A direct acting hydraulic valve lifter, DAHVL, having dual bucket tappets is provided with means for damping the inner bucket tappet which is coupled to the engine valve. In doing so, the engine valve is damped on its closure reducing noise and wear of the engine valve. Damping is accomplished by means of side wall communication port for connecting the inner chambers of each bucket tappet which is closed by the reciprocal motion of the inner tappet as the cam closes the engine valve and a thin orifice disk controlling the flow of the fluid from the second or inner bucket to the first bucket tappet. Hydraulic pressure is multiplied by the respective areas of the tappet pistons so that the overall height of the DAHVL in a direct acting cam-valve system in reduced.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,774, entitled "Direct Acting Hydraulic Valve Lifter" issued on Jun. 9, 1992 by Krieg et al., describes a direct acting hydraulic valve lifter (DAHVL) having various features which individually and/or in combination may provide reduced reciprocating mass with lower oil loss in operation, faster filling of the lifter after draining and more positive discharge of air from the lifter. Vent means from the oil chambers between the hydraulic element assembly and the follower cylinder supporting it provide for the passage of air within the DAHVL.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,374, entitled "Hydraulic Tappet", issued on Jul. 14, 1992 by Flavio, provides structure within the tappet which causes the oil to traverse a 360.degree. circular path and through two vertical levels in flowing from the inlet to the inner reservoir within the tappet. In this manner, any air bubbles stay in the tappet assembly but do not enter into the oil reservoir in the high pressure chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,306, entitled "Engine Valve Timing Control System" issued on Oct. 7, 1986 by Wakeman and assigned to a common assignee, describes a system using electrohydraulic valve lifters operatively connected to an ECU to provide real time changes in engine valve timing. Pressure pulses within the system, operate to "home" the lifters to the base circle of the timing cams. The ECU controls a solenoid which controls the passage of fluid to and from the lifters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,221, entitled "Valve Control Arrangement, issued on Jun. 9, 1987, by Geringer et al. describes a DAHVL wherein the in-line height of the DAHVL requires the full opening height of the valve to be the lobe height of the cam. In addition this patent shows valve damping by means of a "so-called valve brake" at the end of the closing travel of the engine valve. This brake comprises a ring shaped chamber 54 which is increasing closed by means of a gap between a projection of the housing block and a ramped shaped annular chamber. As the chamber narrows with increasing overlapping of the ramps and the face of the ring-shaped projection the fluid is squeezed until it can flow out of a smaller gap. As is well known this brake is sensitive to the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,451, entitled "Valve Control Arrangement for Internal Combustion Engines with Reciprocating Pistons" issued on Jun. 23, 1987 by Rembold et al., describes a DAHVL having the full opening height of the valve to be the lobe height of the cam. The DAHVL is comprised of two pistons separated by a chamber which is controlled by an electromagnetically controlled directional control valve. Damping of the pistons is not a concern.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,265, entitled "Device for Varying a Valve Timing and Lift for an Internal Combustion Engine" issued on Sep. 29, 1987 by Nohira, describes a DAHVL used in an electronic valve timing system. Damping of the pistons and hence the engine valve is not a concern.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,573, entitled "Hydraulic Engine Valve Lifter Assembly does not show bucket tappets. Again there is shown in-line pistons, in this case three, wherein a damping chamber is between a cam follower piston and a valve damping piston. An separate last adjuster piston is coaxial with respect to the previous two pistons. Damping is performed by reducing the size of the flow passages between the chambers as the pistons near their home position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,540, entitled "Valve Timing Control System for an Internal Combustion Engine", issued on Apr. 9, 1991 by Watanabe, teaches a DAHVL utilizing two pistons, which appear to be similar to bucket pistons but no so described, and the ratio of their respective areas to multiply the lift of the timing cam to open the engine valve the desired amount. Damping of either of the pistons is not discussed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,048 entitled "Lost Motion Actuator" by Robnett et al., and assigned to a common assignee describes a dual, first and second, piston hydraulic actuator having an orifice disk with a thin edge orifice to control damping of the second piston.


In systems and methods for removing a photoresist film off of a wafer, the wafer is moved into a bath of a process liquid in a process tank. The process liquid removes the photoresist film from the wafer. The process liquid is pumped from the process tank to a filter assembly and moved through filter media to filter out solids from the process liquid, and the filtered process liquid is returned to the process tank. A scraper scrapes the filter media to prevent clogging of the filter media by accumulated solids.

Microelectronic devices, such as semiconductor devices, are generally fabricated on and/or in semiconductor material wafers. In wafer level packaging applications, a thick film of photoresist is applied to the wafer and patterned via photolithography. One or more metals are plated through the pattern in the photoresist, to form microelectronic components or interconnections. The photoresist film is then stripped or removed in a using a process liquid, such as a solvent, which chemically reacts with the photoresist film to remove the photoresist film off of the wafer.
Removing the photoresist can be difficult due to the thickness of the photoresist film. During the removing step, some of the photoresist film, which is typically about 50 to 250 microns thick, often comes off the wafer in relatively large gelatinous or diaphanous-like pieces, referred to here as solids, which are not fully dissolved by the process liquid. This results in a large volume of photoresist pieces accumulating in the process liquid, which can degrade the process liquid, clog filters or other fluid components and require frequent cleaning of the processing system. Engineering challenges remain in providing systems and methods for removing photoresist films.


Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method and an apparatus for selecting a preferred parent node in a wireless sensor network, and the method includes: according to all received DIO messages, separately acquiring, by a first node, node identification information carried in each of the DIO messages and generates a parent node set; selecting, by the first node, a fixed node with a highest performance parameter level as a preferred parent node when it is determined that the parent node set includes at least two fixed nodes; and selecting, by the first node, a mobile node with a highest performance parameter level as the preferred parent node when it is determined that the parent node set does not include a fixed node, and includes at least two mobile nodes.

Each node in an IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6; Internet Protocol Version 6) wireless sensor network corresponds to a specific range that the transmit power can cover. When some nodes cannot access a network within their power sending ranges, the some nodes access the network by using another node.
In the IPv6 wireless sensor network, a process in which a node (hereinafter referred to as a first node) accesses the network by using another node is as follows: After receiving a DIO (Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph Information Object) message sent by the another node, the first node selects a preferred parent node according to a target function and an acyclic graph that are carried in the DIO message, and accesses the network by using the preferred parent node. For example, referring to prior art FIG. 1, a root node sends a DIO message by broadcasting; after a node A adjacent to the root node (that is, within a power sending range of the root node) receives the DIO message sent by the root node, the node A acquires an acyclic graph carried in the DIO message; in addition, the node A joins the foregoing acyclic graph, updates the acyclic graph, and replies to the root node with a DAO (Destination Advertisement Object) message; the node A sends a DIO message by broadcasting; after a node B within a power sending range of the node A receives the foregoing DIO message, the node B acquires an updated acyclic graph carried in the DIO message; after the node B joins the foregoing updated acyclic graph, the node B updates the acyclic graph again, and in addition, the node B replies to the node A with a DAO message. After a wireless sensor network is enabled and after the node B receives a DIS (Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph information Solicitation) message sent by a node C, the node B sends a DIO message to the node C, requesting the node C to join the foregoing acyclic graph that is update again; the node C sends a DAO message to its parent node B based on the DIO message; after receiving the DAO message sent by the node C, the node B integrates acyclic graph information, and feeds back DAO information to the node A, so that the node A feeds back the foregoing DAO information fed back by the node B to the root node. The node C then can connect to the root node by using the node A, and access the network by using the root node.
At present, the foregoing IPv6 wireless sensor network may be applied to a mobile scenario, that is, a scenario in which a mobile node exists in the foregoing wireless sensor network. The RPL (IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks) does not provide a rule for selecting a preferred parent node in the mobile scenario, and a feature of an unfixed location of the mobile node may lead to poor link quality. Therefore, when the foregoing IPv6 wireless sensor network is applied to the mobile scenario, if a preferred parent node is still selected according to a target function and an acyclic graph that are carried in a DIO message in the mobile scenario, problems of a packet loss and network instability easily arise in a communication process.
Based on the foregoing technical problems, generally, it is determined, in a manner of comparing a Rank value of a preferred parent node of a first node with a Rank value of any one parent node in all parent nodes of the first node, whether to replace the preferred parent node with the any one parent node, where a network topology view is shown in prior art FIG. 2. Referring to prior art FIG. 3, a process of changing a preferred parent node by using a Rank value is as follows:
Step 300: A first node determines any one parent node P1 that is selected.
The first node is a mobile node or a fixed node, and a preferred parent node of the first node is P2, where P2 may be a mobile node or a fixed node.
Step 310: The first node acquires a Rank 1 value of the any one parent node P1 and a Rank 2 value of a preferred parent node P2.
Step 320: The first node determines whether Rank 1 is equal to Rank 2. If yes, step 330 is performed; otherwise, step 340 is performed.
Step 330: Acquire node types of the foregoing P1 and P2. If P1 is a fixed node and P2 is a mobile node, Select P1 as the preferred parent node of the first node; if P1 is a mobile node, retain P2 as the preferred parent node of the first node.
Step 340: Acquire node types of P1 and P2. If P1 is a fixed node and P2 is a mobile node, select P1 as the preferred parent node of the first node; if P1 is a mobile node, retain P2 as the preferred parent node of the first node; if P1 and P2 are both mobile nodes, or P1 and P2 are both fixed nodes, select a node with a smaller Rank value from the foregoing two nodes as the preferred parent node.
It may be learned from FIG. 3 that, in a manner of determining a preferred parent node of a first node in the foregoing mobile scenario, the preferred parent node of the first node is already selected, and a Rank value of the preferred parent node of the first node is compared only with a Rank value of one parent node of the first node. When there are multiple parent nodes of the first node, the foregoing process is executed for any one parent node, resulting in a long processing time. In addition, because a Rank value of each node cannot reflect a feature of the node, selecting a preferred parent node by using a Rank value of a parent node leads to an inaccurate comparison result, and the selected preferred parent node is not an optimal parent node. Consequently, a problem of a high packet loss rate arises; in addition, a change of the preferred parent node also causes a problem of network unstability.
It may be seen that, at present, when an IPv6 wireless sensor network is applied to a mobile scenario, problems of a high packet loss rate and poor network performance exist in a method for selecting a preferred parent node for any one node in the wireless sensor network.

Method and apparatus for selecting preferred parent node in wireless sensor network


The present invention relates to a silicon anode active material capable of high capacity and high output, and a method for fabricating the same. A silicon anode active material according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a silicon core including silicon particles; and a double clamping layer having a silicon carbide layer on the silicon core and a silicon oxide layer between the silicon core and the silicon carbide layer.

Recently, demand for secondary batteries such as lithium batteries, lithium ion batteries, and lithium ion polymer batteries is greatly increasing. The secondary battery is a rechargeable battery using an electrode material having excellent reversibility and the secondary battery may be a nickel-hydrogen (Ni-MH) battery, a lithium battery or a lithium ion battery depending on the anode and the cathode active material. Such secondary batteries are increasingly widely being applied to various applications as power supply sources for information technology (IT) devices such as smart phones, portable computers, and electronic paper, or for transportation systems such as electric vehicles.
A carbon-based material having a theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g is generally applied as a material capable of inhibiting dendrites of lithium in a lithium battery from growing. However, as the application of the secondary battery has expanded, there has been a demand for higher capacity and higher output of the secondary battery than before. Accordingly, a non-carbon anode material capable of being alloyed with lithium such as silicon (Si), tin (Sn), or aluminum (Al) having a capacity of 500 mAh/g or more to replace the theoretical capacity of the carbon-based anode materials have greatly drawn attention.
Among the non-carbon-based anode materials, the silicon has the theoretical capacity of about 4,200 mAh/g, which is the largest. However, since the volume of the silicon anode material expands by about 4 times during charging of the silicon anode material, due to the volume change during charging and discharging, the electrical connection between the active materials may be broken, the active material may be separated from a current collector, and the active material may be eroded by electrolyte, which are a barrier to its practical use. Therefore, for the application of the silicon material to the anode material, it is required to improve the irreversibility of the battery due to the volume change during charging and discharging of the battery. In addition, with explosive growth of demand for secondary batteries, it is necessary to secure fabrication technology that can economically and mass-produce silicon anode active materials.

Silicon anode active material and preparation method therefor


A method, system and program product for brokering advertising of products and services in a virtual world. The method includes accepting subscriptions from advertisers willing to pay for advertising products and services on a persona associated with a virtual space belonging to a virtual world user, creating a user profile based on specified likes/dislikes and establishing whether a user is willing to display advertising on their persona in the virtual world in exchange for receiving a benefit. Further, the method includes displaying advertisements on the persona, such that, the one or more advertisements displayed on the persona dynamically changes based on a viewing user viewing the persona of the advertising user, the one or more advertisements displayed to the viewing user being based on a viewing user profile, such that, the advertisements displayed on the persona varies simultaneously in real time mode from one viewing user to another.

As virtual worlds become more prevalent in the marketplace, users engage in these virtual worlds with their online persona, namely, an Avatar, as a means of self portrayal. Moreover, the users are also able to customize the look of their Avatar and are even able to create pets and other accessories that are attached to their online persona in the virtual world. Increasingly, such virtual worlds serve as a vehicle for buying and/or selling goods and services and a means for advertising of goods and services. As such, advertising companies require innovative ways to market themselves and advertise their goods and services and their company as a whole within these virtual worlds, such that, more advertising opportunity can be obtained.

Apparatus, system and program product for dynamically changing advertising on an avatar as viewed by a viewing user

International Business Machines Corporation


A combination of a CDK4/6 inhibitor and a MEK inhibitor for the treatment of diseases such as cancer.

Tumor development is closely associated with genetic alteration and deregulation of CDKs and their regulators, suggesting that inhibitors of CDKs may be useful anti-cancer therapeutics. Indeed, early results suggest that transformed and normal cells differ in their requirement for, e.g., cyclin D/CDK4/6 and that it may be possible to develop novel antineoplastic agents devoid of the general host toxicity observed with conventional cytotoxic and cytostatic drugs.
The function of CDKs is to phosphorylate and thus activate or deactivate certain proteins, including e.g. retinoblastoma proteins, lamins, histone H1, and components of the mitotic spindle. The catalytic step mediated by CDKs involves a phospho-transfer reaction from ATP to the macromolecular enzyme substrate. Several groups of compounds (reviewed in e.g. Fischer, P. M. Curr. Opin. Drug Discovery Dev. 2001, 4, 623-634) have been found to possess anti-proliferative properties by virtue of CDK-specific ATP antagonism.
At a molecular level mediation of CDK/cyclin complex activity requires a series of stimulatory and inhibitory phosphorylation, or dephosphorylation, events. CDK phosphorylation is performed by a group of CDK activating kinases (CAKs) and/or kinases such as wee1, Myt1 and Mik1. Dephosphorylation is performed by phosphatases such as cdc25 (a & c), pp2a, or KAP.
CDK/cyclin complex activity may be further regulated by two families of endogenous cellular proteinaceous inhibitors: the Kip/Cip family, or the INK family. The INK proteins specifically bind CDK4 and CDK6. p16ink4 (also known as MTS1) is a potential tumour suppressor gene that is mutated, or deleted, in a large number of primary cancers. The Kip/Cip family contains proteins such as p21Cip1,Waf1, p27Kip1 and p57kip2, where p21 is induced by p53 and is able to inactivate the CDK2/cyclin(E/A) complex. A typically low levels of p27 expression have been observed in breast, colon and prostate cancers. Conversely over expression of cyclin E in solid tumours has been shown to correlate with poor patient prognosis. Over expression of cyclin D1 has been associated with oesophageal, breast, squamous, and non-small cell lung carcinomas.
The pivotal roles of CDKs, and their associated proteins, in co-ordinating and driving the cell cycle in proliferating cells have been outlined above. Some of the biochemical pathways in which CDKs play a key role have also been described. The development of monotherapies for the treatment of proliferative disorders, such as cancers, using therapeutics targeted generically at CDKs, or at specific CDKs, is therefore potentially highly desirable. Thus, there is a continued need to find new therapeutic agents to treat human diseases.
The CDK inhibitor compound 7-Cyclopentyl-2-(5-piperazin-1-yl-pyridin-2-ylamino)-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-6-carboxylic acid dimethylamide (Compound A) is described in PCT Application No. WO 2010/020675 as Example 74.
Cell signaling through growth factor receptors and protein kinases is an important regulator of cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. In normal cell growth, growth factors, through receptor activation (i.e. PDGF or EGF and others), activate MAP kinase pathways. One of the most important and most well understood MAP kinase pathways involved in normal and uncontrolled cell growth is the Ras/Raf kinase pathway. Active GTP-bound Res results in the activation and indirect phosphorylation of Raf kinase. Raf then phosphorylates MEK1 and 2 on two serine residues (S218 and S222 for MEK1 and S222 and S226 for MEK2) (Ahn et al., Methods in Enzymology 2001, 332, 417-431). Activated MEK then phosphorylates its only known substrates, the MAP kinases, ERK1 and 2. ERK phosphorylation by MEK occurs on Y204 and T202 for ERK1 and Y185 and T183 for ERK2 (Ahn et al., Methods in Enzymology 2001, 332, 417-431). Phosphorylated ERK dimerizes and then translocates to the nucleus where it accumulates (Khokhlatchev et al., Cell 1998, 93, 605-615). In the nucleus, ERK is involved in several important cellular functions, including but not limited to nuclear transport, signal transduction, DNA repair, nucleosome assembly and translocation, and mRNA processing and translation (Ahn et al., Molecular Cell 2000, 6, 1343-1354). Overall, treatment of cells with growth factors leads to the activation of ERK1 and 2 which results in proliferation and, in some cases, differentiation (Lewis et al., Adv. Cancer Res. 1998, 74, 49-139).
The MEK inhibitor compound 6-(4-bromo-2-fluorophenylamino)-7-fluoro-3-methyl-3H-benzoimidazole-5-carboxylic acid (2-hydroxyethoxy)-amide (COMPOUND B) is described in PCT Application No. WO 03/077914, and methods for its preparation have been described, for example, in Example 18 therein.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pharmaceutical combination comprising binimetinib


A bus control and error detection system is provided for a bus system in which data and address signals are transferred between a microsequencer and a number of operational stations which are coupled to the bus. Tri-state drivers are employed in the microsequencer and in the stations which are constructed such that two of the three states of these tri-state drivers are utilized to provide the two states of binary logic operation, and the third state is a high impedance state that protects the components that are coupled to the bus during predefined abort condition which are detected in the system. An abort detection circuit is included in each of the operational stations which is coupled to receive control signals from the microsequencer and which is constructed to emit an ABORT signal output to the microsequencer when the control signals indicate that an abort condition has occurred for the associated operational station. The ABORT signal causes the tri-state driver in the microsequencer to switch to its high impedance state and the microsequencer and transmit LOCK BUS signals to all of the operational stations in order to switch their tri-state drivers to their high impedance states.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the detection of errors in digital computing systems, and more particularly to the detection of errors in a number of stations which are interconnected by a bus that carries address and data to a processor or sequencer and the stations. The stations may be independent sequencers or processors, or they may be gate arrays each of which have a specified function which is called into operation by signals from the processor or sequencer.
It is common to employ "handshake" signals between a processor or sequencer and operating stations, such as gate arrays, to control the exchange of data and address signals. The detection of errors that occur in large scale processing systems which employ handshake to changes and which have a number of stations is critical in order to avert damage to system components, especially to expensive circuit elements and gate arrays which could fail due to hardware failures in other areas. The system employs a tri-state bus driver. Tri-state buses and bus drivers are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,800, issued May 18, 1993 in the name of William D. Mensch, Jr., entitled "Method and Apparatus for Sensing Trinary Logic States in a Microcomputer Using Bus Holding Circuits," and U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,449, issued May 11, 1993 in the names of Kiyoshi Nishino, et al., entitled "Edge-Triggered Tri-State Output Buffer," show examples of such types of devices. A tri-state bus has two logic states and a third state which is a high impedance state. When the bus is set into its third state, it protects components from failed components and from also failing.


A manifold for a fuel injected engine has several fuel injectors that are connected to a common air assist passageway for each bank of cylinders. This passageway is preferably supplied with assist air from a central location, between two of the fuel injector pockets that intersect the air assist passageway in each bank of cylinders. This air assist passageway may be formed integral with a manifold, or may be separately formed together with the injector pockets as an air assist rail. The air assist passageway preferably intersects the center line of the fuel injector pockets and is formed by inserting pins that define the interior surface of the passageway into a mold cavity to intersect and pass through bosses that define the fuel injector pockets.

This application is an application for patent which relates to air intake systems for internal combustion engines, particularly internal combustion engines for automobiles. More particularly, it relates to intake manifolds and air assist rails and methods for making the same.
Fuel injectors are often designed to use air under pressure to assist the atomization of fuel by the injectors. Since each injector in an engine requires air assist, each injector is connected to a supply of pressurized air.
Traditionally, since the injectors are in predetermined positions with respect to each other, the air is supplied to a bank of injectors by an external pod or rail. This pod is rigid and is attached to a row of injectors along a single bank. Thus, for in-line engines, there would be a single pod that extends the length of the engine connecting to all the cylinders. For engines with two banks of cylinders, such as xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d-type engines or horizontally opposed pancake engines, two pods are provided where each pod is connected to the injectors for a single bank of cylinders. In another arrangement, the air assist passageway is not provided by an external pod, but is formed as a passageway internal to the intake manifold.
While the external pod requires additional piping and connections for each of the injectors, it also permits a passageway with optimum air pressure and air distribution. It also permits the intake manifold and cylinder head geometry to be kept simple.
Air assist passageways formed internal to the manifold are significantly constrained in their design. For example, they are either molded using pins, or are formed by gun-drilling the manifold after it is molded. As a result, the air assist passageways typically have a circular cross section with a relatively constant cross sectional area, and a straight longitudinal axis. Their diameter is typically limited to fit between and around the injector pockets and the air induction ports for each cylinder. The longitudinal axes of the air assist passageways formed in the manifold are typically offset to one side of the fuel injector pockets such that they intersect the air injector pockets on one side.
These constraints cause several problems. First, there are significant air assist pressure drops from injector to injector as the assist air travels the length of the air assist passageway. Second, when the injectors operate, they generate pressure pulses that travel down the air assist passageways. Depending upon the geometry of the air assist passageways, these pressure pulses may cause injectors to be starved for assist air, or alternatively have too much assist air applied to the injectors. This is commonly called xe2x80x9ccross-talkxe2x80x9d between injectors and negatively affects the atomization of the fuel. In addition, fuel from an upstream injector can be introduced into the air assist passageways and can be transmitted to neighboring air injectors.
The problems are compounded by supplying assist air to an end of the internal air assist passageway. Typically, a connection is provided on one end of the air assist passageway into which the assist air is supplied. Thus, for example, the air assist passageways on a V-8 engine (having two banks of four cylinders) would be fed from an air line connected to an end of the air assist passageway. To reach the fuel injector at the far end of the engine, the passageway would have to pass three fuel injectors, all of them introducing pressure pulsations into the system that would affect the end cylinder. In a straight six-cylinder engine, the air assist passageway would pass five fuel injectors before reaching the last fuel injector in the bank of cylinders. Five fuel injectors introduce their pressure pulsations into the air assist passageway that would affect that last fuel injector.
What is needed therefore is an improved method and apparatus for supplying assist air to an engine having a plurality of fuel injectors. It is an object of this invention to provide such an apparatus and method.
In accordance with a first embodiment, an air intake system for an internal combustion engine having at least one bank of cylinders adjacent to each other is provided, including a first plurality of air induction passageways couplable to the at least one bank of cylinders for conducting combustion air to the cylinders in the first bank of cylinders, a first plurality of fuel injector pockets, each fluidly coupled with one of the first plurality of air induction passageways, and a first air assist passageway fluidly coupled with the first plurality of fuel injector pockets to communicate assist air to each of the fuel injector pockets, wherein the first air assist passageway has a first assist air feed port for receiving assist air and the first assist air port is disposed between at least two of the first plurality of fuel injector pockets.
The air intake system may also include a second plurality of air induction passageways couplable to at least another bank of cylinders of the internal combustion engine for conducting combustion air to the cylinders in the second bank of cylinders, a second plurality of fuel injector pockets, each fluidly coupled with one of the second plurality of air induction passageways, and a second air assist passageway fluidly coupled with the first plurality of fuel injector pockets to communicate assist air to each of the fuel injector pockets, wherein the air assist passageway has a second assist air feed port for receiving assist air and the second assist air port is disposed between at least two of the second plurality of fuel injector pockets.
The first and second pluralities of air induction passageways may each include at least three passageways, each of the at least three passageways being couplable to a corresponding cylinder of the first and second banks of cylinders, respectively.
The first and second pluralities of air induction passageways may each include at least four passageways, each of the at least four passageways being couplable to a corresponding cylinder of the first and second banks of cylinders, respectively.
The first plurality of air induction passageways may include at least four passageways, each of the at least four passageways being couplable to a corresponding cylinder of the first bank of cylinders.
The first plurality of injector pockets, the first plurality of air induction passageways, the first air assist passageway and the first assist air feed port may be formed in an intake manifold.
The first plurality of fuel injector pockets may have central longitudinal axes, and those axes may be intersected by the first air assist passageway.
The first air assist passageway may have a longitudinal axis, and that axis may substantially intersect the first longitudinal axes of the first plurality of fuel injector pockets.
The first air assist passageway may intersect the plurality of fuel injector pockets between two circumferential seats on each of the plurality of fuel injector pockets, and the two circumferential seats may be engageable with two flexible seals disposable between the two circumferential seats and a fuel injector.
The two flexible seals may be O-rings. The manifold may include a plenum, and may be made of fiber-reinforced plastic.
Other principal features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings, the detailed description and the appended claims.

Center feed of air for air assist fuel injector


In a bulk acoustic wave (BAW) filter based on laterally acoustically coupled resonators on piezoelectric thin films, one can utilize two distinct acoustic plate wave modes of different nature, for example the thickness extensional (longitudinal) TE1 and the second harmonic thickness shear (TS2) mode to form a bandpass response. The invention is based on the excitation of at least two lateral standing wave resonances belonging to different plate wave modes that facilitate the transmission of signal. The passband is designed by tailoring the wave propagation characteristics in the device such that the resonances are excited at suitable frequencies to form a passband of a desired shape. The bandwidth of the filter described herein may therefore be more than twice that of the existing state-of-the-art microacoustic filters. Consequently, it has significant commercial and technological value.

Some central concepts used in the following text are briefly defined here.
Laterally Propagating Plate Wave Modes
Bulk acoustic thickness vibration arising in a piezoelectric plate (a wafer or a thin film layer) can propagate laterally (in the horizontal direction) in the plate. Such laterally propagating wave modes are called plate wave modes or Lamb wave modes [1]. The term plate wave mode will be used here. The wave propagates with a lateral wavelength λx and has a lateral wave number kx.
Different types of thickness vibration can propagate as plate waves. Examples of such vibration types are the thickness-extensional (TE) and thickness-shear (TS) vibration (FIG. 1). In the former, the particle displacement is in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric plate (z-axis in FIG. 1), and in the latter, it is perpendicular to the thickness direction. A thickness resonance arises within the piezoelectric plate when the thickness t of the plate is equal to an integer number of half-wavelengths λz: t=Nλz/2, λz=v/f, where N is an integer, v is the velocity of the acoustic wave in the piezoelectric material, and f is the operation frequency. In the first-order mode, N=1 and there is one half-wavelength accommodated within the thickness t.
In FIG. 1, some plate wave types are depicted. From top to bottom: the first-order thickness-extensional mode TE1, the second-order thickness-shear mode TS2, the first-order thickness-shear mode TS1, flexural mode. Propagation is in the lateral direction with lateral wavelength λx.
Lateral Standing Wave Resonances
Laterally propagating plate waves can be reflected from discontinuities, such as electrode edges. In a laterally finite structure, therefore, lateral standing wave resonances can arise. A lateral standing wave resonance arises when the lateral dimension W of the finite structure equals an integer number of half-wavelengths λx of the lateral propagation: W=Nλx/2. The integer N implies the order of the resonance. In the first order resonance, there is one half-wavelength within the lateral length of the structure.
Lateral standing wave resonances can arise for any thickness vibration mode (e.g., TE mode or TS mode).
In FIG. 2, the first two lateral standing wave resonances in a laterally finite plate with width W and thickness t are shown for the TE1 and the TS2 thickness vibration modes (plate wave modes). The first resonances (2a and 2c) have a lateral wavelength of λx=2W are symmetric in the width of the plate while the second resonances have a lateral wavelength λx=W (2b and 2d) are antisymmetric in the width of the plate.
Dispersion Diagrams
Relation between the lateral wave number kx of a laterally propagating plate wave and the frequency f is called the dispersion of the plate wave and is presented as a dispersion diagram. In a dispersion diagram, negative x-axis often corresponds to imaginary wave number (evanescent wave), whereas positive x-axis corresponds to real wave number (propagating wave).
In FIG. 3, a calculated dispersion diagram is shown. Second-order thickness shear (TS2) and first-order thickness extensional (TE1) plate wave modes are denoted.
Electrical Coupling of Resonance Modes
Mechanical vibration in a piezoelectric film produces an electrical field. For this field to create voltage between the electrodes of a resonator, it needs to be such that the total charge over the electrode is not zero.
Acoustical Coupling
Mechanical vibration can couple mechanically from one resonator structure to another. Mechanical coupling can happen via an evanescent wave or via a propagating wave.
General Description of Related Art
Radio-frequency (RF) components, such as resonators and filters, based on microacoustics and thin-film technology are currently widely used in radio applications, such as mobile phones, wireless networks, satellite positioning, etc. Their advantages over their lumped-element counterparts include small size and mass-producibility. Two principal microacoustic technologies used for RF devices are surface acoustic wave (SAW) and bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technologies.
In this section, existing filter technologies are briefly introduced to provide background for the current invention and to distinguish the invention from the prior art.
Surface Acoustic Wave Devices
Interdigital transducers (IDTs)—comb-like structures of thin-film metal strips, see FIG. 4—are patterned on a piezoelectric substrate (e.g., quartz, LiNbO3 or LiTaO3). The IDTs are used to transform the electric input signal Vin into a surface-propagating acoustic wave via the piezoelectric effect, as well as to pick up the acoustic signal at the output port and transform it back to electrical form. The operation frequency of the device depends on the velocity of the acoustic wave and the dimensions of the IDT electrodes via f=2p/v, where f is the frequency, p is the period of the IDT, and v is the velocity of the surface wave. Therefore, higher operation frequencies require smaller p if the velocity is kept constant.
Bulk Acoustic Wave Devices
In a BAW device, acoustic vibration inside a piezoelectric wafer or a thin film is used to process the electrical input signal. In a solidly-mounted BAW resonator (SMR), an acoustic reflector composed of alternating high and low acoustic impedance (Z) material layers serves to isolate the vibration in the piezoelectric thin film from the substrate and to prevent acoustic leakage. In a membrane device the same is accomplished by fabricating and air gap between the piezoelectric resonator and the substrate.
Thickness Vibration and Plate Wave Dispersion
As explained above, in the piezoelectric layer, different thickness vibration modes, such as longitudinal (also called thickness-extensional, vibration is in the thickness direction, parallel to z-axis) and shear (vibration perpendicular to z-axis) vibration, arise as the excitation frequency f is swept. Such thickness vibration can propagate in the lateral direction as a plate wave. Acoustic properties of the plate waves can be described with dispersion curves, in which the lateral (perpendicular to z-axis) wave number kx of the plate wave is presented as a function of frequency f.
FIG. 3 shows calculated dispersion diagram for the thin-film layer stack given in Table 1. The dispersion curves of the laterally-propagating plate waves for the first-order longitudinal (thickness extensional, TE1) vibration mode, in which the thickness of the piezoelectric layer contains approximately half a wavelength λz of the thickness vibration, and for the second-order thickness shear (TS2) mode, in which the particle displacement is perpendicular to the thickness direction and one acoustic wavelength λz is contained in the piezoelectric layer thickness, are denoted in the figure. This type of dispersion, in which the onset frequency of the TE1 plate mode is higher than the onset frequency of the TS2 plate mode, is called Type 1[2]. Onset means the point at which the dispersion curve of a plate mode crosses the kx=0 axis (i.e. the frequency axis). Type 1 materials include, e.g., ZnO. Aluminum nitride is inherently Type 2 (TS2 is higher in frequency than TE1).
By designing the thin-film stack correctly, dispersion properties can be tailored and the dispersion type changed.
Table 1 is the film thicknesses used in the calculation of the dispersion curves in FIG. 2.
MaterialSiO2WSiO2WSiO2TiMoAINAlThickness790505620510950103601750220(nm)
In FIG. 3, positive values of kx denote a real wave number (propagating wave) and negative values correspond to imaginary wave number (evanescent wave).
For a lateral standing wave resonance to arise in a laterally finite structure, the acoustic energy must be trapped inside the resonator structure, both in the thickness direction and in the lateral direction. In the thickness direction, isolation from the substrate (reflector or air gap) ensures the energy trapping. In the lateral direction, there should be an evanescent wave outside the resonator region for energy trapping. Energy trapping is easier to realize in Type 1 dispersion. Therefore, when using AlN as the piezoelectric material, the reflector is usually designed so that it converts the dispersion into Type 1.
In a laterally finite plate resonator, a propagating plate wave can form lateral standing wave resonances when the width W of the resonator accommodates an integer multiple of half-wavelengths, i.e. W=Nλx/2.
Acoustical Coupling in BAW Devices
A filter can be made by electrically connecting one-port resonators to form a ladder or a lattice filter. Another possibility is to arrange mechanical (acoustic) coupling between resonators by placing them spatially close enough to each other for the acoustic wave to couple from one resonator to another. Such devices are called coupled resonator filters (CRF).
In BAW devices, vertical acoustic coupling between stacked piezoelectric layers is used in stacked crystal filters (SCF) and vertically coupled CRFs. In an SCF, two piezoelectric layers are separated by an intermediate electrode. In a vertically coupled CRF, coupling layers are used to modify the coupling strength between the piezoelectric layers. The CRF can be fabricated either using the SMR or the membrane technology.
A thin-film vertically coupled CRF has been shown to give a relatively wide-band frequency response (80 MHz at 1850 MHz center frequency, or 4.3% of center frequency). They also enable unbalanced-to-balanced (balun) conversion. The disadvantage of the vertically coupled CRFs is the need for a large number of layers and the sensitivity of the response to the thickness of the piezolayers. This makes the fabrication process difficult and consequently expensive.
Lateral acoustical coupling in BAW devices (LCRF) can be realized with 2 or more narrow electrodes placed close to each other on the piezoelectric layer. Electrical input signal into a first port formed by one or more electrodes is transformed into mechanical vibration via the piezoelectric effect. This vibration couples mechanically across the gap to a second port formed by one or more electrodes and creates an output electrical signal. Electrodes in this example are interdigital (comb-like), but other shapes are possible as well. Coupling strength is determined by the acoustic properties of the structure and by the gap between the electrodes.
Bandpass frequency response in an LCRF is typically formed by two lateral standing wave resonances arising in the structure. Typically one of the resonances forming the passband is the lowest-order (symmetric) lateral standing wave resonance for which N=1 and all electrodes are vibrating in-phase (see FIG. 7). Preferably the second resonance is the one for which every electrode is in the opposite phase with its neighbours (odd resonance mode) (see FIG. 7). The frequency difference between the lateral standing wave resonances determines the achievable bandwidth of the filter, and depends on the acoustic properties of the structure and on the electrode dimensions and the acoustical coupling strength between the electrodes.
Prior art describes LCRF structures using two lateral standing wave resonances arising for one plate wave mode, e.g., TE1, to form a bandpass response. Also, in the prior art, there has been identified unwanted spurious resonances and passbands at the frequency of other plate wave modes existing in the structure, e.g., TS2 mode. [3]
The main advantage of the LCRF over the vertical CRF is the simple fabrication technology, as only one piezoelectric layer and no coupling layers are required, as opposed to the vertical CRF. Operation at high frequencies is easier than for SAW components, as the operation frequency is mainly determined by the layer thicknesses, not the electrode dimensions, relaxing requirements for very narrow dimensions.

Wide-band acoustically coupled thin-film BAW filter


Presently disclosed herein are a method, system, and computer-readable medium for managing a user-defined genre-based password. In one embodiment, the method includes steps for creating a genre-based tree that can be used to prompt a user in remembering a user-created password. In an exemplary embodiment, the method for creating the password includes the steps of: presenting, to a user, a first question; receiving, from the user, a first input answer to the first question; presenting, to the user, a subsequent question that is based on the first input answer to the first question; receiving, from the user, a subsequent input answer to the subsequent question; and based on the first input answer and the subsequent input answer, creating a pathway of nodes, in a genre-based tree, to a correct end-node, wherein content of the correct end-node, which is based on the subsequent input answer, provides a basis for a user-defined password, and wherein the content of the correct end-node prompts the user to remember the user-defined password.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates in general to the field of computers, and in particular to computer software. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to an improved method, system and computer-readable medium for aiding a user in remembering a user-defined password.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer applications, including those that provide access to privileged information, often require the user to define and subsequently utilize a password to afford access to the privileged information. For example, a webpage may require a user to enter a password to access bank account information, subscriber-based information, etc. Thus, to aid the user in later remembering the password, the computer application may allow the user to define his/her own password. However, allowing a user to set her own password poses problems.
First, a user-defined password can be broken using simple assumptions. That is, most people use the name of a child, pet or spouse as a password. Knowing this information makes it easy for a wrongdoer to guess the user's password. Thus, most user-created passwords are not very secure.
Second, even user-created passwords can be hard for the user to remember if the user has different passwords for different applications. Thus, even if the user uses the same basis for all of his user-defined passwords (e.g., the name of his child), different applications/webpages/etc. may have different password formats, such that the actual passwords differ. For example, some formats may require the password to be at least six characters long, while others require the password to be exactly eight characters long, while others require the password to include at least one numeral, etc.

Password generation using genre selection


A panel is provided by the present disclosure, including a cell defined by a first substrate and a second substrate and a functional component between the first and second substrates. There exist at least two rings of sealant between the first and second substrates. The functional component is sealed by the at least two rings of sealant. The at least two rings of sealant are spaced from each other.

A cell sealing technology refers to seal a cell formed by oppositely arranging two substrates at a periphery thereof by a sealant. At present, the vast majority of display panels are formed by oppositely arranging an array substrate and a packaging substrate to form a cell. In the related art, the display panel is generally sealed by a single ring of sealant, and then a stress of a laser sintering process performed onto the single ring of sealant is in only one direction, such that a mechanical support ability of the display panel is reduced. In additions, it is found in an environmental reliability test that a damage of a single point of the single ring of sealant may be easily to be spread peripherally, such that the components in the display panel may be aged and malfunctioned rapidly, therefore the service life and the mechanical support ability may not be guaranteed.

ORDOS YUANSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


This invention introduces the concept that on an interconnected electric power system, the area-caused components of memory parameters system time deviation and the total inadvertent interchange of each constitutent control area are separable and measurable. Methods and means are disclosed for separating each of the components and determining its magnitude, utilizing known or measurable parameters, thereby providing new long-desired area memory parameters which are precise measures of the control performance of each area. The portion of system time deviation and the portion, designated primary inadvertent, of total area inadvertent interchange caused by an area's own regulating deficiencies, and the portion, designated secondary inadvertent, of total area inadvertent interchange caused by regulating deficiencies of each remote area, are identified. Certain of the components are then utilized in their respective areas to provide unilateral simultaneous corrective control of said area's component of system time deviation, said area's primary component of area inadvertent interchange, and the secondary inadvertent components of area in advertent interchange of all remote areas caused by the regulating deficiencies of said area, doing so more effectively, more equitably and more economically than is possible with prevailing conventional control techniques.

Conventional practice of adjacent electric power companies is to interconnect to share generation and reserves, and thereby improve reliability and economy of service to users. The power industry has grown extensively during the past fifty years, and so have interconnections. As described in my chapter "Power Systems Interconnections--Control of Generation and Power Flow" in the 11th edition of the Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, McGraw Hill, N.Y., 1978, there are currently three large interconnected systems in the contiguous United States and portions of Canada.
The largest is the Eastern Interconnected System, extending from east of the Rocky Mountain to the eastern seaboard, and embracing parts of Eastern Canada. It includes some 220 utility companies or agencies of varying sizes, some investor-owned, some publicly-owned, arranged in about 100 control areas in six regions. Its present generating capacity is about 400 million kilowatts.
The second interconnected system extends from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast, embracing portions of Western Canada. It includes some 53 utility companies or agencies arranged in 33 control areas in four regions. Its present generating capacity is about 100 million kilowatts.
The third of the interconnected systems is in the state of Texas. It has seven control areas, and a generating capacity of about 30 million kilowatts.
There are many complexities to the reliable and economic operation of an interconnected electric power system composed of many independently owned companies or agencies, extending over thousands of square miles of territory, containing dozens or hundreds of electrical generating units of varying types and sizes, with hundreds of miles of telemetering channels, and serving millions of customers. Over the years, many concepts, technologies and processes for operating, monitoring and automatically controlling such a system have been well developed, and generally well embraced and applied by the industry. There are, however, some aspects of operation and control, particularly as they relate to system time deviation and unscheduled power transfers between areas, and their corrections, which have not until now been fully or satisfactorily resolved. Such matters, which have become of particular importance in light of the escalation of fuel prices and the growing need for energy conservation, are addressed in this invention, and solutions disclosed.
A control area of an interconnected system is that portion of the system, generally a company or agency or a group of companies or agencies operating as a pool, which is expected automatically to adjust its generation to follow its load changes, and to schedule and maintain bulk power transfers with other areas.
Two principal operating objectives of an interconnected system operating under a set frequency schedule and with preset schedules of bulk power transfers between areas are:
(1) to be certain that user power demand, wherever on the system it occurs, is met, and
(2) to allocate generation changes made in response to load changes to areas in which the load changes occurred.
Electric power systems are self-regulating. That is to say that self-regulating forces, which are the rotating masses of the system, the frequency coefficient of connected load, and the speed governors of turbine-generator units, act to maintain a balance between total system load and total system generation so long as generation capability is available somewhere on the system and load limits of equipment and lines are not reached. The nature of these self-regulating forces is discussed in my paper, "Power System Control Practices," Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Allerton Conference on Circuit and Systems Theory, Allerton Park, Ill. (1971). Load changes in any area are therefore accomodated initially by load and generation changes in all areas resulting in departures of system frequency and area net interchanges from their respective schedules.
Departures of system frequency integrate into system time deviation, hereinafter referred to as a "memory parameter" representing a summation of system frequency departures from schedule during a designated time period.
Departures of area net interchange from schedule integrate into area inadvertent interchange, also referred to hereinafter as a "memory parameter" representing a summation of area departures from net interchange schedule during a designated time period.
The self-regulating forces of an interconnected system thus fulfill the first principal operating objective of satisfying user demand wherever on the system it occurs. It does so, however, at the expense of system frequency, and by placing corresponding generation changes randomly among the areas of the system, depending on the frequency coefficient of area loads, and the number, sizes and speed-governor characteristics of the turbine-generator units in the various areas. To fulfill the second principal operating objective of allocating generation changes to areas where the changes in load demand occurred, a supplementary automatic control is required. Such a supplementary control is generally slower than the self-regulating forces, and in effect reallocates generation changes to the appropriate areas after the initial self-regulating accomodations of changes in demand.
It is accordingly conventional practice to equip each control area with supplementary control identified as "frequency-biased net interchange control" (sometimes referred to as net interchange bias control) for the regulation of bulk power transfers, i.e., power interchanges with other areas. Such controls have the following functions:
1. Adjust area generation to match changes in area load,
2. Maintain bulk power transfers on preset schedules as long as the system frequency is on its schedule,
3. Depart from preset transfer schedules as a function of frequency deviation when frequency departs from its schedule, thereby providing assistance to areas in need,
4. Participate in system frequency regulation,
5. Periodically correct for its own accumulated departures from interchange schedules, and
6. Correct periodically in concert with other areas for accumulated deviations in system time.
Frequency-biased net interchange control has been the standard operating technique in the United States, Canada and elsewhere in the world for more than thirty years. Its applicability and effectiveness for the first four of the six functions tabulated above, are well understood and documented, see my papers, "Power Flow Control--Basic Concepts for Interconnected Systems," Electric Light and Power, Chicago, Volume 28, Nos. 8 and 9 (1950), and "Some Aspects of Tie-Line Bias Control on Interconnected Power Systems," Transactions A.I.E.E., Vol. 75, Pt III (1957), and my book, "Control of Generation and Power Flow on Interconnected Systems," John Wiley & Sons, Second Edition (1971). On the other hand, present practices for items 5 and 6 related to corrections for accumulated departures from transfer schedules and time deviation are frequently inadequate and uneconomical, resulting in unnecessary regulation and corresponding waste of energy. I shall refer additionally later in this specification to these two items and to new concepts, methods and means for correction of present deficiencies.
In the application for a given area of frequency-biased net interchange control, measurements are made of system frequency and of the net of area power interchanges with other areas, settings are made of the system frequency schedule, the area net interchange schedule, and the area frequency bias setting, and from these parameters an area control error is determined. This in turn activates control apparatus which automatically adjusts the energy input to one or more turbine-generator units in the area so that area generation output is adjusted in magnitude and direction to reduce the area control error to zero. In this process: EQU E.sub.n =(T.sub.n -T.sub.on)-10 B.sub.n (F-F.sub.o) (1)
where
E.sub.n =the area control error of area n, in megawatts,
T.sub.n =the measured net interchange of the area with other areas, in megawatts, power out is +,
T.sub.on =the scheduled net interchange of the area, in megawatts, as preset, power out is +,
B.sub.n =the frequency bias setting for the area in MW/0.1 Hz, and is considered to have a minus sign,
F=system frequency in Hz,
F.sub.o =the system frequency schedule in Hz, as preset.
The control signals which are to effect the change in generation of the area generators are usually derived by coordination of the area control error signal with a number of other measured or computed parameters so that the effectiveness of the control and the economy and the security of the area are optimized while the area control error is being reduced to zero. Systems utilizing frequency biased net interchange control coordinated with other area objectives are disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 2,773,994, issued Dec. 11, 1956, my U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,125, issued Apr. 15, 1958, my U.S. Pat. No. 2,866,102, issued Dec. 23, 1958, my U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,898, issued Feb. 5, 1963, and my U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,209, issued Aug. 30, 1966.
For hypothetically perfect operation, the interconnection will automatically achieve its scheduled frequency, and net interchanges for all areas will be on their respective schedules when the area control error for each area is zero, and the following criteria are fulfilled:
1. All portions of the interconnection are included in one area or another so that the sum of all area generation, loads and losses is the same as the total system generation, load and losses.
2. The algebraic sum of all area net interchange schedules is equal to zero.
3. A common scheduled frequency is used for all areas, and
4. There are no metering or computational errors.
Such criteria and the requirement of returning the area control error for each area to zero are not always fulfilled. The reasons are:
1. There may be errors or offsets in one or more areas in setting the frequency schedule.
2. There may be errors or offsets in one or more areas in setting the net interchange schedules.
3. There may be errors in one or more areas in measuring system frequency.
4. There may be errors in one or more areas in measuring area net interchange.
5. There may be computational errors in one or more areas in calculating area control error, or
6. One or more areas may be unable or unwilling to adjust area generation in manner that will reduce the respective area control error to zero.
Each of these deficiencies will cause deviations of system frequency from schedule and deviations of net interchanges from schedules
Accumulations of frequency deviations from normal schedule become system time deviations, by: ##EQU1## where,
.epsilon.=system time deviation, in seconds,
F.sub.r =system reference frequency, in Hz,
F=system frequency, in Hz, and
t=time span in hours over which the time deviation has accumulated.
When system reference frequency is 60 Hz, Equation (2) becomes: EQU .epsilon.=60.sub.o.sup.t (F-60)dt (2a)
The term "regulating state" will be used to define the prevailing conditions within an area with respect to its control responsibilities. When an area is devoid of errors in setting its frequency and net interchange schedules, in measuring frequency and net interchange, and has zero area control error, which is to say it is without "regulating deficiencies," it will have a zero-error regulating state. The degree to which such regulating deficiencies exist within an area defines its regulating state, and results in a corresponding contribution by the area to system frequency deviation. Thus system time deviation may be regarded as related to the algebraic summation of the regulating states of all areas of the interconnected system during a designated time span.
Frequency-biased net interchange controls are cooperative controls, which not only act to reallocate the generation changes to the area where the load changes occurred, but cause other areas to provide generation assistance to the load change area until the latter responds to its own control system and makes the requisite generation changes. When, however, the area in which the load change occurred fails to properly adjust its generation, the system frequency deviation from schedule and the corresponding area net interchange deviations from respective schedules persist. System time deviation then continues to accumulate, as do inadvertent interchanges not only in the area responsible for the prevailing condition, but in all areas who are assisting it pending its own corrective action. While this condition of the load change area receiving assistance from the other areas persists, the load change area has a non-zero regulating state. Other areas are also accumulating inadvertent interchange, but if they are providing the preprogrammed assistance and have no other prevailing regulating deficiencies, they are in zero-error regulating states.
The portion of an area's total inadvertent interchange accumulation that is caused by the area's own non-zero regulating states is defined in this invention as "primary inadvertent." The portion of an area's total inadvertent interchange accumulation that is caused by the non-zero regulating states of other areas is defined as "secondary inadvertent."
System time deviation, being a summary of frequency deviations over a designated time span, may be regarded as a "system memory parameter."
Accumulations in area net interchange deviations from schedule are defined as "Inadvertent Interchange," which may be regarded as an "area memory parameter," and is given by: EQU I.sub.n =.sub.o.sup.t (T.sub.n -T.sub.on)dt (3)
where,
I.sub.n =inadvertent interchange of area n, in megawatt hours, energy out being +,
T.sub.n =net interchange of the area, in megawatts, power out being +,
T.sub.on =net interchange schedule of the area, in megawatts, and
t=time span in hours over which the inadvertent interchange has accumulated.
Significant or frequent accumulations of system time deviation or area inadvertent interchange are deemed by system operators as undesirable. Unscheduled assistance to areas having regulating deficiencies is costly to the assisting areas. Also, such accumulations create the need for costly corrective control action to counterbalance past accumulations so that system time deviation is reduced to acceptable limits for system synchronous clocks, and area inadvertent interchanges are reduced to zero. A reason for the latter requirement, is that current practice is for each area to transfer energy to or to receive energy from other areas to compensate for past accumulations of unscheduled interchanges between one another. The compensating transfers may be made when a unit of energy, because of the time of day and the prevailing loading of the area, may have a value substantially different than the value existent when the unscheduled transfer was made.
Further, unscheduled transfers may reduce or fully absorb the available capacity margins of interconnecting transmission lines, so that power transfers to areas in need during emergencies may not be possible.
Despite the general agreement by system operators that good regulation by each control area is a desirable objective, and assistance from other areas should be provided primarily during emergency periods, there has nevertheless been a "deterioration" in area control performance in recent years. This is reported in the 1975 Annual Report of the National Electric Reliability Council, Princeton, N.J., by the North American Power Systems Interconnection Committee (NAPSIC), a voluntary coordinating organization representing most of the interconnected utilities in the United States and portions of Canada. To monitor, to take steps to correct for such regulating deficiencies, and to provide control that will help avoid them, requires that means be available to determine which area or areas are at fault, and by how much. In other words, how much of the accumulated system time deviation was caused by the non-zero regulating states of which areas, and how much of an area's inadvertent interchange is due to its own ineffective operation and how much is the result of assistance cooperatively given to areas in need?
Failure of an area to regulate effectively is costly to other areas. A precise performance measure would make it possible to identify the area or areas at fault, to encourage them to improve control performance as justification for their participation in the interconnected system, and would provide a means for effective control by each area for its past faults and errors.
Many of the points raised or questions asked by authors Connor, Denny, Huff, Kennedy and Frank concerning area and system regulation in the paper, "Current Operating Problems Associated With Automatic Generation Control," Paper No. 77 810-5 presented at the IEEE/ASME/ASCE Joint Power Generation Conference, Los Angeles, CA, September 18-21, 1977, could be answered given the availability of a precise measure of area control performance. Although techniques for such measurements have been developed and some are still in use, a truly precise practical means for measuring area control performance has not been available in the more than thirty years that frequency-biased net interchange control for all areas of an interconnected system has been in use.
Two techniques are currently in use for checking area control performance. One involves an analysis of area control error, and is described in the "Control Performance Criteria" supplement to the NAPSIC "Operating Manual" dated 1973, revised 1977. This has distinct limitations, however, for as noted in the criteria itself, "it does not take into account errors in measurement, telemetering, schedules, etc." A second technique used by NAPSIC systems is a "Control Error Survey." Here computations are made for all areas over a designated time period of the difference between an area's total inadvertent interchange accumulation and the product of the area's bias setting times one-sixth the system time deviation. As will be shown later in this specification, this computation produces inaccurate results and hence an inaccurate comparison of the regulating effectiveness of each of the areas. Both of the NAPSIC techniques are described by contributing author Huff in the paper, "Current Operating Problems Associated with Automatic Generation Control" already referred to.
It will now be useful to examine and cite the limitations of the prevailing industry techniques for corrective control of accumulations in system time error and in area inadvertent interchanges prior to disclosing the improvements for such control provided by this invention.
As described in Operating Guide No. 4 of the NAPSIC Operating Manual, already referred to, system time deviation correction is achieved by all control areas offsetting frequency schedule in the direction that will adjust generation to speed up or slow down system frequency to counterbalance the accumulated time deviation. As noted in the Guide, all control areas are expected to participate in time deviation correction, on instructions from the central timekeeping area, American Electric Power Company at Canton, Ohio, and the frequency schedule offset at present is minus or plus 0.02 Hz when a plus or minus two second error has developed. In effect, a non-zero regulating state is established by all control areas to compensate for the previous non-zero regulating states in the opposite direction that caused the system time deviation.
This procedure, with minor variations, has been standard on U.S. and Canadian interconnections for more than thirty years. While it corrects system time, it has the disadvantage that all areas are expected to participate in the time correction action, with its accompanying regulation of generation, although not all areas have shared in creating the prevailing time deviation. I shall show that such participation by all areas is, for some of them, counterproductive not only because of the costly regulation it requires, but also because this very action creates elements of inadvertent interchange for those areas which did not share in creating the prevailing system time deviation, and their contribution to its correction amounts to the creation, for them, of a new error for which they must later regulate additionally, in the opposite direction, to correct, and in the process will be recreating a component of the original system time deviation.
Operating Guide No. 5 of the previously referred to Operating Manual of NAPSIC describes presently approved techniques for area inadvertent interchange corrective control. Two methods are recommended. The first is a bilateral approach, wherein one area with inadvertent interchange in one direction arranges with another area having inadvertent interchange to the opposite direction to offset their respective net interchange schedules by the same amount but in the opposite directions, thereby correcting the inadvertent interchange of both areas, without creating a change in system-frequency or time deviation. On the face of it, this appears like an appropriate procedure. I shall show, however, that in many cases it is not, because the total inadvertent interchange of an area may well be wholly or in part secondary inadvertent, due to regulating deficiencies of other areas, which only such other areas can correct. When an area endeavors to correct for the secondary component of inadvertent interchange caused by the primary component of inadvertent interchange of other areas, it cannot, as I shall show, do so, but instead is creating primary inadvertent interchange of its own for which it must later itself correct.
The second technique for inadvertent interchange corrective control approved by NAPSIC in Operating Guide No. 5 of the previously referred to Operating Manual, is for a single area, unilaterally, to correct for its total inadvertent interchange if it is in the direction that aids in the correction of existing time error. This also has limitations, since such corrective control for its own total inadvertent interchange by an area (1) may not actually be correcting for that portion of its total inadvertent interchange for which it itself is responsible, namely, its primary component which may well be of opposite algebraic sign to its total inadvertent interchange, and (2) to the extent that it is correcting for secondary components of its inadvertent interchange for which other areas are responsible, it will only be creating primary inadvertent interchange for itself and secondary components for others, all of which must later be correctively controlled. Also, correlation between inadvertent interchange of an area and prevailing system time error is not necessarily a correct correlation. As I will show, the correlation should be between that portion of total inadvertent interchange for which the area itself is responsible, its primary component, and that portion of system time deviation for which that area is itself responsible.
Thus the NAPSIC Operating Guides for system-wide time error corrective control and unilateral or bilateral inadvertent interchange corrective control, Nos. 4 and 5 respectively, may well result in improper control action which does not control for the parameters that the area needs to regulate, and will result in the need for further additional regulation later to undo that which the control action has improperly done. Generating units operate more efficiently where base loaded with fixed output, than when inputs are altered to obtain the varying output needed when regulating. Regulation consumes energy. The improved control techniques of this invention, which will reduce unnecessary or counterproductive regulation, will thereby result in energy conservation.
In a paper, "Techniques for Improving the Control of Bulk Power Transfers on Interconnected Systems," presented at the 1971 IEEE Winter Power Meeting and published in IEEE Transactions, Volume PAS-90, No. 6 (1971), hereinafter referred to as the "1971 paper" I made an analysis of the effects on frequency, net interchange, inadvertent interchange and system time deviation of various types of errors or control inadequacies in a given area. The same material, with slightly different symbology, discussed from the viewpoint of system operators, was presented under the title, "Energy Balancing on Interconnected Systems," at the 1973 American Power Conference and published in the Proceedings of that Conference, Volume 35, Chicago, IL, 1973.
The frequency-biased net interchange control equation,, Equation (1), was expanded in these publications to include area measuring and schedule setting errors and offsets as follows: EQU E.sub.n =(T.sub.n +.tau..sub.1n -T.sub.on -.tau..sub.on)-10B.sub.n (F+.phi..sub.1n -F.sub.o -.phi..sub.on) (4)
where,
.tau..sub.1n =errors in measurement of T.sub.n,
.tau..sub.on =errors or offsets in setting T.sub.on,
.phi..sub.1n =errors in measurement of F,
.phi..sub.on =errors or offsets in setting F.sub.o.
The following relationships were also outlined in the referenced papers: EQU .tau..sub.n =.tau..sub.on -.tau.1n (4a)
where
.tau..sub.n =the algebraic sum of errors in T.sub.n, and errors or offsets in T.sub.on. EQU .phi..sub.n =.phi..sub.on -.phi..sub.1n ( 4b)
where,
.phi..sub.n =the algebraic sum of errors in F, and errors or offsets in F.sub.o. EQU T'.sub.n =T.sub.n +.tau..sub.1n ( 4c)
where,
T'.sub.n is the area n net interchange as measured. EQU T'.sub.on =T.sub.on +.tau..sub.on ( 4d)
where,
T'.sub.on is the area n net interchange schedule as set. EQU F.sub.n '=F+.phi..sub.ln ( 4e)
where,
F'.sub.n is the area n frequency as measured. EQU F.sub.on '=F.sub.o +.phi..sub.on ( 4f)
where,
F'.sub.on is the area n frequency schedule as set.
From which: EQU E.sub.n =(T.sub.n '-T.sub.on ')=10B.sub.n (F.sub.n '-F.sub.on ') (4g)
From Equations (1), (4a) and (4b): EQU E.sub.n =(T.sub.n -T.sub.on -.tau..sub.n)-10B.sub.n (F-F.sub.o -.phi..sub.n) (4h)
Reference will be made to these relationships as the disclosure proceeds.
In the same references, the equations developed for system time deviation and total area inadvertent interchange are indicative of the fact that each of these parameters is made up of components, each specifically related to a specific area. The equations are, however, in terms of unknown or non-measurable parameters such as .tau..sub.n and .phi..sub.n, and though of theoretical interest, have not been of practical value.
As concerns the components of area inadvertent interchange, these have traditionally been identified as the "intentional" and "unscheduled" components, in "Definitions of Terminology for Automatic Generation Control on Electric Power Systems," IEEE Publication No. 94 (1965). The latter term is frequently referred to in power systems practice, as the "unintentional" components, as noted in my paper, "Considerations in the Regulation of Interconnected Areas," IEEE Transactions, Volume PAS-86, No 12 (1967).
The "intentional" inadvertent was intended to define the area schedule deviation that occurs when making an assisting frequency-biased contribution to other areas, because of unfulfilled needs existing there. An equation for this component appears in my aforementioned paper, "Considerations in the Regulation of Interconnected Areas," but as noted therein, applies only to the special case of an area having zero control error. There is, however, ambiguity in the current use of the terms "intentional" and "unintentional." For example, consider that an area offsets its net interchange or frequency schedule to correctively control for inadvertant interchange or time deviation. That constitutes an intentional offset, but since it is not a result of frequency bias action, the resultant inadvertent is not regarded as "intentional." Similarly, if an area consciously decides that it does not want to regulate effectively, that is an intentional decision but it results in "unintentional" or unscheduled inadvertent.
For this disclosure I will utilize the new terminology referred to earlier, namely, "primary inadvertent" for that component of total area inadvertent interchange that results from its own inadequacies, errors or schedule offsets which is to say, its own regulating deficiencies, while "secondary inadvertent" will refer to that component of an area's total inadvertent interchange that reflects responses to regulating deficiencies in remote areas.
Other techniques for correcting area inadvertent interchange and system time deviation accumulations, though not now in use, have been disclosed in my U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,891 (1972) and 3,898,442 (1975).
The first, recognizing that the algebraic sum of inadvertent interchange for all control areas of the interconnected system is zero, but pursuing the traditional concept that time correction and inadvertent interchange correction are separate objectives, suggested that inadvertent interchange correction take place at stipulated times with participation by all areas, and at the same time that system-wide correction of time deviation by all areas was taking place. Two characteristics of this proposed technique as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,891, are that all areas are to participate in the inadvertent interchange correction and the inadvertent interchange correction would not necessarily be completed in the same time span as would the time deviation correction. The technique of the second of the two U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,442, described also in my paper, "Some New Thoughts on Energy Balancing and Time Correction on Interconnected Systems," published in the Proceedings of the IEEE Region Five Conference on "Control of Power Systems," IEEE Publication T6CH1057-9REG5 (1976), while still considering two separate control objectives, and still specifying that all areas participate simultaneously in inadvertent interchange correction, defines relationships between the modifiers for the inadvertent interchange correction factors and the time deviation correction factors which insure that both sets of corrections would be completed in the same time span.

Energy conservation by improved control of bulk power transfers on interconnected systems


A blind fastener for compressively connecting at least two overlapping workpieces including a threaded core bolt and a pull-up nut at least partially positioned within an aperture of a hollow bolt. The nut includes a larger diameter portion and a smaller diameter portion. The hollow bolt is sized to be received within aligned apertures in the workpieces and includes an enlarged head portion and a body portion extending from the head portion. The core bolt and the smaller diameter portion of the nut are positioned in the aperture in the hollow bolt such that when the core bolt is rotated with respect to the nut the larger diameter portion of the nut disrupts the body portion of the hollow bolt and the smaller diameter portion of the nut fills the space between the core bolt and the disrupted body portion of the hollow bolt to increase the shear and tensile load capabilities of the fastener.

This invention relates to blind fasteners for securing sheet material together and, in particular, to a blind fastener that during installation is transformed into a solid shank fastener capable of withstanding high shear and tensile loads.
Blind fasteners have become particularly useful in securing sheet materials where it is impossible to access the underside of the material. Typically such fasteners are inserted into an aperture through the material and include a threaded stem for engaging the fastener. Rotation of the stem draws an expansion member into engagement with the underside of the material. Expansion may be aided by a nut body which forces the expansion member radially outwardly to engage the underside. Upon complete expansion to fully clamp the sheet material, the exterior end of the threaded stem may be broken away to eliminate any protrusions from the exterior surface.
Such fasteners have wide application in aircraft and space vehicle assembly. However, the vibrations and sonic fatigue such vehicles are subject to causes loosening of the fasteners.
Another problem with previously available blind fasteners, such as blind rivets, is that when the expansion member is drawn against the workpiece, the deformation of the expansion member causes a gap to exist between the expansion member and the stem. This gap limits the shear and tensile load capability for the fastener. An attempt to eliminate the space between the stem and the expansion member was through the use of a blind fastener arrangement wherein the stem member had an enlarged head which when drawn up through the expansion member caused the expansion member to expand only to the size of the enlarged head on the stem. The problem with this arrangement is that the footprint or surface area of the expansion member which engaged the backside of the workpiece is limited. A limited footprint also contributed to its inability to withstand high shear and tensile loads.
Other problems with previously available blind fasteners is that they do not provide a mechanism to visually determine if the fastener was installed, fails to provide a flush surface after installation, or incorporate frangible or loose pieces which could result in damage to internal damage to components of the vehicle. Other problems with previously available blind fasteners is that they require installation through the use of an expensive installation tool.
Consequently, a need exists for an improved blind fastener arrangement which can withstand high shear and tensile loads and eliminates the problems associated with previously available blind fasteners.


A spherical piston for high-pressure applications. By shifting the o-ring oove to the pressure side of the major diameter of a spherical piston such that one edge of the groove is the major diameter, a very close fitting spherical piston that will not have metal to metal interference is created. Contrary to traditional spherical pistons, the spherical diameter of the present invention is less than the diameter of a cylinder wall. Elimination of metal to metal interference between the piston and the cylinder wall permits the piston to be made of harder metal than the cylinder wall without concern for damage if the piston cants on its axis within the cylinder.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to spherical pistons and particularly to high-pressure spherical pistons where the angular excursion of the piston as it rocks back and forth within the cylinder wall is a serious limitation in piston functioning
Previously, excessive rocking of spherical pistons caused metal to metal interference between the piston and the cylinder walls. To avoid this problem, the spherical diameter of the spherical piston is reduced past that recommended by piston o-ring standards to avoid metal to metal contact. As a result the diametral clearance is exceeded based on current standards. Lower pressure is now required to prevent o-ring extrusion. High pressure spherical pistons traditionally have required a spherical diameter greater than the diameter of the cylinder walls which contain the piston. As a result, spherical pistons have not been practical for high-pressure applications unless the angular excursion of the piston was limited to a very narrow range.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Example of a prior art spherical piston application is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,137. U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,137 is a classic example of the use of a spherical piston in the prior art. A spherical piston is resorted to because of a high angular excursion or rocking of the piston within the cylinder wall. In this particular example of a spherical piston, no o-ring is used which forces the piston to rely on lubrication to avoid friction problems due to metal to metal contact between the piston and the cylinder wall and to maintain a seal.
A refinement or variation of this type of rocking problem is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,790 where a spherical piston is used with an o-ring to attempt to avoid physical contact between the metal of the piston and the metal of the cylinder walls. The piston arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,790 has the o-ring centered on the major diameter of the spherical piston and thus permits maximum pressure in both the compression and downward strokes. In this particular patent, however, the inventor states that the piston is designed to be cocked more while it is being withdrawn than during the compression stroke. This off-sets the matching pressure advantage of a normal push-pull piston.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,150 shows the various methods of o-ring seals that have been used previously in spherical or rocking piston assemblies. To avoid loss of pressure in such a rocking assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,150 as shown in FIG. 18 resorts to changing the cylinder walls such that they are not in the form of a true cylinder any more to maintain a high pressure seal.

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


A unified block integral bleed system for use with valves such as plug-type valves wherein pressure release flow occurs through a manifold port mounting arrangement which accesses upstream, downstream and body cavity portions of the valve and provides atmosphere taps as well without external piping. Such a manifold integral body bleed system provides internal flow channels and is preferably configured as the bonnet of the valve but could also be configured for example as the lower plate of the valve. In fact, any valve component which provides inherent access to the upstream and downstream throats and the central body cavity could serve as the bleed system manifold component as well.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to valves of the type which may be used to regulate the flow of fluids therethrough and more specifically, to an integral bleed system for such valves for permitting the selective release of pressure.
2. Prior Art
The design of many valves in the prior art permits pressure trapped in the body cavity to be relieved by means of pressure relieving devices. Such devices are designed to permit hydraulic communication of the fluid trapped in the body cavity to the upstream, downstream or external area of the valve body. At first glance this appears to be a relatively simple task, but upon further analysis it will be seen that this task is indeed quite overwhelmingly complex. As a result, prior art solutions have also been complex as well as clumsy and potentially dangerous. The complexity of the use of external pressure relieving devices stems primarily from the large array of variations that must be provided in a conventional bleed system and the number of parameters which can affect the nature of the bleed system in prior art valves. For example, the material of which the bleed systems are made will usually depend upon the nature of the media. Thus for example there may be two basic materials depending upon whether the media is caustic or not caustic. Material properties of external valve bleed systems will also vary as a result of differences in the temperature of the media and the viscosity of the media. There will also be variations in the geometry of end connections such as whether such connections are threaded or compression fittings, or pipe threads or unions and the like. Another significant variable is size. Variations in the bleed system configuration will depend upon the size of the pipes and tubes and the pipe schedules and the thicknesses of the tubes and the pipes. Other variations stem from variations in the manufacturer's specifications for valves. The sealing material will also result in variations necessary in the pressure relieving devices of the bleed system. Different relief valve requirements are also parameters which affect the complexity of such bleed systems. Check valve crack pressures also affect variations and manual valve styles with and without locking devices add additional parametric permutations. These variations quickly add up. Just those mentioned above represent over one million possible permutations. As a result, a large part of inventory control, purchasing, designing, and design control for valve manufacturers can be directly attributed to the relatively secondary issue of the bleed system.
Prior art pressure-relieving bleed systems are clumsy because once they are installed they require numerous joints which can leak. In addition, the bleed system normally protrudes from the valve body and as a result, handling and shipping becomes more difficult. Once installed, the bleed system with its required maintenance access area, virtually doubles the original valve installation dimensional requirements. The dangers of an external pressure relieving bleed system of the prior art stem from the fact that once the valve is installed, the relatively weak structure of the bleed system is attached to an immobilized valve and provides protruding plumbing and valves such as relief valves and the like. Such protrusions can easily be broken off creating significant dangers. A bleed system that becomes severed can create the possibility of a catastrophic failure including fire, explosion, hazardous material spills and the like.
There is therefore a significant need for an improved valve pressure-relieving bleed system which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of prior art bleed systems. In other words, there is a need for a bleed system that does not require a significant inventory to accommodate large variations in the parameters of such bleed systems; which does not produce a clumsy and dangerous external plumbing configuration and which reduces the possibilities of a catastrophic failure of the type described above.


A local oscillator (LO) distribution system is described. The LO system includes a plurality of phase-locked loop (PLL) modules coupled to each other in a one-way, circulant coupling topology. Each PLL module receives a reference clock signal and outputs an output LO signal. Each PLL module provides a local LO signal to an adjacent downstream PLL module, where the local LO signal is a frequency divided version of the output LO signal. Each PLL module receives an adjacent LO signal from the adjacent upstream PLL module. The phase of the output LO signal is made to be coherent with the phase of the reference clock signal and the phase of the adjacent LO signal, using a feedback loop.

In multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems (including massive MIMO systems), it is desirable to have coherently driven antennas with closely controlled phases and delays between antennas. Similarly, coherency among individual antennas of an antenna array is desirable for beamforming and beam steering. Generally, coherency means that in a system of multiple antenna branches, there is a defined phase-coherent relationship between the branches. Any loss of coherence (e.g., due to noise and/or distortion) erodes the system's ability to separate signal modes (e.g., in a MIMO system) or form beams (e.g., in an antenna array) because antenna signals become smeared over space and time.
A challenge in achieving a coherent system is the complexity of generating and distributing the local oscillator (LO) signals that are used for frequency conversion in the antenna branches, particularly in microwave and high frequency ranges. A conventional approach for distributing an LO signal among multiple antenna branches is to use metallic transmission lines to distribute the LO signals. However, such transmission lines exhibit significant loss at microwave and higher frequencies, thus needing more signal amplification and resulting in higher noise, greater distortion, higher power consumption and increased costs. Other conventional approaches may use lower-loss waveguides or optical fibers, however such approaches are expensive to manufacture and have difficulty in achieving phase and delay matching at shorter wavelengths.
It would be useful to provide a system for distributing LO signals over multiple antenna branches, which addresses the problems of excessive losses and/or distortion, particularly for higher frequencies.

System for coherent distribution of oscillator signal