Disclosed is a technique for providing a mobile terminal and the like capable of reducing inter-cell interference between a macro cell and a small cell, suppressing frequent switching of a primary cell in carrier aggregation, and hence reducing an increase in the processing load on a base station and an increase in the power consumption of the terminal. According to the technique, there are included a receiving unit 603 for receiving a message including information for causing a reception quality in a second cell to be measured in tune with timing of a predetermined control channel area of a signal to be transmitted from a first base station in a predetermined frequency band, and a measurement unit 605 for measuring the reception quality in the second cell based on the information received.

In 3GPP, LTE-advanced as a developed version of LTE has been considered, giving consideration of a wireless interface efficiently covering a local area such as an indoor facility where a large volume of traffic is concentrated in addition to a cell layout centered on a conventional macro cell. Along with this, a heterogeneous network (HetNet) for deploying a low transmission power cell (small cell), such as a pico cell or a femto cell, within a macro cell has been considered. It is desired that the frequencies of the macro cell and the low transmission power cell be the same in terms of the frequency usage efficiency in the HetNet environment. However, in this case, there arises a problem of inter-cell interference between the macro cell and the small cell.
When the small cell is a pico cell, a method is under consideration in which a technique called Cell Range Expansion (CRE) is applied for the purpose of load distribution from a macro base station to cause a macro terminal (MUE) outside of the coverage of the pico cell to attach to the pico cell. As shown in FIG. 11, a terminal (PUE) to attach to a pico cell outside the coverage of the pico cell by the application of CRE experiences large interference from the macro cell. Particularly, interference from a control channel of the macro cell to a control channel to the PUE has become a problem (see FIG. 12), and various interference control methods have been considered. As one of the methods, there is a method of providing a blank area (Almost blank subframe: ABS) in a specific subframe to be transmitted from the macro cell to reduce interference with the pico cell (see FIG. 13).
Further, in a system using carrier aggregation (CA) for aggregating LTE compatible frequency bands (component carriers) to realize a wider bandwidth, the application of cross carrier scheduling is considered to reduce interference between a macro cell and a small cell (see Non-Patent Document 1). The cross carrier scheduling is a technique in which, when secondary cells (SCell) of frequency bands different from a primary cell (PCell) of a certain frequency band are aggregated to perform communication, SCell control information is notified from a control channel of the PCell to eliminate the need for the control channels of the SCells. A subframe pattern to which this cross carrier scheduling is applied is set individually for each UE.
The application of this cross carrier scheduling can mitigate interference from a macro cell to the control channel of a pico cell at a SCell frequency (secondary frequency) of the macro cell the control channel of which is unnecessary. On the other hand, at a secondary frequency of a pico cell the control channel of which is unnecessary, there is no need to care about interference from the control channel of the macro cell. Thus, it is desired in the system using the carrier aggregation to deploy a PCell of macro cell and a PCell of pico cell in such a manner to make the frequencies thereof different from each other as shown in FIG. 14 in order to reduce interference between the macro cell and the small cell. In other words, a SCell of pico cell is deployed for a PCell of macro cell, and a PCell of pico cell is deployed for a SCell of macro cell.

Mobile terminal, base station, cell reception quality measuring method and cell reception quality measuring system

Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America


A tuned acoustic attenuation device includes a housing defining a chamber within with air inlet and outlet channels opening into the chamber. An acoustic chamber or chambers are arranged on an exterior wall of or alternately within the housing and positioned to extend in a substantially lateral parallel relationship to the inlet or outlet channel and are configured as quarter wave tuners. The acoustic chambers may be realized within the housing by adapting housing stiffening support ribs of the housing. The acoustic attenuation characteristics of individual acoustic chambers cooperate to broaden the sound attenuation bandwidth or increase the attenuation at selected noise frequencies.

Motor vehicles include an air intake system configured to provide measured quantities of filtered outside air to the internal combustion engine. The outside air is drawn in through an air filtration system, possibly continuing through a throttle body and delivered to the air intake manifold of the engine. The operation of the internal combustion engine with its air intake, fuel combustion and exhaust cycles taken together with the opening/closing operation of the air intake valves presents a problematic source of unwanted noise generation within the air intake tract. This internal combustion engine originated noise may travel in a direction opposing intake air flow back through the air intake tract to radiate from an intake end of the air intake tract or to potentially radiate through the walls of the air intake tract by the sympathetic vibration of the intake tract walls in response to pressure variations (sound pressure variations) within the intake tract.
The engine generated noise in the air intake tract may occur over a wide range of frequencies with the particular sound frequency spectrum depending upon the operating parameters of the engine, such as engine RPMs and engine load, for example. This noise present in the air intake tract within the engine compartment may find its way into the passenger compartment of the vehicle by various paths, for example, through the intervening firewall, through the floor panels or through open vehicle windows. The air intake tract noise, when it reaches the passenger compartment, may be experienced as a nuisance, or even as an indication of poor vehicle design and poor quality.
It is known to treat engine noise in the air intake tract by providing one or more resonator chambers such as, for example, Helmholtz resonators, connected into the air intake tract. While such solutions are known to be beneficial in attenuating intake tract noise, the additional components add expense, intake system complexity and required addition under hood space to install and integrate the components with the air intake system.
It is a known problem that motor vehicle engine compartments must provide space for and integrate a variety of engine associated components including batteries, alternator, air conditioning compressor and heat exchangers, engine coolant systems, transmission, as well as the air intake system and air filtration system for the engine. With the increasing trend towards smaller, lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles and the resulting reduced engine compartment space, the limited packaging space for air intake components and acoustic treatment devices is becoming ever more scarce and valuable. It is also known that providing space under the hood to integrate sound treatment devices may not be a high priority for vehicle designs and engineers, particularly when the need for sound treatment is not identified until late in the vehicle design and build cycle. At a later point in the vehicle design the available packaging space under the hood is what it is and cannot be readily changed to accommodate new components.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for a compact tuned acoustic attenuation device that requires a minimal of installation space and is easily integrated into the available under hood space. Additionally, there remains a need for a tuned acoustic attenuation device that is operable in a single compact device to provide broadband noise attenuation over a selected range of frequencies.

Compact tuned acoustic attenuation device


A distributed Brillouin sensor system comprising a pump laser, a Brillouin sensor fiber, and a detector system is described. The pump laser is arranged so as to send a pump signal into a first end of the Brillouin sensor fiber, and the detector system is arranged to detect Brillouin backscattering from the Brillouin sensor fiber. The Brillouin sensor fiber is characterized by having a negative dispersion, and further by an effective area of the sensor fiber being less than or equal to 50 μm2.

Optical fibers are often used for communication purposes, where light waves can propagate in the fiber over long distances with low or no loss. However, by enhancing the sensitivity of the light properties to environmental influences, the optical fibers can be used to detect or monitor external perturbations, such as temperature or stress.
Such optical fiber sensors can be implemented as point sensors, where only one location along the optical fiber is made sensitive to the external perturbations. Accordingly, one optical fiber is needed per point, which is to be monitored. Alternatively, the fiber optical sensors can be implemented as distributed sensors, where the optical fiber is a long uninterrupted linear sensor.
When the power of the propagated light exceeds a given threshold, non-linear phenomena, such as Brillouin scattering starts to occur. Due to its strong dependence on the aforementioned environmental variables, Brillouin scattering is often employed in distributed optical fiber sensor systems.
Brillouin scattering occurs due to the interaction between an electromagnetic wave and matter, which can generate variations in the molecular structure of the material. The incident light wave generates acoustic waves and induces a periodic modulation of the refractive index, which in turn forms a light-backscattering similar to a Bragg grating. The scattered light is down-shifted in frequency due to the Doppler shift associated with the grating moving at the acoustic velocity. The acoustic velocity is dependent on the density of the material. The density of the material is temperature-dependent as a result of thermal expansion so that a peak frequency of the interaction is observed to change with temperature. Further, any deformation experienced by the fiber will also have an impact on the density of the material, whereby the fiber can be used as a distributed strain gauge by observing a shift when the fiber is elongated.
By using different time domain or frequency correlation techniques, the Brillouin shift process can accurately be located along the optical fiber.
C. A. Galindez-Jemioy and J. M. López-Higuera, "Brillouin Distributed Fiber Sensors: An Overview and Applications", Journal of Sensors, Volume 2012 is a review article that provides an overview and applications of various Brillouin sensor setups, which are incorporated in the present invention by reference.
Luc Thévenaz, "Brillouin distributed time-domain sensing in optical fibers: state of the art and perspectives", Front. Optoelectron. China, Higher Education Press and Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2010 is another review article that provides an overview and applications of various Brillouin sensor setups, which are incorporated in the present invention by reference.
The Brillouin based sensor systems today utilize standard single-mode fibers. However, such fibers are attributed with a poor Brillouin gain coefficient and unwanted nonlinear effects that may cause modulation instability. Accordingly, there is a need for improved distributed Brillouin sensor systems.


In embodiments of identifying the end of an on-line cart session, an analytics application captures user click inputs on pages of a Web site, where the user click inputs include adding one or more items for purchase to an on-line cart associated with the Web site. The analytics application then utilizes a predictive model, as well as user and session features of the on-line cart session, to predict whether a previous user click input is the last user click input associated with the on-line cart session, indicating an end of the session. A notification can then be provided that the on-line cart session has ended based on the prediction of the last user click input associated with the on-line cart session. The analytics application or the marketer can then retarget a user associated with the on-line cart session, such as with a message pertaining to the on-line cart session.

Every day, millions of computer users visit Web pages as they surf the Internet, some by seeking a specific Web site, such as to purchase products, and others by simply clicking from one Web page to the next. Many marketers, such as service providers and product manufacturers, seek to attract customers to a Web page or a Web site. Just as important, the marketers want to keep customers engaged with the Web site, or pages of the Web site, once a customer has navigated to visit a particular Web page during an on-line session. Generally, customers may browse various product pages, search for products, and add or remove products from an on-line shopping cart before buying one or more of the products. However, not every on-line session started by a customer ends with a completed purchase and often customers leave a Web site, abandoning unpurchased products in the on-line shopping cart.
Rather than selecting to leave a Web site, effectively ending an on-line shopping experience, some customers may simply suspend input activity without an indication of abandoning the on-line cart. Moreover, a lack of customer input activities on a Web site for some extended duration of time does not necessarily imply the end of an on-line shopping session. Without an indication that an on-line shopping session has ended, a marketer does not want to be hasty in sending a reminder email or other communication to a customer, but would rather wait for some indication or confirmation that the on-line shopping session has ended. The purchasing behavior varies from customer to customer. For example, some customers are impulsive buyers who complete a purchase soon after adding products for purchase to an on-line shopping cart. Alternatively, there are customers who take some time before completing an actual purchase. During this time, a customer may be comparative shopping and looking at other ecommerce sites, may be researching and/or discussing products with friends, or just putting more thought into a purchase.
Typically, an on-line shopping cart is deemed abandoned if there is no activity on a Web site for a fixed-time interval, such as thirty minutes. However, as noted above, the click-through rates can vary from one customer to the next, and the fixed-time interval is not an adequate "one-size-fits-all" solution on which to base marketing decisions. The follow-up actions by a marketer based on a determination that an on-line session has ended after thirty minutes of inactivity may create customer dissatisfaction, brand irritation, inappropriate timing for retargeting, and at least a poor user experience when receiving a follow-up communication for an on-line shopping cart session that the user has not in fact ended.

Identifying the end of an on-line cart session


Provided are systems and methods relating to a modular orthosis system for an orthosis of the lower extremity, which modular orthosis system simplifies an individual fit to the respective patient and his loss of function, and, during the course of the therapy, can be fitted with direct consultation of the patient to changed circumstances in an interdisciplinary manner. A particular exemplary advantage of the orthosis system is that the therapist, together with the patient, can test the position of the support spring (dorsal vs ventral, medial vs lateral) and also different spring strengths. Thus, the orthosis can be fitted to the patient in a simple manner.

Orthoses are medical means for supporting the limitations of the functionality of extremities, for instance as a consequence of cerebral palsies, foot drop paralyses, strokes, muscular dystrophies, or polio myelitis. Orthoses allow the fixation of body parts to stabilize movements and/or protect and support movement of joints. Orthoses are applied externally on the extremity to be treated and are worn over longer periods of time. Since human anatomy and also the type of restraint can be very different, orthoses need to be adjusted individually to the respective patient. From prior art, orthoses are known that can be adjusted by a variety of adjustment devices. Other orthoses are individually prepared, after exact measurement of the patient's ergonomic conditions, for instance by methods such as "rapid prototyping" or "rapid manufacturing". Nevertheless, it has been found that for many patients it is hardly predictable which exact design is preferable for the orthosis to support the movement behavior in an optimum manner.
For the prior art orthosis systems, individual embodiments have to be determined already before preparation of the orthosis: for instance, for a lower-limb orthosis, it has to be decided whether the support needs to be ventral or dorsal. Usually, the degrees of hardness and the height of sole and support have to be predefined, since a later exchange is not possible. Due to these general conditions, the patient cannot compare different embodiments, such that it cannot be determined whether a certain orthosis represents already the optimum design. Furthermore, without a complete redesign, the common orthosis systems cannot be adjusted to body modifications (e.g., when the patient's body height increases). Usually, compromise solutions are sought due to the cost pressure.

Modular orthosis system and kit for the fitting thereof


A toilet elevation adjusting apparatus having an inner box-shaped frame secured within an outer box-shaped frame by channels and wheels to allow vertical displacement of the inner frame while the outer frame is secured to a wall. A toilet is secured to the inner frame to translate with it. A drive mechanism for displacing the inner frame includes a reversible motor and a safety connection to the inner frame which allows lifting and lowering of the toilet under normal conditions, but disengages the motor from the inner frame when the toilet interferes with an object disposed under it during lowering to prevent exertion of force on the toilet from the motor. Three microswitches are also provided to control the motor operation.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to water-closets, specifically to an improved automatically adjustable water closet designed for families that need to adjust the height of a toilet to accommodate various family members. It is ideal for families that contain a handicapped or disabled member, as well as for use in public facilities in which the needs of various individuals using public restrooms need to be accommodated.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
New legislation will require that all multi-dwelling buildings are adequately equipped for the handicapped starting in 1991. Adjustable bathroom fixtures (sinks, bidets, urinals, baths, toilets) would make it easier for use by the handicapped and others with special needs (elderly, disabled, children, midgets, giants).
Heretofore, most adjustable water closets have consisted of various apparatus designed to raise and lower a false toilet seat above the level of a standard toilet and to lower it again (Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,833; Austin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,552; Pearce, U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,806). From a commercial perspective these devices are relatively inexpensive. However, they contain generic safety and hygiene problems. Additionally, none of these devices adequately address the issue of stigma which the user may experience when using a device that makes it apparent to themselves and to others that they have a problem. None of these designs allow the toilet to be lowered to accommodate children or midgets.
In recent years, there has been a shift towards the design of adjustable water closets in which the toilet and accompanying plumbing is raised and lowered, thus reducing some of the safety, hygiene, and stigma concerns.
The Ohtake design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,546) allows the entire water closet to be raised and lowered to a level almost flush with the floor. This design has the benefit of being able to be used by individuals who need a toilet lowered and not only those who need it raised. Individuals benefitting from a lowered toilet would include children, individuals who prefer a Japanese style water closet, and midgets. Although Ohtake's design was an improvement over the previous art, it contained two basic design flaws: (1) There's a danger of the device tipping when in some positions, and (2) When in the lowered position it would occupy considerable space, reducing the amount of disposable living space below.
The Signori et al design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,079) uses yet another approach to raising and lowering the entire toilet bowl apparatus by using a system of bellows and hydraulic pressure. The device however, does not contain a pressure pump for increasing and maintaining pressure. It merely assumes that the natural flow of water from one chamber to another will be sufficient to generate the pressure required to lift both the apparatus and the person.
The Matthews et al design (U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,473) is the best to date in that it minimizes the use of space and stigma. However, some design flaws still make it implausible to use this design on a commercial basis.
The problems include:
(a) The support mechanism for the total load of person and product could easily be bent or broken and the device could collapse with continued use of heavy weight. PA1 (b) The slots required for raising and lowering the toilet also pose a potential safety hazard by providing potential pinch points. PA1 (c) The safety switch placed under the toilet to stop its movement in the event that someone becomes trapped under it, requires that someone come in direct contact with this point. This may not always be possible. PA1 (d) Although hygiene problems are considerably decreased in this design, the use of flexible tubing in the waste line still poses a hygiene problem. PA1 (e) Some commercial limitations are also posed by this design. Matthews limits has claims to adjustable toilets without a tank. In order to use these toilets within residential areas, one would be required to install a large commercial input line for flushing the required volume or make some other modifications such as adding a separate supply tank to the toilet. This would be an additional expense to the homeowner. PA1 (f) Although the wall switch is an improvement in convenience, it does not provide the level of convenience to which people are becoming accustomed.

Automatically adjusted water closet for handicapped and other family members


A system for performing an ultrasonic staking operation in order to join a first part having a post protruding therefrom and a second part having a hole through which the post is passed includes a horn having an end vibrating at a frequency in the ultrasonic range and a motion system operatively connected to the horn, the motion system being capable of selectively moving the horn toward and away from the parts. The motion system moves the horn, with the end of the horn in contact with the post, toward the parts at a first speed such that the ultrasonic vibrations of horn cause melting of the post, and once a determination is made that the end of the horn has contacted a surface of the second part, the motion system moves the horn toward the parts at a second speed, the second speed being slower than the first speed.

Ultrasonic staking is used in the automotive industry (as well as in other industries) to attach plastic components together. There are usually many points to be staked in order to make a finished part, sometimes one hundred or more.
Typically, ultrasonic staking machine builders normally build a switching system with high voltage relays to use one ultrasonic supply and several converters. In a multiplexed fashion, one converter is switched in and an ultrasonic mechanism is turned on to weld the first point, then successively the next converter is switched in and the ultrasonic mechanism is again turned on to weld the second point. This is repeated multiple times as necessary to finish all points to be welded on the dashboard or other component.
This multiplexed arrangement is desired because of the number of points to be welded. There is a tradeoff between speed and the number of power supplies applied to the project. More supplies will cost more and reduce the time to complete the task; fewer supplies will reduce the cost but add time to the task. It is very desirable to use the least number of supplies that will meet the time requirements and minimize the costs for components.
Power supply cost is directly related to the power rating of the supply. Higher wattage means higher cost. It is also desirable to use the lowest rated power supply as possible.
The ultrasonic heads are driven to the parts by stepper motor actuators (although air cylinders are also typically used). The speed of this movement is also important to completing the task on time. The faster the movement, the quicker the task is complete but increased power will be required from the supply. The applied force is proportional to the speed and heat available (i.e., power rating of the supply).
The application designer must carefully select the lowest power supply wattage, the fastest motor speed and the best number of multiplex channels to optimize the application cost and timing. At the same time, overloading of the power supplies must be avoided.
The usual solution to avoiding overloading of the power supplies is to add additional supplies or to move the motors a little slower so the force builds at a lower rate. Both options are undesirable resulting in higher cost or a longer time to complete the process. It is also undesirable to require a 1000-watt supply, for example, when in a common example 99% of the weld occurs at less than 100 watts.
Attempts have been made to obviate the problem of power supply overloading by shutting off the power supply and/or varying the power/frequency output of the power supply when certain conditions (such as an overload or impending overload condition).
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,846,377 to Frantz et al. and 5,435,863 to Frantz disclose ultrasonic processing apparatus wherein the motional amplitude of the horn is varied in response to the amount of power provided to a workpiece, among other possible parameters. In one specific embodiment, the apparatus is used for a staking operation creating a stronger bond and a more pleasing appearance than previously attained because of decreased splatter of thermoplastic material.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,965 to Johansen discloses an ultrasonic welding system in which weld energy or ultrasonic voltage is used to control the on/off state of an ultrasonic generator and/or flag bad or suspect parts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,947 to Kising et al. discloses an ultrasonic welding system with frequency control based at least in part upon a measured current, voltage and/or power.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,580 to Czach discloses a high frequency welding machine which is tuned to maintain a constant output power and die temperature in response to various sensed parameters, including plate current and plate current overload, among others.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,249 to Long et al. discloses an ultrasonic bonding system that monitors adhesion and/or dehesion between two substrates by sensing voltage and current supplied to an ultrasonic source, and varies or turns on/off the power to the source in response thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,051 to Peter discloses an ultrasonic welding apparatus that controls termination of welding and/or that evaluates the quality of welded parts based upon time period and energy level measured from the point in time where welding power exceeds a power threshold.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,079 to Spanjer discloses an ultrasonic welding device that shuts off an ultrasonic power supply when a dip in voltage is detected.
Thus, the references described above employ voltage, current and/or power sensing in the context of an ultrasonic or similar device to turn power on/off, to vary frequency or amplitude and/or to evaluate the quality of a part. While these approaches may have some advantages over not providing any type of overload protection at all, they suffer from disadvantages of their own. Turning off the power supply completely would greatly add to the time necessary to complete the staking operation (particularly where overload conditions are encountered regularly), or may even make it impossible to complete the staking at all. On the other hand, varying the frequency or amplitude adds complexity to the ultrasonic mechanism and may shorten the life expectancy thereof.
Therefore, no ultrasonic staking system possessing satisfactory overload prevention is known in the prior art.

System to prevent overloads for ultrasonic staking applications


The disclosure relates to a polyphase transverse flux machine including a stator and a rotor configured to rotate relative to the stator about an axis in a circumferential direction. The transverse flux machine includes an electrical line running along a plurality of yokes in the circumferential direction, and a pair of permanent magnet arrays running in parallel in the circumferential direction. A plurality of return path bodies is provided in the stator, wherein each yoke has an associated return path body at a distance from the associated yoke in the radial direction. The magnetization direction of the permanent magnets in the permanent magnet arrays changes in such a way that a closed magnetic flux repeatedly occurs at each yoke during rotation of the rotor. The closed magnetic flux runs from one permanent magnet array across a respective yoke to the other permanent magnet array, and from there, across the associated return path body, back to the first-mentioned permanent magnet array.

Contemporary torque motors may have a power density of 1 kW/kg. However, in all the technical fields in which such motors are used, efforts are also being made, inter alia, to improve this power density. This would be advantageous, in particular, in the automobile industry or aircraft industry. Specifically, in the aircraft industry, drive systems with a power density of 8 kW/kg are required.
Electric drive systems are currently generally used only for model aircraft. For example, a high-pole-number motor as an aircraft electric motor without a transmission is known from Geiger Engineering. The electric motor has a magnetic pole number of 42 and a power of 20 kW with a limiting rotational speed of 2500 revolutions per minute. For the starting phase, this motor has a power-to-weight ratio of 3.6 kW/kg.
In transverse flux machines, the magnetic flux runs transversely (e.g., perpendicularly) with respect to the rotational plane. In three-phase transverse flux machines, each phase may have its own excitation. However, transverse flux machines in which the three phases are fed by just one permanent magnet system are also known. Transverse flux machines are able to implement high pole pair numbers and therefore have small pole pitches. The iron weight per pole is therefore small, and consequently a favorable power-to-weight ratio is obtained. The winding heads are eliminated owing to the ring winding.
Document WO 2013/087412 A1 discloses a polyphase transverse flux machine in which Halbach arrays are arranged on the rotor. In order to form a closed magnetic flux, in addition, I cores are provided adjacent to corresponding yokes in the stator. As a result of the spatial proximity of the yokes to the I cores, the problem arises that an undesired transverse flux occurs which brings about magnetic saturation between the yokes and the I cores. This results in the torque yield remaining the same at high currents.


A microwave heating construct includes a first side wall and a second side wall opposite one another and a food-supporting panel extending between the first side wall and the second side wall. The first side wall includes a movable portion for being positioned over the food-supporting panel. The food-supporting panel and/or the movable portion of the first side wall may include microwave energy interactive material.

Microwave ovens provide a convenient means for heating a variety of food items. However, microwave ovens tend to cook such items unevenly and are unable to achieve a browned, crisp surface, particularly where the food item has a rounded or irregular shape. Thus, there is a continuing need for a microwavable package that provides the desired degree of heating, browning, and crisping for various food items.

Microwave heating apparatus with food supporting cradle


A bidirectional steering mechanism is disclosed for a vehicle such as a motor boat wherein a manually steerable wheel is connected through the steering mechanism to steer an outboard motor; however, wave action or torque reaction from the motor cannot act in an opposite direction through the steering mechanism to the wheel. This provides a non-kickback steering control mechanism. The steering mechanism has first, second and third elongated members, the first connected to the steering wheel, the second connected to the outboard motor, and the third restrained against longitudinal movement. Wedge means and lock means act between the second and third members as urged by spring means with trip surfaces movable with the first member to relatively unlock the second and third members after a first lost motion distance and then actuator means acts after a greater second lost motion distance to move the second member from the first member. The foregoing abstract is merely a resume of one general application, is not a complete discussion of all principles of operation or applications, and is not to be construed as a limitation on the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Steering mechanisms for vehicles such as boats have included many different forms and include bidirectional control systems which preclude or attempt to preclude any kickback or reaction from the motor to the steering wheel. In most cases, such steering mechanisms for vehicles have utilized a rotary bidirectional device which generally requires a large diameter hub for the steering wheel and is one which is relatively complex and costly to manufacture. Such devices are not easily retrofitted on an existing vehicle because of the need for a special wheel hub, and hence, are not suitable for after-market sales and use. Still others are built into the pivot of the outboard motor itself and likewise are not suitable for after-market sale and use.
Other bidirectional no-kickback mechanisms are ones wherein the locking wedges may lock too tightly and there is chatter or jamming upon attempted release for movement in a given direction, especially with an overhauling load.
Accordingly, the problem to be solved is how to provide a steering mechanism which may be added to an existing vehicle and which will provide a bidirectional no-kickback drive.


A domestic combined heat and power system including a power unit, a heat-storage tank which receives waste heat of the power unit for storing heat in direct water, and a main heat exchanger connected to the heat-storage tank, being heated by a burner so as to use the water as hot water. A waste-heat heat exchanger filled with a heat-transfer medium is installed between the power unit and the heat-storage tank such that a waste-heat pipe is arranged in the form of a coil at one side inside the waste-heat heat exchanger, and a heat-storage pipe of the heat-storage tank is arranged in the form of a coil at the other side. Waste heat of the power unit is indirectly heat exchanged to the heat-storage tank through the heat-transfer medium. Costs and waste of energy consumption are reduced, and there is sharing of functions that are duplicated across the heat-storage tank.

In general, two heating methods are adopted in joint residential complexes such as apartment complexes; for example, one is an individual heating method in which an individual heater is used for each household, and the other is a central heating method in which hot water for heating and living uses is supplied from a center control.
The heating method of the heat demander, that is, apartment complexes, which adopts the centralized type heating method, is performed by heating water using fuel such as B-C oil, LNG, LPG, or the like, and intermittently providing heated water or vapor of 100° C. or higher as hot water to each household in the apartment complex 3 to 5 times a day.
In this centralized type heating method in the related art, because water or vapor is produced in a boiler, and the produced vapor is heat exchanged to high temperature water by a heat exchanger so as to be provided as hot water, it can be seen that a large number of boilers are used, and the heat exchange method, which exchanges vapor for hot water, causes a large amount of heat loss.
As a method for resolving the aforementioned drawback, a combined heat and power system having high efficiency energy use is suggested as an alternative.
The combined heat and power system is a total energy system that simultaneously produces electric power and heat from a single energy source, and generally operates an energy system in which a high temperature part is used as power, and a low temperature part is used as heat.
Among the combined heat and power systems, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a widely used type of combined heat and power system that is distributed for domestic use is configured to store heat subordinately generated from a power unit 10 in a heat-storage tank 12, and provide heat by heating using a boiler 14 when heat is required.
However, because the disclosed widely used combined heat and power system is configured so that waste heat of the power unit 10 is directly heat exchanged inside the heat-storage tank 12, it is difficult to dispose the system efficiently, and in addition, because an amount of heat is varied in accordance with a capacity of the power unit 10, pipes of a heat exchange part, which will be installed inside the heat-storage tank 12, need to be designed to have different diameters for each capacity of the power unit 10, and thereby versatility deteriorates, and there are many difficulties in terms of development.
In addition, the boiler 14, which is subsidiarily driven for an insufficient amount of heat to heat heating water or hot water, is formed in a structure provided with a burner 14a that is a heat source, a heat exchanger 14b configured to transfer heat of the burner 14a to heating water and/or hot water, and an expansion tank 14c configured to supplement water into heating piping or adjust pressure of the heating piping, but although the expansion tank 14c may be shared because the expansion tank 14 may perform a function similar to that of the heat-storage tank 12, the expansion tank 14c needs to be separately designed, so that there are drawbacks in that costs and energy are wasted.
Moreover, because the heat-storage tank 12 is formed in a hermetic structure in which piping performing a heat exchange function to produce hot water is installed, a shape of the heat-storage tank 12 is limited to a cylindrical shape for safety against internal pressure, and hereby, because there are many dead zones (dead spaces), an installation space may not be efficiently used, a volume is increased, a structure is complicated, and it is difficult to change the structure after design.


An optical recording medium which can provide a wobbling signal at a sufficiently high level even if the track pitch is reduced to enhance the recording density. The recording medium can attain a practically adequate recording-reproducing characteristic such as jitter characteristic. The medium has a wobbling groove that has a depth falling within the range of xcex/2.90 n to xcex/2.15 n. Here, xcex is the wavelength of a light beam applied to record and reproduce signals and n is the refractive index of the substrate of the optical recording medium. The ratio of the width Wg of the wobbling groove to the track pitch Tp (Wg/Tp) falls within the range of 25.0% to 45.5%.

The present invention relates to an optical recording medium which has a wobbling groove extending along the recording tracks, on which signals are recorded in the form of changes in reflectance of organic dye-based recording material, while wobbling signals are being reproduced from the wobbling groove. The invention also relates to a master plate for use in manufacturing such an optical recording medium.
Optical discs have been put to practical use as optical recording media. Signals can be optically recorded on, and reproduced from, an optical disc. Known as such an optical disc is one on which signals can be written. This type of an optical disc (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cCD-R) is used in so-called compact disc recordable systems. A CD-R is a rewritable optical disc made of organic dye-based material, on which signals can be recorded and from which signals can be reproduced.
The CD-R has a wobbling groove that extends along the recording tracks. A wobbling groove is a guide groove that meanders at a prescribed frequency. So meandering, the wobbling groove records signal components. It should be noted that a xe2x80x9cguide groovexe2x80x9d extends along a recording track to facilitate the tracking servo control that is performed by, for example, push-pull method.
In a CD-R, the sector data containing frequency-modulated, absolute time data is recorded in the form of signals (wobbling signals) represented by the wobbling groove (ATIP: Absolute Time In Pregroove). In the compact disc recordable system that uses a CD-R as recording medium, a recording-reproducing light beam is focused, forming a light spot at a wobbling groove. Wobble signals superimposed on carrier waves of, for example, 22.05 kHz are thereby detected from the wobbling groove. The wobble signals are frequency-modulated, thus generating a data stream that contains absolute time data.
With a system that records sector data containing the absolute time data, in the form of wobble signals, it is possible to record signals continuously. The system is therefore compatible with read-only optical discs, on which signals are recorded continuously. In a system wherein address data is recorded at the head of each sector, the absolute time data and the recorded data are spaced apart; namely, the signals recorded are discontinuous. Consequently, this system can hardly be compatible with read-only optical discs, on which signals are recorded continuously. By contrast, the first-mentioned system that records sector data containing the absolute time data, in the form of wobble signals can easily be rendered compatible with read-only optical discs.
Optical discs of the type mentioned above are now modified to record more signals, while having the same diameter as the existing standard optical discs. In other words, they are modified to record signals at higher densities. Moreover, it is proposed that CD-Rs be provided that can record signals at density two times or four times as high as the recording density of the existing standard CD-R.
To increase the recording density of an optical disc, it is advisable to reduce the track pitch, i.e., and the intervals at which the recording tracks are formed on the optical disc. If the track pitch is decreased, however, the recording-reproducing characteristics of the disc (jitter characteristic and the like) will be deteriorated.
Therefore, to provide two-time density CD-Rs and four-time density CD-Rs, i.e., optical discs having high recording density, it is necessary not only to reduce the track pitch, but also to implement sufficient recording-reproducing characteristics, such as jitter characteristic and the like.
A wobbling groove may be made in the surface of, for example, a CD-R, thus recording the absolute time data on the CD-R. In this case, it is desired that a wobble signal be efficiently reproduced from the wobbling groove.
In order to enhance the recording density of an optical disc, it is necessary, as described above, not only to reduce the track pitch, but also to achieve sufficient recording-reproducing characteristics, such as jitter characteristic and the like, so that wobbling signals and the like may be generated at adequately high level. (Note that the wobbling signals and the like are required to record signals on and reproduce signals from the recording tracks.)
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing. An object of the invention is to provide an optical recording medium from which wobbling signals can be generated at sufficiently high level and which exhibits sufficient recording-reproducing characteristics, such as jitter characteristic and the like. Another object of this invention is to provide a master plate for manufacturing such an optical recording medium.
An optical recording medium according to this invention has recording tracks and a wobbling groove extending along the recording tracks. It is designed to record signals in the form of changes in reflectance of organic dye-based recording material, while reproducing a wobbling signal from the wobbling groove. The wobbling groove has a depth ranging from xcex/2.90 n to xcex/2.15 n. Here, xcex is the wavelength of a light beam applied to record and reproduce signals and n is the refractive index of medium existing between a surface to which the light beam is applied and surface in which the wobbling groove is made. The wobbling groove has a width Wg, and the recording tracks are arranged at a pitch Tp. The ratio of the width Wg to the track pitch Tp, Wg/Tp, falls within the range of 25.0% to 45.5%.
Since the wobbling groove has a depth and width specified above, the optical recording medium of the invention can provide a wobble signal that has a level high enough to record and reproduce signals even if the track pitch is decreased to enhance the recording density, and can reliably attain a practically adequate jitter characteristic. Hence, it is possible to record signals on this optical recording medium at high recording density.
In the optical recording medium according to the invention, it is desired that Ag/Tp should fall within the range of xc2x11.82% to xc2x13.18%, where Ag is the amplitude of the wobbling groove. Even if the wobbling groove has the depth and width specified above, a wobble signal may not be generated from the optical recording medium in the case where the amplitude of the wobbling groove is too small. Even if the wobbling groove has the depth and width specified above, the medium may fail to attain an adequate recording-reproducing characteristic such as jitter characteristic in the case where the amplitude of the wobbling groove is too large. Nonetheless, the optical recording medium of the invention can reliably provide a wobble signal and attains good recording-reproducing characteristic such as jitter characteristic, because the wobbling groove has the amplitude specified above.
A master plate according to the present invention is designed for use in manufacturing an optical recording medium. The optical recording medium has recording tracks and a wobbling groove extending along the recording tracks. The medium is designed to record signals in the form of changes in reflectance of organic dye-based recording material, while reproducing a wobbling signal from the wobbling groove, said master plate having a groove pattern that corresponds to the wobbling groove of the optical recording medium. The master plate has a groove pattern that corresponds to the wobbling groove.
The optical recording medium manufactured by the use of the master plate has a wobbling groove that has a depth ranging from xcex/2.90 n to xcex/2.15 n, where xcex is the wavelength of a light beam applied to record and reproduce signals and n is the refractive index of medium existing between a surface to which the light beam is applied and surface in which the wobbling groove is made. The wobbling groove has a width Wg, and the recording tracks are arranged at a pitch Tp. The ratio of the width Wg to the track pitch Tp, Wg/Tp, falls within the range of 25.0% to 45.5%. That is, the master plate has a groove pattern corresponding to the wobbling groove having the depth and width specified above.
Any optical recording medium manufactured by the use of the master plate can provide a wobble signal that has a level high enough to record and reproduce signals even if the track pitch is decreased to enhance the recording density, and can reliably attain a practically adequate jitter characteristic. Hence, it is possible to record signals on this optical recording medium at high recording density.
It is desired that the master plate have a groove pattern corresponding to a wobbling groove in which Ag/Tp may falls within the range of xc2x11.82% to xc2x13.18%, where Ag is the amplitude of the wobbling groove. If the ratio Ag/Tp falls within this range, the optical recording medium made by using the master plate will provide a wobble signal that has a level high enough to record and reproduce signals even if the track pitch is decreased to enhance the recording density, and will reliably attain a practically adequate jitter characteristic. It is therefore possible to record signals on this optical recording medium at high recording density.
As described above in detail, the optical recording medium according to the present invention can provide a wobble signal that has a level high enough to record and reproduce signals even if the track pitch is decreased to enhance the recording density, and can reliably attain a practically adequate jitter characteristic.
The master plate according to this invention can serve to manufacture an optical recording medium which can provide a wobble signal of a level high enough to record and reproduce signals even if the track pitch is decreased to enhance the recording density, and which can reliably attain a practically adequate jitter characteristic.

Optical recording medium having wobbling groove extending along the tracks


A method and device for detecting the motor position of a DC motor includes evaluating the back-induced voltage of non-energized motor windings of the motor only during predetermined time durations whose temporal position and duration are derived from drive signals for half-bridge circuits that are connected to the motor windings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for detecting the motor position of a synchronous motor or of a brushless DC motor.
To drive a DC motor, it is known for the motor windings to be optionally connected to a first or second drive potential through respective half-bridge circuits each having two series-connected semiconductor switches. The individual semiconductor switches are driven in a predetermined, periodically recurring "drive pattern" in order to generate a rotating field that brings about a motor rotation. "Drive pattern" designates the totality of the mutually coordinated temporal profiles of the switching states of the semiconductor switches or of the drive signals for the semiconductor switches used for driving the motor. In the case of a three-phase motor, three half-bridges for driving the motor include a total of six semiconductor switches; the drive pattern, thus, encompasses the time profiles of the drive signals of these six semiconductor switches. The period with which the drive patterns recur in this case corresponds to the time duration in which the rotating field completes one revolution. The mechanical rotation that the rotor of the motor experiences during a revolution of the rotating field is dependent on the number of pole pairs of the motor. The relationship whereby the angle of a mechanical rotation of the rotor corresponds to the quotient of the angle of the rotating field (the electrical revolution) and the number of pole pairs holds true in this case.
So that the drive pattern can be generated in a suitable manner, it is necessary to detect the angular position of the motor.
For driving the motor coils there are various methods that effect various drive patterns. In some of these methods, such as the so-called block commutation, for example, the switches are driven such that there is always one of the motor windings that is not connected to one of the supply potentials during a time period within the drive cycle. To detect the motor position, it is known, in the case of this type of driving, to detect the back-induced voltage in the motor winding that is currently connected to no voltage supply. This back-induced voltage has a periodic time profile with a period duration that depends on the rotational speed of the motor or on the time duration per revolution. The back-induced voltage intersects a voltage value representing a zero point of the motor twice per period, the position of these zero crossings containing a precise item of information about the angle of position of the motor. In the case of a three-phase motor, the temporal profiles of the back-induced voltages are shifted relative to one another in each case by a value that corresponds to a revolution of the rotating field through 120°. Because each of these back-induced voltages has two zero crossings per revolution of the rotating field or one zero crossing per half revolution, the motor position can be determined from these three back-induced voltages with a resolution of 60° relative to one revolution of the rotating field. In such a case, the resolution capability with regard to determining the mechanical position of the motor rises with the number of pole pairs. While the motor position can be determined with a resolution of 60° in the case of one pole pair, a resolution of 30° is already possible in the case of two pole pairs, etc.
Because the zero point of a motor is, generally, not accessible for tapping off the back-induced voltages across the motor windings, it is known to simulate the zero point of the motor, for example, by a star circuit with resistors, and to use as back-induced voltage the potential difference between the accessible terminal of the respective motor winding and the simulated zero point. This method is described for example in Oswald, Wagner, Wasson: "The Brushless Spindle Motor: A background in the motors, magnetics, electrical circuits, and control systems", pages 23 to 26. Jufer, Osseni: "Back EMF Indirect Detection for Self-Commutation of Synchronous Motors", European Power Electronics, Grenoble, September 22 to 24, pages 1125 to 1129, discloses calculating the third harmonic of the back-induced voltage to deduce the motor position therefrom.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of a motor with a circuit configuration for determining the motor position according to the prior art.
The motor is represented by three coils L1, L2, L3 that are connected to a common zero point N by one of their terminals in each case in a star circuit. Three half-bridge circuits 10, 20, 30 are present for driving the motor, which half-bridge circuits each include a series circuit formed by a first semiconductor switch (high-side switch) H1, H2, H3 and a second semiconductor switch (low-side switch) L1, L2, L3, which are connected between a terminal for a first supply potential VS and a terminal for a second supply potential or reference-ground potential GND. Each of the half-bridges 10, 20, 30 has an output A, B, C, an output A, B, or C in each case being connected to one of the motor windings or one of the three terminals of the motor.
The profile of drive signals in_H1, . . . , in_L3 for the switches H1, . . . , L3 in the case of a block commutation is illustrated in FIG. 2A for a time duration corresponding to a revolution of the motor through 360°+60°. The illustration of the drive signals is chosen such that the respective semiconductor switch H1, . . . , L3 is in the on state if the associated drive signal in_H1, . . . , in_L3 assumes a high level, and that the respective semiconductor switch is in the off state if the associated drive signal assumes a low level. In FIG. 2A, in_H1 designates the drive signal of the high-side switch H1 of the first half-bridge 10, in_L1 designates the drive signal of the low-side switch L1 of the first half-bridge, in_H2 designates the drive signal of the high-side switch H2, in_L2 designates the drive signal of the low-side switch L2, in_H3 designates the drive signal of the high-side switch H3, and in_L3 designates the drive signal of the low-side switch L3.
During the block commutation, at an arbitrary point in time, in each case a maximum of one of the high-side switches H1, H2, or H3 and only a maximum of one of the low-side switches L1, L2, or L3 are in the on state, the semiconductor switches of the same half-bridge usually never being in the on state simultaneously. Through a suitable temporal change of the switching states of the semiconductor switches H1, L1, H2, L2, H3, L3 and a resultant change of the phase currents in the motor windings, a rotating field arises that effects a rotation of the rotor in the motor. In FIG. 2A, the temporal sequence of the drive signals per motor revolution is subdivided into six time segments that each correspond to a motor rotation through about 60° and during which in each case one of the high-side switches and one of the low-side switches undertake the driving of the motor. These are the high-side switch H1 and the low-side switch L2 during a first time period designated by "1", the high-side switch H3 and the low-side switch L2 during a time period designated by "2", the high-side switch H3 and the low-side switch L1 during a period designated by "3", etc. This drive pattern recurs starting from the segment designated by "7", in which the driving of the switches H1, . . . , L3 corresponds to that in the segment "1".
During one of these time periods, during which always the same high-side switch and the same low-side switch undertake the driving of the motor, a current flows through two of the windings, namely, the coils that are connected to the half-bridges whose semiconductor switches are in the on state. These are the windings 1 and 2, for example, in the time segment "1". A back-induced voltage EA, EB, EC can, then, be tapped off across the respective non-energized winding (winding 3 during the time segment "1"), the time profile of which voltage is illustrated in FIG. 2B. The time profiles of the back-induced voltages across the windings 1, 2, 3 are periodic with a period duration that corresponds to a complete revolution of the motor, and are offset relative to one another in each case by a value that corresponds to a revolution of the rotating field through about 120°. The time profiles of the back-induced voltages intersect a zero line, which corresponds to the potential at the motor zero point N, in each case twice per period. With knowledge of the zero points of the back-induced voltages EA, EB, EC of all three coils, the motor position can be determined with an accuracy of 60°.
Because the motor zero point N usually cannot be contact-connected, it is known to simulate the zero point, for example, by a resistor network RN, and to compare the potentials at the terminals of the motor with the potential of the simulated zero point NN, as is illustrated in FIG. 1.
To set the current flowing into the motor, usually only one of the two switches that undertake the driving of the motor during one of the segments "1", "2", etc., is driven into the on state permanently, while the other is driven in pulsed or pulse-width-modulated fashion. In the example in accordance with FIG. 2A, the high-side switch H1, H2, H3 is in each case driven into the on state permanently, while the low-side switch is driven in clocked fashion. The current consumption of the motor windings energized by the two switches is, then, dependent on the duty ratio with which the low-side switch is respectively driven. What is problematic in such a case is that a high-frequency interference voltage is superposed on the back-induced voltage as a result of the clocked driving of one of the two switches, which interference voltage makes it considerably more difficult to evaluate the voltage that is to be measured. To enable the back-induced voltage to be evaluated, it is known to filter the potential at the terminal or the back-induced voltage of the non-energized winding before the comparison with the potential of the simulated zero point using a low-pass filter, as is illustrated for one of the windings in FIG. 1. While a simple RC filter is represented in FIG. 1 for illustration purposes, in practice, very complex filters are necessary to achieve a satisfactory result in the filtering of the back-induced voltage and, thus, in the determination of the motor position.
Such filters have to be constructed externally and lead not only to considerable costs but also to a significant signal deformation, for example, to a speed-dependent phase shift.

Method and device for detecting the motor position of an electric motor


An optical sensor is provided. The optical sensor has an emitting system including at least one light emitting device which emits light onto an object; and a detecting system detecting the light which has been emitted by the emitting system and which has propagated through the object. The light emitting device is capable of emitting a plurality of light beams with different wavelengths onto substantially the same position of the object.

Conventionally, an optical measurement apparatus for living body is known, which measures information in the object under test by emitting light onto an object under test (living body) and detecting the light which has propagated through the object under test (e.g., refer to Patent Document 1).
The optical measurement apparatus for living body disclosed in Patent Document 1 is not capable of measuring information in the object under test with high accuracy.

Optical sensor, optical testing apparatus, and optical characteristics detection method


A closed, single loop holder is provided for clothes hangers hung on an upstanding hook on a vehicle interior side wall. The holder is formed with a crosspiece extending generally horizontally parallel to the side wall across the hook, a downwardly extending leg at one end of the crosspiece connecting to a clothes hanger support bar extending laterally outwardly relative to the side wall, and an upwardly and laterally angled leg connecting the bar with the opposite end of the crosspiece.

The normal hook unobtrusively provided in automobile passenger compartments for receiving garment hangers is generally less than one-half inch in length and normally is spaced outwardly from the vehicle wall a minimum distance generally less than one-half inch. Thus, it does not readily accommodate the more massive hooks of many garment bags and can accommodate only one or two metal hangers at a time. Typically, the plastic garment hangers finding increasing use today are of relatively larger cross-sectional diameter and such hooks are limited to receiving only a single plastic garment hanger. Accordingly, when vehicle trips of any substantial duration are undertaken, it is necessary to otherwise carry the substantial number of hangers for garments which may be required for one or more persons, such as by simply spreading them across the back seat of the vehicle, or placing them flatwise in the trunk. The back seat cannot be used in situations where it must be occupied by passengers and, when the garments are placed in a trunk, they tend to shift, become disarrayed, and wrinkle up.
A number of hanger holding devices have been proposed to extend the capacity of such vehicle hanger hooks, but they have been of a multi-part, or multi-loop nature, and more complex and expensive to manufacture and market than the hanger holder of the present invention.

Hanger holders and methods of forming them


A mixer assembly includes an outer housing having an inlet area that receives exhaust gas from an upstream exhaust component and an outlet area that directs exhaust gas to a downstream exhaust component. The outer housing includes an outer wall extending outwardly from the base wall about a periphery of the base wall and a deflector wall that directs exhaust gas from the inlet area to the outlet area. The deflector wall has a portion spaced from the outer wall to define a flow guide path that first directs exhaust gas flow from the inlet area in a first direction against a first portion of the outer wall and then directs exhaust gas flow in a second direction against a second portion of the outer wall that is transverse to the first portion.

An exhaust system conducts hot exhaust gases generated by an engine through various exhaust components to reduce emissions and control noise. The exhaust system includes an injection system that injects a reducing agent, such as a solution of urea and water for example, upstream of a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. A mixer is positioned upstream of the SCR catalyst and mixes engine exhaust gases and products of urea transformation.
The doser typically sprays the urea into the exhaust stream. In one known configuration, the doser is mounted to an outer peripheral surface of the mixer and is configured to direct the spray radially inwardly toward a center of the mixer. This spray configuration can result in increased urea deposit formation.

Mixer assembly for a vehicle exhaust system

FAURECIA EMISSIONS CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES, USA, LLC


A system and method for applying adhesive to at least a first end of a rod-shaped member, such as a cotton swab stick includes a carrier, an adhesive applicator, and a rotator device. The carrier conveys the rod-shaped member or stick in a machine direction and also allows rotation of the rod-shaped member about its longitudinal axis. The adhesive applicator includes an application surface positioned to engage the first end of the rod-shaped member. The application surface includes at least one discharge passage for applying adhesive to the first end of the rod-shaped member. The rotator device rotates the rod relative to the application surface and about its longitudinal axis as the rod-shaped member is conveyed along the application surface.

Various manufacturing processes involve affixing elements to one or both ends of a rod-shaped member. One specific application for such a process is the manufacture of cotton swabs. Such products may be manufactured with cotton fibers or other types of fibers secured to one or both ends of a paper, plastic or wooden stick with adhesive. During manufacture, it is important to properly apply the adhesive to one or both ends of the stick before application of the cotton fibers. Too little adhesive will result in unsatisfactory adherence of the fibers to the stick, while excessive adhesive application will result in undesirable manufacturing downtime due to the clean up of adhesive dripping or otherwise being flung from the stick during the manufacturing process. While meeting the precise quantity requirements of adhesive application, the manufacturing process must also consistently apply the adhesive around the end or ends of each stick and must do so in a high speed manufacturing environment to hold product manufacturing costs as low as possible.
One current process for manufacturing cotton swabs involves rapidly conveying the sticks past a rotating wheel which has a lower portion thereof in contact with a container of adhesive. The adhesive therefore continually coats the circumference of the wheel. As the ends of each stick contact the upper portion of the spinning wheel, the ends are simultaneously rotated and coated with the adhesive. While this method allows for a rapid production speed, the above noted problems exist with this type of process. Specifically, the wheel can accumulate too much adhesive on its circumference and, therefore, apply too much adhesive to the ends of the stick. Some of this adhesive will fall or be flung off the ends of the stick necessitating manufacturing downtime in order to clean up the excess adhesive. Also, because the adhesive is exposed to the environment prior to its application on the stick, the adhesive can accumulate various airborne contaminates. This can reduce the effectiveness of the adhesive and lead to unsatisfactory adherence of the fibers to the stick. The use of a wheel to apply adhesive to the sticks may also lead to inconsistent adhesive deposition as a result of inconsistent amounts of adhesive on the circumference of the wheel. For example, as the level of adhesive in the adhesive supply becomes reduced, there may be less adhesive applied to the circumference of the wheel and, conversely, when the supply is increased, increased adhesive contact is made with the wheel resulting in increased amounts of adhesive on the wheel. These characteristics of this existing process correspondingly result in decreased or increased amounts of adhesive being applied to the ends of the sticks.
Another previously proposed manufacturing method for cotton swabs generally involves the use of an on/off adhesive dispensing valve having slot nozzles positioned in the respective paths of the ends of the sticks. The sticks move over the slot nozzles which are activated and the sticks simultaneously rotate such that the ends of the sticks receive the discharged adhesive. The challenge associated with this proposed method is that the rod or stick must be rotated quickly enough as it passes the slot nozzles to ensure coating of the entire circumference of each end. In order for this to occur, line speeds may have to be reduced to an undesirably low level or spinning rates of the sticks may have to be increased to an impractically high level. Even if the speeds are adjusted to ensure a full rotation directly over the slot nozzle, the slot nozzle may still not apply adhesive in an evenly distributed amount to the entire outer surface of each stick end.
For these and other reasons, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for applying adhesive to one or both ends of a rod-shaped member in a uniform, consistent manner, and in precise amounts, while maintaining the high manufacturing speeds necessary to hold down product manufacturing costs.

Applicator and method for applying adhesive to rod-shaped members such as cotton swabs


A twist drill having a shaft with a longitudinal axis, wherein the cutting tool includes a plurality of flutes extending about the longitudinal shaft along a helix angle and a plurality of lands adjacent the flutes. Each land has a cutting edge adjacent a corresponding flute and a margin (i.e. relief surface). A cutting point is adjacent a forward end of the shaft. A first, second and third forward cutting surfaces are adjacent the first, second and third cutting edges, respectively, and extend proximate the cutting point axially rearward for a predetermined length about the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The cutting edges are unequally angularly spaced from each other, and each forward cutting surface has a primary relief angle that are unequal to each other.

Cemented carbide rotary tools (i.e., tools driven to rotate) are commonly employed in machining operations such as, for example, drilling, reaming, countersinking, counterboring, end milling, and tapping. Such tools are typically of a solid monolithic construction. The manufacturing process for such tools may involve consolidating metallurgical powder (comprised of particulate ceramic and binder metal) to form a compact. The compact is then sintered to form a cylindrical tool blank having a solid monolithic construction. As used herein, monolithic construction means that the tools are composed of a material, such as, for example, a cemented carbide material, having substantially the same characteristics at any working volume within the tool. Subsequent to sintering, the tool blank is appropriately machined to form the cutting edge and other features of the particular geometry of the rotary tool. Rotary tools include, for example, drills, end mills, reamers, and taps.
Rotary tools composed of cemented carbides are adapted to many industrial applications, including the cutting and shaping of materials of construction such as metals, wood, and plastics. Cemented carbide tools are industrially important because of the combination of tensile strength, wear resistance, and toughness that is characteristic of these materials. Cemented carbides materials comprise at least two phases: at least one hard ceramic component and a softer matrix of metallic binder. The hard ceramic component may be, for example, carbides of elements within groups IVB through VIB of the periodic table. A common example is tungsten carbide. The binder may be a metal or metal alloy, typically cobalt, nickel, iron or alloys of these metals. The binder "cements" the ceramic component within a matrix interconnected in three dimensions. Cemented carbides may be fabricated by consolidating a metallurgical powder blend of at least one powdered ceramic component and at least one powdered binder.
Monolithic rotary tools may additionally comprise coolant channels extending through its body and shank to permit the flow of a coolant, such as oil or water, to the cutting surfaces of the rotary tool. The coolant may enter the channel at the shank end and exit at the drill point. The coolant cools the rotary tool and work piece and assists in ejecting chips and dirt from the hole. The use of coolant during machining operations allows for the use of higher cutting speeds of the rotary tool and faster feed rates, in addition to extending tool life. Rotary tools with coolant channels are especially suited for drilling deep holes in hard materials.
Drilling is a cutting operation in which material is removed from a workpiece to provide a bore in or through the workpiece. Drilling is carried out by advancing a rotating drilling tool or "drill" into the workpiece in the direction of the drill's longitudinal axis. Common drill configurations include, for example, twist drills and spade drills. A twist drill is characterized by one or more helical flutes disposed along at least a portion of the length of the drill and which terminate at a working end of the drill (the "drill tip"), which includes cutting edges. In contrast, a spade drill includes a wide cutting blade at the drill tip and lacks helical flutes along its length. Twist drills have a more complex geometrical design than spade drills due to the helical flutes, and this makes twist drills generally more difficult to manufacture. Twist drills are manufactured as either non-composite twist drills or composite twist drills.
A rotary cutting tool, such as a drill or twist drill, is generally comprised of a cylindrical shaft having at least one flute and land, which follow a helical angle to a forward cutting edge at the forward end of the shaft. The land has associated with it a margin and a clearance portion behind the margin. A side cutting edge is defined by the intersection of the flute with the margin of the land.
A problem that is experienced with a drill during the drilling process when the irregular rotational action of the drill during the drilling process results in an irregular surface structure of the boring wall is commonly known as "chatter." This phenomenon is because linear or spiral chip flutes are shaped into the generated surfaces of the drills to remove the chips that are formed during the drilling process. Frequently, the chip flutes on one hand and the cutting edges of the drill on the other hand are distributed symmetrically over the periphery of the drill. This symmetrical distribution has the further disadvantage that the vibrations of the drill that cause the "chatter" recur periodically during the drilling process. This periodic recurrence of the vibrations causes an increase in the amplitude of the vibrations, i.e. a "build-up" of the chatter during the drilling process. The result is that the irregularities in the side walls of the hole which is being bored, which irregularities are also called "chatter marks" increase, resulting in a deterioration in the quality of the boring over the length of the drilling process.
To reduce this problem, it is generally known that the minor cutting edges of the drill that are present on the drill periphery can be provided with lands. These lands are generally snug up against the inside wall of the boring and act on the drill in the manner of support fins. An additional measure to prevent the untrue running of the drill is the asymmetrical arrangement of the chip flutes and correspondingly of the drill cutting edges.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing.

Twist drill with unequal flute spacing and unequal relief angles


A linear digital scale including an extended linear digital scale made up with a plurality of relatively small digital scale pieces which are connected and fixed together, and its manufacturing method in which graduation coincidence by use of a standard scale removes the errors produced at bound and fixed sections.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a linear digital scale and a method of manufacturing the linear digital scale, and in particular to an extended digital scale which utilizes an optical reading system and its manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been a well-known measuring instrument which can digitally display the length of measured object or coordinate positions of measured points by the use of a digital scale, the moving part of which is slid corresponding to the measured object. The digital display type measuring instrument finds particular utility in a length measuring machine or a three dimensional coordinate measuring machine. As for the digital display type scale, a digital scale having an optical reading system is of wide use due to the fact that it provides the output signal for digital measuring with high accuracy and reliability. Ordinarily, the optical reading type digital scale has a plurality of slits regularly arranged at equal spaces on the surface of a long and thin glass scale. When the scale is moved corresponding to the length of a measured object, the passing numbers of slits are photo-electrically counted to show the length on a digital display by detecting the counted value.
The afore-mentioned digital scale is suitable for the accurate measurement with inconsiderable reading error but it is difficult to arrange the slits on the scale surface with high accuracy. In particular it is extremely difficult to obtain a long scale.

Method of manufacturing a linear digital scale


A push button switch provided with a multistage actuation interlock function is composed of a casing; a pair of push buttons arranged side by side passing through an upper lid of the casing; a plurality of movable bodies arranged movably in a direction perpendicular to a depression direction of the push buttons into the casing; a plurality of movable contacts attached to the movable bodies, respectively; and a plurality of fixed contacts arranged on a base portion of the casing in confronting positional relationship with respect to the movable contacts. When each of the push buttons is depressed at each of the multistage stroke, the movable body is shifted to bring the movable contact into contact with the fixed contact, respectively in sequence. Further, an interlock plate is interposed between and associated with the two push buttons in the casing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a push button switch provided with a multistage actuation interlock function for actuating a plurality of switches at multiple stages, which is suitable for use to control a motor for driving a hoist, a chain block, etc. at a plurality of stages of speed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The push button switch provided with a two-stage actuation interlock function used for reversibly rotating a motor for driving a hoist, a chain block, etc. has been already disclosed in JP-Y-4-31686. The prior art push button switch as described above is provided with an interlock plate pivotally supported by a fixed axle, and a pair of movable bodies for actuating each of both ends of the interlock plate. An upper end of each of the movable bodies projects out of a casing so as to function as a push button. Each of the movable bodies is formed with a recessed portion on both side portions thereof, respectively. Further, a lid body is formed with a stepped portion in correspondence to the recessed portion, respectively. Further, a mutually-operative bearing and spring assembly is provided at the corresponding recessed portion and the stepped portion, respectively. Since the prior art push button switch is constructed as described above, it is possible to realize a push button switch provided with a two-stage switching function.
Here, when a three-stage push button switch is required to be constructed on the basis of the structure which is basically the same as the above-mentioned prior art push button switch provided with the two-stage actuated interlock plate, the size of the push button switch inevitably increases, as shown in FIGS. 1(A) to 1(D).
In more detail, with reference to FIGS. 1(A) to 1(D), an internal space of a casing 1 is divided symmetrically into right and left sides, and an interlock plate 16 is pivotally provided so as to be pivotal about a fixed axle 17 mounted horizontally at the middle bottom portion of the casing 1. A pair of push buttons 20a and 20b movable in the vertical direction are arranged so as to project out of the upper portion of the casing 1. Under the lower end of each of the push buttons 20a and 20b, a movable body 21a or 21b is attached, respectively. Whenever the push button 20a or 20b is actuated, the interlock plate 16 is pivoted by being pushed by the movable body 21a or 21b. Each of the movable bodies 21a and 21b has one set of three movable contacts 18a, 18b and 18c, respectively. On the other hand, on the bottom surface of the casing, one set of three fixed contacts 19a, 19b and 19c are provided so as to be opposed to the three movable contacts 18a, 18b and 18c, respectively. Therefore, whenever the push button 20a or 20b is depressed, these three movable contacts 18a, 18b and 18c are closed (turned on) so as to contact the fixed contacts 19a, 19b and 19c selectively in sequence according to the stroke of the push button 20a or 20b. Here, a pair comprising the movable contact 18a and the fixed contact 19a constitutes the first stage contacts; a pair comprising the movable contact 18b and the fixed contact 19b constitutes the second stage contacts; and a pair comprising the movable contact 18c and the fixed contact 19c constitutes the third stage contacts. Movable contacts 18a to 18c are provided with a contact spring 22 (shown in FIG. 1(A)), respectively, to obtain a predetermined respective contact pressure.
FIG. 1(A) shows the state where the two push buttons 20a and 20b are both not depressed so that the push button switch is completely turned off. FIG. 1(B) shows the state where the first button 20a is depressed so that the pair comprising the first-stage movable contact 18a and the fixed contact 19a are in contact with each other. FIG. 1(C) shows the state where the first button 20a is further depressed deeper so that the pair comprising the second-stage movable contact 18b and the fixed contact 19b are in contact with each other in addition to the first-stage movable and fixed contacts 18a and 19a. FIG. 1(D) shows the state where the first push button 2a is furthermore depressed deeper so that the pair comprising the third-stage movable contact 18c and the fixed contact 19c are in contact with each other in addition to the first- and second-stage movable and fixed contacts 18a, 18b and 19a, 19b (all pairs of the movable and fixed contacts are in contact with each other only on the side of the push button 20a).
As is well-understood with reference to FIGS. 1(A) to (D), when the third-stage contact pairs are required to be closed to each other completely, since the push button 20a must be depressed deeply in the downward direction, the interlock plate 16 is inevitably pivoted clockwise through a large angle by the movable body 21a, with the result that there exists a problem in that the size of the entire push button switch inevitably increases.

Multiple push button switch assembly with multistage actuator interlock


A vehicle includes four wheels, a drive axle, a power train which connects a vehicle engine to the drive axle via a transmission, a clutch, and an axle differential, a brake system, which may brake at least the wheels associated with the drive axle independently of the other wheels, a steering system which includes a manual steering device, at which a driver may set a steering angle for steerable wheels, and a control system, which brakes at least the drive axle wheel inside the curve and generates a steering-supporting braking torque on this wheel below a predefined vehicle velocity and as of a predefined steering angle. In order to improve the steering support, the control system monitors the status of the transmission and/or the clutch, the control system actuating the brakes of the appropriate wheel as a function of this status in order to generate the steering-supporting braking torque.

One advantage of the arrangement for generating steering-supporting braking torques MB and/or steering-supporting drive torques MA according to the present invention is the fact that this arrangement may be integrated in the electronic traction control system of vehicle 1 at a relatively low cost. Systems such as ABS, ASR, ESP are already standard in today""s vehicles.
The present invention relates to a vehicle.
European Published Patent Application No. 0 295 396 describes a vehicle that includes at least four wheels, at least one drive axle, one power train which connects a vehicle engine to the drive axle via a transmission, a clutch, and an axle differential, a brake system, which allows each wheel to be braked independently of the other wheels, a steering system, which has a manual steering device such as a steering wheel, at which a driver can set a steering angle for the steerable wheels, and a control system, which brakes at least the drive axle wheel inside the curve below a certain vehicle velocity, for example, 25 km/h, and as of a certain steering angle, for example, 90% of the maximum steering angle, and generates a steering-supporting braking torque on this wheel. In such a vehicle, single-sided braking of the vehicle can thus be performed through which a yaw moment into the curve to be traveled can be generated. The steering action set by the steering angle can thus be supported.
In such a vehicle, steering-supporting braking sequences are implemented using devices that are already present in the vehicle. For example, such a steering-supporting brake system may be constructed using components of an antilock braking system or a traction control system.
German Published Patent Application No. 36 37 481 describes a motor vehicle, in particular a tractor, equipped with a steering brake system in order to implement extremely small turning radii for the vehicle. In this vehicle, a steering brake reversing valve is arranged so that it is functionally linked to a steering system of the motor vehicle, the steering brake reversing valve being activated by the steering system for a certain steering angle of the steered wheels. The wheel of the driven rear axle inside the curve is braked to achieve a steering-supporting braking torque.
Furthermore, German Published Patent Application No. 42 24 887 describes a vehicle, in particular a farm tractor, which includes an electrical and/or electronic controller which issues control signals to pressure medium-controlled brakes of the drive axle wheels, as a function of the steering angle, so that when a predefinable limit steering angle is exceeded, the rear axle wheel inside the curve is braked. Using these measures, the track arc diameter is reduced when traveling around a curve. The steering device preferably sets this steering-supporting braking action so that it continuously increases with an increasing steering angle.
If the left- and right-hand wheels are driven via an axle differential, which can be locked by a differential lock, it is advantageous if the locking action is suspended automatically by the electrical controller if in such a vehicle the controller issues a braking signal to one of the brakes to support steering.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle in which the steering-supporting action of the brake intervention is improved.
The present invention is based on the concept of taking into account the status of the transmission gear contained in the power train and, additionally or as an alternative, the status of the clutch contained in the power train when setting the intensity of the steering-supporting braking torque. For example, if the clutch is disengaged and/or when the gear is set to neutral, the steering-supporting action may be improved if a different, in particular, stronger braking action is generated on the wheel inside the curve than when the vehicle is in gear and the clutch is engaged.
By taking into account the status of the transmission and/or the clutch, the steering-supporting action of the braking torque generated may thus be improved.
The clutch may be controlled by a control system, the control system causing the clutch to be engaged if the clutch is disengaged in order to generate the steering-supporting braking torque. Taking into account the status when setting the intensity of the braking forces is thus also manifested in the clutch being engaged if required.
In another example embodiment of the present invention, the transmission may be controlled by a control system, the control system causing a gear to be engaged if the transmission was in neutral in order to generate the steering-supporting braking torque, a control system activating the clutch accordingly. In this example embodiment, taking into account the status of the clutch and the transmission is manifested in a gear being automatically engaged by the control system if the transmission was in neutral.
The control system may activate the engine, the transmission, and the clutch in order to generate the steering-supporting braking torque so that a steering-supporting drive torque is additionally generated on the drive axle wheel outside the curve. By this measure, in addition to the braking torque generated on the drive axle wheel inside the curve, an additional drive torque is generated on the drive axle wheel outside the curve, whereby the resulting steering torque may be increased. A dynamic driving situation (e.g., acceleration of the vehicle) intended by the driver may also be taken into account in a suitable manner.
In a vehicle having a power train equipped with a controllable clutch and a controllable transmission, in particular with an automatic transmission having a torque converter, driving situations may arise in which the clutch and/or the transmission are operated so that no engine torque is transmitted to the drive axle. In such a driving situation, the above-mentioned aspect of the present invention is particularly noticeable, since when traveling along a, e.g., sharp, curve, the engine, transmission, and clutch may be controlled so that an engine torque is transmitted to the drive axle, the braking of the wheel inside the curve in conjunction with the axle differential resulting in the additional drive torque being generated on the wheel outside the curve. Even in other operating states of the vehicle in which an engine torque is transmitted to the drive axle through the engaged clutch and through an engaged gear, the present invention may generate an additional drive torque on the wheel outside the curve by adjusting the engine torque accordingly.
The achievable steering torque may be increased by the fact that the control system additionally brakes the wheel inside the curve of at least one non-driven axle, generating a steering-supporting braking torque thereon.
The control system may activate the engine and the clutch in order to support steering so that the variation of the sum of the drive torques generated on the drive axle wheels over time is constant. This arrangement may prevent vehicle responses that are unexpected by the driver.
In a vehicle that is equipped with an activatable additional drive axle, the control system may activate the additional drive axle and a steering-supporting braking torque may also be generated on the wheel inside the curve of the activatable drive axle and a steering-supporting drive torque may be generated on the wheel outside the curve of the activatable drive axle in order to achieve steering support. With this measure, in vehicles with a plurality of drive axles, for example, off-road vehicles or all-wheel drive vehicles, the turning radius, for example, for parking or maneuvering, may be significantly reduced.
A center differential may be provided, which causes the rotational speed to be distributed between the driven front axle and the driven rear axle, this center differential having a differential lock that may be controlled by the control system, the control system operating this differential lock in order to lock the center differential and generate the steering-supporting drive torques. With this measure, constant speed ratios may be guaranteed at the front axle and the rear axle in order to achieve reproducibility of the steering-supporting action of the brake interventions and of drive torque generation.
According to an example embodiment of the present invention, in a vehicle having an electronic traction control system, for example, ABS, ASR, ESP, the control system may be integrated in this traction control system in terms of its hardware and/or implemented in this traction control system in terms of its software. With this measure, in a vehicle having a traction control system, a steering-supporting braking torque, for example, in order to reduce the turning radius or improve maneuverability, may be implemented without requiring additional units to be installed in the vehicle. In the simplest case, it is sufficient to implement a software module in the traction control system. This arrangement makes it possible to retrofit the steering braking system function in a vehicle having a traction control system with minimum expenditure.
It should be understood that the above-named features and those to be explained in detail below may be used not only in the combination described, but also in other combinations or by themselves without departing from the scope of the present invention.


A method is described for controlled bending of a pipeline during the laying thereof in the sea, utilizing bend controlling/stopping means which are mounted on the pipeline as a sleeve and interact with the pipeline. To achieve cold bending under controlled conditions, the pipeline is weight loaded internally at the selected bending zone. The weight loading may be achieved by means of a flexible string of weight elements and/or by introducing into the pipe a suitable heavy, readily flowable weight mass, for example, drilling fluid.

Steel pipelines to be laid on the bottom of the sea cannot be pre-formed or pre-adapted to the contour of the sea floor. This is because of the laying or installation procedure that must be used.
There may be tolerated a certain degree of unevenness over which the pipeline is capable of spanning or bending, provided the specific load does not produce excessively high tensile stresses in the steel. If tensile stresses exceed allowable limits, the pipeline could be deformed permanently, either by buckling or cold bending, or both. Should cold bending occur, it could propagate uncontrollably. Requirements set by classification societies for construction and operation of offshore pipelines permit a certain degree of cold bending provided that this takes place under controlled conditions. Parameters for such controlled conditions entail that a pipeline may be cold bent to a minimum radius equating to 2% strain, which is 10 times the value allowed for elastic conditions.
Pipelines to be laid on an uneven sea floor are subjected to free span because of the excessive rigidity of the pipeline. If the steel material in the pipeline wall is strained within elastic limits, a stretching of 0.2% is usually allowable. Specifications used for offshore pipelines, however, permit plastic deformation of up to 2.0% extension provided positive measures are taken to ensure that this value is not exceeded once yielding has commenced. By allowing plastic deformation, it is possible to reduce to a considerable degree the occurrence of free spanning. Deformation may be achieved by overloading the pipeline with respect to its bending capacity, by increasing the weight.
Marine pipelines having a diameter of more than 12 inches usually require a concrete coating to achieve negative buoyancy, which is necessary if the pipeline is to be submerged and also maintain a stable state with respect to the sea current. Plastic deformation of a pipeline having a weight coating of concrete will cause the concrete to crack and break loose.

Method of controlled bending of a pipeline during laying thereof in the sea