A method of liquefying natural gas. The method comprises cooling a gaseous natural gas process stream with a refrigerant flowing in a path isolated from the natural gas process stream. The refrigerant may differ in composition from a composition of the natural gas process stream, and the refrigerant composition may be selected to enhance efficiency of the refrigerant path with regard to a specific composition of the natural gas process stream. The refrigeration path may be operated at pressures, temperatures and flow rates differing from those of the natural gas process stream. Other methods of liquefying natural gas are described. A natural gas liquefaction plant is also described.

The use of natural gas as an energy source in lieu of other hydrocarbons such as oil and coal is becoming ever more prevalent in the U.S. economy, in light of the discovery of substantial new reserves and the development of improved methods of extraction. The resulting reduction in cost of natural gas, in conjunction with cyclically high and widely variable cost of crude oil, makes natural gas a compelling low-cost and reliable alternative.
Due to the increased interest in using ever-larger volumes of natural gas and the locations of many new natural gas sources distances great enough from existing pipeline and gathering system infrastructure to make pipeline transportation economically impractical due to cost, there is a recognized need for improved product deliver infrastructure. In addition, the ongoing transition of motor vehicles to natural gas fuel necessitates creative solutions for providing access along transportation corridors, many of which are remote from pipelines or in areas where accessing a close pipeline is impractical due to cost, the developed nature of potential access corridors, environmental considerations, and other factors.
One solution to transportation of large quantities of natural gas is liquefaction, many enhancements to which have been developed by the inventors herein. Liquefaction enables transport from pipelines or even directly from a wellhead by truck or rail to points of use in local markets, where the liquid natural gas may be vaporized into a distribution system or used as a higher value liquid product for vehicle fuel, power generation, or industrial processes.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/603,948 discloses a compact natural gas liquefaction process and plant utilizing a source of natural gas for both a natural gas processing loop and a refrigerant loop and enabling substantially all incoming natural gas to exit the plant as liquefied natural gas, avoiding return of natural gas to the source. The incoming gas stream is brought into the plant and circulated through compression, pressure reduction, and heat exchangers, pulling off a product stream equal to the mass flow entering the plant. The recirculation gas is always replenished at the same rate as liquefied gas production. This approach requires the use of larger compressors and flow paths than might otherwise be desirable, due to the continual recirculation process. Further, use of the recirculating design may be constrained in some circumstances by gas composition.
While the process and plant as disclosed in the '948 application facilitates liquefaction of natural gas in situations where natural gas cannot be returned to its source, there are conditions where it is desirable to separate a process stream from a refrigeration path in a compact natural gas liquefaction process and plant. For example, it would be desirable in some instances to avoid mixing of a refrigerant path and a process stream to better perform their respective functions. Separation of the two can, to some degree, reduce complications associated with different gas compositions. By using separate process streams and refrigerant paths, the refrigerant gas may comprise a single component or mixture to meet refrigeration requirements and may comprise any of a variety of refrigerants known by those of ordinary skill in the art, without limitation of selection by the composition of the product stream.
To elaborate on the foregoing, in at least some situations, it would be desirable to be able utilize different material compositions and design parameters (e.g., temperatures, flow rates, pressures) in each of the refrigerant and natural gas flows, as doing so may reduce cooling complications associated with certain natural gas source material compositions and may enable the use of a wider variety of refrigerants. Such a natural gas liquefaction process and plant may also decrease operating costs and increase process and plant efficiencies relative to previous natural gas liquefaction technologies by facilitating the use of smaller equipment (e.g., compressors) and smaller process flow paths. In addition, it would be desirable to have a very efficient method of liquefying natural gas from stranded sources, where there is no opportunity for a tail gas stream.

Natural gas liquefaction employing independent refrigerant path


A digital frequency synthesizer comprises a programmable frequency divider, an analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog program control signal into a digital signal, and a digital storage medium for storing the digital signal to control the frequency division ratio of the programmable frequency divider in accordance with the digital value of the stored signal.

The present invention relates to a digital frequency synthesizer which is immune to small variations of an analog program control signal to maintain the frequency division ratio constant when the variations lie within a predetermined range.
Conventional frequency synthesizers of the type which employs a programmable frequency divider make use of an analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog program control signal into a digital signal for controlling the frequency division ratio of the programmable frequency divider. However, the inherent small variation of the analog control signal tends to adversely affect the frequency division ratio.

Digital frequency synthesizer with frequency divider programmable in response to stored digital control signal


A sample pre-separation and concentration system for detecting low levels of analytes in highly complex mixtures includes a plurality of trapping columns having a high selectivity for classes of compounds of interest, upstream of a standard separation column. The system may be used, for example, to measure urinary 8 hydroxy 2xe2x80x2 deoxyguanoisine.

The present invention relates to improvements in analytical techniques. The invention has particular utility in connection with determination of low levels of analytes in highly complex mixtures, and will be described in connection with such utility, although other utilities are contemplated.
The determination of very low levels of specific analytes in complex mixtures of hundreds of possible interferences is a classical problem in analytical chemistry. For example, in recent developments in the assessment of oxidative stress and in the assessment of genetic damage from inherited and environmental factors, the measurement of urinary 8 hydroxy 2xe2x80x2 deoxyguanosine (8OH2xe2x80x2dG) and other similar purine and pyrimidine indicators of DNA damage has developed as a potentially useful diagnostic therapy directing tool. These measurements have been used in clinical research in the areas of neurological disorders, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and assessment of biological environmental risk.
The overall utility of such measurements is compromised, however, by the lack of reliable measuring technology that will allow the intercomparison of values among different laboratories and studies. While several methods incorporating multiple separations and finally analytical techniques of liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection or gas chromatography, or mass spectroscopy have been published, they all suffer from problems of reliability, certainty of the analyte measured, complexity of preparation and manipulation, short and long term accuracy and precision, and cost. One of the most commonly cited techniques has been liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection employing a variety of preparation and concentration procedures and/or automated column switching. In automated column switching a portion of the eluent band from a first column is trapped in an injection loop and then transferred to a second column with different characteristics of separation. While some researchers reportedly have obtained reliable information with these techniques, the procedures are both fragile and prone to individual specific errors. This is because of the small non-quantitative and variable amounts trapped from the band and from the first column (typically less than 10%), and because of the highly variable nature and high level of interfering species at the typical levels of ca 5 ng/ml of analyte of interest.
It is thus an object of the invention to overcome the aforesaid and other disadvantages of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide an analytical technique for determining low levels of analytes in complex mixtures. A more specific object of the invention is to provide an analytic technique for analyzing 8 hydroxy 2xe2x80x2 deoxyguanosine in biological samples.
In order to effect the foregoing and other objects of the invention, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a sample pre-separation and concentration system comprising a plurality of trapping columns having a high selectivity for classes of compounds of interest, upstream of a standard separation column. For example, as applied to the analysis for 8OH2dxe2x80x2G in urine and other biological samples, the basis of the invention is the replacement of the injection loop from the first column with one or more small porous carbon columns that have a very highly selectivity for purines, and certain other classes of compounds such as aromatic amines and nitro compounds and certain flavones flavenoids and other highly conjugated species. These columns have""sufficient selectivity that they can trap essentially the entire eluting band containing the analyte of interest in a very small, e.g. 20-250 ul volumes, and then be flushed for a relatively long time by a second eluting buffer to remove almost all species but the analyte of interest. The porous carbon column is then switched to the head of a second separation column employing a buffer identical to the flushing buffer except for a displacing agent that strips the analyte of interest from the carbon in a sharp peak that is compatible with optimum separation characteristics of the second column. By way of example, for 80H2xe2x80x2dG, the displacing agent of preference is Adenosine, a compound of similar structure but not electroactive. The principle of similarity by non-detectability is general for the third buffer additive. For example, phenylalanine may be used to displace nitrotyrosine.


A domino logic circuit having output noise elimination is disclosed. A compound domino logic circuit includes at least two trees of logic devices arranged in parallel, with each tree having a precharge transistor connected to a power supply, and one or more input transistors coupled between the precharge transistor and ground. The precharge transistor receives a clock input while each of the one or more input transistors receives a signal input. The compound domino logic circuit also includes a logic gate coupled to the precharge transistor to produce a signal output. The logic gate includes at least two transistors connected in series. Further, an adjustment transistor is coupled to a node between the two transistors to ground.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to semiconductor circuits in general, and in particular to domino logic circuits. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a compound domino logic circuit having output noise elimination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A domino logic circuit simplifies digital logic by connecting a number of transistors together in series to implement digital combination logic. For example, a domino logic circuit implements a logic AND function by cascading a p-channel transistor with several n-channel input transistors in series between a power supply and ground. During operation, the p-channel transistor is clocked to precharge an output node of the circuit to a predetermined logic state. Depending on the logic state at the inputs of the n-channel input transistors, the output node either remains at its precharged state or is pulled low through the series of n-channel input transistors connected to ground.
It is quite common for logic gates, such as AND, OR, and their combinations, in certain high performance logic control circuits to have a large number of inputs. However, due to current technology limitations, it is impractical to stack more than four input transistors in a simple domino logic circuit configuration for supporting a large number of inputs; hence typically, a compound domino logic circuit structure having a large fan-in is utilized instead. Due to the size and the stacked configuration of the p-channel transistors at the output of a compound domino logic circuit, a charge sharing problem may occur at the nodes between the p-channel transistors. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a solution to the charge sharing problem in a compound domino logic circuit without adding noise to the output.

Compound domino logic circuit having output noise elimination

International Business Machines Corporation


Test apparatus for a sonar system utilizing beam former circuitry wherein a quantitative test of the signal channels of the sonar system, including the transducers themselves may be automatically tested in situ utilizing the beamformer circuitry of the sonar system itself.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention in general relates to apparatus for testing sonar systems, and more particularly to sonar systems having beamformer circuitry for forming one or more high resolution receiver beams.
2. Background Information
Various types of sonar systems such as sector scan and side-looking sonars utilize electronic beamformer circuitry to form one or more very narrow high resolution beams for acoustically examining a target area. The sonar system must be tested periodically to ensure that it is in proper operating condition and for this purpose many systems include built in test equipment (BITE). By operator switch selection of BITE, a test signal is introduced into the sonar receiver front end which produces a test pattern on a display. Although this technique is less time consuming and less costly than bench testing or test range measurement, current BITE systems are inadequate for locating faults which degrade beam pattern shapes. Only a qualitative result is obtained in that a BITE signal injected into the front end of the sonar receiver will show up on the display thereby informing the operator that there is a signal route through. Current BITE arrangements will not indicate in a quantitative manner the degree to which something is wrong with the sonar receiver and associated transducer elements. It is the beam pattern shape, including the effects from the transducer elements, which should be used to judge system performance level. The apparatus of the present invention will provide a quantitative indication of malfunction and will do so even during in situ operation of the sonar apparatus.


An air conditioner includes: a cooling unit having a compressor operated at a variable operating frequency to adjust a revolving speed thereof, a condenser, an expansion valve and a cooling coil; and a heating unit for causing the heating medium flowing from the compressor toward the condenser to diverge, and to return to flow into the condenser, through a heating coil and a thermal dose adjusting valve disposed on the downstream side thereof; so as to control a temperature of air by the cooling and heating coils. When an opening manipulated variable of the thermal dose adjusting valve exceeds a first threshold value over a period of time, an operating frequency of the compressor is decreased, and when the opening manipulated variable of the thermal dose adjusting valve falls below a smaller, second threshold value, over the said period of time, the operating frequency of the compressor is increased.

An indoor temperature of a cleanroom in a semiconductor manufacturing plant is strictly managed by an air conditioner. For example, an indoor temperature of a clean room, in which an apparatus (such as coater) for coating and developing a photoresist is installed, is sometimes required to be controlled within an error range of between +0.05° C. and −0.05° C. relative to a target temperature. Various air conditioners suited for such a cleanroom have been conventionally proposed (see Patent Document 1, for example).
Patent Document 1: 3P2013-108652A

Air conditioner and its operating method


A tail gate load organizing device is provided for carrying items longer than a pickup truck box floor with a tailgate down by moving a supporting point out onto the tailgate. The device includes an elongated base, vertical load partitions, base support system, and a tailgate attachment member. In use, the load organizing device is mountedly placed upon a tailgate and the attachment member is extended to bring about attaching engagement with a tailgate support which extendedly connects at one end to the tailgate and at another end to the pickup truck box side. The device is then useful in loading a pickup truck by causing an organized elongated load to be maintained within a pickup truck box and inclined relative to the floor of the truck box.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pickup truck load organizers and more particularly to a new tail gate load organizing device for allowing items longer than a pickup truck box floor to be carried with a tailgate down by moving a supporting point out onto the tailgate.
2. Background Information
The use of pickup truck load organizers is known in the prior art. Examples of pickup truck load organizers include those disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,850; U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,067; U.S. Pat. Des. No. 248,228; U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,096; U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,944; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,993.
Such devices have been devised to solve various drawbacks associated with transporting loads within the beds of pickup trucks. One problem in particular is that of safely and securely transporting elongated loads which are longer than the bed of a pickup truck. Pickup trucks conveniently include a tailgate 4 which may be lowered into an open position to facilitate carrying loads which are longer than the bed 8 of the truck. This approach generally provides satisfactory results when transporting bulky items such as furniture and the like, which can be relatively easily secured to the truck with straps etc., to minimize shifting during transport. This approach however has not proven entirely effective for carrying elongated loose items such as lumber, piping and the like, as they tend to shift laterally and/or slide out of the truck box through the open tailgate during acceleration, etc. In an attempt to reduce or eliminate the possibility of such a load sliding out of the truck bed during transport, it has been common practice among many truck owners to close the tailgate and simply rest such oversized objects on the upper lip or edge of the closed tailgate. While this approach may help prevent the articles from sliding out of the truck bed during transport, this arrangement tends to place a relatively large portion of the carried items above the sides of the pickup truck box to substantially reduce the lateral support provided by the box side walls. Moreover, this approach concentrates a substantial portion of the weight of the load on the upper edge of the tailgate which tends to dent or otherwise damage the upper edge.
Thus, a need exists for a load organizing device for allowing items longer than a pickup truck box floor to be carried.


An intelligent terminal includes unique features and integrated components to provide the ultimate dynamic viewing experience. The intelligent terminal is transportable and can function as a tablet, a laptop, or a desktop. The intelligent terminal is also configured to receive display data from an electronic device, via at least one processor and a network interface. The intelligent terminal includes a display screen that is configured to rotate about an axis that is normal to the display screen and is further configured to modify its display pixel density, brightness, clarity, color, either automatically or in response to a user input. The modified display data, based on the axial orientation of the screen, a display data attribute, the ambient conditions, the user's viewing parameters, and an electronic device attribute, is further configured to generate an image for display on the display screen that provides the most optimal and comfortable dynamic viewing experience.

The technological advancements of mobile computing devices, also described herein as portable electronic devices, have been greater and more frequent than the technological advancements of image displays on these mobile computing devices. From smart phones to tablets to laptops to desktops, users face increasing frustration as each device's display must be manually calibrated or reconfigured—whenever technologically possible—to suit the varying ambient conditions and user conditions to produce or reproduce (cast) an optimal display image in a manner that the user intuitively expects.

System, apparatus, and method for optimizing viewing experience on an intelligent terminal


A video game includes a peripheral device that senses the presence and identity of toys near or on the peripheral. Each of the toys includes an identification device such as an RFID tag. Each of the toys is also associated with a corresponding game character or object. A toy stores information about the status of the corresponding character or object in the game, for example, a character name, a score, and an owner of the toy may be stored in a character toy. The information about the toy is updated during game play. The toys may be sensed, read, and written concurrently.

The present invention relates generally to video games and, more particularly, to a video game and a peripheral for a video game.
Video games provide fun and enjoyment for many. Video games allow game players to participate in a variety of simulated activities. Video games allow game players to perform roles and experience activities that the game players may not be able or desire to experience directly, whether due to cost, danger, or equipment concerns, or simply due to a role or activity being a fantasy.
Video games, being generally provided by way of an electronic device and associated display, often lack a physical component by which a player may touch and hold a representative object associated with video game play or otherwise have a physical object representative of video game play. Merely interacting with a displayed simulated environment may not allow game players to fully relate to game play, with a sharply distinct separation between a game play world and the world physically inhabited by the game players. Moreover, when the electronic device providing game play action is unavailable, for example when off or used for other purposes, as may often by the case when the electronic device is a personal computer, reminders of the joy of game play may also be unavailable.

Video game with concurrent processing of game-related physical objects


Frequency synthesis apparatus for providing a desired frequency which is greater than and a fractional multiple, N/M, of a reference signal frequency utilizes a fractional multiplier in the feedback path of a phase-locked loop. The fractional multiplier provides a multiplication of M/N on the feedback signal. Advantageously, this technique can be utilized in either analog or digitally-implemented phase-locked loops and can be coupled with the use of a fractional multiplier in the feedforward path of the digitally-implemented phase-locked loop to improve jitter performance.

In synchronous communications systems, it is typically necessary to derive a clocking signal from a reference signal. When the reference signal frequency is an integral multiple (N) of the desired signal frequency, the latter can be obtained as the output of a divide-by-N counter that is clocked by the reference signal. On the other hand, when the desired signal frequency is an integral multiple of the reference signal frequency, the former can be generated using a phase-locked loop. In many applications, there is oftentimes not a simple integral relationship between the reference signal frequency and the desired signal frequency. Instead, the reference signal frequency is some fractional multiple of the desired signal frequency, where the fractional multiple is a noninteger and is either less than or greater than 1. Moreover, in such applications, the prior art technique used to synthesize the desired signal frequency from the reference signal frequency is a function of the value of the fractional multiple.
Where the fractional multiple is less than 1, the desired signal frequency can be readily obtained from the output of a fractional multiplier which is clocked by the reference signal. Problems, however, arise when the fractional multiple is greater than 1 and, in general, are due to either limitations in the operating characteristics of available circuit devices and/or the cost of obtaining devices with the required operating characteristics. These problems are particularly burdensome in telecommunications applications where the required clocking signals for circuit devices are derived from reference signals available in the transmission line. These clocking rates have, in general, increased and are greater than and a fractional multiple of the available reference signal frequency. Synthesizing the desired signal frequency in such applications in a manner which meets the required system objectives, such as jitter and the like, has been extremely difficult and, at times, impossible to obtain using prior art techniques.
It would therefore be desirable if a signal synthesis technique could be developed which would overcome these limitations.

Frequency synthesis using fractional frequency multiplication


An apparatus for shaping a preheated settable material is provided. The apparatus includes an upper die (38) located in a forming area (34), opposed tensioning assemblies (40), (42), a flexible support (54) rotatably connected between the opposed tensioning assemblies for supporting the settable material, and a regulation system operably engaged with the opposed tensioning assemblies for maintaining tension between the opposed tensioning assemblies. During use, the settable material is shaped by the relative pressing between the upper die and one of the flexible support and a lower die. An improvement is provided including a flexible support having a plurality of openings and a cooling system (60). The cooling system directs cool air to the settable material during a cool down period. The cool air is provided in the forming area at a location beneath the flexible support so that cool air passes upward through the plurality of openings in the flexible support and to the settable material.

One known method of shaping honeycomb core includes placing the core on a series of horizontal support rods and sliding the combination into an oven. The core is heated to its forming temperature, i.e., the particular temperature at which the core becomes shape-able. Once the core is properly heated, the support rods and core are removed from the oven and the rods are retracted laterally to either side. This causes the core to fall loosely onto a lower die. A worker then correctly aligns the core relative to the die. The heated core is pressed for a period of time between the lower die and an upper die that is shaped in the reverse-image of the lower die (i.e., male/female die pair). The upper and lower dies continue to hold the core until it cools in the ambient air to a set temperature. Once set, the dies recede, and the shaping process is complete.
There are a number of disadvantages associated with the above method. A first disadvantage is that extra energy is required to heat the core in order to compensate for heat lost during transfer of the core from the rods to the lower die and heat lost to the dies during pressing. The core must be heated to a particular temperature in order to bring it to a malleable state. Even if the initial temperature of the core is correctly adjusted, the forming temperature is adversely affected because the dies continue to absorb heat from the core during pressing. This reduces the amount of time available for pressing the core at the required forming temperature. A second disadvantage is that after the core is pressed at its proper forming temperature, the core must be allowed to cool to a particular temperature while still being held at its new shape. If the core is released prior to reaching this set temperature, it will tend to return (i.e., spring back) toward its original shape. This cool down period is longer than desired when using the above method due to the slow rate of heat dissipation from the upper and lower dies.
Many of these disadvantages are addressed in the method and apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,074. In particular, the '074 patent describes an embodiment for forming a settable material in which the material is placed on a flexible support, transferred to and from an adjacent oven, and then pressed between the flexible support and an upper male die. After pressing, the flexible support and upper die continue to hold the core until it has cooled in the ambient air to its set temperature. Once cooled, the upper die recedes. Shaping of the material is complete. The '074 patent thus reduces the problems associated with core heat loss prior to and during forming. The '074 patent also reduces the cool down time required for setting the material, since the flexible support dissipates heat much faster than a (typically metal) lower die.
If has been found in using the above '074 process, however, that the production time required to manufacture a large number of shaped panels is unacceptably high. This is partly due to the time required to ambiently cool the material to its set temperature while being held in its new shape. The '074 addressed this need in part, by providing an embodiment in which the lower, female die is eliminated. This allows heat to dissipate more quickly from the core, thus causing it to reach its set temperature faster. The upper, male die, however, yet remains as an impediment to the dissipation of heat from the core. Therefore, a continued need for a shaping method and apparatus exists that provides faster, more efficient technique for bringing the core to its set temperature during the cool down period. The present invention is directed to fulfilling this need.


A process for debottlenecking a system for the separation of a conjugated diolefin the system including a first extraction section having an extractive distillation column and a stripping column and a second extraction section. The process includes the steps of withdrawing a first portion of an extract from the extractive distillation column, the extract having at least the first portion and a second portion, and transferring the first portion of the extract to a flash/separation vessel; separating the first portion of the extract into a vapor phase and a liquid phase by flashing in a flash/separation vessel; and combining the liquid phase of the separated first portion of the extract with the second portion of the extract to produce an extract feed for further processing. A system and process for the separation of a conjugated diolefin from a C4- or C5-hydrocarbon mixture containing the conjugated diolefin and higher acetylenes are also provided.

1,3-Butadiene is a conjugated diolefin, largely used as a monomer in the production of synthetic rubber or polymerized with styrene or acrylonitrile. Smaller amounts of butadiene are used to make the solvent sulfolane, nylon via the intermediate adiponitrile, and other synthetic rubber materials such as chloroprene. Butadiene is also used in the industrial production of cyclododecatriene via a trimerization reaction.
The original commercial routes to butadiene were based on alcohol or acetylene and are no longer in use. Existing manufacturing processes all use petroleum feedstocks and are directly linked to petroleum/petrochemical operations.
In the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, butadiene is produced as a byproduct of the steam cracking process used to produce ethylene and other olefins. When mixed with steam and briefly heated to very high temperatures (often over 900° C.), aliphatic hydrocarbons give up hydrogen to produce a complex mixture of unsaturated hydrocarbons, including butadiene. The quantity of butadiene produced depends on the hydrocarbons used as feed. Light feeds, such as ethane, give primarily ethylene when cracked, but heavier feeds favor the formation of heavier olefins, butadiene, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Typically, there are hydrocarbons in the mixture whose normal volatilities are such that separation cannot be readily achieved by ordinary fractional distillation. For example, butanes are separated with difficulty from butenes and butadiene is likewise difficultly separated from the butenes.
Conventionally, butadiene has been separated from its corresponding olefins and paraffins by an extractive distillation in the presence of a polar solvent, selected for its ability to increase the volatility of some components in the mixture relative to other components in the mixture, with the result that separation of the desired component by distillation is made possible. Polar solvents such as acetonitrile, acetone, furfural, dimethylformamide, dioxane, phenol and N-methylpyrrolidone, and their corresponding aqueous admixtures have been used in extractive distillation processes for butadiene.
Extraction of butadiene from a steam-cracker product generally offers a lower cost material than from a C4 dehydrogenation plant. In conventional extractive distillation processes, the butadiene product is recovered directly from the solvent in a stripping zone at elevated temperatures. The energy required to effect the separations in the extractive distillation zone and in the stripping zone is typically supplied by a reboiler attached to each zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,436 proposes a process for fractionating a hydrocarbon mixture comprising conjugated diolefin by extractive distillation to obtain a more readily soluble hydrocarbon fraction and a less readily soluble hydrocarbon fraction. An extractive distillation column, a stripping column and a recovery column are employed. The process proposed includes the steps of passing the bottom liquid of the extractive distillation column into the recovery tower, returning the recovered gas from the recovery tower to the extractive distillation column by means of a compressor and introducing the bottom liquid of the recovery tower into the stripping column to recover the extracted materials, whereby the extractive distillation is carried out without raising the bottom temperature of the extractive distillation column, so that the diolefin and higher acetylene may be prevented from polymerization.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,438 proposes a process for the separation of a conjugated diolefin from a C4 or C5 hydrocarbon mixture containing the diolefin and higher acetylenes. According to the proposed process, the hydrocarbon mixture is subjected to extractive distillation with a solvent that comprises an N-alkyl-substituted lower aliphatic acid amide. By means of the extractive distillation, the diolefin is recovered in the form of a distillate that is substantially free from higher acetylenes. A liquid extract containing the higher acetylenes and the solvent is also recovered, the extract subjected to stripping to recover the acetylenes and the solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,132 proposes a process for separating butadiene from mixtures of C4 unsaturates that includes introducing the butadiene-containing mixture into an extractive distillation zone wherein it is distilled in the presence of a selective polar solvent, introducing the fat solvent to a first stripping zone operated at a pressure lower than that of the extractive distillation zone wherein the butadiene is stripped from the fat solvent thereby forming a butadiene-rich vapor phase, compressing the butadiene-rich vapor phase to a pressure higher than that of the extractive distillation zone, returning a portion of the compressed vapor to the bottom of the extractive distillation zone and introducing the remaining portion of the compressed vapor to a second stripping zone wherein butadiene is recovered as an overhead product.
G.B. Patent No. 2,077,753 proposes a process for the extractive distillation of hydrocarbons. The process proposed includes the steps of extractively distilling a hydrocarbon mixture in an extractive distillation apparatus using a polar extractive solvent. A first-stage extractive distillation column is operated at a higher bottom pressure than the bottom pressure of a second-stage extractive distillation column and a pre-stripping column is provided between the first-stage extractive distillation column and a first-stage stripping column and operated at a pressure equal to or lower than the bottom pressure of the first-stage extractive distillation column and equal to or higher than the bottom pressure of the second-stage extractive distillation column.
W.O. Publication No. 2005/037396 proposes a process wherein a butadiene-rich stream is transferred to a flash drum and the initial expansion causes separation of vapor from liquid, with the separated vapors flowing to a distillation column. Overhead solvent-free concentrated butadiene vapors are obtained and condensed in a water condenser and the first butadiene stream and the liquid stream flows to the stripping column to forming an overhead concentrated butadiene vapor. After compression, a second butadiene stream is obtained.
Despite these advances in the art, there is still a need for an improved process for the separation of a conjugated diolefin from a C4- or C5-hydrocarbon mixture.

Process for debottlenecking a system for the separation of a conjugated diolefin


A laser scanning assembly generates a laser beam and scans the laser beam through a plurality of scan lines to form desired dots. Each scan line is positioned to overlap an adjacent scan line and each dot includes a plurality of segments. The scanning assembly scans the laser beam through multiple scan lines to fully discharge each segment of each dot. The laser scanner assembly would typically be part of a laser printer.

FIG. 1 shows a typical laser printer 10 including a movable photoreceptor 12, typically a revolving drum or cylinder. This drum 12 is made out of a highly photoconductive material that is discharged by light photons. Initially, the photoreceptor drum 12 is given a total positive charge by a charging electrode 14, typically a wire or roller having a current running through it. As the drum 12 revolves, the printer 10 uses a laser unit 16 (such as a laser diode) to shine a laser beam 18 across the surface of the drum 12 to discharge certain points. In this manner, the laser beam 18 "draws" the text and images to be printed as a pattern of electrical discharges (an electrostatic image) on the drum 12. If the laser beam 18 is modulated, resulting variations in charge on the drum 12 will ultimately be translated to proportionate amounts of toner deposited on a sheet of paper 21.
After the laser beam 18 scans the desired electrostatic pattern on the drum 12, the printer 10 uses a toner roller 20 to coat the drum 12 with positively charged toner powder. Since the toner has a positive charge, it clings to the negative discharged areas of the drum 12 that have been scanned by the laser beam, but the toner does not cling to the positively charged "background" of the drum. With the toner pattern affixed to the drum 12, the drum rolls over the sheet of paper 21 traveling below it. Before the paper 21 travels under the drum 12, the paper is given a negative charge that is stronger than the negative charge of the electrostatic image on the drum 12 so that the paper pulls the toner powder away from the drum 12. Finally, the printer 10 passes the paper 21 through a fuser 24, which is typically a pair of heated rollers and as the paper 21 passes through the fuser 24, the loose toner powder on the paper melts, fusing with the fibers in the paper and forming a permanent image on the paper. After the toner on the drum 12 is transferred to the paper 21, the drum surface passes a discharge lamp 22 that generates a bright light that exposes the entire photoreceptor surface of the drum 12, erasing the electrostatic image. The drum surface then passes the charging electrode 14, which reapplies a positive charge to the surface of the drum 12 in anticipation of the laser beam 18 scanning the next image to be printed onto the drum.
FIG. 2 is a functional top view of the printer 10 of FIG. 1 showing a number of dark areas 200 on the drum 12 that represent the negatively discharged areas or dots created by the scanning laser beam 18. FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of portions of the laser printer 10 in FIG. 1 better showing the scanning of the laser beam 18 in a horizontal direction across the drum 12 as indicated by an arrow 300. Image processing circuitry (not shown) controls the laser unit 16 to modulate the laser beam 18 as the beam scans across the drum 12 in the horizontal direction 300 one line at a time. The image processing circuitry controls the laser unit 16 to turn ON and emit a pulse of light for every dot to be printed in a given horizontal line and to turn OFF where no dots are to be printed in the line.
In scanning the laser beam 18 across the drum 12, the laser unit 16 does not actually move the laser beam 18 itself but instead bounces the laser beam 18 off of a movable mirror 26, such as a rotating mirror or an oscillating mirror. As the mirror 26 moves, it reflects the laser beam 18 through a series of lenses (not shown) and onto the drum 12. These lenses change characteristics of the light beam 18 to compensate for image distortion that would otherwise be caused by the varying distance between the mirror 26 and points along the drum 12.
The laser printer 10 is designed to print pages of paper 21 at a fast rate, meaning the mirror 26 must move at a very fast rate to scan the beam in the horizontal direction and drum 12 must rotate at a fast rate to transfer toner deposited on the drum to the paper. As a result, laser printers with this type of architecture have proven to be extremely sensitive to variations in the rotational speed of the drum 12. These variations in speed of the drum 12 appear on the paper 21 as increased or decreased spacing between horizontal scan lines of dots or pixels formed by the horizontally scanning laser beam 18 and visually appear on the paper as bands. This undesirable effect is called "banding" with the visually noticeable bands being referred to as "banding artifacts."
Banding will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4-6. FIG. 4 is a diagram of an ideal scan line pattern 400 produced by the laser printer 10 of FIG. 1 where the rotational speed of the photoconductive drum 12 is constant. The scan line pattern 400 is a pattern of horizontal lines that the laser beam 18 scans along the surface of the drum 12. In the example of FIG. 4, the laser beam 18 scans from left to right in generating each scan line 402-406. In the scan line pattern 400, as the laser beam 18 scans each line 402-406 the laser beam is turned ON and OFF or modulated to generate the desired discharge areas or dots in each scan line. A vertical column of dots including dots 408-412 in FIG. 4 is an example of a discharged area generated by the laser beam 18 as the laser beam traverses the scan lines 402-406. The scan line pattern 400 is ideal in that each scan line 402-406 is perfectly positioned adjacent other scan lines so that the dots 408-412 may be formed in the consecutive scan lines to print the desired vertical column of dots and the corresponding text and/or images including this vertical column of dots. A vertical line 414 shown in FIG. 4 extending vertically from the vertical midpoint of scan line 402 and extending to the vertical midpoint of scan line 406 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of scan line pattern 500 produced by the laser printer 10 that includes banding caused by variations in the rotational speed of the photoconductive drum 12. When the drum 12 rotates too fast, a space or gap G between scan lines 502 and 504 occurs and leads to under development or removal of charge on the drum in this gap, which causes light areas on the paper 21. In the example of FIG. 5, the gap G occurs between scan lines 502 and 504 as shown. A vertical column of dots including dots 508-512 being formed in scan lines 502-506 is thus shifted downward by the gap G so that no charge in this vertical column is removed in the gap. Ideally the top portion of the dot 510 would be formed in the gap G just under the dot 508 in the scan line 502, but due to the increase in speed of the drum 12 and resulting gap G there is no discharge in this area. This results in a light horizontal line or "band" between all dots 508 formed in line 502 and dots formed in line 504. Note that the average rotational speed of the drum 12 is correct due to the operation of control circuitry (not shown) that controls a motor (also not shown) that drives the rotation of the drum. As a result, an increase in rotational speed of the drum 12 will necessarily be followed by a period during which the drum slows down, offsetting the increase in velocity so the desired average velocity is realized. As a result of this slowing down of the drum 12, some scan lines 502-506 may overlap. This is shown in FIG. 5 for scan lines 504 and 506 where the bottom of scan line 504 is shown as dotted since the top of scan line 506 overlaps the bottom of scan line 504 due to the drum 12 slowing down. This overlap results in a region 513 being undesirably scanned twice, once during scan line 504 and once during scan line 506. Note that this additional scan of this region during scan line 506 does not affect the discharge of this region since the region will have been completely discharged during scan line 504 so the region is unaffected by scan line 506 since there is no additional charge removed. A vertical line 514 shown in FIG. 5 extending vertically from the vertical midpoint of scan line 502 and extending to the vertical midpoint of scan line 506 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing the variation in the discharge of dots in the vertical columns of dots in the scan line patterns 400 and 500 of FIGS. 4 and 5, respectively. The vertical lines 414 and 514 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 represent the vertical axis in FIG. 6 and represents the scan line number or physical location in the scan lines in the vertical direction. The scan line number 1 on the vertical axis in FIG. 6 corresponds to the midpoint of the scan lines 402 and 502. The dotted line in the graph of FIG. 6 corresponds to the ideal pattern 400 where consecutive vertically aligned dots 408-412 are being formed in scan lines 402-406. The horizontal axis in the graph represents the discharge of these dots 408-412, with 1 being fully discharged and 0 being not discharged at all so no dot will be formed. Thus, ideally each of the dots being formed in scan lines 402-406 is completely discharged to 1 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6. In contrast, where banding occurs there is a gap in this vertical discharge distribution corresponding to the gap G on the drum 12 of FIG. 5. The graph shows that in the gap G, which corresponds approximately to line number 1.5 in the graph, the discharge falls to zero meaning there is no discharge at all. The discharge then increases again to 1 at just before line number 2 due to the dot 510 in the scan line 504 after the gap G. The discontinuity in the discharge graphically shows why banding occurs since where there has been no discharge no toner will be attracted to the drum 12 in this region. It should be noted that the example of FIG. 6 assumes a perfect linear discharge of the drum 12 and a perfectly uniform laser beam 18. The actual discharge pattern would be different due to nonlinear discharge of regions on the drum 12 and due to a nonuniform intensity profile for the laser beam 18, which would typically be a Gaussian intensity distribution. All examples discussed herein assume a perfect discharge and perfectly uniform laser beam 18 to simplify the examples and allow the concept of overlapping scan lines to be more easily described under these ideal operating conditions.
The principle cause of variations in the speed of rotation of the drum 12 and resulting banding is due to gear noise in gears driving the drum. Gear noise results from imperfect spacing of teeth on the gears, variances in flexing of gear teeth, and other intrinsic variations in gear force transfer. Imperfections on the surfaces of the movable mirror 26 and vibration of the laser unit 16 and mirror 26 relative to the drum 12 can also contribute to banding. Accordingly, existing attempts to reduce banding have focused on improving the mechanical components in the printer 10 in attempts to reduce gear noise and to rotate the drum 12 at a more constant velocity. These approaches, however, can add significantly greater expense to the mechanical components of the printer 10 and thus to the overall cost of the printer.
There is a need for reducing banding in a laser printer without adversely affecting the cost of the laser printer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Laser printer with reduced banding artifacts


An image processing apparatus applied to a digital camera, includes: a frame memory that inputs and stores, via a bus, image data obtained by capturing an optical image through an optical system by a CCD; a first data-order converting unit that reads and inputs the image data from the frame memory in units of a block in the row direction, and converts and outputs the image data in the column direction; an image processing unit that is connected to the first data-order converting unit for pipeline processing and performs image processing; a distortion correction processing unit that is connected to the image processing unit for pipeline processing and performs the distortion correction processing; and a second data-order converting unit that is connected to the distortion correction processing unit for pipeline processing, returns block data in the column direction into that in the row direction, and outputs the converted data to the frame memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus for processing electronic image data captured via an optical system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in an electronic image pickup device, such as a digital camera, a subject image formed via an optical system is photoelectrically converted by an image pickup element, such as, a CCD, image pickup data is obtained, and the image pickup data is subjected to various image processing. Thereafter, generally, the image is compressed by JPEG compression format or the like, and is recorded to a recording medium, such as a memory card. The electronic image pickup device, such as a digital camera, has a common function of an image processing apparatus.
FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the general image-processing procedure in the image-processing apparatus.
An image pickup device, such as a CCD, photoelectrically converts an optical subject image which is formed by an optical system and generates an electrical image pickup signal. The image pickup signal is subjected to pre-processing, such as correction of pixel defect or A/D conversion and is thereafter stored in a frame memory.
Subsequently, image data stored in a frame memory is read and is subjected to various image processing including processing converting from a single-chip signal into a three-chip signal, low-pass filter processing, edge emphasis processing, and enlarging and reducing processing, through a first image process, a second image process, . . . , and an N-th image process.
An image signal after the image processing is compressed by JPEG compression format, and is recorded to a memory card, as an image file.
FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional image processing apparatus for the general image processing shown in FIG. 32.
The image processing apparatus comprises: a CCD 91; a pre-processing unit 92; a frame memory 94; a first image-processing unit 95a; a second image-processing unit 95b; . . . ; an N-th image-processing unit 95n; a JPEG processing unit 96; a memory card 97; a bus 98 that connects the circuits except for the CCD 91 to a CPU 93, which will be described later; and the CPU 93 that entirely controls the image processing apparatus and includes the above-described circuits.
The image processing apparatus with the above-described configuration shown in FIG. 33 has a specific procedure as follows to perform the processing as shown in FIG. 32.
First, the image data from the pre-processing unit 92 is temporarily stored in the frame memory 94 via the bus 98.
Subsequently, the image data is read from the frame memory 94, is inputted to the first image processing unit 95a via the bus 98, and is subjected to the first image processing. The image data after the processing is written to the frame memory 94.
Similarly, the image data after the first image processing is read from the frame memory 94, is inputted to the second image processing unit 95b via the bus 98, and is subjected to the second image processing. The image data after the second processing is written to the frame memory 94. The same processing is repeated every image processing unit.
As mentioned above, in the image processing, the image data flows to the bus 98 many times. Since image data generally has a large data size, a load is imposed on the bus 98. The large load to the bus 98 is more serious in the use of continuous image pickup operation.
In the view of the foregoing, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-311241 discloses a technology, by which a plurality of image processing units are connected for pipeline processing and images from a frame memory are subjected to the pipeline processing, thereby suppressing the bus's load. Thus, the bus's load is suppressed and the image processing including enlarging and reducing processing is performed in real time without increasing the memory capacity.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-312327 discloses a technology, by which images stored in a frame memory are read in units of a block in a predetermined direction (column direction), thereby reducing the amount of buffer in the pipeline processing. Thus, an image processing apparatus with low power-consumption and memory-saving is configured.
In a camera optical system including a digital camera or a silver-halide camera, although varied, a distortion aberration is generally caused. In the case of capturing an image of a lattice subject, the distortion aberration is observed as a barrel image or pincushion image (refer to FIGS. 3A to 3C according to a first embodiment of the present invention). Currently-sold cameras have many types of optical zoom operation. With the zoom optical system, the focus distance is changed within a zoom range from the wide end to the tele-end and then the state of the distortion aberration changes in many cases.
In order to solve the phenomenon, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-181530 discloses one technology that is conventionally developed to correct the distortion, as a part of image processing. In the normal image processing as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-181530, data is read in units of a line from a frame memory.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-224695 discloses as another technology for correcting the distortion as a part of image processing, wherein each image processing unit randomly accesses a frame memory. With the technology, since the image processing unit does not have a buffer, advantageously, the circuit scale of image processing unit is reduced.
Further, in the camera optical system, it is well-known that a chromatic aberration is caused. The chromatic aberration is caused because the refractive index is varied depending on the wavelength of light when light is incident on the optical system. In the case of forming an optical image through the optical system, the chromatic aberration appears, as a phenomenon of slight shift of optical images formed every wavelength. The optical system is designed such that the chromatic aberration is suppressed as much as possible. However, all the chromatic aberrations are not removed in view of arrangement space, weight, and costs.
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-181530, in order to perform a correction processing of the distortion of one line of corrected image, referring to FIG. 34, a plurality of lines necessary for distortion correction of the image data before the correction needs to be read throughout the width in the lateral direction of the entire image. FIG. 34 is a diagram for explaining the amount of memory necessary for conventional distortion correction processing. The image data of the plurality of lines is temporarily stored in the buffer arranged in the image processing unit, and is processed. Therefore, the buffer needs a relatively large capacity to obtain the corrected image of one line, the circuit scale increases, manufacturing costs increase, and the power consumption raises. Further, the processable image size is limited, depending on the capacity of buffer memory in the image processing unit.
Further, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-224695, the frame memory comprising an SDRAM and the like is randomly accessed and then the data transfer time increases the entire processing time, as compared with the burst transfer for reading operation from the SDRAM.
The image processing apparatus comprises both a processing block for the above-described distortion correction processing and a processing block for enlarging and reducing processing, thereby enabling both the enlarging and reducing processing and the distortion correction processing. However, both the processings need interpolation and calculation every pixel and the processing circuit has a large scale. Thus, mere adoption of the configuration having both the processing circuits increases the circuit scale. Further, the power consumption increases and the manufacturing costs raise.
Preferably, the above-described chromatic aberration is corrected without increasing the costs.
The present invention is devised in consideration of the above circumferences, and it is one object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus for image processing without increasing the amount of data transfer of bus and the memory capacity.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus having a small circuit scale for both the enlarging and reducing processing and the distortion correction processing with low power-consumption.
Furthermore, it is another object of the present invention to provide an image processing apparatus having a small circuit scale for both the correction of distortion and the correction of chromatic aberration with low power-consumption.


A method of manufacturing thousands of contacts between electronic packages and their next package level by use of small wires retained within a interposer structure or soldered directly into a printed circuit board or onto the module. Each wire can be either a signal or power connection. The wires may have multiple cross-sectional shapes compared to one another and are preformed before assemble into an array retainer. The retainers contain the multiplicity of wires and are used for additional process steps and as the final housing of the connector assembly.

This invention relates to a device for interconnecting two electronic components with large number of individual connections that can be easily disconnected and reconnected, can accommodate surface irregularities and thermal expansion/contraction between the components. A large number implies thousands.
As the circuit density increases on the chip, the number of input and output signals to these chips also increases. These i/o are compressed into a small area to assembly the chip density and are used for the chip to communicate to other nearby chips or to other components in the system. The chips can be attached to a ceramic device as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,285, issued to Krall and assigned to the present assignee. This patent shows a rigid ceramic chip carrier attached to silicon integrated chips. This ceramic carrier is usually attached to a printed circuit board which integrates a large number of these chips contained on ceramic chip carriers. On systems with multiple processors, usually multiple ceramic carriers are used to allow for performance growth in the customers office by adding additional processors. High reliability is a key and essential criteria for a separable and reconnectable connector for these chip carriers and as a result must be tolerant of dust and mini fibers.
Also when connecting two surfaces, such as the ceramic material and the glass-epoxy. printed circuit board, a significant amount of compliance is required for the glass-epoxy board and must be accommodated by the connector. This is due to the flatness and irregularities inherent in the surfaces of the board and electronic module. The planarity and rigidity of the ceramic is relatively good and as pressure is applied to the edge of the ceramic component to make connection for a plurality of connectors, the glass-epoxy printed circuit board has a tendency to bow as the area array increases. This bowing must be accommodated by the connector. Very large ceramic modules may bow as well if pressures are applied to the perimeter only.
An article titled "High Density Pinless Module Array Connector" by R. Darrow et al, IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 28, No. 3, page 1079, (August 1985) discloses a connector assembly with wires bent to form a C spring at one end with the other end inserted into the plated through hole of a printed circuit board and soldered. The C spring rests on a plastic housing that supports the force applied by the ceramic module. The density of this connector array is limited by the density of the plated through holes in the printed circuit board and the plastic housing to support the force applied to the C spring by the ceramic module. Density will also be impacted by the C spring shape infringing with the adjacent C spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,848 issued to Simpson discloses a connector of bent wires which are soldered to both the ceramic chip carrier and the printed circuit board. Each wire has a root at one end and a tip at the other end. The root of each bent wire is attached to the integrated circuit package to form a fixed electrical and mechanical connection. The tip of the bent wire is soldered to a pad on the surface of the printed circuit board. This arrangement provides for strain relief of the connection and mechanically fixes the ceramic device to the board. This disclosure does not provide for an easily removable connector,especially in the customers office.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,262 issued to Busacco, et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,192 issued to Chapin, et al discloses a connector assembly with small flat beams attached to a flexible film and contained inside a housing. The small flat beams are copper etched on a polyamide strip, are placed in and extend through the housing, and make contact with pads on circuit members on opposite sides of the connector assembly. This strip of connecting elements is made from several layers of etched or bonded material including a conducting element that contacts the pads, a polyamide backing material, a copper ground plane material and, in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,262, a stainless steel spring material bonded to but electrically isolated from the copper ground plane. A plurality of the connector elements are contained, and spaced evenly, on the polyamide strip along with the stainless steel spring. The housing contains long slots for the strips to protrude through the surface to make contact with pads on circuit members. The polyamide film retains the contact elements in a single strip and multiple strips make up a connector assembly. Within a single strip, compliance is limited from contact to contact because of the rigidity of the film in that direction. Each contact element has its reacting stresses and strains within its joints set by the amount of its compression and the amount of compression of its adjacent neighbors. As a result, some of the stresses and strains are parallel with the strip and cause shearing to the assembly. To limit the adverse affect of the shearing forces, two precautions must be taken. One is to limited the surface flatness irregularity of the printed circuit board to be within the design limits of the connector assembly. Second, each contact within a strip should be compressed simultaneously, i.e., upon assembly, guides should be used to uniformly force the electronic module upon the array with minimum degree of tilt.
Inherent with the design of having multiple contacts contained within a single strip is that a constant spacing is present between adjacent strips. This limits the degree of optimization of the connector assembly to the application. The tolerances associated with fabricating a single connector strip and bonding to a spring strip may limit the overall length of the strip; and hence, the number of contacts of the connector assembly. The use of connector strips limits the ability to adjust at each contact point the forces applied to the electronic components. These forces caused by the springs will bow the mating surfaces, and depending on the application, may limit the number of contacts allowable. Thus, for high performance applications with high input and output requirements, it is desirable to customize the spring characteristics based on spacial position within the connector array so that module deflections are minimized and number of contacts are maximized.
It is believed that a method of making and assemble a sprint contact element as defined herein which is capable of being used in a separable connector that provides superior electrical characteristics, high reliability, low cost, ease of manufacture, the flexibility to personalize to each application and other advantageous key features below, as contained in this disclosure, advances the state or the art.
It would be highly desirable to have a simple, inexpensive, contact element made from a common source which is extremely reliable with no failures due to delimitations and failed bonds resulting from thermal cycling and aging.
It would also be desirable to have a device to retain these contact elements such that air spacing is provided to adjacent elements for performance and cooling.
It is highly desirable this retainer provide precision alignment via holes and the material can be adjusted for thermal expansion, also with this arrangement each element can individually react to the contact surface.
Also it would be advantageous to personalize the characteristics of each individual contact element and its spacial relationship to the neighboring contact element.
It is also highly desirable that the retainer and contact element assembly accommodate the thermal mismatches between the mating components.
Also it would be essential that the following criteria be met in the disclosure to enhance its flexibility of application:
To improve the packaging density, both sides of the printed circuit board should be utilized which reduces the average wire length and improves the performance of the system.
To provide the maximum density of connections, an area array of these contacts is necessary. Any other configuration would not provide sufficient connections in a given area.
The connector assembly must also exhibit the characteristic of low electrical noise since the application will connect very high speed integrated circuits.
The connector assembly must support large amounts of current in this small area. This leads to a requirement for cooling the connector as power demands are significant.

Process for manufacture of spring contact elements and assembly thereof


An unwinding system for handling reels of tissue, which for each laminar ply of tissue to be applied consists of two reel-carrier units onto which are mounted the respective reels, one of which supplies the laminar band for processing, whilst the other remains on stand-by to be spliced onto the processing line when the supply reel runs out, with the reel-carriers capable of vertical displacement, for the separate positioning of the respective reels, one in the upper part and the other in the lower part, for the preparation of the stand-by reel whilst the other is in the operating stage; with the reels mounted in the reel-carriers by means of attachment cones, by means of which unwinding rotation is controlled.

The invention refers to an unwinding system, which serves the purpose of improving the conditions for the handling of large reels of tissue in processes involving the application of this kind of material, for example in the formation of small rolls. Tissue is a laminar material of extremely fine paper, used to manufacture, for example, rolls of toilet paper, rolls of kitchen paper and such like.
The rolls of tissue paper may consist of one or two plies. During the manufacturing stage the initial web is completely smooth, to which and in certain cases a specific corrugated effect is applied, which is how it is finally marketed.
The nature of this material means that, during its processing in the formation of the rolls, the web should not be subject to major stresses, as this will lead to the loss of the corrugated effect. Furthermore, the rolls for toilet paper and the like are sold in different sizes and diameters; which means that by subjecting the corresponding web, during the formation of the rolls, to greater or lesser tension a variable compaction of the rolls will be achieved, even allowing for different lengths of the roll-forming web to be applied to rolls of the same diameter.
In order to suitably control the compaction of the rolls, so that they include a pre-established length of web, the roll-forming web must be fed under controlled conditions of tension. This must be combined with an infeed speed that renders the production profitable.
The process for forming the aforementioned rolls is based on the infeed of the web from a large reel which exceeds two metres in diameter, from which the laminar web of tissue is unwound in order to form the commercial rolls, with one or two plies of laminar material, in such a way that when the infeed reel runs out it can be replaced by another for continuing the process.
According to a traditional solution, the infeed reel for the laminar roll-forming web is mounted on a system of belts, much like a bed. These belts are drive belts, whereby their movement rotates the reel mounted on them, thus unwinding the reel. When the end of the reel is reached the drive is halted, bringing the process to a stop for the replacement of the reel and the splicing of the new reel onto the web supplying the process.
The splicing of the new reels for continuing supplying the process may be by tying, gluing or any other traditional solution. This operation is always performed manually, as the tests and trials for automation that have been effected to date have not provided satisfactory results given the nature of the laminar tissue material, which has a very low tensile strength, so that it breaks easily when subjected to high stresses. This material is also very flexible, which makes automatic cutting difficult.
Splicing the new reels manually when the infeed reel runs out, with the consequent halt in the production process, means the inconvenience of a low-performance process due to the stoppages for replacing the reels, with the consequent decelerations and accelerations of the supply of the laminar web in said stoppages, in addition to the time required for the actual splicing operation itself.
The drive system for unwinding using motorised belts entails furthermore a series of drawbacks stemming from the very nature of this system, as for example:                The rubbing of the belts against the reel to be driven generates a large amount of dust, with a high risk of fire.        The wear on the belts and their moving assembly parts means that considerable maintenance is required.        The control of the unwinding is largely inaccurate, which is reflected in the results.        The wear on the belts through the rubbing against the reels means that they need to be replaced frequently, at significant financial expense.        The direct contact between the infeed reel and the belts driving the unwinding represents an unfavourable hygienic circumstance with regard to the laminar web, especially when taking into account the applications for which it is destined.        The whole installation occupies a large area, as in addition to the support belts for the reels feeding the laminar webs, lateral rails are required for loading and unloading the reels with regard to the support belts; in a manner that, for example, an installation for the processing of two-ply material requires two pairs of reel-carriers, so that in each pair one reel can be in the operation mode, whilst the other reel is made ready to remain on stand-by to be spliced when the first reel runs out, with the entire installation taking up a rectangular area of, at least, 14 metres in length and 3.5 metres in width.
In view of these drawbacks of the unwinding system in the processing of the aforesaid laminar webs of tissue, whereby the infeed reels rotate on a bed of motorised belts, attempts have been made to perform the unwinding by means of control cones that act on the mandrel of the reels, as is done in the sector of corrugated cardboard. However, all the tests carried out so far with regard to this have been unsuccessful due to the specific properties of the tissue material, namely its low tensile strength and its great flexibility which makes the cutting process difficult.
Besides the lack of success in the attempts to control the unwinding by means of cones acting on the mandrel of the reels, no progress has been made in replacing manual splicing, as the attempts at automation in this respect have also been unsuccessful, given their great complexity and high costs.

Unwinding system for handling reels of tissue


According to one embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a housing, a power supply incorporated in the housing, a conversion unit which converts a voltage supplied from the power supply, a detection unit which detects a voltage supplied from the power supply, and a control unit which, when the voltage detected by the detection unit has become less than or equal to a specific threshold value, controls the power supply so as to lower not only a voltage output from the conversion unit by a specific percentage but also a voltage supplied to the detection unit by a specific percentage.

1. Field
One embodiment of the present invention relates generally to a power supply control method, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus and a power supply control method which are capable of reducing power consumption.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a system capable of operating from both a battery and an external power supply (e.g., AC power supply), when receiving power supply from the battery, lowers the output voltage of the DC-DC converter, thereby reducing the power consumption of the system. For example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 3-124232 has disclosed the technique for achieving low power consumption.
However, while in the technique described in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 3-124232, the power consumption of the system is reduced by lowering the output voltage of the DC-DC converter, the supply voltage to the control unit that controls the DC-DC converter remains unchanged and therefore the electrical power saving of the control unit is not performed.

Information processing apparatus and power supply control method


An automated storage system uses a pass-through picker assembly interposed between a storage device and a plurality of storage cells, wherein the pass-through picker assembly is mounted on an accessor and incorporates independently operating fore and aft grippers driven by a single motor. The fore and aft grippers are tandemly mounted such that the fore gripper can be aligned to one of a plurality of storage cartridges located with the storage cells, and the aft gripper can be aligned with a storage slot of the storage device. The pass-through picker design allows the fore gripper to grasp a storage cartridge, feed the cartridge through to the aft gripper, release, and then allow the aft gripper to grip and pass the storage cartridge to the storage slot. In this way, a special priority cell of the storage cells, directly across from the storage slot, can very quickly pass a priority storage cartridge directly to the storage device without moving the pass-through picker assembly.

Many business and science applications use computers to record data, with much of the data being stored on removable media. The removable media may take the form of a magnetic tape cartridge, an optical disk cartridge, floppy diskettes, or floptical diskettes. The advantages of storing data on removable media are numerous. These advantages include a capability of storing large amounts of data (additional cartridges can be used to store additional data), providing a vehicle for long term storage and archival, backing up data which resides on non-removable media, and allowing for easy transfer of data between computers. Often the removable media is the most economical method of retaining the stored data.
In-the past, when a request for a specific removable media cartridge was made, an operator needed to retrieve the data cartridge and physically load the cartridge into the storage device. This manual mode involved a significant delay while the cartridge was being retrieved by the operator before the data on that cartridge could be processed. Additionally, the operator could easily make an error and load an incorrect cartridge.
With advancements in data storage products, the media cartridges were reduced in size and robots were designed and incorporated to automatically retrieve cartridges and load those cartridges into a storage device. The robot is housed within an automated storage library that also contained storage devices and a plurality of cartridges placed within storage cells. The robot replaced the operator and improvements were seen in access time and in reliability. However, because the robot is a complex machine requiring multiple degrees of freedom (rotation and translation about the mechanical Joints) it would require maintenance and adjustments. The robot's complexity also resulted in a significant manufacturing and maintenance costs.
The difficulties that exist with the multiple degrees of freedom within a robot have been addressed, to some degree, by using a pass-through picker. The pass-through picker is the assembly that retrieves a cartridge from a storage cell and places the cartridge into the storage device. The pass-through picker assembly is positioned within an automated storage system between the storage device and the storage cells. The storage cells are typically located parallel to and opposite the storage device. The pass-through picker retrieves a cartridge from the storage cell, passes the cartridge through its structure, and transfers the cartridge to the storage device. Although this reduces the complexity of the picker as compared to a robot, the pass-through picker limits the location of the storage cells to being opposite the storage device. As data storage products further progress, this limitation does not allow for the total number of storage cells to be maximized within the automated storage system. Additionally, there is an ever increasing need to provide still greater amounts of storage capabilities in smaller spaces. Therefore, the pass-through picker in combination with the storage device and storage cells should use space very efficiently.
What is needed is a pass-through picker having the capability to retrieve cartridges from storage cells that are located both opposite and adjacent to the storage device. This improvement would allow for the volume of the automated storage system to be populated with a maximum number of storage cells, and maintain a relatively simple mechanism as compared with a robot. Furthermore, if the pass-through picker assembly were capable of transferring a cartridge into the storage device without disturbing a cartridge that was directly opposite a load slot of the storage device, then a cartridge could be located directly opposite the storage device and the access time to load that cartridge would be minimal.

Dual gripper picker assembly for an automated storage system


An inexpensive portable gasoline container, molded integrally of plastic, has a top fill opening and a top, diagonally upwardly-extending pouring spout, preferably with handle regions molded into the container itself. The spout is slightly flexible, and in use its tip is first placed in a position in which it extends upwardly into the entrance end of a downwardly-extending inlet to an automobile gas tank. The container is then rotated substantially about the axes of the spout so that the spout extends downwardly into the tank inlet and the body of the container is higher than the inlet, whereby the gasoline will be dispensed through the spout into the gas tank.

Various containers are known for carrying and dispensing liquid fuels. Typically they comprise a tank with a relatively large opening for pouring fuel into the tank and some sort of spout for pouring the liquid from the tank into another container, such as the fuel reservoir of an automotive vehicle. Such apparatus is particularly useful, for example, when an automobile is out of gas, and it is desired to bring emergency fuel from a gas station to the vehicle and introduce it into the gas reservoir of the vehicle.
While such apparatus has been reasonably effective for its intended purposes, it is often somewhat expensive due to the nature of its construction. It will be appreciated that in pouring gasoline into a car fuel reservoir, for example, the intake passage to the reservoir is relatively narrow, and extends generally downwardly. Since to empty the container it must be moved so that it is turned through a large elevational angle during filling, if the spout is rigid it will tend to resist such turning of the container and, in fact, make it impossible to completely invert the container so as to expel all of the fuel into the auto fuel reservoir. Accordingly, it is common to make the spout of a flexible material, such as a goose-neck type of construction, or a simple flexible hose, as examples. Goose-neck type construction is rather expensive, and while a flexible hose is inexpensive, it must be secured to the container outlet opening in a leak-proof manner, which generally means a rather expensive fitting of some sort.
The present invention is primarily concerned with providing an improved portable dispensing container for liquid fuels having a top inlet for filling the container and a top outlet spout for dispensing the fuel, which permits easy insertion of the spout into the inlet passage of a fuel reservoir and pouring of the fuel completely out of the container into the reservoir, yet is very inexpensive and simple to make.

Portable dispensing container for liquid fuel


A gripping-knob rotation tool for attachment to a medical guidewire as used in angioplasty and other medical procedures. The tool is installed laterally over the guidewire at any desired position along the length of the wire, and is secured thereto by a simple rotational or twisting motion. The tool provides a convenient gripping surface during rotation or translational movement of the guidewire, and is adjustable for repositioning along the length of the wire after initial engagement.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a knob-like tool for attachment to a medical guidewire as used, for example, to guide a catheter into an artery or arterial branch to a stenosis or partial blockage position where vessel enlargement is performed with an angioplasty balloon.
2. The Prior State of the Art
The use of guidewires in catheterization and angioplasty procedures is well known, and is further described in issued patents such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,117.
The guidewire is long (typically six feet or more of stainless steel wire) and slender with a relatively limber and bendable distal tip which can be angled to assist the physician in negotiating arterial curves and junctions to the desired location by fluoroscopic monitoring.
The surface of the slender guidewire is smooth and slick, and some kind of auxiliary gripping surface is needed to enable the wire to be advanced into or retracted from the arterial vessels, and especially to enable twisting or torquing rotation of the wire as needed to reorient the angled distal tip. Existing partial solutions to this need include pin-vise grips.
A pin-vise is a device that is well known in the art and which comprises a structure like a small drill chuck with a cylindrical handle. The chuck is threaded over the proximal end of the long guidewire and advanced to a desired position. A chuck collet, a part of the pin-vise, can then be tightened onto the wire so that the pin-vise is firmly attached to the guidewire, and thereafter serves as a grip to facilitate manual rotation of the guidewire and/or longitudinal advancement of the same.
One of the problems which has been experienced in the art using pin-vise type grips is that they must be threaded onto the guidewire at the proximal end. This is time consuming and inconvenient because of the length of the guidewire. Thus, other types of gripping devices have been devised which attempt to overcome this problem.
One such gripping device is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,999. This device is constructed with a cylindrical body which has a longitudinal slit and which is spring-actuated so that by pressing two handles together which are provided on the body of the device, the longitudinal slit can be opened and placed onto the guidewire. When the handles are released, the resilient or spring-action of the cylindrical body clamps the guidewire within the longitudinal slit, much like clamping a clothespin into a clothesline.
This device overcomes the problem of having to thread the device onto the proximal end of the guidewire, but suffers from other disadvantages. For example, the handles which are located on the side of the cylindrical body may get in the way of rotational manipulation of the device. Furthermore, it is typically necessary to reposition a gripping device on a guidewire as the guidewire is advanced further into the vessels. Thus, the side mount type gripping device as described for example in the above referenced patent requires that the device be taken off and repositioned on the guidewire. If the device is dropped while taking it off, it becomes unsterile and must be replaced.
Another device which has attempted to address the problems in the art is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,810. This device utilizes a pin-vise constructed from two parts assembled together to provide a gripping handle for a guidewire. The device has an elongated cylindrical body which is slotted along the length to receive the guidewire, and also has a sliding mechanism which fits within the slot and which, when pushed forward, tightens down upon the guidewire in order to secure the gripping device to the guidewire for purposes of manipulation. As in the case of the spring-actuated type gripping device described above, this device is also a side-mount type device, which eliminates the need for threading the device onto the proximal end of the guidewire. However, the placement of the device onto the guidewire is somewhat cumbersome and if the cylindrical body member is inadvertently dropped before the slide mechanism is placed into the longitudinal slot, once again the device may become unsterile. Another example of a device that utilizes a slide mechanism is that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,861.
Still a further device which is known in the art is a side loading type of gripping device which, once again, employs a longitudinal slot along the length of the device, and which includes two cylindrical members that are threaded together. The distal end of one of the cylindrical members is formed with a plurality of fingers so that as the two members are threaded together the fingers clamp down and grip the guidewire. This device, like the others, partially solves some of the problems experienced in the art, but is otherwise more complicated in its construction and cumbersome to operate than is desirable.


A recessed point drain assembly is described. Embodiments of the recessed point drain assembly can include, but are not limited to, a base plate having a recess, a drain body adapted to be coupled to the base plate by a first plurality of fasteners, and a clamping collar adapted to be coupled to the drain by a second plurality of fasteners. A gasket can be sandwiched between the drain body and the clamping collar. Typically, a top of the recessed point drain assembly can be configured to be substantially flush with a top of a subfloor.

Clamping drain assemblies are well known in the art as being functional and economical. However, a top piece or pieces of the assembly rest on, and extend above, the surface of a subfloor requiring an installer to conform the exterior floor covering (most often tile) around the drain cover. This not only requires additional time and skill when installing a tile floor, but the drain cover breaks up a visual flow of the tile along the floor, which is often not particularly aesthetically pleasing.


Data is received characterizing a network represented by a directed graph having nodes and edges. The network includes an influence score associated with a node. The network is associated with a search keyword. A portion of the directed graph and influence score is displayed in a graphical user interface display space. The portion of directed graph is dynamically updated in response to receiving updated network data. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Marketing describes communication between a company and the consumer audience. Marketing is the adaptation of commercial activities and use of institutions by organizations with a purpose to induce behavioral change.
The rise of social networks, in which peers directly communicate with one another (e.g., a peer-to-peer social network), presents new marketing opportunities. But social networks can include vast amounts of data that cannot be easily analyzed or visualized. Moreover, social networks are constantly in flux, with new interactions occurring and communities changing over even a short period of time further complicating network analysis.

Analysis and visualization of interaction and influence in a network


A logic cell for a programmable logic device that features a random access memory adapted to selectively function as additional logic functions for the logic cell or one of a several different types of random access memory. For example, the random access memory may be configured to provide AND-OR logic functions or as a 32.times.1 single input port random access memory, two 16.times.1 single input port random access memories or a 32.times.1 dual input port memory.

This invention relates to programmable logic, and in particular to an active driver circuit particularly suited for a high speed programmable logic device.
A programmable logic device (PLD) is a programmable integrated circuit that allows the user of the circuit, using software control, to customize the logic functions the circuit will perform. A typical PLD consists of an array of identical logic cells that can be individually programmed, and which can be arbitrarily interconnected to each other to provide internal input and output signals, thus permitting the performance of highly complex combinational and sequential logic functions. The program is implemented in the PLD by setting the states of programmable elements such as memory cells.
One type of PLD, known as programmable logic arrays (PLA), is a combinatorial two-level AND/OR integrated circuit, which can be programmed to perform sum-of-products logic. Such devices typically consist of a series of AND gates having input terminals which can be programmably connected to chip input signals, and a series of OR gates which may be programmably connected to receive the output signals from the AND gates.
Another type of PLD is known as programmable array logic (PAL). PALs use a fixed OR array and bidirectional input/output pins. A disadvantage of both PALs and PLAs is the lack of density with which they may be progranmed. In other words, although the array is capable of performing many logic functions, utilization of the array is not as complete as desirable. Furthermore the size of the array increases faster than its programming capability.
A response to this problem has led to the development of the field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) which have "macrocells" or logic cells in programmable logic devices. A macrocell or logic cell is a small grouping of logic capable of performing many different functions, and being selectively interconnectable to other macrocells or logic cells. This allows the logic in the programmable logic device to assume a more granular structure in which pieces of the logic communicate with other pieces, to provide an overall more efficient utilization of the integrated circuit. For purposes of the present specification, "programmable logic device" is defined as a programmable array logic (PALs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and other types of programmable logic devices (PLDs).
Many PLDs may be programmed only once. This may be performed as a final process during fabrication of the device. Another type of PLD may be programmed subsequent to formation. This is typically achieved by connecting the AND and OR arrays, as well as to and from the macrocells, by various fusible connections.
Other types of PLDs may be programmed multiple times, i.e., they may be reprogrammed. To that end, the PLDs typically include erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) cells, electrically erasable read only memory (EEPROM) cells or the like to retain the programming information, typically referred to as configuration data. Reprogramming is achieved by changing the configuration data contained in the memory cells.
Reprogrammable PLDs also employ random access memory (RAM) cells to store configuration data. Typically static random access memory (SRAM) cells are employed to store the configuration data. Unlike EPROM and EEPROM cells, configuration data stored in SRAM cells is lost when power to the PLD is terminated. However, SRAM cells are easily programmable and require less power to operate than the EPROM and EEPROM cells, making SRAM an attractive element in which to store configuration data for a PLD. To that end, there are many prior art attempts employing SRAM in a PLD.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,559 to Steele discloses a PLD having a macrocell that employs RAM, to perform logic functions, and circuitry which allows writing of data to the RAM during use. Each macrocell may be configured at programming time to function as a standard RAM or to perform logic functions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,281 to Steele et al. discloses a PLD having a number of configurable function blocks, each of which is separately configurable to function as either programmable logic or a block of SRAM. Each configurable function block may include a volatile logic array comprised of an array of "AND" gates and an array of "OR" gates with programmable connections. The programmable connections in the volatile logic array comprise SRAM cells. These SRAM cells are capable of functioning in one of two states. In a first state, the SRAM cells provide programmable connections, which direct the logic operations in the volatile logic array. In the second state, the SRAM functions as a block of SRAM using standard read/write modes. As described above, the prior art provides PLDs that have macrocells with one of two discrete functions.
What is needed, however, is a PLD that provides more flexibility in the macrocell by allowing the same to concurrently provide multiple functions.