A self-feedback random generator comprises a digital-to-analog converter, a digital oscillator, a frequency-modulating unit and a first D-type flip-flop. The digital-to-analog converter receives a digital random-code signal and the digital random-code signal is converted to corresponding analog random signal. The frequency-modulating unit modulates frequency of first digital oscillating signal so as to increase random of frequency of first digital oscillating signal according to voltage value of the analog random signal, and accordingly outputs a second digital oscillating signal. The first D-type flip-flop receives the second digital oscillating signal and a clock signal, and reads the second digital oscillating signal through utilizing the clock signal so as to outputs the digital random-code signal, wherein frequency of the clock signal is smaller than frequency of the first digital oscillating signal, and random of frequency of the second digital oscillating signal corresponds to random of the digital random-code signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a random number generator and random number method; in particular, to a self-feedback random generator and the self-feedback random generating method.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, random number generator is applied to simulate changes in the weather and lottery games, casino games or computer file security protection. Because flourish of a variety online transactions, such as ATM system, internet communication, password for identity authentication. The computer has a demand of unpredictability transmitting safely, sequence of password with randomness will be very important. Living in an information society and globalization era, relationship among people, computer and internet is increasingly tends to close, so it leads to convenience and popularity of the electronic trading applications. In order to enhance the security of each transaction, random number applied to edit record of each transaction is popular. Generally speaking, random code is traditionally generated by digital circuit purely, but random code generated by traditional method is a circle of 2N, wherein N is bit number of random code. Accordingly, random code generated by traditional method is mostly to be predicted, so interested parties should be possible to derive profit such that the security of electronic transactions is gone.
Nowadays, principle of generating random sequence is that truly random sequence is generated from thermal noise or variation principle of phase or frequency, or pseudo random sequence is generated form principle of linear feedback shift register or chaos model.
In the prior art, referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 shows circuit block schematic diagram of the traditional random generator. The traditional random generator 100 comprises a local oscillator 110, a first noise source 120, a second noise source 130, a mixer 140, a clock signal generator CK′ and a D type flip-flop 160. The mixer 140 is electrically connected to the local oscillator 110, the first noise source 120 and the second noise source 130. The D type flip-flop 160 is electrically connected to the mixer 140 and the clock signal generator 150. The traditional random generator 100 is used for increasing random of a high-frequency signal HS′ outputted from the local oscillator 110 through the noise signal NS1NS2 respectively generated from a first noise source 120 and a second noise source 130 and via the mixer 140, and accordingly outputting an artificial noise signal NS3 to the D type flip-flop 160. Afterwards, the traditional random generator 100 reads artificial noise signal NS3 through utilizing a stable frequency signal generated from the clock signal generator 150. However, because the noise signal NS1NS2 have regularity, the artificial noise signal NS3 exists any regularity unexpected, so as to reduce random of the traditional random generator 100.

Self-feedback random generator and method thereof


A cylinder of an engine of a motorcycle is tilted frontward. A throttle unit is provided above the cylinder, and a heat shielding sheet is provided between the cylinder and the throttle unit. The throttle unit includes a fuel injection device, and the heat shielding sheet extends between the fuel injection device and the cylinder.

(Field of the Invention)
The present invention relates to a heat shielding structure for an intake system for an engine of a motorcycle in which a cylinder is tilted frontward.
(Description of Related Art)
In a motorcycle equipped with an engine in which a cylinder is tilted frontward, a throttle unit which is a portion of an intake system is often disposed above and rearward of the cylinder (e.g., JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-241820). Since the temperature of the cylinder becomes high, the necessity for protecting the throttle unit from heat of the cylinder may arise depending on a cooling structure for the engine, the structure of a cowling or fairing, or the like. As an example of protecting a throttle body from radiation heat of an exhaust pipe, in JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-241820, a heat insulating plate is disposed between the exhaust pipe and the throttle body.
The heat insulating plate in JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-241820 is composed of a sheet metal and is connected to a motorcycle frame structure by means of bolts. However, since many components are disposed around the engine, it may be difficult to ensure a space for installing such a heat insulating plate. In addition, since the plate is mounted to the motorcycle frame structure, change of the design of the motorcycle frame structure is necessary, and the structure of the motorcycle frame structure is also rendered to be complicated.

Heat shielding structure for intake system for engine of motorcycle


The present invention provides a large-capacity stack type optical disk unit capable of information recording and reproducing operation at a high speed and an optical information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording/reproducing information onto/from the stack type optical disk unit. The optical information recording and reproducing apparatus comprises a stack type optical disk unit having N recording faces, the sector starting position on the respective recording faces are displaced by a sector as unit from one face to another, one stationary optical units including a laser light source, a collimator, a reflector and a detector for a reflected beam from the recording faces, N sets of focusing units each for focusing a collimated beam onto respective recording faces, a beam distribution unit for distributing the collimated beam to the focusing units, and a servo unit for focussing outputs from the focusing units onto tracks of the recording faces and for performing tracking. Owing to the above described configuration, information can be consecutively recorded onto/reproduced from a desired track sector without an extra disk rotation waiting time when recording/reproducing operation is switched from a recording face to an adjacent recording face of the stack type optical disk unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording/reproducing information onto/from optical disks and an optical disk unit used by such apparatus, and in particular to a stack type optical disk unit and an optical information recording and reproducing apparatus using the disk unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, optical disk memory systems have attracted attention as allowing significantly higher recording density and larger capacity as compared with conventional magnetic recording and it is now being studied in various places.
It is well known that optical disks have features in large capacity and interchangeability which are not found in conventional magnetic disks. As a result of recent performance improvement of magnetic disks, however, magnetic disk products have been announced having a capacity of approximately 750 MB with a 5.25 inch disk and having a capacity of approximately 250 MB with a 3.5 inch disk.
By comparing memory capacities of optical disks with those of magnetic disks, the following conclusions can be drawn:
(1) those disks are nearly equal in line recording density or magnetic disks are slightly superior in line recording density to optical disks;
(2) optical disks are approximately several to ten times larger in track density than magnetic disks; and
(3) the number of recording faces is one for optical disks, whereas it is ten or more for magnetic disks. (Although each optical disk has two recording faces, its online memory capacity is equivalent to one face because optical disks must be turned over.)
From the foregoing, it is apparent that optical disks have no advantage over magnetic disks with the exception that optical disks are superior in track density to magnetic disks. In particular, the difference in number of recording faces is decisive. When optical disks are compared with magnetic disks in apparatus memory capacity, optical disks have little advantage over magnetic disks in the present situation.
A conventional optical information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording/reproducing information onto/from both faces of an optical disk is shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-319072, for example.
FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of this conventional optical information recording and reproducing apparatus which has been developed and proposed by MATSUSHITA. Numeral 51 an optical disk, 17 a motor, 52 a stationary optical section for emitting a collimated beam 53, and 7 a beam distribution section for selectively distributing the collimated beam 53 of the stationary optical section 52 to movable optical sections 34 and 35. Numerals 34 and 35 denote movable optical sections for focusing the laser beam 53 onto signal recording recording tracks located on both the recording faces of the optical disk 51. Numerals 36 and 37 denote linear motors for transporting the movable optical sections 34 and 35 in the radial direction of the optical disk 51 and for searching a target track. Numerals 38 and 39 denote rails for guiding the linear motors 36 and 37. Numeral 18 denotes a laser, numeral 19 a collimation lens system for shaping the laser beam emitted from the laser 18 into a parallel beam having a circular section, numeral 21 a polarization beam splitter for reflecting the beam, which is reflected by the optical disk 51, toward a photodetector 23 for signal detection instead of returning the beam to the laser 18, numeral 23 a photodetector for receiving the beam reflected by the optical disk 51 and for detecting a servo signal and a reproduced signal, numeral 24 a head amplifier for amplifying and processing a signal outputted from the photodetector 23, numeral 40 a variable phase plate for providing the collimated beam 53 with a constant phase rotation, numeral 41 a polarization beam splitter, numeral 42 a quarter wave longth plate (.lambda./4, .lambda. is a wave length of a laser beam), numeral 43 a total reflection prism, and numeral 44 denotes a .lambda./4 plate. Numerals 45 and 46 denote objective lenses for focusing the collimated beam onto a track of the optical disk 51, numerals 47 and 48 rectangular prisms, numerals 49 and 50 actuators for moving the objective lenses 45 and 46 for the purpose of focusing or tracking. Numeral 53 denotes a collimated beam, numeral 105 a servo error signal detected by the head amplifier 24, and numeral 104 a reproduced signal supplied from the optical disk 51.
Operation of the optical information recording and reproducing apparatus configured as heretofore described will hereafter be described. The collimated beam 53 of the laser 18 collimated by the laser 19 is incident upon the optical distribution section 7. Assuming now that data are recorded and reproduced by the movable optical section 35, the collimated beam 53 is provided with phase rotation of .lambda./2 by the variable phase plate 40, totally reflected by the polarization beam splitter 41, and applied to the rectangular prism 48 of the movable optical section 35 via the rectangular prism 43 and the .lambda./4 plate 44. The collimated beam reflected by the rectangular prism 48 is focused onto a surface track of the optical disk 51 by the objective lens 46. By applying photoelectric conversion to the reflected beam, which is supplied from the optical disk 51, in the photodetector 23 and driving the actuator 50 by the servo error signal 105 of the head amplifier 24, the objective lens 46 always focuses the laser beam onto a track and performs tracking. If the laser of the stationary optical section 52 is modulated in intensity with the recording power level by a data signal, data are recorded onto the corresponding track.
When data are recorded or reproduced by the movable optical section 34, the variable phase plate 40 operates with O phase to transmit the collimated beam 53 as it is through the polarization beam splitter 41. The collimated beam transmitted through the .lambda./4 plate 42 is reflected by the rectangular prism 47 of the movable optical section 34 and focused onto a track, which is located on the reverse of the optical disk 51, by the objective lens 45. In the same way as the movable optical section 35, the objective lens 45 drives the actuator 49 by using the servo error signal 105 and thus focuses/tracks the laser beam onto the track.
When the recording and reproducing face of the optical disk is switched from the obverse to the reverse or from the reverse to the obverse by the optical distribution section, however, it takes processing time of approximately several to 100 milliseconds to perform focus servo to a track, then tracking servo pull-in, and track search in the above described configuration. This results in a problem in that the throughput of the apparatus cannot be raised by dealing with the stack type recording face in the same way as a magnetic disk cylinder to reduce the number of search times.
Further, in case recording and reproducing of one recording face is first performed and recording and reproducing of the next recording face is then performed as the processing of the stack type recording faces, servo and track search processing similar to that described above is necessary at the time of transfer to the next recording face. This results in a problem that information cannot be continuously recorded/reproduced.
On the other hand, the above described problems can be solved by providing every recording face with an optical head and a processing circuit system including an independent laser light source. However, problems of increased size, complexity and cost of the apparatus are posed.

Optical information recording and reproducing apparatus and method of recording and reproducing information in an optical disk unit

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to a process for the production of electricity in a fuel cell system by steam reforming a carbonaceous fuel to form fuel cell reactant gas and recycling recovered reactants from the anode exhaust gas to the anode inlet. There is obtained an increase of the electricity production of 20-30% if prior to the recovery and recycling the anode exhaust gas is passed over a steam reforming catalyst by which lower hydrocarbons in said exhaust gas is converted to reactants for use in the fuel. The carbonaceous fuel may for instance be natural gas or methane. A fuel cell system for use in the process comprises supply means (2,10) for carbonaceous fuel; an inlet reformer unit (6) for producing reactant gas for the fuel cell (4); an outlet reforming unit (12) for converting hydrocarbon-containing anode exhaust gas to anode reactant gas; and means (18,90) for recovering the reactant gas and recycling recovered anode reactant gas.

In a fuel cell, reactant gas generates by galvanical reactions electricity with high efficiency. The reactant gas, such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, entering the anode of the cell is usually derived from hydrocarboneous sources like an alcohol or fossil fuel by steam reforming processes. The fuel has to be converted to reactant gas over a reforming catalyst in the anode compartment of the fuel cell prior to contacting the reactant gas with the anode. Waste heat from the exothermic electrochemical reactions in the fuel cell is thereby used to the endothermic reforming reactions.
In conventionally designed fuel cell systems comprising e.g. an internal reforming fuel cell, which operates at high temperatures, the incoming gas is equilibrated in the internal inlet reforming unit at a temperature and pressure close to the operating conditions of the cell, usually at 600.degree.-700.degree. C. and a pressure slightly higher than atmospheric, depending on the mechanical conditions of the cell. Hydrocarbons are thereby converted to the anode reactant gas by the following reactions: ##STR1##
In the anode chamber of a molten carbonate fuel cell, about 75% of the anode reactant gas containing hydrogen, carbon oxides and unconverted lower hydrocarbons is electrochemically reacted with an oxidant; thereby one mole water and one mole carbon dioxide is added to the anode exhaust gas for each mole hydrogen converted in the cell, due to electron transport from the cathode to the anode by means of the CO.sub.3.sup.2- ions.
This results in an anode exhaust gas containing unconverted hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and lower hydrocarbons which are present in the anode fuel reactant gas. At about 650.degree. C., which is the working temperature of the molten carbonate fuel cell, the anode material, usually nickel, has catalytic activity to the shift reaction (2), and a strongly reduced activity to the reforming reaction (1). A reforming catalyst arranged in direct contant with the gas surrounding the anode will be poisoned by the electrolyte of the fuel cell. Thus, the content of lower hydrocarbons in the equilibrated anode reactant gas is not available to the electrochemical process.
Unconverted hydrogen in the exhaust gas of the anode chamber is usually recovered and recycled to the anode. This is advantageously obtained in a phosphoric acid electrochemical cell as mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,192 or by the known absorption and diffusion methods, such as molecular sieves absorption or palladium membrane diffusion (cfr "Ullmanns Encyklopadie der technischen Chemie", 3rd edition, Vol. 18, pp. 521-522 and 527-528). By the known methods about 90% of hydrogen is recovered. However, lower hydrocarbons are not recovered by these methods and thus lost with respect to electricity generation.


A waterproof electrical connector for airfield lighting applications has a connector body with a first end and an opposing second end. The first end terminates at a first end cap that has a strain/bend relief feature and a first bore for receiving a cable that extends into the first end. At least one O-Ring extends from the walls of the first bore. The opposing second end terminates at a second end cap and has a second bore extending through the second end cap and into the second end. A sleeve is affixed to an exterior surface of the second end cap. An electrically insulated cable is inserted into the first bore engaging the O-Rings to form a waterproof seal. An electrical contact engages the second end cap and the sleeve folds over the second end cap to engage a surface of this contact forming a waterproof seal.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This invention relates to connectors to electrically couple two or more components of a system. More particularly, there is disclosed a waterproof connector useful in a runway lighting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Airport ground lighting systems are networks of lights and circuits that help guide aircraft in take-off, landing and taxiing along the runways and taxiways of an airfield. They play a vital role in keeping air travel safe. The luminous portion of the system consists of elevated lights and lighted signs at the side of runways and taxiways and inset lights which are embedded in the airport surfaces. A commercial airport in a large metropolitan area will have several hundred to several thousand lights of various types installed around the facility.
In a typical runway lighting system, an underground cable provides electrical power in series to a plurality of lighting fixtures. To prevent the failure of a single lighting fixture from causing the entire plurality of lighting fixtures to go out, an isolation transformer is disposed between the power source cable and the lighting fixture. The leads and connectors of this transformer are integrally molded into the transformer. A set of field-installed electrical connectors (typically one socket and one plug) is used to electrically connect the isolation transformer primary coil to the airport power circuit. As this connection is subsurface, it must be waterproof and impervious to other liquids commonly found in a runway environment such as jet fuel and deicing solution.
When a lighting fixture is to be added or replaced, the electrical connection needs to be made waterproof. Installation of a primary connector kit does not always yield a waterproof connection. Therefore, of common present use is a heat shrink kit. A plastic film that contracts when exposed to moderate heat is wrapped around the connection and then exposed to a hot air gun, or similar heat source, to then shrink about the connection forming a waterproof casing. However, this is a very time-consuming process that requires additional equipment and as a runway is typically out of service when lighting fixtures are being replaced, any delay in the installation of the lighting fixtures affects the profitability of the airport. In addition, the waterproof properties of a heat shrink casing are inconsistent and affected by the skill of the installer. Also, as the polymer shrinkage is nonreversible, the entire connection must be destroyed and replaced when testing a circuit and frequently, during the process to remove the heat shrink, the isolation transformer primary connectors are damaged and often the isolation transformer must be replaced.
A runway lighting system having a light fixture with a luminous portion slightly raised above the surface of a runway and an electric cable extending downward to a power source is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,245 to Reinert, Sr.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,584 to Cook, et al. discloses a pin-to-socket connector where each component has a retractable sleeve that can be stretched over the other retractable sleeve to form a waterproof, insulated interference fit. Both U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,868,584 and 6,113,245 are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein.
There remains, therefore, a need for a waterproof connector for a runway lighting system that is quick to assemble, easy to assemble and reusable.

Waterproof connector kit useful for airfield lighting applications


A package for a micro-electromechanical device (MEMS package) includes an inner enclosure having an inner cavity defined therein, and a fill port channel communicating with the inner cavity and of sufficient length to allow a quantity of adhesive to enter the fill port channel while preventing the adhesive from entering the inner cavity.

As integrated circuit (IC) geometries continue to decrease, and with the advent of Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), the need for reliable, high density packaging solutions increases. A promising solution for providing reliable packaging for chips of continually decreasing size is Wafer Level Packaging (WLP). WLP is a packaging method in which packaging is formed at the wafer level in an IC foundry or other processing location, allowing testing and burn-in to be performed before the dicing of individual chips.
In certain wafer level packaging (WLP) methods, small cavities or enclosures of an IC or MEMS package may be filled with fluid. In many such applications, fluid filling in a WLP may need to be performed in such a way as to prevent bubbles or gaseous pockets from forming in the fluid filled cavities.
Fluid packaging may perform a number of functions essential for an IC or MEMS device. Packaging may provide electrical connection, electrical isolation, or passivation from moisture and electrolytes, physical isolation from the environment to provide structural integrity of mechanical devices, thermal and optical protection to prevent undesirable performance changes, and chemical isolation to protect from harsh chemical environments. Electrical connection and isolation may include providing electrical connections from the outside of the MEMS package to electrical or mechanical components of the MEMS device inside the package, electrostatic shielding of the MEMS device, and preventing penetration of moisture and subsequent corrosion of electrical components or undesired interface adhesion.
The fluid is often introduced to the MEMS package by way of a fill port. In order to maximize the protections previously described, the fill ports may be sealed. The process of sealing the fill port is subject to many different variables that can occur during processing. These variables include temperature drift, time at temperature, and fluid properties such as viscosity. These process variations may cause the adhesive to be drawn into the MEMS packaging and onto the MEMS device itself. The presence of adhesive on the MEMS may render the MEMS device inoperable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Package for a micro-electro mechanical device

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A packaging system has a peelable seal section which includes a first sealing layer and a second sealing layer such that the first sealing layer contacts the second sealing layer to form a peelable seal. The first sealing layer includes thermoplastic polymer or a blend of thermoplastic polymers, an organoclay dispersed within the thermoplastic polymer, and an additional inorganic additive component, such as calcium carbonate, dispersed within the thermoplastic polymer. The peelable seal has achieved synergistic effect and offers high thermal conductivity, great caulkability and is consistent over a broad range of sealing temperatures without loss of desired peelable seal functionality as the seals age.

Packaging is an important feature in protecting, selling and marketing most products. Packaging has broad applications, for example, in food products, medical devices, electronic components, industrial products, personal hygiene products, pet products, collectibles, jewelry, and the like. The specific features of such packaging will require properties for the particular application. For example, medical products and food products may often require a hermetic seal in order to prevent contamination of the product contained therein.
Food products, in particular, have rather stringent packaging requirements in order to preserve freshness and provide desired shelf life. Certain medical devices also demand strict packaging requirements in order to preserve sterility of such devices. In such applications, the package is typically vacuum-packed or gas-flushed and subsequently hermetically sealed. Although efficient packaging of products is mandatory, various aesthetic properties of a product package are also important. For example, the package appearance is highly important to consumer appeal. In addition, functional properties of the packaging such as reusability and ease of opening of a package are important considerations. In many of these applications, the ability to easily open a package will depend on the mechanical properties of the seal. Moreover, the ability of the sealant substrate to transfer heat at a high rate (heat/thermal conductivity) results in a significant reduction of seal dwell time, and enables higher cycle speed and lower energy consumption, of sealing processes with total material reduction (sustainability).
One such packaging structure utilizes a peelable seal. When a package having a peelable seal is opened, a sealing layer may be peeled away from a substrate. It is desirable for such peeling to be achievable with a low and relatively constant peel force. The elastic properties of the peelable seal ensure that failure of the seal does not occur from flexing and normal handling of the package. In some packaging prior art, peelable seals are constructed from multi-layered sheets. Examples of packaging systems having such seals include standup and regular pouches, bag-in-α-box, tray-type food packages, bottles or blister packages, overwrap and the like. Although some of these peelable sealing packages work reasonably well, it has been difficult to construct suitable packaging systems that will consistently form hermetic seals that resist leaking even when wrinkles, pleats, and gussets are present, and still be easily opened by an end user. Moreover, such earlier peelable packaging systems tend to operate over relatively narrow ranges, and, in particular, narrow temperature sealing ranges. Narrow sealing temperature ranges tend to result in packaging defects. For example, on the low end of the usable temperature range leaking seals may be formed (not hermetically sealed). On the high end of the usable temperature range, non-peelable seals are formed which tear when opened.
Accordingly, there exists a need for improved peelable packaging systems that resist leaking by providing more caulking of the film seal channels, provide a hermetic seal, and open easily and seal consistently over a broad range of sealing temperatures without loss of desired peelable seal functionality as the seal ages.

Peelable sealant containing thermoplastic composite blends for packaging applications


A test device for testing an actuator circuit without operating an actuator in the circuit to determine whether the circuit is operating normally comprises a relay input and a relay output which are electromagnetically coupled or optically coupled. The relay input is connected in series with a test circuit power supply for initiating the test and operating the relay output which is connected with an actuator power supply and an actuator. A voltage limiting device is connected in series with the relay output for limiting the magnitude of the voltage supplied to the actuator at testing time so that the actuator is not operated. The test circuit power supply further includes a pulse generating circuit for generating a signal pulse having a pulse width less than a predetermined pulse width normally required to operate the actuator.

This invention relates to a test device for testing an actuator or a circuit which has an actuator without actually operating the actuator.
FIGS. 1 to 3 show prior-art test devices of this type. A test device for testing an actuator in FIG. 1 does not necessitate a testing implement. Numeral 11 designates a switch which is externally controlled in its ON and OFF positions, and numeral 20 designates a relay such as an electromagnetic relay, the input of which comprises a relay coil 21 and the output of which comprises relay contact 22, being electromagnetically coupled. Numeral 12A designates a power supply for the circuit including the relay such as an A.C. power source, numeral 31 designates an actuator which is ordinarily stopped but is operated at a selected time such as a valve, or a motor breaker, and numeral 32D designates a power supply for the actuator such as a D.C. power supply.
The switch 11, the relay coil 21 of the relay 20 and the power source 12A for the relay form a first switching circuit 10, and the relay contacts 22 of the relay 20, the actuator 31 and the actuator power supply 32D for the actuator form an actuator circuit 30.
When the switch 11 is now externally controlled to be ON, the relay coil 21 of the relay 20 is energized so that the relay contacts 22 are closed, thereby causing the actuator 31 to be operated.
In case that the actuator is very important in the operation of a plant, or that the actuator is indispensable for protecting a human body, it is necessary to test the actuator or circuit which includes the actuator periodically to determine whether they are operating normally or abnormally. When the actuator does not affect the influence to the operation of the plant even if the actuator is operated, the testing method is simple, and the actuator is actually operated as described with reference to FIG. 1.
However, when the operation of the actuator seriously affects the influence to the operation of the plant, a test device for testing the actuator is used as shown in FIG. 2.
In FIG. 2, numerals 10, 11, 12A, 20, 21, 22, 31 and 32D designate the same parts shown in FIG. 1. The test device in FIG. 2 is different from that in FIG. 1 in that a block contact 33 used at testing time, an indicator lamp 34 used at testing time and having terminals 1, 2 and 3 as well as a push-button W, and a resistor 35 have been added. The block contact 33 is normally ON, and the indicator lamp 34 is so constructed that, when a current flows from the terminal 1 to the terminal 2, the indicator lamp 34 is lit. However, when the block contact 33 is opened (OFF position), the indicator lamp 34 lights only when the push-button W is depressed, and current flows from the terminal 3 to the terminal 1. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the block contact 33 is ON, and a current, accordingly, flows from the terminal 1 to the terminal 2 of the indicator lamp 34, with the result that the indicator lamp 34 is lighted. When the block contact 33 is turned OFF and the push-button W is not depressed, no current flows through the indicator lamp 34, and the lamp 34, accordingly, is turned OFF. When the switch 11 is turned ON to carry out a test after the fact that the indicator lamp 34 is off is confirmed, the relay coil 21 is energized so that the relay contacts 22 are closed (ON position). When the push-button W is then depressed, a current flows from the positive terminal of the power supply 32D for the actuator through the terminal 3 of the indicator lamp 34, the terminal 1, the relay contact 22 and the actuator 31 to the negative terminal of the power supply 32D for the actuator, so that the indicator lamp 34 is turned ON.
A test device for testing an actuator has employed a semiconductor relay and a photocoupler as illustrated in FIG. 3 instead of the electromagnetic relay illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein, as a test implement, a pulse generating circuit serves as a power supply for testing by pulses is utilized. More particularly, numerals 11, 31 and 32D are the same as those in FIG. 1. Numeral 20D designates a photocoupler which consists of a light emitting diode 23 and a phototransistor 24 formed in such a manner that the input and the output are optically, i.e., electromagnetically coupled. Numeral 12D designates a power supply for the relay such as a D.C. power supply, the positive terminal of which is connected through a resistor 13 to the anode of the light emitting diode 23, and the cathode of this light emitting diode 23 is connected through a switch 11 to the negative terminal of the power supply 12D. A pulse generating circuit 14 for generating an ON signal is connected between both ends of the switch 11 for a short time at the testing time. Numeral 36 designates a power transistor for driving the actuator 31 by amplifying the output of the photocoupler 20D, the emitter of which is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply 32D, and the base and collector of which are respectively connected to the collector and emitter of the phototransistor 24 in the photocoupler 20D. Numeral 37 designates a current pickup for detecting in a non-contact arrangement a current which flows through the actuator circuit 30 which includes the actuator 31. Numeral 38 designates a discriminating circuit connected to the current pickup 37 for discriminating whether the second closing circuit 30 is operating normally or abnormally by amplifying the output of the current pickup 37.
The operation of the test device under normal operating conditions will be first described.
When the switch 11 is turned ON so that the light emitting diode 23 in the photocoupler 20D emits a light, the phototransistor 24 thereby conducts, and the power transistor 36 accordingly conducts, with the result that the actuator 31 is operated.
Then, the operation of the test device under test conditions will be described.
Since the switch 11 is OFF in the ordinary operating conditions, the actuator 31 does not operate. However, when a signal pulse is generated from a pulse generating circuit 14 which has a pulse width shorter than the operating time of the actuator 31, a pulse current flows through the actuator circuit 30. This pulse current is detected by the current pickup 37, and the discriminating circuit 38 discriminates between normal and abnormal actuator circuit operation from the current value and the waveform of the pulse current.
Since the prior-art test device for testing the actuator is constructed as described above, it is necessary in case of the electromagnetic relay type device to add the block contact and the indicator circuit so that the test device itself becomes complicated with the result that it was difficult to automate the testing. Further, since the prior-art test device, in the case of the semiconductor type relay, does not have a movable contact like the block contact, the automation of the testing can be facilitated, but the actuator may be accidentally operated due to malfunction in the pulse generating circuit utilized as a test implement, which is a drawback because of the danger of affecting or exerting a large influence on the plant.

Test device for testing an actuator circuit


A solar heat collector panel having an absorber plate with fins as part thereof to reduce convection air currents and heat loss from the panel. A screen disposed above a collector plate also reduces the undesired convection air currents. A fluid carrying pipe is attached to the collector plate by snapping into channels therein after a sealer material has been placed in the channel.

This invention relates generally to an improved solar heat collector panel and methods of manufacturing such panels.
Solar heat collectors are becoming widely used as sources of energy for heating swimming pools, building space and usable hot water. The collector, placed to receive maximum exposure to the sun, generally includes a flat absorber plate with a heat absorbing surface and ducts attached thereto for carrying fluid. The fluid is heated from the heat absorbing surface and then transferred to a heat storage reservoir. Liquid or air can be utilized as the heat transfer medium.
These main components of a solar heat collector are generally located inside an enclosure having a light transparent glazing spaced a distance from the black absorbing surface. The purpose of the cover is to prevent heated air from the vicinity of the absorber from escaping the collector and being lost to the atmosphere. It has been a constant goal in solar collector design to improve their efficiency; that is, to improve the proportion of incident sunlight energy that is converted into usable heat that may be transported to a location where it is desired.
Even with the use of a glazing in a solar collector, its collection efficiency (defined as a ratio of actually collected and primary incident energy) is generally significantly less than unity. This is due, in part, to losses between the heat transfer medium and the lower ambient temperature of the surroundings. Such losses are principally due to air convection in front of the heat absorber which carrier heat away from it to the atmosphere. In the case of solar heat collectors that have no transparent cover (unglazed), convection currents constantly replace the warm heated air adjacent the absorber with cooler ambient air which is then, in turn, heated by the absorber and lost. Where the collector is covered by a light transparent medium (glazed), the convection currents are still present in existing solar collectors and result in transferring heat from the absorber to the cooler glazing. The glazing then transmits this heat by direct conduction to the surrounding atmosphere. Such heat losses are a particular problem for solar domestic water heating, space heating and air conditioning where the temperature of the fluid transfer medium is maintained a great deal above the ambient temperature of the surroundings.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a solar heat collector construction that results in a higher efficiency utilization of the solar energy incident upon it.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved technique for attaching a fluid heat transfer medium carrier to a heat absorber plate.


A low bit-rate (192 kBits per second) transform encoder/decoder system (44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sampling rate) for high-quality music applications employs short time-domain sample blocks (128 samples/block) so that the system signal propagation delay is short enough for real-time aural feedback to a human operator. Carefully designed pairs of analysis/synthesis windows are used to achieve sufficient transform frequency selectivity despite the use of short sample blocks. A synthesis window in the decoder has characteristics such that the product of its response and that of an analysis window in the encoder produces a composite response which sums to unity for two adjacent overlapped sample blocks. Adjacent time-domain signal samples blocks are overlapped and added to cancel the effects of the analysis and synthesis windows. A technique is provided for deriving suitable analysis/synthesis window pairs. In the encoder, a discrete transform having a function equivalent to the alternate application of a modified Discrete Cosine Transform and a modified Discrete Sine Transform according to the Time Domain Aliasing Cancellation technique or, alternatively, a Discrete Fourier Transform is used to generate frequency-domain transform coefficients. The transform coefficients are nonuniformly quantized by assigning a fixed number of bits and a variable number of bits determined adaptively based on psychoacoustic masking. A technique is described for assigning the fixed bit and adaptive bit allocations. The transmission of side information regarding adaptively allocated bits is not required. Error codes and protected data may be scattered throughout formatted frame outputs from the encoder in order to reduce sensitivity to noise bursts.

INTRODUCTION
Transform coding of high-quality signals in the prior art have used long signal sample block lengths to achieve low bit-rate coding without creating objectionable audible distortion. For example, a transform coder disclosed in EP 0 251 028 uses a block length of 1024 samples. Long block lengths have been necessary because shorter blocks degrade transform coder selectivity. Filter selectivity is critical because transform coders with sufficient filter bank selectivity can exploit psychoacoustic masking properties of human hearing to reduce bit-rate requirements without degrading the subjective quality of the coded signal.
Coders using long block lengths suffer from two problems: (1) audible distortion of signals with large transients caused by the temporal spreading of the transient's effects throughout the transform block, and (2) excessive propagation delay of the signal through the encoding and decoding process. In prior art coders, these processing delays are too great for applications such as broadcast audio where a speaker must monitor his own voice. A delay in voice feedback causes serious speech disruption unless the delay is kept very short.
The background art is discussed in more detail in the following Background Summary.

Low time-delay transform coder, decoder, and encoder/decoder for high-quality audio

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation


A degas bottle for inducing a cyclonic direction of flow to incoming coolant is disclosed. The degas bottle includes a body and an air separator having a cylindrical wall. An incoming coolant inlet is attached to the upper end of the air separator and is positioned at a tangent with respect to the cylindrical wall of the air separator, thus inducing cyclonic action as the coolant enters the air separator. The air separator may be of a cylindrical shape or of a conical shape. As air trapped coolant tangentially flows into the air separator, it will follow the cylindrical or conical shape of the air separator. The centrifugal force keeps the incoming coolant pressed against the inner wall of the air separator coolant on the wall while air separates from the coolant. The cyclonically flowing coolant circles downward to the reservoir while air remains on top of the coolant.

The cooling system of most modern vehicles having internal combustion engines is a closed system. It is typical for a gas (such as air and/or coolant vapor) to be caught in the closed coolant system. However, the presence of gas trapped in the coolant reduces cooling system efficiency that may potentially lead to the failure of engine components including the turbo charger and the transmission and may even lead to engine failure itself.
Accordingly, an arrangement is required for aerating the cooling system to allow for the escape of trapped gas. Current de-aeration and degasing systems for internal combustion engine cooling systems incorporates a coolant bottle that has a degasing chamber. A portion of the coolant passes through the degasing chamber during engine operation. The movement of the coolant through the degasing chamber is continuous while the engine is on. As a result, gas is separated from the coolant and is accumulated. The coolant bottle, or degas bottle, also serves as an overflow reservoir for coolant as its temperature rises.
Current degas bottle design is based on the buoyancy effect to separate air from coolant. Air has lower density as compared to engine coolant, thus as the coolant with trapped air moves through a flow path, the air bubbles flow up to the top while the coolant remains below at the bottom of the degas bottle, forming the coolant reservoir. To achieve a good air-coolant separation, the flow path needs to be sufficiently long. However, due to the constraint of vehicle package space, degas bottle size is limited. To achieve a sufficiently long flow path, the degas bottle is internally divided into many small chambers connected by holes, making tooling cost expensive. As coolant flows through the holes, it can become turbulent at a high flow rate. If the turbulence is too severe, the coolant starts foaming and, as a consequence, air bubbles form.
In addition to having known inefficiencies, the degas bottle is in general on the low priority list when vehicle package space is divided and designated. As a result, the degas bottle has to fit into a narrowly defined space. Thus, from vehicle to vehicle, the degas bottle often has to be redesigned to fit within its designated space. As a consequence, the internal chamber and the flow path have to be changed as well, also vehicle to vehicle, resulting in increased design cost.
Accordingly, as in so many areas of vehicle technology, there is room for improvement related to the design of degas bottles used in the cooling system of the modern internal combustion engine.

Degas bottle having centrifugal air separator for use in engine cooling system


A spring-loaded captive fastener retainer provides a user-friendly system to mechanically fasten units (e.g. panels, cabinets, etc.) to other units. Generally, the retainer is spring-loaded to force a fastener to extend beyond the unit. The retainer has a housing that provides guidance to the fastener so that it is secured within the unit and travels in a predictable path.

The present invention relates generally to mechanical fasteners and more particularly to captive spring-loaded fastener retainers.
Fastening devices are used in a variety of industrial and electronic applications to assist users in equipment assembly. For example, electrical units (e.g., meter cabinets, bus bar terminal boxes, modular panelboards, etc.) must be fastened together and/or must be secured to a wall or other object. During an installation process, these electrical units are attached to each other with bolts, nuts, and/or other fasteners.
Conventionally, a fastener is fixed into the side (e.g., caused to protrude through a hole, etc.) of one unit before the unit is abutted with another unit. Alternatively, a loose fastener (e.g., an unrestrained bolt, etc) is inserted into a hole in one unit by a user during the installation process. These are user unfriendly processes as it is difficult to align and/or maintain the alignment of multiple units before they are joined. If the units are not well-aligned, the fastener may break or damage one or both units during installation. Additionally, the loose fastener could be pushed out of the unit during the installation process and be lost or delay the installation process.
To avoid these complications, retractable captive fasteners, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,986,544 and 4,031,395, are used. With captive fastening devices, the possibility of dropping a fastener and losing it in the interior of the unit is diminished. Existing fastening devices of this kind restrain one of the members (e.g., a bolt, etc.) by holding it captive in a structural unit, but the other member (e., a nut, etc.) of a two-part fastener is left free.
In some cases, the fastening device has both pieces of a two-part fastener captivated. One part (e.g., the bolt) is captively mounted by notching or slotting a portion (e.g., the bolt head) so that it may be slidably mounted on "rails." In this way, the bolt may move reciprocally in an axial direction but not rotationally relative to the assembly in which it is held. The other part (e.g. the nut) of the two-part fastener is mounted in such a way that it may move rotationally but not reciprocally with respect to the assembly in which it is held.
While these retractable captive fasteners provide improvements over the fixed or loose bolt design, they are still deficient. The retractable fastener may still be pushed back into the captivator during installation. This presents similar problems non-captive fasteners in that it may be difficult for a user to locate and/or access the retracted fastener. Additionally these captive fasteners require a single unit design and "off-the-shelf" fasteners cannot be used since they do not have appropriately slotted or notched heads. As such, these systems are relatively expensive and do not have any simple substitute fastener should the original fastener become fouled (e.g., bent, stripped, etc.) or lost during transit or installation.
Accordingly, flexible and cost-effective systems for fastening are required.


The system for timing the opening and closing of a high power switching arrangement breaker used in an electrical transmission system measures the temperature of the breaker and the phase of the power signal being switched. A control circuit provides a control signal for opening and closing the breaker in response to an initiating signal, the control signal being timed as a function of the temperature and the phase angle to make sure that contact is either made or broken at an appropriate time to reduce arcing. By taking into consideration temperature and its effects on the response of the breaker, arcing is significantly reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system for timing the opening and closing of switching arrangements used in high power electrical transmission systems. More specifically, the invention relates to such a system which takes into account conditions of temperature surrounding the switching arrangements as well as the mechanical displacement time of the electrical contacts of the switching arrangements.
2. Description of Prior Art
Switching arrangements, for example, circuit breakers, are used in electrical transmission lines or distribution lines to redirect power, or are used to connect the lines to reactive elements to correct power factor. Such breakers, because of the large amounts of power they must handle, are very large (approximately the size of a small house on each phase) and are very costly.
Associated with such breakers are resistive elements, which are connected in parallel to the breakers just before the opening and closing of the breakers, to absorb the "overvoltages" which accompany the opening and closing of the breakers to thereby protect the switching elements of the breakers as well as the reactive elements. The resistive elements are also large and expensive.
It is a well known fact in the art that the temperature surrounding the breaker has an effect on the speed of operation of the breakers. Generally speaking, the lower the temperature, the greater amount of time needed to open or close the breakers and vice-versa.

System for opening/closing circuit breakers


In an optical fiber gyroscope, the sensitivity thereof is optimized with a phase bias afforded by utilizing the phase characteristics of an optical branching/coupling unit. Further, the fluctuation of the intensity of a light source and the error and secular change of the phase characteristics of the optical branching/coupling unit are compensated by an electronic circuit. Moreover, an optical fiber loop is located in a heat insulation casing so as not to be affected by an ambient temperature change, thereby to prevent the drift of the optical fiber gyroscope attributed to an temperature change. Thus, the optical fiber gyroscope of high measurement accuracy is provided.

The present invention relates to improvements in a small-sized optical fiber gyroscope wherein a distance, an azimuth, etc., are detected by utilizing an optical interference, and a navigation system wherein the optical fiber gyroscope is employed.
Heretofore, an optical fiber gyroscope which utilizes an optical interference for detecting an azimuth from the change of a rotating angular velocity has had its measurement based on the interference of two light waves which propagate in directions reverse to each other through an optical fiber loop. In other words, the rotating angular velocity is found by measuring the phase difference of interference light which is developed by rotations.
In measuring the phase difference by means of the optical fiber gyroscope in this manner, a phase bias needs to be given beforehand. As an expedient for affording the phase bias, there has been known a technique wherein, as stated in the official gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 135912/1983 or "Applied Optics", 20, (1981) pp. 4313-4318, the two light waves to form the interference light are once guided to separate optical paths and passed through phase plates in the optical fiber gyroscope, thereby to be endowed with the predetermined phase bias. Besides, for enhancing the detection accuracy of the optical fiber gyroscope, it is necessary to consider the influence of feedback light, the compensation of a drift attendant upon any change in the environment of the gyroscope, etc. In these regards, there have been known techniques disclosed in the official gazettes of Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open No. 94680/1981, No. 228113/1984, No. 134513/1990, etc.

An improved optical branching/coupling unit for an optical fiber gyroscope, and navigation system employing the same


A fuel cell stack has a multiplicity of individual cells, which each include an anode flow field, a membrane electrode arrangement, and a cathode flow field. Each flow field has a media inlet and channels for carrying the media. The anode flow fields and/or the cathode flow fields have the media inlet on their upward-facing side when used as intended, and are open on their downward-facing side when used as intended.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a fuel cell stack and a fuel cell system having a fuel cell stack.
Fuel cell stacks comprising a multiplicity of individual cells are generally known as a traditional structure for fuel cells. Here, the fuel cell stack is typically formed from a larger number of substantially prismatically shaped individual cells, which are built up to form a stack, or which consist of substantially prismatic individual parts, which are only finally assembled to form the actual individual cell in the fuel cell stack. This structure is generally known, for example in PEM fuel cells, wherein each of the individual cells has a so-called membrane electrode arrangement (MEA) comprising the membrane as well as two gas diffusion layers and electrodes. Here, a so-called flow field is provided on both the anode side and on the cathode side to supply these electrodes with the appropriate educts. The anode flow field has a multiplicity of channels that feed hydrogen to the anode, while the cathode flow field correspondingly has a multiplicity of channels that feed oxygen or air as an oxygen supplier to the cathode.
When a fuel cell or fuel cell stack is operated, electrical energy is generated from hydrogen and oxygen. As well as the electrical energy, product water, which forms at the individual electrodes and has to be discharged via the flow fields, is also shed by the educts used. In doing so, the greater part of the product water is formed on the cathode side, but a certain amount of formed product water also needs to be discharged on the anode side.
In order to guarantee a good discharge of the product water in all operating situations of the fuel cell stack, the structure described in German patent document DE 10 2006 039 105 A1, for example, attempts to improve the discharge of the product water by an inclined orientation of the flow fields of the fuel cell stack. This is possible in principle, wherein the stack has the problem that, when a vehicle, which is fitted with the fuel cell system for example, is in an inclined position, the flow fields very easily revert to a horizontal or nearly horizontal position, as a result of which, in this operating situation, the discharge of water with the assistance of gravity is then correspondingly jeopardized. A comparable embodiment is also disclosed in Japanese patent document JP 2011 009 137 A.
As well as the problem already addressed, it is the case in both embodiments that, in the usual manner, the flow fields have the media inlets on the one side and the media outlets on the opposite side. Stacking the individual cells on top of one another therefore results in a media inlet channel for each of the educts running through the stack in the stacking direction and is typically arranged at the top, while a media outlet stack running through the fuel cell in the stacking direction is ideally arranged at the bottom.
In practice, particularly when deployed in vehicles, these fuel cell stacks are still very difficult to drain, as a result of which channels within the flow fields are occasionally blocked with water, which can lead to an uneven distribution of educt gases. This can have an adverse effect on the performance of the fuel cell stack and can damage, or in the worst case reverse, the polarity of individual cells due to the lower voltage generated thereby in this case.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a fuel cell stack that avoids these recognized disadvantages and that guarantees safe and reliable draining of its flow fields in all operating situations and in all orientations of the fuel cell stack that typically occur when deployed, for example in a vehicle.
In a fuel cell stack according to the invention, the anode flow fields and/or the cathode flow fields have the media inlet on their upward-facing side when used as intended, and are open on their downward-facing side when used as intended. According to the invention, the anode flow fields and/or the cathode flow fields are not provided with an outlet channel for the medium running through the fuel cell stack in the stacking direction on their downward-facing side when used as intended, but are open, that is to say open to a chamber adjacent to the flow field on the appropriate lateral edge. The flow fields that are therefore formed perpendicular to the stacking direction enable the exhaust gases or exhaust air and the product water contained in these gases to escape from each individual flow field directly into the adjacent chamber. As a result, the discharge of product water formed is improved, even with a corresponding inclined position of the fuel cell stack, as the water can escape directly from the appropriate lateral edge of the flow field without first having to flow via a pipe running in the stacking direction.
In principle, it can be sufficient to design either the anode flow fields or the cathode flow fields in the manner described, wherein the cathode flow fields in particular are preferably to be designed in the manner according to the invention due to the larger amount of product water formed on the cathode side.
However, in a particularly favorable and advantageous development of the fuel cell stack according to the invention, both the anode flow fields and the cathode flow fields are open on their lateral edge facing downwards when used as intended. This enables ideal draining of both the anode side and the cathode side of the fuel cell stack.
Further, in a very advantageous embodiment of the fuel cell stack according to the invention, the chamber or chambers facing the open flow fields or open flow field is designed as a liquid separator or opens out into such. This structure of the chamber facing the open flow fields as a liquid separator or as a flow-carrying pipe leading to a liquid separator is particularly efficient, not only to remove the liquid from the flow fields of the fuel cell stack but also to safely and efficiently separate it from the exhaust gases of the fuel cell stack. As a result of the chamber adjacent to the open flow fields which, in cross-section, ideally widens considerably with respect to the cross-section of the flow fields through which liquid can flow, the flow is calmed and liquid water droplets can fall as rain. Ideally, the liquid separator is then arranged at the bottom in the direction of the gravitational force when used as intended and ideally integrated into the fuel cell stack. This results in a simple and compact structure for the fuel cell stack. By integrating the liquid separator into the fuel cell stack, it is heated together with the fuel cell stack and cooled together therewith relatively slowly so that, in the event of condensation, condensate that is formed can also be separated in the liquid separator. Even at temperatures in the environment of the fuel cell stack below freezing, the liquid separator and the liquid-carrying pipes still remain warm for a relatively long time and therefore at temperatures above freezing. This prevents early freezing of the liquid separator and the liquid-carrying pipes. The resulting condensate can therefore still flow out of the region of the fuel cell stack for a long time, thus minimizing the formation of ice in the fuel cell stack.
To further reinforce this effect, in an advantageous development, an integral drainage pipe connects the liquid separator, which is connected to the anode flow fields, to the liquid separator, which is connected to the cathode flow fields. The liquid separators can be connected to one another by means of such a drainage pipe. At the same time, this drainage pipe is also designed integral with the fuel cell stack so that it remains at a higher temperature for a comparatively long time after switching off. As a result of connecting the two liquid separators to one another, one of the liquid separators, ideally the larger liquid separator on the cathode side, is used to collect all the water. This can then be drained by means of a common pipe and an appropriate valve, for example from time to time, depending on the filling level or similar. As a result, only one valve and one control strategy is required as well as any sensors which may be necessary.
In a further very favorable embodiment of the fuel cell stack according to the invention, the stacked individual cells are bounded on at least one side by an end plate, wherein the at least one end plate extends in the stacking direction both next to the stacked individual cells and also parallel to the stacked individual cells. In this particularly favorable embodiment of the fuel cell stack according to the invention, such an end plate of the fuel cell stack can be designed with an approximately L-shaped contour. On one side of the fuel cell stack, it forms its lateral boundary and also extends at least partially parallel to the fuel cell stack. An appropriately high strength of the fuel cell stack is achieved by this means with minimal outlay regarding its support.
According to a particularly advantageous development, the part of the at least one end plate extending parallel to the stacked individual cells encompasses the chamber/chambers adjoining the open sides of the flow fields. The chambers provided for collecting the exhaust gas and/or the exhaust air and the product water contained therein can be integrated into the part of the end plate extending parallel to the stacked individual cells. This results in a particularly simple, compact and effective structure for the fuel cell stack.
At the same time, according an advantageous embodiment of this aspect the part of the at least one end plate extending parallel to the stacked individual cells has at least one liquid separator arranged at the lowest point when used as intended. The chambers can therefore be linked to a liquid separator or be designed as such, this being arranged within the part of the end plate extending parallel to the stacked individual cells at the lowest point when used as intended. As a result, the water can ideally be collected in this area using the gravitational force.
Further, in another very favorable embodiment one of the end plates, in particular in the top part of the end plate when used as intended, incorporates a gas jet pump for recirculating anode exhaust gas. Such a gas jet pump as a recirculation pumping device for recirculating anode exhaust gas can advantageously be integrated into the end plate.
In a particularly favorable development hereof, the gas jet pump is arranged in the end plate with the part extending parallel to the stacked individual cells, wherein an integrated recirculation pipe in the end plate runs from the region in which the anode flow fields are open to the gas jet pump, and wherein the recirculation pipe has a direction component in each case running in the direction of the gravitational force when used as intended and is connected to the liquid separator at its lowest point. Integrating the gas jet pump into the end plate incorporating the part running parallel to the stacked individual cells enables a recirculation pipe to be integrated into the end plate, which pipe first runs upwards along the stack at an angle to the stacking direction and then perpendicular to the stacking direction in the part of the end plate lying adjacent to the stacked individual cells. Together with the integral gas jet pump, the whole anode recirculation system can therefore be integrated into the end plate. As, when used as intended, the recirculation pipe always has a direction component running in the direction of the gravitational force, that is to say initially at an angle upwards and then, for example, vertically upwards, the remaining water carried along with the recirculating gas flow can be slowed down by the gravitational force so that it runs back along the walls of the recirculation pipe into the liquid separator connected to the recirculation pipe at the lowest point thereof. In this way, in addition to the liquid separation in the chamber and/or liquid separator arranged in the end plate, separation can also be implemented in the region of the recirculation pipe. This is particularly advantageous, as a comparatively large amount of water compared with the volume flow is present particularly in the recirculating anode exhaust gas, and as gas channels can be very easily blocked due to this water in the anode flow fields, particularly in partial load operation of the fuel cell when the freshly supplied fuel flow is comparatively small. Particularly in these situations, water separation that is as ideal as possible in the smallest possible space, which can be achieved by the end plate structure according to the invention, is of particular advantage.
The fuel cell stack according to the invention in one of the described embodiments is used in the fuel cell system according to the invention. The flow fields that are open at the bottom when used as intended already enable very good drainage of the fuel cell stack to be achieved regardless of the orientation of a vehicle which is, for example, fitted with the fuel cell system, as, for example, with a vertical alignment of the flow fields, slight deviations from the vertical direction lead to hardly any impairment of the effect of gravity on the liquid drops. In the fuel cell system according to the invention, this structure is now further improved in that, when used as intended with regard to at least one of the spatial directions perpendicular to the stacking direction, the fuel cell stack is aligned at an angle of more than 10°, preferably approximately 17° to the horizontal. In the fuel cell system according to the invention, the fuel cell stack can therefore be arranged on one edge, for example, or also, in the case of an angle in both spatial directions perpendicular to the stacking direction, on one corner, for example, when, symbolically, a substantially prismatic stack is assumed. Such an arrangement can additionally assist the drainage of water with the help of gravity, wherein, as a result of an angle of more than 10°, in particular approximately 17°, the test conditions and empirical values relating to inclines, inclined orientation of the vehicle etc., which are usually applied in the case of vehicles, are addressed. Even with an inclined orientation of the vehicle of 17°, which is typically assumed to be the maximum, drainage can still be realized with the help of gravity by an appropriate tilting of the fuel cell stack, as the fuel cell stack in turn is correspondingly tilted in the fuel cell system so that an inclined position of the vehicle is at least compensated for by the tilt.
In a favorable embodiment of the fuel cell system according to the invention the fuel cell stack has an end plate with integral gas jet pump. According to the invention the gas jet pump is arranged in the top end plate in the stacking direction when the fuel cell stack is used as intended. This arrangement of the gas jet pump in the top end plate in the stacking direction guarantees that liquid from the gas jet pump drains in the direction of the stack or the recirculation pipe, so that the risk of the gas jet pump being impaired in its operation by liquid water or becoming blocked can be prevented.
Advantageous embodiments and developments of the fuel cell stack according to the invention and of a fuel cell system incorporating the fuel cell stack according to the invention are clear from the exemplary embodiment described in more detail below with reference to the figures.


A seal structure includes: a longitudinal member; and an elastic member having an insertion part into which the longitudinal member is inserted and which is brought into close contact with the outer circumference of the longitudinal member. The insertion part includes: a tubular part having openings on both ends; an insertion hole which is connected to both of the openings and through which the longitudinal member is inserted; and a seal part for sealing the longitudinal member in the inner wall of the insertion hole. The seal part has: first projections that can closely contact, in the circumferential direction, the longitudinal member inserted into the insertion hole; and second projections that can contact, on the outer circumference of the longitudinal member, the longitudinal member inserted into the insertion hole.

Grommets through which control cables are inserted have been known (see, e.g., Patent Literature (hereinafter, referred to "PTL") 1). Such a grommet is provided with a seal portion that seals against moisture such as rain water at an inner wall of an insertion hole. However, when protruding portions to be provided at the seal portion for the purpose of making insertion of a control cable easier are placed at intervals, there may be a case where the shape of the seal portion cannot conform to a curve shape of the control cable when the control cable curves and a gap is generated between the control cable and the protruding portions, causing a decrease in seal efficiency.


An ice maker for fitting into a door of a cooling or freezing device includes an ice-making tray which is arranged to be rotatable about an axis of rotation, has a plurality of ice-piece-making cavities and a side wall arrangement which extends upwards beyond the ice-piece-making cavities and runs along the periphery of the tray. The ice maker further includes a drive unit for driving the ice-making tray in rotation about the axis of rotation. At least one slot is formed in the side wall arrangement and passes through the side wall arrangement over its entire wall thickness. Alternatively or in addition, at least a portion of the side wall arrangement is made of a different material than a bottom tray part on which the ice-piece-making cavities are formed. Both measures improve the twistability of the ice-making tray for breaking frozen ice pieces away from the tray.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an ice maker for fitting into a door of a cooling or freezing device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Refrigerators for domestic use are nowadays increasingly supplied with built-in ice makers. The ice maker serves to produce cube-shaped ice pieces or ice pieces of other shapes, which can typically be dispensed via an ice-piece dispenser integrated into a door of the refrigerator. The ice pieces are produced in an ice-making tray, which has a plurality of cavities for producing one ice piece each.
While in some refrigerator models the ice maker is situated in the body of the refrigerator, in other refrigerator models the ice maker is arranged in the door of the cabinet. When the ice maker is arranged in the door there is the problem that, after the ice-making tray has been filled with fresh water, the water can spill out of the tray when the door is moved quickly and jerkily if the water has not yet solidified to form ice.
Protecting walls can be provided as spillage protection in front of, at the side of or/and behind the ice-making tray, which protecting walls ensure that water spilling out of the tray is guided back into the tray and does not drip down the door or even spill into the cooling chamber of the refrigerator. Although such protecting walls can provide satisfactory spillage protection, a problem which can arise in connection with rotatably mounted ice-making trays, which are rotated about an axis of rotation in order to eject the finished ice pieces, is that ice bridges form between the tray and the surrounding protecting walls. Such ice bridges can impede or even block rotation of the ice-making tray. In some circumstances, this can result in damage to a rotary drive motor for the ice-making tray.

Ice maker for fitting into a door of a cooling or freezing device


To regulate the gloss on a print material, and avoid excess release oil, the properties of the fusing medium are measured, and the gloss on the print material is determined on the basis of the measured properties of the fusing medium.

In the printing industry, printing materials are treated after printing in a fusing device, in which toner is fused onto the print material. For this, various processes are known in which energy is supplied to the toner so that it melts and is securely attached to the print material or carrier material. Typically, two heated rollers are used, one placed above, and the other below, the print material. These rollers fuse toner onto the print material by pressure and heat. A release oil, applied to the fusing roller, is used to facilitate removal of the print material from the upper roller or fusing roller. The release oil goes from the fusing roller onto the print material, and has a considerable effect on the gloss on the print material. In printing, gloss is a feature that determines the quality of the printing. Too much gloss is undesirable; with too much release oil on the print material leading to excess gloss in printing. Abrasion or wear of the fusing roller surface is a problem, which affects the transfer of release oil onto the print material and, as a result, unsuitable printings with undesired gloss occur.

Procedure and device for adjusting gloss in print material


There is disclosed a method for autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation of patients receiving cytoreductive therapy, comprising: (1) obtaining hematopoietic progenitor cells from bone marrow or peripheral blood from a patient prior to cytoreductive therapy; (2) expanding the hematopoietic progenitor cells ex vivo with an ex vivo growth factor selected from the group consisting of interleukin-3 (IL-3), steel factor (SF), granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-1 (IL-1), GM-CSF/IL-3 fusion proteins and combinations thereof, to provide a cellular preparation comprising an expanded population of progenitor cells; and (3) administering the cellular preparation to the patient concurrently with or follwoing cytoreductive therapy. The inventive method optionally comprising a preliminary treatment with a recruitment growth factor to recruit hematopoietic progenitor cells into peripheral blood and a subsequent treatment with an engraftment growth factor to facilitate engraftment and proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells administered in the cellular preparation. The invention further provides a hematopoietic progenitor cell expansion media composition comprising cell media, an ex vivo growth factor, and autologous serum.

Cancers are generally treated with various forms of cytoreductive therapies. Cytoreductive therapies involve administration of ionizing radiation or chemical toxins which are cytotoxic for rapidly dividing cells. Side effects of such therapy can be attributed to cytotoxic effects upon normal cells and can usually limit the use of cytoreductive therapies. A frequent side effect is myelosuppression, or damage to bone marrow cells which gives rise to white and red blood cells and platelets. As a result of myelosuppression, patients develop cytopenia which are blood cell deficits. As a result of cytopenias, patients are exposed to increased risk of infection and bleeding disorders.
Cytopenia is a major factor contributing to morbidity, mortality, and under-dosing in cancer treatment. Many clinical investigators have manipulated cytoreductive therapy dosing regimens and schedules to increase dosing for cancer therapy, while limiting damage to bone marrow. One approach involves bone marrow transplantations in which bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells are removed before a cytoreductive therapy and then reinfused following therapy to rescue bone marrow from toxicity resulting from the cytoreductive therapy. Progenitor cells may implant in bone marrow and differentiate into mature blood cells to supplement reduced population of mature blood cells.
High-dose chemotherapy is therapeutically beneficial because it can produce an increased frequency of objective response in patients with metastatic cancers, particularly breast cancer, when compared to standard dose therapy. This can result in extended disease-free remission for some even poor-prognosis patients. Nevertheless, high-dose chemotherapy is toxic and many resulting clinical complications are related to infections, bleeding disorders and other effects associated with prolonged periods of myelosuppression.
Currently, a human recombinant granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) analog protein (sargramostim) is available in the U.S. for accelerating hematopoietic recovery following bone marrow transplantation. Sargramostim treatment has resulted in a reduction of many complications associated with bone marrow transplantation.
The existence of both marrow borne and circulating hematopoietic stem cells has been demonstrated using a variety of experimental studies and cell culture techniques. Two colony stimulating factors, GM-CSF and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), have been shown to increase the frequency of circulating hematopoietic progenitor or stem cells. Several studies (Gianni et al., Lancet 334:589 (1989); Siena et al., Blood 74:1905 (1989); and Molineux et al., Blood 76:2153 (1990)) describe in vivo administration of GM-CSF to increase the transplantation potential and frequency of primitive progenitor cells in a population of peripheral blood cells obtained from patients with tumors. These procedures represent attempts to rescue chemotherapy-induced suppresion of bone marrow by administering GM-CSF in vivo to recruit bone marrow progenitor cells into peripheral blood and then later administering harvested hematopoietic progenitor cells to patients.
More specifically, Gianni et al. describe a clinical study in which patients received high dose cyclophosphamide (7 g/m.sup.2) and were transplanted with autologous peripheral blood progenitor cells and autologous bone marrow cells. Patients who were treated with GM-CSF as a progenitor cell recruitment agent, prior to harvesting peripheral blood progenitor cells, recovered more quickly from cytopenia than patients whose peripheral blood progenitor cells were not recruited by GM-CSF. Thus GM-CSF administration increased the number of peripheral blood progenitor cells. This protocol resulted in more rapid hematopoietic recovery in tested patients than in control patients who received chemotherapy without autologous bone marrow transplantation but with peripheral blood progenitor cell support.
Cancer patients treated with high dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation who received subsequent GM-CSF treatment have shown faster myeloid recovery than similarly treated historical controls (Brandt et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 318:869 (1988) and Nemunatis et al., Blood 72:834 (1988)). Studies have shown that the time to achieve a minimum granulocyte count of 0.5.times.10.sup.9 /l after cytoreductive therapy was shorter in patients receiving GM-CSF. Granulocyte count increases were most pronounced during GM-CSF infusion. After discontinuation of GM-CSF, leukocyte counts in treated patients fell to control levels (Brandt et al., supra).
GM-CSF is also useful for autologous bone marrow transplantation following cytoreductive therapy. Socinski et al., Lancet 331:194 (1988) reported that GM-CSF administration after cytotoxic chemotherapy expands a circulating pool of hematopoietic progenitor cells by approximately 60-fold. Others have reported that human mononuclear cells circulating in the circulating blood, particularly during recovery from chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression, have been used to successfully reconstitute hematopoiesis after fully myeloablative (complete bone marrow toxicity) treatments (See, e.g., Bell et al., Hematol, Oncol.5:45 (1987)).
Mason et al., Proc. Amer. Assoc. Cancer Res. 32:193 (1991), reported that in vitro interleukin-3 (IL-3) alone or in combination with interleukin-6 (IL-6) increased the number of colony forming progenitors from human blood progenitor cells two fold in vitro. Mason et al. also reported that GM-CSF did not expand the colony forming progenitor population in vitro. Accordingly, autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation has proven to be a valuable technique to speed recovery from cytoreductive therapies. Improvements in autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation can further speed recovery from cytoreductive therapies and even allow the use of higher and more effective doses in cytoreductive therapies. This invention provides an improvement in autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Method for improving autologous transplantation


Phosphazene-containing amines having at least one amine or substituted amine moiety reactive with nitrile groups of the phthalonitrile monomers or oligomeric resins are useful curing agents for phthalonitriles. Typically, the phosphazene-containing amines useful as curing agents in the present invention have the formula: ##STR1## wherein each of X.sub.1-6 is a hydrogen, an unsubstituted amine group, or an amine group substituted with C.sub.1 -C.sub.12 alkyl groups or aromatic groups, at least one of X.sub.1-6 includes an amine group, and each of R'.sub.1-6 is an alkyl, aromatic, or alkyl-substituted aromatic moiety, or a linear polymer of the phosphazene-based amine monomer. The curing agents enhance the speed of cure and also add flame retardancy to the cured polymers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the synthesis of phthalonitrile monomers and oligomeric resins and, more specifically, to phosphazene-containing amines used as curing agents for the polymerization of phthalonitrile monomers and oligomeric resins and a method therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Interest in fiber-reinforced composites for advanced aerospace applications has led to the search for high temperature polymers that are easily processed and exhibit high thermal and oxidative stability. Epoxies and polyimides are now being used but each has its disadvantages. Conventional epoxy-based composites and adhesives have a 200.degree. C. maximum service limit and polyimide resins used in composites matrices have a 300.degree. C. maximum service limit. Advanced design concepts, especially in the aerospace industry, demand even higher temperature requirements for polymeric materials.
A major problem of the polyimide system is the inability to process void- and blister-free components in high yield because of the evolution of volatile components formed during the polymerization condensation reaction. Other problems associated with both polyimides and epoxies include their brittleness, water absorptivity and engineering reliability.
Phthalonitrile resins, such as diether-linked phthalonitrile resins, are proving to be superior in physical and chemical properties to epoxies, polyimides and other plastics as matrices for fiber-reinforced composites. A major advantage of phthalonitrile resins, compared to other plastics, is their ability to withstand temperatures in excess of 300.degree. C. for extended periods without permanent damage to the coatings, plastics or composites made therefrom. Such resins usually contain a substantial proportion of aromatic structures, but cured polymers composed solely of aromatic rings tend to be brittle and intractable. A resin having flexible linkages between the aromatic rings minimizes or greatly reduces brittleness and intractability. Phthalonitrile resins with diether linkages are materials which meet these goals. Examples of these phthalonitrile-based polymers are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,223,123; 4,226,801; 4,234,712; and 4,238,601 issued to T. M. Keller and J. R. Griffith, all of which are wholly incorporated herein by reference. However, polymerization and cure of these monomers in the neat state generally requires heating for several days at extremely high temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,035, wholly incorporated herein by reference, teaches curing of phthalonitrile monomers with a nucleophilic aromatic amine. The monomer, 4,4'-bis(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)biphenyl, has a melting point of 232.degree.-234.degree. C. The aromatic diamines covered in the above patent are somewhat volatile at the required processing melt temperature and potentially can cause void problems when used in an amount greater than 5% by weight. This is especially true if the amine is not dried before using as a curing agent. Thus, it is advantageous for a resin not to produce gaseous products when cured. Also, the chemical makeup of the polymer must be such that it consists of units having known resistance to bond-rupture under thermal, oxidative and hydrolytic conditions.
Tentative U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,039, to be issued Mar. 26, 1991, to Teddy Keller, based upon U.S. Ser. No. 07/273,430, and wholly incorporated herein by reference, teaches 1,3-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzene as a curing agent for a rapid synthesis of phthalonitrile resins. This curing agent affords void-free components, but requires an initial processing temperature below 240.degree. C.
Phosphazenes are presently the most important and most thermally characterized of the phosphorous-containing inorganic polymers. Many such polymers with a variety of substituents at the phosphorus have been prepared. They often exhibit useful properties including fire retardancy, low temperature flexibility, and resistance to chemical attack.
Linear polyphosphazenes are commonly synthesized at elevated temperatures involving ring-opening polymerization of cyclic trimers such as hexa-substituted cyclotriphosphazene. The intermediate leading to ring openings of the hexa(amine-substituted cyclotriphosphazene) or the linear poly(amine-substituted phosphazene), if the process occurs during the thermal cure, would be expected to react with the phthalonitrile-based resin systems.

Phosphazene-containing amine as curing agent for phthalonitrile-base polymer


A wideband optical micro-spectrometer system for detecting the intensity of light as a function of wavelength. The device employs multiple optical micro-spectrometers generating adjacent spectra mounted onto a single photodetector array and digital processing techniques to generate a continuous wide spectrum from the narrower spectrums generated by the optical micro-spectrometers. Optical micro-spectrometers generating non-adjacent spectra could also be employed to produce spectral data for predetermined non-adjacent spectral ranges. System reliability is improved and maintenance reduced with the use of pre-aligned optical micro-spectrometers. Thereby, a device is created which has the spectral range of larger spectrometers having a much reduced physical size, increased system reliability and reduced maintenance requirements.

The invention relates to an optical spectrometer system which detects the intensity of light as a function of wavelength.
Optical spectrometers are commonly used for the detection and subsequent analysis of light signals. The optical spectrum is what the human eye sees when light is diffracted by water in the atmosphere and forms a rainbow. Each color of light in the rainbow is defined by its own wavelength. The human eye actually measures the wavelength and intensity of light when it "sees" color and brightness. However, in order to measure the composition of light consistently and precisely, an optical spectrometer is generally used. The optical spectrometer measures intensity, or brightness of light as it relates to wavelength, or colors contained within the light.
This optical spectrum analysis is commonly used for chemical analysis, optics research and optics sensor development. Other applications include paint matching, quality control for packaging, food, cosmetics, color cathode ray tubes, automobile tail light lenses, etc.
Typically, an arrangement of entrance slits, lenses, mirrors and gratings are used to align, project, chromatically disperse and focus light signals to be analyzed into a spectral band which is projected onto a photodetector array. The spectral range and resolution of the spectrometer are governed by the focusing power of the lenses or curved mirrors, the resolution of the grating, the entrance slit width, the number of photodetectors within the photodetector array and the individual photodetector element spacing.
In the special case of a monochronomator, the light signals to be analyzed are passed through a narrow entrance slit or hole, projected onto a diffraction grating via a lens or curved reflective mirror, and refocused via a lens or curved reflective mirror into a spectral band which is projected through a narrow exit slit or hole onto a single photodetector. The grating is rotated, projecting a narrow wavelength band of light through the exit slit or hole, the center wavelength of which is a function of the grating angle.
Disadvantages of the spectrometers and monochronomators described include large physical size and susceptibility to contamination.
An optical micro-spectrometer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,117. This device utilizes a graded index (GRIN) lens along with a dispersion grating and optical fibers. This device offers a great reduction in size and is not susceptible to contamination since the path of the signal light always remains within a solid optical path. Yet this device has the disadvantage of a limited resolution/total spectral bandwidth product. As one attempts to achieve higher resolution, the total spectral bandwidth is reduced, and vice versa. Limiting constraints in this device also include maximum aperture of the lens which can be fabricated, focal length variation as a function of wavelength, and large overall physical size required for a device designed to cover a wide optical bandwidth while having fine spectral resolution.

Wideband optical micro-spectrometer system


A magneto-optic recording medium including a transparent substrate and a magneto-optic stack provided thereon. The stack includes a plurality of magneto-optic film layers less than 10 nm thick. Adjacent magneto-optic film layers are separated by dielectric layers consisting essentially of Y.sub.2 O.sub.3.

Many current magneto-optic (MO) media constructions are four-layer (quadrilayer) thin film stacks, formed by successively depositing the individual layers on a transparent substrate. The layers consist of a first dielectric layer, a rare-earth-transition metal (RE-TM) magneto-optic layer which exhibits perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, a second dielectric layer, and a metallic reflector layer. RE-TM layers are highly reactive and must be protected from the ambient environment to achieve stability. One function of the two adjacent dielectric layers is to serve as a barrier between the MO film and surrounding environment. In addition the dielectrics must exhibit appropriate optical properties and acceptably low reactivity with the adjacent RE-TM magneto-optic film.
The rare earth-transition metal magneto-optical layer in current media is typically 20 nm to 60 nm thick. It has been suggested, however, that media structures employing a multiplicity of MO layers may be advantageous, e.g., for multi-level recording applications or mark-edge jitter reduction.
The functionality of the preceding multiple-layer MO schemes generally depends upon interaction of an appreciable fraction of the incident optical power from the laser with each MO layer. However, for a typical terbium-iron-cobalt (Tb-Fe-Co) MO quadrilayer construction, less than 5% of the incident power is present at the interface between a 30 nm thick FeTbCo layer and the adjacent second dielectric layer. Consequently, while the actual thicknesses may vary with the specific materials and media construction, it is apparent that the total MO thickness in practical multiple-layer constructions cannot become arbitrarily large. If the total MO layer thickness is limited, it is clear that the thickness of each individual layer must decrease as the number of individual layers increases. The benefits attributable to the multiple-magnetic-layer structures (e.g., increased storage density, decreased jitter, etc.) generally increase as the number of layers, N, increases; consequently, structures containing a large number of very thin MO layers are desirable.

Magneto-optic recording medium having magneto-optic film layers separated by yttrium oxide