site and remotely located patient sites. Such an arrangement makes it possible (or at least more convenient) for people in remote or rural areas to obtain a hearing test. The test can also be performed to meet standardized guidelines such as ANSI requirements or certification standards. Despite the increased convenience, however, a hearing health professional still has to manually administer the test, albeit remotely. In this regard, the test is very similar to the traditional hearing test and has many of the same shortcomings, in addition to the fact that the health professional is not physically present.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simpler, less expensive, and more convenient system for air-conduction threshold testing (and other types of hearing tests) that does not compromise the accuracy or thoroughness of the tests. In particular, there is need for an improved system to provide hearing tests that can be self-administered by the patient rather than by the hearing health professional, while retaining the advantages of having a skilled hearing health professional manually administer the test. There is also a need for a system for performing hearing tests that is capable of determining whether ambient noise levels are within acceptable levels during actual patient testing.
In addition to the foregoing limitations associated with audiometric testing, other particular testing limitations preclude widespread hearing testing. One such limitation involves bone-conduction hearing. Because the bones of the skull resonate in response to sound, hearing via bone conduction can be tested in a manner analogous to air conduction. However, instead of pure tones delivered by air conduction through earphones or loudspeakers, bone conduction hearing is tested by delivering sound through a bone-conduction vibrator coupled directly to a bone of the skull, usually the mastoid bone but in some instances the forehead.
Bone conduction testing is clinically significant because differences between the air-conduction and bone-conduction hearing thresholds provides an indication of how much of a hearing loss is attributable to the conductive structures in the outer and middle ear, and how much is attributable to the sensorineural structures of the inner ear and the auditory nerve. However, a reliable bone-conduction test apparatus has proven difficult to obtain because of equipment limitations. In particular, the vibrator element usually is encased in a protective plastic shell that is coupled to a holder, typically either a headset-type spring or a headband. Mastoid-placement bone conduction is particularly difficult because the anatomy of the mastoid makes slippage and/or shifting of the vibrator common. Physiological differences among patients, such as bone contours and fatty deposits in the area, are also more variable at the mastoid than the forehead. Even forehead-conduction bone testing may be difficult, however, not only because of insecure placement and slippage but also because of attenuation of the bone-conduction signal through the holder. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved bone-conduction test apparatus that provides consistent and secure placement, no attenuation, and reliable results.
There is a further need for a system capable of conducting multiple diagnostic hearing tests in a single, convenient system. While many types of diagnostic hearing testing exist, most systems typically are capable of performing only a single test or single type of test. Most audiometer systems, for example, are only capable of performing air-conduction and/or bone-conduction threshold testing. Although some audiometric systems may perform speech recognition testing, there are no commercially available systems capable of conveniently and reliably conducting both audiometric testing and acoustic immittance testing. In addition, there are no systems available for performing both audiometric testing and otoacoustic emission testing.
Inherent in the need for an integrated system for performing multiple diagnostic tests is the need to conduct such tests in a manner that is reliable and convenient for both the hearing health professional and the patient. Merely combining the functionality of an audiometer and an acoustic immittance testing system will provide little benefit if the system is inconvenient to the patient, by for example requiring the patient to use different headphones or ear probes for each test. Instead, there is a need for a system capable of performing multiple diagnostic tests using a single ear probe and an integrated testing system. There is further a need for such systems that are automated to prompt a patient through the tests, while also providing alerts, alarms, notices and other information concerning the tests to a hearing health professional in certain instances.
A convenient multiple diagnostic testing system also implies that the system functionality must be combined in a convenient package that can be quickly and easily coupled to the patient, without a clutter of wires, electrical conduits, transducers and ear probes around the patient. The risk that patient movement would result in damage to one or more wires or conduits in the system is another obstacle to combining multiple diagnostic tests in a single system. In addition, the presence of numerous wires, conduits and probes around the patient can be intimidating and distracting to the patient, in addition to being aesthetically displeasing. Accordingly, there is a need for a system that combines multiple diagnostic tests into a patient interface that can be quickly and easily coupled to the patient, and which provides minimal clutter in the patient environment.

Apparatus for bone conduction threshold hearing test


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a lower metal layer, forming an interfacial oxide film on the lower metal layer, providing a metal precursor on the interfacial oxide film at a first pressure to adsorb the metal precursor into the interfacial oxide film, performing a first purge process at a second pressure to remove the unadsorbed metal precursor, the second pressure lower than the first pressure, providing an oxidizing gas at the first pressure to react with the adsorbed metal precursor, performing a second purge process at the second pressure to remove the unreacted oxidizing gas and form a dielectric film, and forming an upper metal layer on the dielectric film.

1. Field
Example embodiments of the present inventive concepts relate to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as semiconductor devices have attained larger capacity and higher integration, their design rules also persistently decrease. Such a tendency also occurs in a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) as one such memory semiconductor device. A capacitance of a certain level or more is required for each cell to operate the DRAM device. An increase in capacitance increases an amount of charge stored in a capacitor, and improves refresh characteristics of the semiconductor device. The improved refresh characteristics of the semiconductor device may improve the yield of the semiconductor device.
Reliability of the capacitor may be influenced by interface characteristics between two electrodes forming the capacitor and a dielectric disposed between them. That is, electrical characteristics such as a leakage current of the capacitor are determined depending on the characteristics of the dielectric.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor device


An ultrasonic liquid level sensor includes an ultrasonic coupling element for use in self testing. The sensor includes a gap and a pair of transducers spaced apart by the gap. The sensor senses presence of liquid in the gap. The ultrasonic coupling element extends between the transducers and acoustically couples them together. The coupling element is used to test ultrasonic sensor integrity.

The present invention relates to ultrasonic sensors for measuring the physical properties of materials within a space, and more particularly relates to a self test of such a sensor.
Known ultrasonic liquid level sensors installed in tanks include a sensor housing arranged around a gap or notch on the outside of the housing. When liquid level rises in the tank, the liquid flows into the gap and it is sensed by transmitting ultrasonic energy through the liquid in the gap. A pair of ultrasonic transducers or crystals in the housing transfer acoustic energy through the liquid in the gap via a resin transmission layer that bonds the crystals to the inside of the housing and provides acoustic impedance matching for increased transmission efficiency. Under harsh service conditions, the crystals can fail or the bonding of the transmission layer can fail and there is a need to test for such failures.
In addition to the transmission path through the fluid in the gap there is also a second transmission path between the crystals via the housing itself. In the past, sensing transmission along this second path around the gap through the metal housing has been a satisfactory means of testing the operation of the sensor when there is no liquid in the gap to provide transmission. Such a self test is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,114 to Silvermetz et al.
With the use of non-metallic material for housings, such as polymers, resins, and the like (commonly called "plastics"), however, there are problems with using the housing itself as a test transmission path. These non-metallic materials change their sound transmission properties as a function of temperature. The variations can be large, and are quite unpredictable from one batch of plastic to the next, making it difficult to develop reliable electronic compensation for the variations.
The test signal transmitted through such plastic materials is unpredictable at temperature extremes giving a false indication that the sensor is defective. There is thus a need to provide a reliable test arrangement in ultrasonic sensors that does not rely on transmission of a test signal around the gap through the plastic housing.

Self test apparatus for ultrasonic sensor


The winding equipment for winding yarn, tape or wire-shaped material comprises a bobbin shaft carrying a rotatably fixed armature plate, which is in magnetic, adjustable driving connection with a plate carrying permanent magnets and fixed on the shaft of the driving motor, the adjustment thereof resulting by a thread tension regulating device with a dancing arm carrying a dancing roller. In this connection, the motor or the shaft thereof carrying the permanent magnet plate is supported relative to the bobbin shaft carrying the armature plate radially displaceable as a function of the rotating motion of the dancing arm on the frame of the winding equipment. Owing to this radial displacement of the plates generating the driving connection, relative to each other, not only is the induced magnetic field changed in the simplest manner, but, in addition, the two plates can be arranged with the slightest air gap between each other, which, accordingly, allows for the utilization of small permanent magnets to secure a sufficient magnetic driving connection between the two plates.

A winder of the aforesaid kind, for instance for winding thread, yard, twist yarn, slit film or tape and the like, is expected to wind up the total delivered material completely and without delay. Owing to the fact that the amount of the supplied material is subject to great variations, manifested by a change of the thread tension, the rotatable speed of the take-up bobbin is in a generally-known manner readjustable by means of a thread tension regulating device, with the magnetic field between the motor-driven permanent magnet plate and the armature plate on the bobbin side being changed, whereby a more or less strong driving connection from the motor to the bobbin exists.
To change the magnetic field between the motor-driven permanent magnet plate and the armature plate at the bobbin side of the drive, it has been proposed to change the clearance between them. This, however, requires an axially displaceable positioning of either the driving motor or the winding arrangement, which is expensive.
Further, an arrangement of the aforesaid kind is known, wherein the two plates are arranged with a fixed axial distance to each other, with a shield of ferromagnetic material being pushed in the axial gap between these, thereby deflecting or shielding a part of the induced magnetic field.
Such an arrangement possesses considerable disadvantages, however, since the shield must be relatively thick so as not to bend under the effect of the magnetic field forces. This on the other hand requires a relatively wide air gap between the plates and relatively large permanent magnets to be able to generate a sufficient force field. This, however, increases the price of the whole arrangment not inconsiderably.


Described embodiments relate to providing a multimedia contents service to user equipment associated with an electric vehicle located in an electric vehicle charging station through a wireless access point. The wireless access point may allocate an Internet Protocol (IP) address to user equipment associated with an electric vehicle located in an electric vehicle charging station in response to a connection request message received from the user equipment. Then, the wireless access point may transmit a request message to a service server with user identification information of the user equipment and the assigned IP address. In response to the request message, the wireless access point may receive predetermined multimedia contents and deliver the received predetermined multimedia contents to the user equipment based on the assigned IP address.

The present disclosure relates to providing multimedia contents to user equipment associated with an electric vehicle.
An electric vehicle moves by rotating its motor using electricity stored in a battery. Such electric vehicle was developed before of the development of a typical vehicle using an internal combustion engine. However, practical limitations of the electrical vehicle caused by the weight and the time required to charge its battery hindered the full commercialization of the electric vehicle. But, the environmental concerns of using the internal combustion engine have revitalized a further development of the electric vehicle.
The electric vehicle is similar to other typical vehicles with internal combustions engines except that it has an electric motor instead of a combustion engine. Unlike a typical vehicle, an important issue of the electric vehicle development is to reduce the size and the weight of the battery corresponding to its energy source. Particularly, reducing the time required to charge the battery is a critical element for the full commercialization of the electric vehicle.
For charging such a battery, an electric vehicle is hooked up to an electric charging unit and a driver of the electric vehicle waits for a comparatively long time until the electric vehicle is fully charged. During such a waiting period, various services may be provided to the driver through electronic devices mounted on the electric vehicle or a portable device of the driver.

Providing multimedia contents to user equipment associated with electric vehicle


3-Phenoxybenzyl hydroxamates of pyrethroid acids and derivatives are insecticidal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to certain hydroxamates having insecticidal activity.
2. Description of Prior Art
Several synthetic pyrethroid esters have been described in the literature as potent insecticides; e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,062,968 and 4,024,163. The literature further teaches us that analogous compounds replacing the carboxylate moiety with a carboxamido group are weakly insecticidal (P. E. Berteau and J. E. Casida, J. Agr. Food Chem. 17 #5, pg. 931 (1969). The insecticidal activity of the compounds of this invention, likewise containing a carboxamido moiety, is therefore unexpected and novel.


A wheeled luggage comprises a body; a pair of wheels; a frame member; a backing plate; a retractable handle; and a bezel; wherein a plurality of first fasteners are employed to secure the backing plate to the bezel; a plurality of second fasteners are employed to secure the frame member to the backing plate; the body is secured to the frame member to form a complete structure; a first concave area is formed between the backing plate and the bezel; and a second concave area is formed between the first concave area and the concave portion of the backing plate for accommodating a users fingers. With this structure, the purposes of saving corrugated plastics and facilitating the user to grasp the handle are realized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheeled luggage in which handle assembly is hidden by top shell in a stored position, and backing plate, handle assembly, and frame member are secured together for enhancing structural strength which results in the decrease of corrugated plastics used, thereby decreasing the weight of the luggage case. Further, backing plate may be sized to accommodate different luggage capacities.
2. Description of Prior Art
Typically, force exerted on the handle grip by a user is uniformly distributed to the top and the bottom of luggage case through the bezel. Attention is invited to FIG. 1 for explaining the structure of a prior art luggage case. It is known that the handle assembly 61 is affixed to frame body 60 together with bezel 612 to form the main components for supporting luggage. Also known that top portion 62, side portions 62A and 62C, and bottom portion 62B are made of durable fracture resistant corrugated plastics. It is anticipated that the larger the frame body 60 the more the corrugated plastics needed. It is also known that the corrugated plastics only serves as providing structural support to the frame body 60. Further, the more corrugated plastics the more difficult in assembling a luggage.
As such, a need remains for decreasing the quantity of corrugated plastics used in the luggage resulting in the decrease in weight, while without compromising the structural strength. Further, the size of a concave grip area 613 is small after assembled in the top 62. In other words, the grip area 613 does not accommodate user's fingers, thus increasing the effort required to lift the case in a horizontal position, as into an automobile trunk or the like. Furthermore, plastics is not recyclable, thus the less the better in order to gain more support from consumers.

Wheeled luggage with hidden handle assembly


A process for efficiently conveying containers along a table-top conveying system includes the steps of temporarily securing a transfer stabilizing support (1a, 1b) to a bottom end of a formed container (14) so that the container can freely move along a production line using the table-top conveying system where the transfer stabilizing support has a bottom surface (2a, 2b) with an opening (4a, 4b), a sidewall (6a, 6b) extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface, and a ridge area (10b) surrounding the opening and inside the sidewall of the support; and after the container has gone through operations of the production line, the transfer stabilizing support is removed so that aesthetic qualities of the formed container shape are revealed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the conveyance of unstable, empty containers in a production line, and more particularly to a transfer stabilization support that temporarily attaches to a top-heavy or odd-shaped container with a non-round bottom surface end so that the top-heavy or odd-shaped container can be easily conveyed throughout the production line.
2. Related Art
Typically, containers are formed with a stable base surface so that the containers can easily be conveyed in a table-top fashion along a production line. Generally, containers are moved freely through a production line by standing the container on its base surface and pushing the container via air along the production line. The production line may start when the container exits the container forming operation and continue to filling and capping operations and then to a cooling operation, if necessary. However, the shape of some of the containers do not lend themselves to be conveyed along a production line in the table-top fashion.
Some containers may have a narrower bottom end than an upper end of the container. The wider upper portion and the narrower bottom end, while having a relatively smooth surface, produce a container that cannot be easily conveyed when the container is empty, because the upper end produces a top-heavy empty container that may topple over on its side when the container is pushed via air or other means. Similarly, long slender containers typically have poor line conveyance due to a high center of gravity. While conventional hot-fill technology incorporates a number of recessed panels that are placed in the mid-section of the container, emerging technologies in the hot-fill area are producing hot-filled containers with a vacuum absorption panel, which is recessed, at the lower third of the container. That is, the recessed panel is being moved to the lower third of the container resulting in a containers being formed with a slender lower or standing portion, which tends to tip over when being pushed by air, for example, when being guided to a conveyor in a table-top production line. An empty top-heavy container can result also from "light-weighting" the base and sidewalls of a container to reduce the cost of the container since the finish area of the container retains its weight in grams of plastic material in order to provide integrity for the closure. Other containers may have a substantially rounded base or a projection extending outward from a bottom end of the container, which inhibits the conveying of the container in the least expensive production line (i.e., a table-top conveying system).
Thus, such odd-shaped containers either cannot be conveyed in the table-top fashion, or their conveyance in a table-top fashion results in numerous toppled containers and requires costly, constant supervision to facilitate the movement of the containers through the production line. Consequently, a complex system of conveyors was thought necessary in order to convey the odd-shaped container through the filling, capping, batching and cooling operations. Such a complex system of conveyors for a production line is a costly investment since it may only be useful for a single odd-shaped container.
In order to provide lightweight (and less costly) containers, it is known in the art to remove the gram weight out of the sidewalls and bottom of the containers. However, this method adds to the instability of the formed lightweight container, as it is conveyed in a conventional table-top system, as the center of gravity moves upwards as gram weight is removed from the bottom and sidewalls of the container resulting in a container that is easier to tip over. This trend for lightweight containers and the trend to move the vacuum compression panels to the lower third of the container presents a challenge in conveying the new containers in a cost-efficient manner.
A complex conveying system involving rails that hold the containers by their necks can handle containers that tend to topple over when pushed or controlled by air in a table-top conveying system. While neck conveying guide rails may be suitable for conveying some containers along a portion of a production line, the neck rail conveyor is not suitable for entry into a cooling tunnel and exiting therefrom, as a cost-effective, cooling operation is typically achieved by cooling a number of the containers at one time.
Moreover, a rail neck conveying system is designed only for containers having substantially the same neck size. Accordingly, reliance on a rail neck conveying system would involve such inefficiencies as changing the entire rail neck conveying system to enable the conveying of a different type of container, such as a container with a different sized neck. This would result in an unacceptable level of downtime and would limit the design of containers used by this specialized rail device to a small number of containers.
Consequently, what is needed is a process for conveying top-heavy and odd-shaped containers in a cost-effective manner. This is especially true for conveying containers that are to be filled with a hot product and then are cooled in a production line. In order for these containers to be conveyed in the table-top fashion in a production line (e.g., from the blow-molded stage, where the container is formed to a capping and filing operation), a temporary transfer stabilization support is needed.

System for conveying odd-shaped containers


c-axis oriented microwave quality HTSC films are deposited onto single crystals of gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with conditions of 85 mTorr of oxygen partial pressure, a block temperature of 730.degree. C., a substrate surface temperature of 790.degree. C. and a laser fluence of 1 to 2 Joules/cm.sub.2 at the target, a laser repetition rate of 10 Hz and a target to substrate distance of 7 cm and in which the a and b lattice parameters of the GGG exhibit a mismatch of less than 2.5 percent with the a and b lattice parameters of the HTSC.

Since the discovery of HTSCs, for example YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x commonly known as Y-123, there has been a search for appropriate materials on which to grow HTSC thin film devices. Due to the chemical composition, crystal structure and anisotropic superconducting properties of HTSCs, the material used for thin film growth must be chemically compatible, match the HTSCs in temperature expansion coefficient and lattice parameter, exhibit low defect density and be mechanically strong. Epitaxial HTSC films deposited on such materials possess the best superconducting properties. For most device applications, the HTSC is deposited with the c-axis normal to the substrate surface since these fully oxygenated films possess the highest critical temperature (T.sub.c), smallest transition width (.DELTA.T.sub.c), largest critical current density (J.sub.c) and lowest surface resistance (R.sub.S). For microwave device applications requiring fast propagation and/or larger features, the material on which HTSC films are grown must be low loss, have a low dielectric constant and preferably be isotropic with respect to the microwave radiation.
Because garnets have reasonably low dielectric constants of .epsilon. from 9-13, reasonably low dielectric loss of 10.sup.-3, temperature expansion coefficients comparable to those of Y123, and are low cost substrates, they have been suggested as potential substrate materials for the fabrication of HTSC microwave devices. Several groups have attempted growing microwave quality HTSC films on gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) but none have been successful due to improper lattice matching between GGG and the HTSC.

C-axis oriented high temperature superconductors deposited onto single crystals of gadolinium gallium garnet and method of making the same

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


The present subject matter describes processes for increasing overall aromatics and xylenes yield in an aromatics complex. More specifically, the process for increasing overall aromatics and xylenes yield in an aromatics complex accomplishes the increased yields by incorporating an A8-A10 isomerization step into the aromatics complex. This isomerization integration increases the para-xylene.

An aromatics complex is a combination of process units that are used to convert naphtha, from a variety of sources, and pyrolysis gasoline into the basic petrochemical intermediates, benzene, toluene, and mixed xylenes. In aromatics applications, the naphtha is generally restricted to C6+ compounds to maximize the production of benzene, toluene, and xylenes. The majority of the mixed xylenes are processed further within the aromatics complex, in a xylenes recovery section, to produce one or more individual aromatic isomers. As used herein, "mixed xylenes" contain four different C8 aromatic isomers, including para-xylene which is used for the production of polyester fibers, resins and films.
Additional mixed xylenes may be produced from toluene, which is of low value, and heavy aromatics (C9+ aromatics) (also referred to hereinafter as "heavies") that are present in reformate from the naphtha feedstock. Reformate is produced by selectively reforming the naphtha feedstock, in the presence of a reforming catalyst, to aromatics and high purity hydrogen. The naphtha feedstock is first hydrotreated to remove sulfur and nitrogen compounds and then sent to a reforming unit. In the reforming unit, paraffins and naphthenes in the naphtha feedstock are converted to aromatics, with as little aromatic ring opening or cracking as possible, producing "catalytically reformed naphtha".
To produce additional mixed xylenes from the low-value toluene and heavy aromatics (C9+ aromatics), the aromatics complex may include a transalkylation process unit that is integrated between an aromatics fractionation section and the xylenes recovery section of the aromatics complex. The two major reactions in the transalkylation process unit are disproportionation and transalkylation. The conversion of toluene into benzene and mixed xylenes is called toluene disproportionation. Transalkylation is the conversion of a mixture of toluene, C9 aromatics (A9s), and C10 aromatics (A10s) into benzene and mixed xylenes. The process reactions are conducted in a hydrogen atmosphere to minimize coke formation on a transalkylation catalyst. As there is negligible aromatic ring destruction during the process, there is very little hydrogen consumption as a result of these reactions.
The catalytically reformed naphtha and pyrolysis gasoline feedstocks contain a large amount of phenyl groups substituted with ethyl, propyl, and butyl groups (collectively referred to herein as "higher alkyl groups"). Unfortunately, alkyl groups larger than methyl are cracked off of the phenyl group during transalkylation. "Dealkylation" refers to the complete or partial removal of the alkyl group(s). The scission of these higher alkyl groups leads to higher fuel gas yield, and higher benzene rather than more valuable para-xylene yield relative to the equivalent carbon number aromatic that had greater methyl group substitution. In addition, most of the hydrogen that is consumed during disproportionation and transalkylation is attributable to the cracking of non-aromatic impurities in the feedstock and such dealkylation of the ethyl, propyl, and butyl groups from the C9 and C10 aromatics.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide processes for increasing overall aromatics and xylenes yield in an aromatics complex. It is also desirable to provide processes that increase the overall aromatics and xylenes yield in an aromatics complex that also reduce the amount of mass lost to fuel gas, and that shift the chemical equilibrium from benzene production to xylenes production while consuming less hydrogen. It is additionally desirable to provide processes for increasing overall aromatics and xylenes yield, while increasing conversion of toluene into mixed xylenes. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Processes for increasing the overall aromatics and xylenes yield in an aromatics complex


A deflator deployable on the ground adjacent a tire may include a base member, a body member having a first end attached to the base member and having a handle portion spaced upward from the base member when the bottom surface of the base member is placed on the ground, and two arms. Each arm may a first end pivotally attached to the base member and a second end extending away from the first end. Each arm may have a puncturing member located adjacent the second end. A release mechanism may be located on the body member adjacent to the handle portion and may be movable from a hold position to a release position.

When a law enforcement officer makes a traffic stop, the officer exits his or her vehicle and approaches the stopped vehicle, generally by walking beside one of the driver or passenger sides of the stopped vehicle. During the portion of the traffic stop that the law enforcement officer is outside of his or her vehicle, the officer is in some ways more physically exposed than when in his or her vehicle in case the driver or another occupant of the car does something unexpected, such as driving off, driving toward the officer or the officer's vehicle, reaching for or using a weapon, attempting to dispose of contraband, etc. It is thus important for the law enforcement officer to maintain observational awareness of the stopped vehicle, all occupants, and the general surroundings during this time for the officer's own safety and for detecting important information relative to any legal or safety violations related to the stopped vehicle or its occupants.
Also, in many routine traffic stops, the law enforcement officer also returns to his or her own vehicle after initial contact on tasks such as communicating with other officers, checking occupant or vehicle information electronically or via two-way communication device, preparing a traffic citation, etc. At such point, while the law enforcement office may have attention focused on such tasks, it may be more difficult to monitor the stopped vehicle and its occupants. Such point is a time when some drivers of stopped vehicles drive off before being dismissed by the law enforcement officers.
Accordingly, certain devices have been developed for placement near the tire of a stopped vehicle that will puncture the tire if the vehicle is driven away before the stop is completed. The devices also serve to influence the driver of a stopped vehicle not to flee by driving away before being dismissed, as the driver would know doing so would result in a deflated tire rendering fleeing by vehicle futile. While existing devices work well for their intended purposes, deployment of existing devices requires a certain amount of the law enforcement officer's line of sight and attention in general to be diverted away from the vehicle and its occupants and toward deploying the devices around a tire.
Accordingly, improvements would be welcome for devices that disable a vehicle, influence a driver not to drive away, reduce danger to a law enforcement officer, and/or address one or more drawbacks of current devices or any other issues.


A simple, robust algorithm for power acquisition for power, thermal, and momentum safety for high heater-power spacecraft uses current sensors rather than sun sensors and includes a wing sun search phase, an xz slew phase, and a safe hold phase. Solar wing current is continuously monitored against a high current threshold and a low current threshold. Wing sun search phase transitions either to xz slew phase or safe hold phase. When current is too low, the xz slew phase is entered and slews the spacecraft about an axis in the xz plane until current is high enough. When current is high enough, the algorithm transitions or remains in safe hold phase and the spacecraft is spun about its wing axis. A low current persistence timer is longer than a high current persistence timer in order to bias the algorithm to prefer safe hold phase over xz slew phase.

The present invention generally relates to power acquisition for spacecraft and, more particularly, to algorithms and methods of power acquisition for spacecraft in solar panel wing-deployed configuration.
Prior art spacecraft typically acquire the sun for power safety using sun sensor assemblies, for example, either wide field of view (WFOV) sun sensor or narrow field of view (NFOV) slit sun sensor. Prior art methods of sun, or power, acquisition using sun sensor assemblies often serve dual purposes of acquiring the sun to achieve an accurate spacecraft body-to-sun attitude knowledge and placing the solar wings normal, i.e., orthogonal, to the sun-line, i.e., a line from the spacecraft to the sun, to maximize solar power. A prior art method of power acquisition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,879, issued Oct. 26, 1993, entitled xe2x80x9cThree Axes Stabilized Spacecraft and Method of Sun Acquisitionxe2x80x9d, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Methods, however, that use sun sensor assemblies for power acquisition can require expensive electronic hardware, such as buffer channel hardware, and can require precise maneuvering to maintain a perfect slew along a spacecraft axis that is not very close to one of the principal axes. In a spacecraft configuration with solar wing or wings deployed where accurate spacecraft body-to-sun attitude knowledge is not needed, but rather it is only needed to keep the spacecraft power safe and thermally safe, a simple and robust algorithm for power safety, which, for example, avoids the difficulties just described with sun sensor buffers and precise maneuvering, would be preferable.
For increased dependability and safety, modern spacecraft may rely on more than one spacecraft control processor (SCP) to control the functions and attitude of the spacecraft. A situation where the spacecraft switches control from one SCP to another is referred to as xe2x80x9ctogglexe2x80x9d. An example toggle situation occurs when a first spacecraft control processor, SCP1 and its connected sensors, is in active control of the spacecraft and a second spacecraft control processor, SCP2 and its connected sensors, is in standby, i.e., is powered off. SCP1 encounters some problems detected by a monitor and decides to turn off SCP1 and turn on SCP2. SCP2 then takes over control of the spacecraft.
With the advent of high power-dissipation payloads in spacecraft, comes a large radiator to maintain payload temperature below the high operating limit. There are various situations in the operation of the spacecraft when power to the spacecraft payload may be turned off. After a situation where the spacecraft toggles from one spacecraft control processor to another, power to the spacecraft payload may be turned off. In post-toggle, i.e., after a toggle has occurred, with the spacecraft in payload-off configuration, the radiator continues to dissipate a large amount of power and, thus, requires more power for the heater to maintain the spacecraft above survival temperature compared to spacecraft with lower power-dissipation payloads. If the payload remains on, the spacecraft needs even more power to survive and the situation is worse than payload off. A power acquisition algorithm, referred to as safe-hold algorithm, may be used post-toggle to ensure that the spacecraft achieves power, thermal, and momentum safety. Due, for example, to the increased post-toggle power requirements for the heater with high power-dissipation payloads, the previously used safe-hold algorithm is no longer adequate to ensure power, thermal, and momentum safety of the spacecraft under all conditions or scenarios.
For example, a previously used safe-hold algorithm for post-toggle safety rotates the spacecraft body along an axis in the xz plane (perpendicular to the wing axis) and places the solar wing in sun searching mode. In the worst case, referred to as xe2x80x9cpaddle wheel scenarioxe2x80x9d (or cases close to this scenario), the received wing power is a sinusoidal curve with theoretical average wing power of 2/xcfx80, which is approximately 64%. The paddle wheel scenario occurs when the sun line and the spacecraft spin axis are orthogonal to each other, resulting in the sun being in the xe2x80x9ckeyholexe2x80x9d, i.e., sun in wing axis or the body y-axis, twice per revolution. Due to bus shadowing effect and the fact that the wing will take more than 360 seconds to rotate 180 degrees to search for the sun every time the sun passes the keyhole position, the received wing power is lower than the theoretical value. The useful wing power is further limited by the battery charge rate so that some of the power is discarded because the battery cannot accept all received power for charging. Because the spacecraft requires power higher than this useful wing power for safety, the previously used safe-hold algorithm no longer renders power, thermal, and momentum safety for the spacecraft.
FIG. 1 shows a phase transition block diagram of a previously used power acquisition algorithm. Algorithm 100, shown in FIG. 1, uses wide field of view (WFOV) sun sensor assembly (SSA), and is applicable to both wing stowed or wing deployed spacecraft configuration. Algorithm 100 includes an initialization phase 102, null rate phase 104, pitch search phase 106, keyhole search phase 108, steer to null phase 110, sun hold phase 112, and fault hold phase 114. The arrows shown in FIG. 1 indicate the control logic, or flow of control, between phases of algorithm 100. For example, from initialization phase 102 control may pass either to null rate phase 104 under a xe2x80x9cnormalxe2x80x9d state of affairs, or to fault hold phase 114 under abnormal conditions, such as algorithm 100 xe2x80x9ctiming outxe2x80x9d before power acquisition has been achieved. As seen in FIG. 1, pitch search phase 106 may be followed by keyhole search phase 108 or may proceed directly to steer to null phase 110. As described above, algorithm 100 may leave the spacecraft in the paddle wheel scenario where useful wing power is inadequate to place the spacecraft in power, thermal, and momentum safety. Thus, algorithm 100 represents a complicated algorithm for power acquisition, which is not very robust, i.e., is prone to failure, or entering the fault hold phase 118 state, under many conditions.
As can be seen, there is a need for a simple, robust algorithm for power acquisition for power, thermal, and momentum safety for high heater-power spacecraft, and especially for post-toggle power, thermal, and momentum safety for spacecraft with high heater-power demand in payload-off configuration. There is also a need for an algorithm for spacecraft power acquisition for power, thermal, and momentum safety that can rely on direct power measurement from the solar wings rather than the indirect power measurement provided by the use of sun sensor assemblies such as WFOV sun sensors.
The present invention provides a simple, robust algorithm for power acquisition for power, thermal, and momentum safety for high heater-power spacecraft, and especially for post-toggle power, thermal, and momentum safety for spacecraft with high heater-power demand in payload-off configuration. The present invention also provides an algorithm for spacecraft power acquisition for power, thermal, and momentum safety that can rely on direct power measurement from the solar wings rather than the indirect power measurement provided by the use of sun sensor assemblies such as WFOV sun sensors.
In one aspect of the present invention, an algorithm for a spacecraft includes a wing sun search phase, an xz slew phase, and a safe hold phase. In the wing sun search phase, a solar wing current is monitored against a low current threshold while a solar wing sun search is performed, the xz slew phase is entered when the solar wing current stays below the low current threshold until a solar wing current persistence timer expires, and the safe hold phase is entered when the solar wing current does not stay below the low current threshold until the solar wing current persistence timer expires. In the xz slew phase, the spacecraft is slewed about an axis close to the xz plane while the solar wing current is continuously monitored against a high current threshold, a high current persistence timer is reset when the solar wing current is below the high current threshold, and the spacecraft is stopped slewing and the safe hold phase is entered when the solar wing current stays above the high current threshold until the high current persistence timer expires. In the safe hold phase, the spacecraft is slewed about an axis close to a y axis while the solar wing current is continuously monitored against the low current threshold, a low current persistence timer is reset when the solar wing current is above the low current threshold, and the spacecraft is stopped stewing and the xz slew phase is entered when the solar wing current stays below the low current threshold until the low current persistence timer expires.
In another aspect of the present invention, a method for spacecraft power acquisition includes performing steps included in each of a null rate phase, a wing sun search phase, an xz slew phase, and a safe hold phase. The null rate phase includes steps of starting a null rate persistence timer and a phase timer; resetting the null rate persistence timer if the spacecraft body rate differs from a null rate target by a threshold; commanding transition to a wing sun search phase when a difference of the spacecraft body rate and the null rate target stays below the threshold until the null rate persistence timer expires; and commanding transition to the wing sun search phase when the phase timer expires. The wing sun search phase includes steps of monitoring a solar wing current against a low current threshold while a solar wing sun search is performed; beginning to perform an xz slew phase when the solar wing current stays below the low current threshold until a solar wing current persistence timer expires; and beginning to perform a safe hold phase when the solar wing current does not stay below the low current threshold until the solar wing current persistence timer expires. The xz slew phase includes steps of slewing the spacecraft about an axis close to the xz plane of the spacecraft while continuously monitoring the solar wing current against a high current threshold; resetting a high current persistence timer when the solar wing current is below the high current threshold; and nulling slewing of the spacecraft and beginning to perform the safe hold phase when the solar wing current stays above the high current threshold until the high current persistence timer expires. The safe hold phase includes steps of slewing the spacecraft about an axis close to a y axis while continuously monitoring the solar wing current against the low current threshold; resetting a low current persistence timer when the solar wing current is above the low current threshold; and nulling slewing of the spacecraft and beginning to perform the xz slew phase when the solar wing current stays below the low current threshold until the low current persistence timer expires.
In still another aspect of the present invention, an algorithm for a spacecraft includes a null rate phase, a wing sun search phase, an xz slew phase, and a safe hold phase. In the null rate phase, a null rate persistence timer and a phase timer are started, the null rate persistence timer is reset if the spacecraft body rate differs from a null rate target by a threshold, transition to wing sun search phase is commanded when a difference of the spacecraft body rate and the null rate target stays below the threshold until the null rate persistence timer expires, and transition to wing sun search phase is commanded when the phase timer expires.
In the wing sun search phase, a wing sun search phase timer is started, a solar wing current is monitored against a low current threshold while a solar wing sun search is performed, the xz slew phase is entered when the solar wing current stays below the low current threshold until a solar wing current persistence timer expires, the safe hold phase is entered when the solar wing current does not stay below the low current threshold until the solar wing current persistence timer expires, and the safe hold phase is entered when the wing sun search phase timer expires after resetting the solar wing current persistence timer once.
In the xz slew phase, the spacecraft is slewed about an axis close to the xz plane while the solar wing current is continuously monitored against a high current threshold, a high current persistence timer is reset when the solar wing current is below the high current threshold, and the spacecraft is stopped slewing and the safe hold phase is entered when the solar wing current stays above the high current threshold until the high current persistence timer expires.
In the safe hold phase, the spacecraft is slewed about an axis close to a y axis while the solar wing current is continuously monitored against the low current threshold, a low current persistence timer, which is longer than the high current persistence timer, is reset when the solar wing current is above the low current threshold, and the spacecraft is stopped slewing and the xz slew phase is entered when the solar wing current stays below the low current threshold until the low current persistence timer expires.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

Spacecraft power acquisition procedure and method for wing-deployed configuration


A monitoring system includes an array of concatenated sensing nodes, with each sensing node being configured to have at least one of near-field and far-field RF coupling circuitry to interface with an adjacent sensing node. A respective device is coupled to each of the sensing nodes. A reader device is configured to have at least one of near-field and far-field RF coupling circuitry to interface with the array of concatenated sensing nodes to read data from the devices.

There are ongoing projects to devise approaches to monitor for prolonged periods of time, and ideally, even permanently, tag data, physical, chemical and/or geometrical parameter changes that may occur at any spot location over large structures.
Patent application no. VA2010A000018, assigned to the current assignee of the present invention and filed on Feb. 26, 2010, describes a multi-cell flexible sheet of organic polymer construction and having a finite or a theoretically unlimited length. The multi-cell flexible sheet includes a monolithically fabricated array of one or more types of cells having the same or different functionalities (e.g., sensor cells, active pixel cells of a large size display). The cells are juxtaposed to form a multi-cell sheet eventually supported on a flexible film. Such a bi-dimensional "tablecloth" array of self-consistent integrated circuit cells could be cut into pieces to be tailored for the need of the specific application without impairing the operability of all the cells spared by the cutting. This will eventually serve as a magazine of individually severable cells having an autonomous operability.
However, self-consistency of each individual cell follows the conventional approach of a pixel type organization, and is burdensome specially for sensing events that may occur at any location over a relatively large surface of a structure or body to be monitored. Communications with the external board by OLED devices and the embedding of a photovoltaic generator, battery or other energy storing device in each individual cell may be burdensome.
Another application assigned to the current assignee of the present invention, US2009/0033467 discloses a RFID device based on RF energy transfer and/or transmit/receive functions by near-field (magnetic) coupling that may be implemented through a hybrid transformer. A tag device (a sensor eventually coupled to it in a monolithically integrated circuit manner) has a primary inductor that is part of a RF near-field coupling structure for a reader device, and a secondary inductor that is either monolithically integrated on the tag/sensor integrated circuit (IC) or formed on a surface of the IC chip by post-processing (On-Chip-Antenna or OCA).
Near-field coupling of a reader with every tag device of a tablecloth array having a very large number of sensing nodes over a relatively large surface is labor intensive. This may require the reader to sequentially reach and pause momentarily over each node to be monitored, at a relatively short distance from it, to establish the necessary near-field RF magnetic coupling conditions.

RFID readable device with smart surface access


A method to map defects is provided. A select data track of a storage medium is scanned for a defect. At least one data wedge affected by the defect on the select data track is identified. Each data wedge includes available area for writing user data defined between two servo wedges that include position information. The at least one affected data wedge is identified as unusuable.

The present disclosure relates generally to storage capacity in a data storage system, and more specifically, but not by limitation, to decreasing storage capacity loss due to defects of a storage medium in a data storage system.
The ever increasing popularity of electronic mobile devices has correspondingly included an increased demand for small sized high capacity data storage systems. Some types of data storage systems utilize magnetic recording technology. Often, to increase storage capacity in these types of systems includes an attempt at increasing areal densities, which can be accomplished through improvement in data heads including transducers and media components. In spite of the success in increasing areal densities, other ways to improve storage capacity are needed. For example, various improvements in format efficiency of the medium have been addressed to increase storage capacity, such as reducing preamble length of a data sector and reducing error correction code (ECC) symbols.
It has been determined that by increasing data sector size from the normal 512 bytes to more than 4096 bytes has dramatically reduced the FCC symbols needed without sacrificing correction capability. In addition, a reduction in FCC symbols also improves format efficiency. While increasing data sector size has shown these positive results, increasing data sector size has also shown some problems. One such problem is mapping defects on the increased data sector size using conventional mapping techniques. In particular, data sector-based defect mapping can eliminate format efficiency gain obtained from increasing data sector size.


Systems and methods for real-time collaborative computing and collective intelligence are disclosed. A collaborative application runs on a collaborative server connected to a plurality of portable computing devices. During repeated time-steps each portable computing device receives user input regarding a media item and sends an indication of the user input to the collaborative server. The collaborative application determines a Group Approval value based at least in part on the indications of the user inputs and sends an indication of the Group Approval value to the portable computing devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for group collaboration among networked users at distributed locations, and more specifically to systems and methods for the closed-loop derivation and display of real-time collaborative group responses among a group of networked users at distributed locations through collective real-time tapping of mobile computing devices.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Portable computing devices, such as cell phones, personal digital assistants, and portable media players have become popular personal devices due to their highly portable nature, their ability to provide accessibility to a large library of stored media files, their interconnectivity with existing computer networks, and their ability to pass information to other portable computing devices and/or to centralized servers through phone networks, wireless networks and/or through local spontaneous networks such as Bluetooth® networks. Many of these devices also provide the ability to store and display media, such as songs, videos, podcasts, ebooks, maps, and other related content and/or programming. Many of these devices are also used as navigation tools, including GPS functionality. Many of these devices are also used as personal communication devices, enabling phone, text, picture, and video communication with other similar portable devices. Many of these devices include touch screens, tilt interfaces, voice recognition, and other modern user input modes. As a result, the general social trend within industrial societies is that every person does now or soon will maintain at least one such multi-purpose electronic device upon their person at most times, especially when out and about.
While such devices allow accessing information and person to person communication, they do not provide any unique tools and infrastructure that specifically enable groups of electronically networked individuals to collectively express their approval or disapproval as a real-time shared experience. In the physical world a crowd can cheer, clap, or boo to express their collective approval or disapproval. In networked environments in which large groups of users are not co-located, the human ability to provide group applause is not possible. One could imagine collecting audio feedback of applause from large groups of users but that is bandwidth intensive. Also, it would be difficult to quantify the relative level of approval contributed by individual users and present it as collective level of approval using audio methods. Hence, there is a substantial need to provide efficient tools and methods by which groups of individuals, each having a portable computing device upon their person, to more easily contribute a personal level of approval or disapproval in real-time synchrony with other users, such that their approval or disapproval is presented as a collective group expression of group approval or group disapproval. Furthermore, there is a need to provide tools and methods that enable groups of users to be informed of the whole group's collective level of approval or disapproval. The present invention, as described herein, addresses these and other deficiencies present in the art.

System and method for moderating real-time closed-loop collaborative decisions on mobile devices


This disclosure relates to a message transmission method, a message reception method and corresponding apparatuses and storage mediums. The message transmission method may be performed by a first Bluetooth device and may involve generating, by a processor of the first Bluetooth device, a beacon frame message based on an intended interaction purpose with a second Bluetooth device, wherein the beacon frame message contains one or more fields indicating the interaction purpose, and broadcasting the beacon frame message using a Bluetooth communication interface of the first Bluetooth device. By including one or more fields indicating the intended interaction purpose within the beacon message frame, the first Bluetooth device and a second receiving Bluetooth device may be able to interact with one another without having to first establish a connection there between, thereby overcoming limitations of traditional Bluetooth communication schemes.

Wireless technology standards for exchanging data over short distances, such as Bluetooth are used in many electronic devices. Popular devices such as headphones, loudspeakers, anti-drop devices, wearables, and the like may use Bluetooth technologies. Communication over Bluetooth typically requires establishing a safe connection between the two devices since services offered over Bluetooth can expose private data or let a connecting party control the device.
This is typically accomplished in Bluetooth through a process called bonding, where a bond is generated between the two devices through a process called pairing. Pairing often involves some level of user interaction, which helps to confirm the identity of the devices being paired. When pairing successfully completes, a bond forms between the two devices, enabling those two devices to establish a connection with one another in the future without repeating the pairing process to confirm device identities.
But under this traditional model, devices are unable to communicate with one another until the devices have been paired and a connection has been established. Moreover, traditional connection based communication schemes are further limiting in that they typically only allow for a single active connection between devices. While a Bluetooth device may be able to bind with several other Bluetooth devices, it may only establish a connection with one device at a time.

Message transmission method, message reception method and apparatus and storage medium


A continuous process for manufacturing composite articles, such as thin hydraulically bound boards, which are reinforced with separate layers of a stretched, fibrillated, extended plastics net reinforcing material is disclosed. An aqueous suspension of cement or other material is applied onto and into the plastics network, dewatered, taken up and rolled into a composite cylinder until the desired thickness is reached. The cylinder is then cut axially, given the desired shape and cured.

This invention relates to the production of composite articles of cement or the like which are reinforced with an extended fibrillated net-shaped plastics material and to the articles so produced. According to the disclosed process objects consisting of a hydraulic binding material in which a reinforcing material is incorporated, are produced by forming a thin layer from an aqueous suspension of the hydraulic binding material and the reinforcing material, this layer being partly dewatered, rolled on a forming roller, removed from the forming roller once the desired thickness is obtained, shaped into its final form and then hardened.
As used in the present application the term hydraulically bound material means a composite of a binder and possibly various additives, which is hardened or bound by reaction with water. The starting material for the hydraulically bound material may be cement including calcium aluminium silicate cement, calcium oxide and silicondioxide, gypsum, all of the Portland cements of the various types, aluminous cements, puzzolanic cements (including cements derived from industrial slags), white cements, natural cements and in general all of the commercially available hydraulic cements.
Various reinforcing agents to these materials are well known. For instance the use of a reinforcement in the form of fibers, either synthetic or natural fibers, prepared with and mixed into hydraulically bound material is known. Also separate fibers may be incorporated in a criss-cross distribution throughout the article or in layers of separate fibers. A system where various fibers are incorporated into articles as a reinforcement in the form of a mat of fibers is also known. Additionally, reinforcement by means of incorporation of a plurality of layers of a net formed from a stretched and fibrillated plastics film is known as well. The product thus obtained is qualitatively better than one with fibers distributed criss-cross.
In a similar manner it is also known to continuously form articles with a fiber reinforcement made from hydraulically bound material, reinforced with separate fibers, in continuous processes. As an example there are the articles made of what is termed asbestos cement.
Prior to the process of the present invention it has not been possible to form on a continuous process basis relatively thin objects by the continuous application of a net fiber reinforcement such that the net reinforcement is present in a large number of layers.

Production of thin, plastic-reinforced, hydraulically bound boards


A fuel equalization line device couples in fluid communication vehicle tanks and has one or two conduits joined together by a removable coupling device, which provides for fluid communication between the conduits when engaged to equalize fuel levels within the tanks, and enables the fuel equalization line to be separated into two parts to free the tanks from the vehicle frame during a tank removal operation. A pair of shutoff valves enable the fuel to be retained in the tanks when they are removed from the frame.

Motorcycle fuel tanks are commonly configured in one of two ways. Either there are two separate fuel tanks, one on each side of a central upper frame member, or there is one fuel tank having a pair of lower lobes on either side of the central upper frame member. With either fuel tank configuration, a fuel equalization line is required.
A fuel equalization line is a tube or conduit that extends between two ports in the bottom portion of the fuel tank or tanks. In the case where two separate fuel tanks exist, the fuel equalization line allows for fluid communication between the two separate fuel tanks. In this way, the fuel level will remain uniformly constant in the two fuel tanks. This facilitates the uniform draining of fuel from both tanks as fuel is consumed by operation of the engine.
Likewise, in the case where one fuel tank is used, the fuel equalization line allows the fuel level within the two lower lobes of the fuel tank to remain uniformly constant, essentially facilitating the uniform draining of fuel from the fuel tank as fuel is consumed.
Because the fuel equalization line commonly extends through a small opening in the frame, it makes it difficult, if not impossible, to remove the tank or tanks from the frame without draining or losing fuel stored in the tanks. In this regard, the fuel equalization line traps or captures the tank on the frame.
When this is the case, the only technique to remove completely the tank or tanks from the vehicle frame is to remove initially the fuel equalization line from the tank or tanks. In this manner, they become free of the frame, and can then be dismounted therefrom. However, there is a problem. When the fuel equalization line is removed, fuel spills from the tanks. For this reason, fuel within the tanks must first be drained prior to removing the fuel equalization line, and subsequently disassembling the tanks from the frame.
Depending on the level of fuel within the tank, draining the tanks can be time consuming and can take about 15 minutes to drain completely the retained fuel. From a maintenance service provider's prospective, such a delay can be inconvenient and interfere with orderly business procedures. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an arrangement whereby the fuel is safely retained within the tanks for removal, or the fuel tanks can be more rapidly drained, so that the maintenance procedure can begin promptly.
Additionally, when a motorcycle first comes in for cleaning, repair or maintenance, the engine may still be quite hot from recent operation. When the engine is still hot, it may present a serious danger to the draining of the highly combustible fuel from the tanks. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a technique for enabling the fuel to be safely retained within the fuel tanks or quickly removed therefrom, and at the same time for facilitating the rapid removal of those fuel tank or tanks from the motorcycle.
At the present time, one way to drain fuel from a motorcycle fuel tank is to open the petcock in the fuel supply line to the carburetor. The fuel can be directed into a holding vessel by either allowing the fuel to freely drain by gravity, or by connecting a length of hose below the petcock and directing the draining fuel into the vessel. Following the draining step, the conventional fuel equalization line is disconnected from one or both fuel tanks, thereby allowing the fuel tanks to be removed from the vehicle. This process is time consuming and certain tools are required to accomplish the task.
Given the number of times motorcycles are disassembled for cleaning, maintenance, or repair operations, this conventional approach to removing the fuel tank or tanks becomes a major inconvenience. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved device and method for removing rapidly and safely a fuel tank or tanks from vehicles, such as motorcycles, in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Fuel equalization line for vehicles and method of using same


A microcomputer includes an instruction decoder and a program counter. The instruction decoder decodes fetched instructions and outputs a control signal ordering execution of the fetched instruction. The control signal from the instruction decoder includes a component controlling fetch cycles which triggers a fetch cycle at the beginning of each instruction cycle to fetch the operand for the instruction currently being executed and midway through each instruction cycle to fetch the OP code for the next instruction. The program counter is responsive to the triggering of each fetch cycle to increment its counter value so as to keep the counter value consistent with the address being accessed in each fetch cycle.

The present invention relates generally to a microcomputer. More specifically, the invention relates to improved instruction cycling in a microcomputer for speeding up microcomputer processing.
Modern monolithic microcomputers often employ a pipe-line architecture which allows fetch cycles and instruction execution cycles to overlap, in other words, each such fetch cycle for fetching any part of an instruction from memory does not overlap with the execution of that same instruction, such execution occurring in a following cycle. Each fetched instruction consists of an operation code (OP code) which is stored in a read-only-memory (ROM), such as a programmable read-only-memory (PROM), and an operand, also stored in the ROM, which may point to a variable value stored in a random-access memory (RAM). In conventional pipe-line architectures, the OP code fetch and the operand fetch are performed in the execution cycles for different instructions, each of which is hereafter referred to generally as an "instruction cycle" or more specifically as one or more "machine cycles". For example, in order to fetch a 2-byte instruction including a 1-byte OP code and a 1-byte operand in a 4-bit microcomputer (in the case of four bits per byte), 2 instruction cycles are required. The same applies to an 8-bit machine with eight bits per byte, as discussed below. Therefore, in this case, the performance of each instruction requires three machine cycles or, in the more general and less precise terminology above, three instruction cycles.
As is clear, the execution of each instruction includes the fetching of the 0P code then of each operand in sequence, and then the execution itself. Generally, a series of machine cycles are involved with the fetching of the operand part of the instruction and the execution of the instruction, in which the fetching of the OP code byte overlaps with the execution of the preceding instruction in the conventional pipeline processor. This conventional pipe-line architecture is not satisfactorily efficient.

Microprocessor with improved instruction cycle using time-compressed fetching


An X-ray imaging system has an X-ray head containing an x-ray source which emits an X-ray beam. The head is rotatable around a pair of orthogonal axes for orienting the emitted X-ray beam in space. A pair of head angle sensors are located with the X-ray head, each being associated with a different one of the pair of axes for measuring an angle of inclination of the X-ray head dependent on its rotation around its associated axis. A display is operably connected to each head angle sensor through a signal processing unit for providing a graphic displaying of angle information related to each of the measured angles collocated at a single viewing station.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray imaging system of the nonintegrated type having an X-ray head or radiator containing an X-ray source for generating an X-ray beam, the head being rotatable for orienting the X-ray beam in space, and a planar X-ray imaging device having no mechanical connection with the X-ray head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In X-ray examinations of patients it is important for the X-ray beam which is emitted from the X-ray source to strike the X-ray film or other planar imaging device, such as a digital image receiver, at the correct angle after passage through that part of a patient that is to be radiographed, so that the resultant image is un-distorted. To achieve this it is important that the imaging device and X-ray head be properly orientated relative to each other (usually so that a central ray from the X-ray source strikes the imaging device perpendicular to the plane of its imaging surface). A known mobile X-ray imaging system, such as that described in the brochure MOBILETT(trademark) Plus HP xe2x80x9cInstructions for Usexe2x80x9d of the company Siemens-Elema AB, is used with a film cartridge (or cassette) which has no mechanical connection with the X-ray head. This film cartridge is placed under the patient, often under the mattress on which the patient rests, and an operator is able to rotate the X-ray head around two mutually perpendicular rotational axes until the X-ray source and the cartridge are properly orientated with respect to one another.
To facilitate this orienting it is known from the MOBILETT to provide a head angle sensor having a ball, movable in an arcuate ball-race (or groove) and overlaid with a see-through display having angles marked on its surface corresponding to angles of inclination of the head from the horizontal. The actual angle of inclination of the head is indicated by the visual correspondence of ball and an angle mark. This means that in order to achieve an accurate reading of the angle from the display the operator must be standing substantially directly in front of the display. Such an angle sensor is placed on each of two mutually perpendicular outer wall sections of the X-ray head to respectively measure the degree of rotation of the head with respect to the horizontal around each of the two mutually perpendicular rotational axes. In use, an operator measures the angle of inclination (desired angle) of the planar imaging surface to the horizontal around each of a pair of axes corresponding to the rotational axes of the X-ray head and then, with the aid of the angle sensors, inclines the head to the same degree so that the central ray of the X-ray beam is perpendicular to the planar imaging surface of the imaging device.
One problem with such an arrangement is that the angle information is displayed at two separate viewing stations, perpendicular to one another. This means that the operator cannot see angle information for both angles of inclination of the X-ray head at the same time and must move around the imaging system to verify each of the angles of inclination of the head. Furthermore the operator must remember the desired angles which only adds to the burden of the operator when setting up the system.
As used herein the term xe2x80x9cviewing stationxe2x80x9d means a region of or on the external surface of X-ray imaging system at which one or more displays are situated with the intention to be viewable from a single operator location.
An object of the present invention is to provide an x-ray imaging system which avoids the above-discussed problem of inclination information being displayed at separate viewing stations which are not simultaneously observable.
The above object is achieved in accordance with the principles of the present invention in an x-ray system having an x-ray head containing an x-ray source which emits an x-ray beam, the head being rotatable around a number of axes for orienting the emitted x-ray beam in space, and having a number of head angle sensors located with the x-ray head, respectively for the different axes, which measure an angle of inclination of the x-ray head dependent on the rotation around the associated axis, each head angle sensor being connected to a display for displaying angle information related to the measured angles, and wherein each head angle sensor provides an output signal indicative of the measured angle, the display receiving these output signals and providing a graphic display of the angle information for each head sensor together at a single viewing station.
By providing angle sensors, such as accelerometers or inclinometers, which each have an output signal dependent on the sensed angles, then respectively associated displays which provide a graphic display of angle information dependent on the output signal can be readily allocated together at a single viewing station, independent of the location of the angle sensors.
Preferably, a difference former is provided which generates a signal indicative of a difference between the angle measured by each sensor and a corresponding desired angle of inclination, for example entered by an operator via a user interface such as a keypad or entered automatically from angle sensors at the X-ray imaging device, for supply to and use by the displays to provide a visual indication of the differences.


A new and distinctive Ivy Geranium variety particularly distinguished by its pleasing purple violet flowers which are produced profusely in medium size round clusters. The clusters are borne on strong stalks and contrast nicely with the green foilage.

A new geranium plant was originated as a chance seedling from seed collected in mass from a collection of unidentified ivy geranium plants maintained as a germ plasm pool in open pollination in our nursery in Stuttgart. The instant plant is believed to be a hybrid by its characteristic of medium vigor, good rooted character, ample stem strength and desirable habit, and because of the double aaspect of the flowers, not usually seen in plants of this market class and by the pleasing flower characteristics of color and quality. This seedling blossomed for the first time in 1986 and because of its good rooting character and its pleasing purple violet flower color, this seedling was selected for propagation which was done by me and under my direction at Stuttgart by means of cuttings. Successive generations of this plant have shown that its novel and distinguishing characteristics are fixed and its homogeneity holds true from generation to generation.