A sheath device comprises a substantially rigid elongated body adapted to receive a chest tube. The body includes a first end and a second end, flexible seal at the first end, and an air-impermeable flexible joint at the second end. A base having a first side and a second side is provided at the joint, wherein the first side is connected with the flexible joint and the second side includes an adhesive for securing the base to a patient""s chest. A method of preventing pneumothorax in a patient having a chest tube removed comprises attaching the sheath device to the patient""s chest at the time of the chest tube placement, later withdrawing the chest tube into the airtight chamber of the sheath, and sealing the sheath device. Removing the base and flexible joint of the sheath device from the body of the sheath device leaves an air-impermeable dressing on the patient""s chest.

In a healthy person, the pleural chest cavity is generally an airtight, airless environment. During normal respiration, the contraction of the diaphragm increases the volume of the cavity, which in turn decreases the pressure therein and causes the lungs to expand. Normally, air cannot enter or escape the pleural cavity.
Patients who have fluid or air in this cavity may be treated by inserting a chest tube into the pleural cavity to drain this fluid or air. The chest tube typically comprises a plastic tube having drainage holes at its tip and in a section of its sidewall and is inserted through an incision in the wall of the patient""s chest. Ordinarily, the tube is connected to a collection container for holding the drained fluids. When the cavity of a given patient has been drained and the underlying cause of the fluid buildup has been addressed, the chest tube must be removed from the patient. This is done conventionally by withdrawing the tube and suturing the incision closed. In some patients, most notably children, no suturing is done, and petroleum jelly is used to seal the opening around the chest tube during the withdrawal of the tube. A gauze dressing is then placed over the incision and secured to the skin. However, if an inspiration occurs while the tube is partially pulled or before the incision is sealed, air can enter the pleural cavity due to the negative pressure therein.
Pneumothorax, or the passage of air into the pleural cavity, is undesirable because it allows the chest cavity to lose pressurization and decreases the expansion capability of the lungs. Complications of pneumothorax can include the collapse of part or all of a lung caused by pressure from free air in the chest cavity between the two layers of the pleura, which are thin membranes that cover the lung. Further complications associated with pneumothorax include respiratory failure and lung infection. Hospitalization and treatment with special equipment following minor surgery may be necessary for patients who suffer from pneumothorax.
Pneumothorax risk while removing a chest tube from a patient may be minimized by limiting the amount of air that can enter the chest cavity during and after removal of the tube. Ordinarily, upon removal of the chest tube from the body, a doctor or technician will attempt to hold the opening into the chest closed with the hand while undertaking to suture or bandage the opening. In many cases, however, the dressing placed over the opening is not completely air impermeable, or the attendant may have difficulty holding the opening closed while suturing the opening. While the pressure leaks may be minimal, these procedures are cumbersome to undertake, and the relatively minor leaks may compromise pressurization within the chest cavity and cause the patient some distress while breathing. More seriously, dressings or sutures may become completely undone, thereby allowing the cavity to depressurize more rapidly. This would, of course, more severely affect the ability of the patient to respirate properly and complicate a pneumothorax condition.
In accordance with the present invention, a combination sheath and dressing device is provided for use in assisting in the removal of chest tubes from patients and the dressing of the tube incision in the chest. The device allows a chest tube to be removed without allowing air into the chest cavity during the removal process, and facilitates the healing of the chest incision after the tube is removed. The device preferably includes an air-impermeable base dressing which is placed over the opening into the chest cavity. The base is connected to a tubular housing for receiving a conventional chest tube. The housing, which is attached to the dressing via a flexible boot structure, is used to allow some movement of the chest tube within the housing while maintaining pressure in the chest cavity. The flexible boot allows the dressing to be closed without compromising the pleural airspace.
In one aspect of the invention, a sheath device comprises a substantially rigid elongated body adapted to receive a chest tube. The body includes a first end and a second end, flexible seal at the first end, and an airimpermeable flexible joint at the second end. A base having a first side and a second side is provided at the joint, wherein the first side is connected with the flexible joint and the second side includes an adhesive for securing the base to a patient""s chest. The base provides an air-impermeable connection between the flexible joint and a patient""s chest cavity.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of preventing pneumothorax in a patient having a chest tube removed is provided. The method includes the steps of attaching to the patient""s chest an airimpermeable sheath device having a body, a joint, and a base such that the flexible joint and the base are removable from the body, and removing the chest tube through the sheath device. After the chest tube is pulled out of the patient""s chest and before the chest tube is entirely removed from the sheath device, a portion of the device is sealed and separated, thereby leaving an air-impermeable dressing over the patient""s chest.
In still another aspect of the invention, a sheath device for use on a patient having a chest tube inserted into the patient""s chest cavity includes a substantially rigid, hollow, air-impermeable body configured to fit snugly around a chest tube. The body includes a first end and a second end, seal at the first end of the body, an air-impermeable flexible sealable joint at the second end of the body, and a base. The base includes a first side and a second side, and the first side is connected with the flexible joint. The second side includes an adhesive for securing the base to the patient""s chest, and the base provides an air-impermeable connection between the flexible joint and the patient""s chest cavity. The flexible joint and base together may form an air-impermeable dressing on the patient""s chest.
The present invention provides the foregoing and other features, and the advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Sheath device with dressing for prevention of pneumothorax


Structured data sets including one or more attributes are identified, each structured data set associated with, for example, a particular user. Values corresponding the at least one of the one or more attributes in each structured data set are identified. A condition established by a content provider, for instance, an advertiser, is compared to the identified values to determine if the condition is satisfied. When the condition is satisfied, one or more content items are identified to the users associated with the structured data sets containing identified values satisfying the condition.

The subject matter of this application is generally related to information presentation.
Advertising using traditional media, such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines, is well known. Unfortunately, even when armed with demographic studies and entirely reasonable assumptions about the typical audience of various media outlets, advertisers recognize that a non-trivial portion of their ad budget is simply wasted. Moreover, it is very difficult to identify and eliminate such waste. Recently, advertising over more interactive media has become popular. For example, as the number of people using the Internet has exploded, advertisers have come to appreciate media and services offered over the Internet as a potentially powerful way to advertise.
Web site-based advertisements ("ads" also referred to as "Web ads") are some times presented to their advertising audience in the form of "banner ads"—i.e., a rectangular box that includes graphic components. When a member of the advertising audience (hereinafter referred to as a "viewer" or "user" without loss of generality) selects one of these banner ads by clicking on it, embedded hypertext links typically direct the viewer to the advertiser's Web site. This process, wherein the viewer selects an ad, is commonly referred to as a "click-through" ("click-through" is intended to cover any user selection). The ratio of the number of click-throughs to the number of impressions of the ad (i.e., the number of times an ad is displayed) is commonly referred to as the "click-through rate" of the ad.
Online social networks have become popular for professional and/or social networking, and are thus popular locations for placing advertisements. Some online social networks provide content items that may be of interest to users, including identification of other users and/or groups that may of interest to a user. Advertisement placement on social networking sites is challenging because such sites have users with many different interests. Accordingly, many advertisements, e.g., advertisements directed to particular products, may not be of interest to many users of an online social network.


In a speaker grille formed of a synthetic resin, including a grille plate having a plurality of through holes and a frame integrally formed with the grille plate so as to surround the outer periphery of the grille plate, a ring-shaped groove is formed between the grille plate and the frame so as to extend along the inner periphery of the frame. In molding the speaker grille, the flow of the resin is blocked by a ring-shaped dam provided in a metal mold to form the ring-shaped groove. Accordingly, the speaker grille can be beautifully molded without the generation of appearance defects such as flow mark, weld, and short. Further, in forming through holes also at the boundary between the grille plate and the frame, there is no problem in strength of the metal mold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a speaker grille for covering the surface of an audio speaker installed in an automobile compartment or any other types of speaker. The speaker grille is integrally formed of a synthetic resin to include a grille plate having a plurality of through holes and a frame for supporting the outer periphery of the grille plate. This invention also relates to a molding method for the speaker grille. More particularly, the present invention relates to a speaker grille which can eliminate the generation of appearance defects such as flow mark, weld, and short in molding to thereby obtain a beautiful appearance. It must be molded by using a metal mold advantageous in strength, and also relates to a molding method for the speaker grille.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a speaker grille for covering the surface of an audio speaker installed in an automobile compartment or any other types of speaker is constructed of a frame formed of a synthetic resin and punching metal or a metal lattice plate fixed to the frame. Such a speaker grille has disadvantages in parts cost and assembly (mounting) cost because it is composed of a plurality of parts.
FIG. 8 shows another type of known speaker grille integrally formed of a synthetic resin to include a grille plate 1 having a plurality of through holes 2 and a frame 3 for supporting the outer periphery of the grille plate 1 (such a speaker grille will be hereinafter referred to as an integral speaker grille). In obtaining a relatively large speaker grille of this type as shown in FIG. 9, it is also known that a lattice-shaped reinforcing rib 4 is integrally formed on the back surface of the grille plate 1 to obtain sufficient strength.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10, it is also known that the through holes 2 such as punched holes or latticed holes are formed also at the boundary between the grille plate 1 and the frame 3 to make the design of the integral speaker grille similar to that of the speaker grille having a punching metal or a metal lattice plate fixed to the frame.
Such an integral speaker grille is molded by combining an upper mold (a half mold for molding the front surface of the speaker grille) having in its cavity a plurality of pins for forming the through holes 2 and a lower mold (another half mold for molding the back surface of the speaker grille) having in its cavity a groove for forming the reinforcing rib 4 as required, and then injecting a molding resin usually from the lower mold side into the metal mold composed of the upper mold and the lower mold, to avoid that a gate mark (resin injection hole mark) may be left on the front surface of the speaker grille. In some cases, a third metal mold for molding the frame 3 around the grille plate 1 is combined with the combined upper mold and lower mold.
Further, the present applicant has already proposed another type of integral speaker grille (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 5-346365) as shown in FIG. 5. This integral speaker grille further includes a sound transmitting sheet 8 integrally provided between the grille plate 1 and the reinforcing rib 4. The speaker grille as shown in FIG. 5 is formed by disposing the sound transmitting sheet 8 such as a sheet of nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, or knitted fabric between the lower mold having the groove for forming the reinforcing rib 4 and the upper mold having the plural pins, and then injecting a molding resin from the lower mold side to pass the resin through the sheet to fill the cavity defined by the upper mold and the lower mold with the resin.
However, these integral speaker grilles in the related art have a problem in moldability. That is, appearance defects such as flow mark, weld, and short are prone to generate in molding the speaker grille. Specifically, since the plural pins for forming the punched holes or the latticed holes each having a small size are present in the cavity of the metal mold for molding the speaker grille, the molding resin injected from the lower mold side receives a large resistance during flowing in the cavity, causing insufficient filling of the cavity with the molding resin. As a result, short (cutout) is generated at a portion for forming the through holes of the grille plate, or weld and flow mark (marks of resin flow) are generated on the frame at many positions. Thus, the problem in appearance of the speaker grille is prone to occur.
This problem will now be described in more detail. In obtaining the speaker grille having the reinforcing rib 4 on the back surface of the grille plate 1 as shown in FIG. 9, the resin is charged from a central portion of the lower mold at several positions into the cavity of the metal mold. At this time, the resin is allowed to flow fast in the groove for forming the reinforcing rib 4 in the lower mold, which is lower in flow resistance than the upper mold having the plural pins. Accordingly, the resin flowing in the groove for forming the reinforcing rib 4 in the lower mold early reaches a frame forming portion around a grille plate forming portion, and the frame forming portion is filled with resin earlier than the grille plate forming portion. Thereafter, the grille plate forming portion in the upper mold is filled with resin. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the resin a lately reached the outer periphery of the grille plate 1, as shown by reference characters, flows into the frame forming portion already filled with the resin (see small arrows in FIG. 7), thus causing the generation of weld and flow mark. Furthermore, since the resin a flowing in the upper mold tends to flow from a portion where it has reached the outer periphery of the grille plate 1 into the frame forming portion, the resin a is not spread enough to a portion shown by reference character c in FIG. 7 where the flows of the resin a radially spread from resin injecting gates b are not overlapped each other. Accordingly, the portion c is not filled enough with the resin a, causing the generation of short (cutout). In the speaker grille having the sound transmitting sheet 8 between the grille plate 1 and the reinforcing rib 4 as shown in FIG. 5, the sheet 8 increases the flow resistance to cause a large difference in flow speed of the resin between the upper mold and the lower mold, which makes more remarkable the generation of weld, flow mark, and short.
Further, a similar problem sometimes occurs also in the speaker grille not having the reinforcing rib 4 on the back surface of the grille plate 1 not so frequently as in the speaker grille having the reinforcing rib 4. Specifically, the resin charged from the central portion of the lower mold into the cavity in molding the speaker grille not having the reinforcing rib 4 is radially outwardly spread. At this time, the resin is not always uniformly spread in such a manner as to be spread fast at a certain portion, for example, elliptically spread. Accordingly, the resin reaching the frame forming portion flows into the frame early forming portion having a low flow resistance, and the frame forming portion is filled with the resin. Thereafter, the grille plate forming portion is filled with the resin, resulting in the occurrence of the similar problem.
In addition to the problem in moldability of the integral speaker grille as mentioned above, there is another problem in handlability of the metal mold in obtaining the speaker grille having the through holes 2 also at the boundary between the grille plate 1 and the frame 3 as shown in FIG. 10. That is, the pins for forming the through holes 2 at the boundary between the grille plate 1 and the frame 3 are very thin so that each pin has a semicircular shape in cross section or the like. Accordingly, in removing a molding from the metal mold, the pins are prone to break.

Speaker grille and molding method therefor


A light source includes an arc tube which emits light, a reflector which reflects the light emitted from the arc tube, and a holding unit which holds the reflector. The holding unit has an air supply port through which cooling air is introduced into the light source on the light emitting side of the arc tube, and a first rectifying portion which guides cooling air having been supplied from the air supply port and passed through the light emitting side of the arc tube toward an area above the arc tube.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a light source and a projector including the light source.
2. Related Art
A projector of a type which modulates light emitted from a light source to form an image and projects the formed image on a screen or the like is known. This projector includes a light source which has an arc tube and a reflector as a reflection mirror for reflecting light emitted from the arc tube. The arc tube has a light emitting portion containing a pair of electrodes, and sealing portions extending from both sides of the light emitting portion.
A light source having this structure in related art includes a cooling system which takes heat generation distribution of the arc tube into consideration so as to prevent loss of transparency and blacking and allow prolongation of life of the light source. For example, a technology currently proposed introduces cooling air into the light source and guides the introduced air toward the inside of the reflector by using a concave surface of a concave lens to cool an area around the arc tube (see JP-A-2005-70216). Another related-art cooling system has an air supply port on the reflector and guides air introduced through the air supply port from an area above the arc tube toward an area below the arc tube (see JP-A-2004-342599).
According to the technologies disclosed in JP-A-2005-70216 and JP-A-2004-342599, a flow path of cooling air to be introduced into the light source is formed such that the air passes the sealing members constituting the arc tube. However, there is a possibility that the air only cools a part of the arc tube depending on the structure of the flow path, resulting in non-uniform temperature distribution around the arc tube. In this case, the halogen cycle becomes inefficient, and thus loss of transparency or blacking of the arc tube is caused. Accordingly, these technologies are unsatisfactory as a cooling system. In addition, according to the cooling system disclosed in JP-A-2004-342599, the process of forming an opening on the reflector and producing the air supply port thereon is needed.
Furthermore, the technologies described above cannot provide an appropriate cooling condition inside the light source which is included in a projector suspended from the ceiling and installed upside down during use.

Light source having a holding unit with air supply port for cooling air and projector


An image processing apparatus includes a focus lens, an image sensor which captures an image and a controller which moves the image sensor or the focus lens. A distance measurer measures a distance to a subject based on a first image and a second image. A focal position moves for the first focal range by moving the image sensor or by moving the position of the focus lens during the first exposure time period, and the focal position moves for the second focal range by moving the image sensor or by moving the position of the focus lens during the second exposure time period.

1. Technical Field
The present invention particularly relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing method for measuring a depth of a scene based on a plurality of images captured from a single viewpoint.
2. Background Art
Various techniques have been suggested for measuring, without contact, a depth of a three-dimensional scene, that is, a distance to each subject. Such techniques can be largely classified into a positive technique and a passive technique. The positive technique is to irradiate the subject with infrared rays, ultrasound, or laser, and calculate a distance to the subject based on a length of time until a wave which is reflected returns or an angle of the reflected wave. The passive technique is to calculate the distance based on an image of the subject. Particularly, in the case of using a camera to measure the distance to the subject, the passive technique which does not require an apparatus for emitting infrared rays and so on is widely used.
Various passive techniques have been suggested, one of which is referred to as Depth from Defocus (DFD) which is a technique to measure the distance based on a blur generated by focus change. DFD has features such as not requiring a plurality of cameras, allowing distance measurement using a small number of images, and so on.
DFD is a distance measuring technique using image blur, but there is a problem that it is extremely difficult to judge, from the captured image alone, whether the blur in the captured image was caused by change in lens focus or whether an original image which represents a state without lens-derived blur has a blurred texture from the beginning.
To deal with this, Patent Literature 1 discloses a distance measuring method independent of a spectral component of the original image, which is to compare a ratio between each of a plurality of captured images in a spatial frequency spectrum and a ratio of the blur corresponding to the depth of the scene in spatial frequency spectrum.
On the other hand, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique to obtain a reference image corresponding to the original image by capturing a large number of images by changing focus and extracting only focused portions of the images. The distance is measured by configuring a scale space in which various blurs are convolved into this reference image and comparing the reference image and captured image on the scale space. In short, the distance measurement is performed by comparing the degrees of blur of the reference image and the captured image.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method


A silicon wafer includes a denuded zone which is a surface layer and of which the density of vacancy-oxygen complexes which are complexes of vacancies and oxygen is less than 1.0×1012/cm3. An intermediate layer is disposed inwardly of the denuded zone so as to be adjacent to the denuded zone. The density of the vacancy-oxygen complexes in the intermediate layer increases gradually inwardly in the depth direction from the boundary with the denuded zone within a range of 1.0×1012/cm3 or over and less than 5.0×1012/cm3. The intermediate layer has a depth determined corresponding to the depth of the denuded zone. A bulk layer is disposed inwardly of the intermediate layer so as to be adjacent to the intermediate layer. The density of the vacancy-oxygen complexes in the bulk layer is 5.0×1012/cm3 or over.

With an increasing degree of integration and increasing performance of today's semiconductor devices, higher quality is required for silicon wafers (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafers") used as substrates for semiconductor devices.
Specifically, it is required that a denuded zone (hereinafter referred to as the "DZ layer"), which forms the surface layer of the wafer in which semiconductor devices are formed, is completely free of oxygen precipitates which are compounds of silicon and oxygen that dissolves into the silicon crystal during growth of the silicon crystal from a crucible for storing silicon melt, and also completely free of void defects which are aggregates of vacancies introduced into the crystal during growth of the crystal. This is because oxygen precipitates could act as leak current sources and deteriorate the electrical properties of the semiconductor devices, while void defects could form dents in the surface of the wafer which could result in the breakage of wiring formed on the surface.
On the other hand, it is required that in the bulk layer, disposed deeper than the DZ layer, oxygen precipitates exist at a density higher than a predetermined level. This is because, while the oxygen precipitates in the DZ layer deteriorate, as explained above, the electrical properties of the semiconductor devices, the oxygen precipitates in the bulk layer serve as gettering sources to remove heavy metals that adhere to the surface of the wafer, thus improving the electrical properties of the device, and also increase the mechanical strength of the wafer by preventing dislocation that could cause plastic deformation during heat treatment of the wafer.
The density distribution of the oxygen precipitates in the wafer depth direction largely depends heavily on the distribution, in the wafer depth direction, of point defects (especially vacancies) that form during a high-temperature rapid thermal process (hereinafter abbreviated to "RTP") performed on wafers. In JP Patent Publication 2009-16864A, a wafer sliced from a crystal grown by the Czochralski process is subjected to RTP in an argon or hydrogen atmosphere (see paragraph 0037 of JP Patent Publication 2009-16864A). The wafer formed by such RTP is free of oxygen precipitates in the DZ layer, while oxygen precipitates exist in sufficient density in the bulk region of this wafer (see FIGS. 7A-8 of JP Patent Publication 2009-16864A).


In order to retain the press element (9) in a roll baling press (1) in a stable shape corresponding to the minimum size of the press chamber after a movable part (3) of the press has been closed, the press element (9) consists of an inherently stiff rubber or plastic web capable of forming a self-supported loop (SM) corresponding to the minimum size of the press chamber. At the beginning of the winding operation there is thus no interference by laterally disposed components, resulting in optimum operating conditions.

The present invention relates to a roll baling press.
In a roll baling press known from EP-A-No. 1,156,041, the press element is an endless web consisting of two lateral link chains and a plurality of transverse rods extending therebetween. The press element is guided on a plurality of spaced rollers in the circumferential direction of the press chamber. Provided adjacent the inlet of the press chamber are two return rollers for the formation therebetween of a loop the size of which increases up to the maximum size of the press chamber. In the empty and closed state of the press chamber, the press element is supported by cam members engaging it from lateral directions, so that the loop is retained in a state corresponding to the minimum size of the press chamber. After the winding of the harvest product in the press chamber has been started, resulting in the formation of a roll bale of increasing size, the press element forming the loop is lifted off the cam elements and subsequently supported by the roll bale. During this stage the winding operation and the rotation of the roll bale are gravely hampered by the lateral engagement of the cam members.
In other known roll baling presses having a variable-volume press chamber, the press chamber is defined by a plurality of belts extending side by side. In the empty and closed state of the press chamber it is then extremely difficult to support the belts in such a manner that the start of the roll bale winding operation is not hampered and that none of the harvest product drops out between the belts.
A roll baling press having a variable-volume press chamber as known from U.S. Pat. No. 23 36 491 is provided with two endless press elements each consisting of a single web of a flexible material. A gap formed between the two press elements at the outlet side always permits a certain amount of the harvest product to be entrained outwards as the roll bale is being wound. At the beginning of the winding operation there is no press chamber of minimum size available, so that the initial winding of the core of the roll bale to be formed is retarded, resulting in localized excessive compaction or in a backup of the harvest product, respectively. This roll baling press is not capable of continuous operation, because the harvest product feed has to be interrupted by stopping the roll baling press as the finished roll bale is being tied and ejected.

P. J. Zweegers en Zonen Landbouwmachinefabriek B.V.


A circuit array for frequency translation by means of quadrature heterodyne signals has very low quadrature errors even at very high frequencies and is monolithically integratable with little external circuitry. The circuit array includes a first mixer which receives a first portion of an input signal, a second mixer which receives a second portion of the input signal, and a heterodyne signal generator which receives a local oscillator signal and supplies quadrature heterodyne signals to the mixers. The heterodyne signal generator includes a control loop to ensure a 90.degree. phase shift between the quadrature heterodyne signals. The circuit array can be used in a modulator for a transmitter or in a demodulator for a receiver.

The invention relates to a circuit for frequency translation, and more particularly to a circuit for translating a useful or input signal with a heterodyne signal using the principle of quadrature signal processing in a modulator or demodulator.
In modern communications and position-finding systems, an evaluation by amount and phase frequently takes place in the receiver. For computation of the phase information, orthogonal splitting of the receiver signal into an in-phase branch (I) and a quadrature branch (Q) is necessary. A circuit unit generating the two quadrature signals by a complex mixture with subsequent low-pass filtration is designated a quadrature or vector demodulator.
Digitalizable baseband signals are mostly generated from an intermediate frequency signal using the quadrature demodulator. In principle, however, the received signal can be translated in one step from a high frequency signal to the baseband by means of coherent or asynchronous direct mixing.
In a corresponding manner, the principle of quadrature signal processing is applied to generate a transmission signal from a useful signal and from a heterodyne signal in a modulator. Circuits for modulators and demodulators can be constructed using identical principles as regards their substantial aspects.


A system and method for measuring the operation of a device is disclosed. A plurality of virtual sensors which define a multi-dimensional virtual sensor space sense the operation of the device. A normal operation determiner determines at least one region of normal operation for the device. An abnormal condition determiner provides a warning when the operation does not fall within the normal operation region which is defined within the multi-dimensional virtual sensor space. A maintenance method and system are also disclosed for maintaining at least one device. The maintenance system includes a measurement system and an abnormality processor. The measurement system measures the operation of the device and provides an indication of when the device is not operating normally. The abnormality processor predicts, based on the output of the measurement system, when the device is likely to fail.

Businesses which have equipment therein typically have a maintenance schedule for maintaining the equipment. For some businesses, the maintenance schedule is virtually non-existent; equipment is maintained or fixed only when it fails in some way. When a critical machine fails in such a factory, the entire production process may come to a stop.
Some businesses solve this problem by performing preventive maintenance wherein they replace parts of machines at certain, predetermined intervals, whether or not the parts are close to failing. This avoids many failures. However, perfectly good parts are often unnecessarily replaced.
Other businesses have computerized their maintenance systems by using sensors, connected to computers, to measure the operation of their machines. The computers typically alert the maintenance personnel when the sensors detect a failure of some part of the machine.
Although the computerized systems detect where failures occur, easing the job of repairing the failure, the computerized systems do not generally provide a lot of warning that a failure is about to occur.
Device monitoring systems, using single or multiple sensors, are known, some of which are described in the article, "Empirical Models for Intelligent Data Validation" produced by Halliburton NUS Environmental Corporation of Idaho Falls, Id., U.S.A. The systems described in the article use reference data, collected when the device being monitored was operating as desired, to define a model of "normal device behavior". Later output data, as a result of later input signals, are compared to model output produced from the same input signals and an alert is provided if the model output does not match the real output data.

System and method for measuring the operation of a device


An apparatus, program product and method track concurrent uses of a computer program across a plurality of logical partitions in a logically partitioned computer, such that a decision as to whether to grant or deny a request to use the computer program in a particular logical partition may be made based upon whether the requested use, coupled with other uses in other logical partitions in the computer, would violate a concurrent use software license associated with the computer program. As such, the license restrictions of a concurrent use software license can be enforced on a logically partitioned computer regardless of the particular logical partitions within which a computer program executes.

Concurrent use licenses are routinely used in the software industry as a convenient and often cost-effective manner of providing computer software to customers. Unlike other types of licenses that typically limit the number of copies of a computer program that can be installed on a customer's computers, a concurrent use license typically limits how many users can access or use a computer program at one time. While other applications of concurrent use licenses exist, one particularly beneficial application is in networked computer systems where multiple copies of a computer program are executed on a server or other multi-user computer accessible by multiple users. In such a system, a customer can often license a computer program for a fee that is based upon the number of users that the customer expects will need access to the computer program at one time, which is often significantly lower than the total number of users having access to the system.
Software-based license managers are conventionally used on multi-user computers and the like to restrict the use of computer programs based upon the terms of concurrent use licenses associated with those computer programs. With a software-based license manager, uses of a computer program are tracked for a given computer, and requests to use the computer program are automatically granted or denied based upon the number of other uses being tracked by the license manager.
A number of conventional license managers rely on the use of software "keys" to handle requests to use computer programs. Specifically, when a customer licenses a computer program, the customer is provided with a software code that includes a product identifier (which identifies the licensed computer program), a machine identifier (which identifies the particular computer upon which the computer program will execute), and a license identifier (which identifies the license terms, e.g., the allowed maximum number of concurrent users for the computer program). The key is also typically encrypted so that the information contained therein cannot be modified by the customer or others to defeat the license restrictions.
When the computer program is installed on the customer's computer, the software key is provided to the license manager on the computer, and the license manager verifies that the product is indeed licensed for the computer by comparing the machine identifier in the key with that maintained in the computer. Subsequent requests by users to use the computer program are then handled by the license manager to limit the number of concurrent uses to that specified in the key.
With many licence management schemes, the machine identifier is tied to a unique and non-modifiable identifier associated with the underlying computer hardware (e.g., the computer's serial number) to prevent an unauthorized party from changing the machine identifier for a computer to match that of an authorized computer and illegally installing a computer program, originally licensed for the authorized computer, on the unauthorized computer. However, tying the machine identifier to a serial number or other unique identifier for the underlying computer hardware can introduce a significant management problem when the computer utilizes logical partitioning.
Specifically, with logical partitioning, a single physical computer is permitted to operate essentially like multiple and independent "virtual" computers (referred to as logical partitions), with the various resources in the physical computer (e.g., processors, memory, input/output devices, etc.) allocated among the various logical partitions by a shared partition manager, often also referred to as a "hypervisor". Each logical partition executes a separate operating system, and from the perspective of users and of the software executing on the logical partition, operates as a fully independent computer.
Given the independence of logical partitions, conventional approaches to license management utilize a separate license manager in each logical partition to handle the license management operations for the applications residing within the logical partition. Despite the logical independence of the logical partitions, however, the logical partitions still share the same machine identifier given that they reside on the same underlying computer hardware.
As a result, with conventional approaches a customer may be able to use the same software key to install a licensed computer program on multiple logical partitions on the same physical computer. Furthermore, such license managers, which are typically the same programs used on non-partitioned computers, have no capability to determine whether a particular program is currently in use in other partitions. Consequently, while the license manager in each logical partition may limit the number of concurrent uses within that logical partition to match the license restrictions set forth in the software key, the aggregate number of concurrent uses across all of the logical partitions may exceed the license restrictions. In essence, the license restrictions are defeated simply by installing a program on multiple logical partitions.
Therefore, a significant need exists for an improved manner of managing concurrent use licenses in a logically partitioned computer, and specifically to manage the number of concurrent uses of a computer program across multiple logical partitions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Management of a concurrent use license in a logically-partitioned computer

International Business Machines Corporation


A system for managing an information technology (IT) resource comprises a managed object that represents the resource. At least one management interface is associated with the managed object. The management interface is configured with at least one component that represents a management feature for the resource. An attribute associated with the at least one component in the management interface indicates the presence of the management feature to a manager. The system provides a common, consistent facility for accessing management features of resources represented by a managed object configured with one or more management interfaces. The management interfaces allow manager to access information to monitor, audit, and control various aspects of the resources. Managers can also use information in the management interfaces to determine management attributes and relationships among related managed objects.

Today, information technology (IT) resources are managed using a variety of incompatible and often proprietary interfaces and protocols. Requirements for management information regarding the resources need to be specifically programmed to address new resources and in many cases the specific programming is not updated as new versions of the IT resources become available.
The problem of managing disparate IT resources is becoming more acute as systems are increasingly developed using IT resources that are deployed in remote locations and accessed via information networks, such as the Internet. Generally, the resources to be managed are not readily identifiable when the resources are highly distributed and independent of one another. Further, it is difficult to obtain information regarding properties and attributes of the resources, and protocols for exchanging management information with the resources. A further difficulty lies in determining the relationships among the resources used in a system to pinpoint operational problems when one or more of the resources do not respond as expected.
The term Web services, also referred to herein as "services", describes an approach to distributed computing in which interactions are carried out through the exchange of eXtensible Markup Language (XML) messages. Web services can perform any task that can be described and contained within one or more modules of code. Essentially any transaction or bit of business logic can become a Web service if it can be accessed and used by another system over the Internet.
A Web service is a software system identified by a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) whose public interfaces and bindings are typically defined and described in an XML document. The description can be discovered by other software systems. These systems may then interact with the Web service in a manner prescribed by its definition, using XML based messages conveyed by Internet protocols.
The Web services architecture is based upon the interactions between three primary roles: service provider, service registry, and service requester. These roles interact using publish, find and bind operations. The service provider is the entity that provides access to the Web service and publishes the service description in a service registry. The service requester finds the service description in a service registry and can use the information in the description to bind to a service.
Web services typically send XML messages formatted in accordance with the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) specification. The SOAP specification is a universally agreed-upon protocol that can use XML and HTTP together to invoke functions exposed in Web services.
The XML messages are described using the Web Services Description Language (WSDL) specification, which, along with the Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry, provides a definition of the interface to a Web service and identifies service providers in a network. The WSDL specification is an XML-based language used to define Web services and describe how to access them. An application trying to use a particular Web Service can often use WSDL to find the location of the Web service, the function calls available, and the format that must be followed to access the Web service. Therefore, the client first obtains a copy of the WSDL file from the server and then uses the information in this file to format a SOAP request.
The UDDI registry supports Web services by providing a place for a company to register its business and the Web services that it offers. Users that need a Web service can use this registry to find a business that provides the service.
It is not uncommon for systems that manage IT resources to be responsible for monitoring and/or controlling hundreds or even thousands of resources. Current systems do not provide a common, consistent facility for accessing management features of the IT resources. Further, the systems do not include facility to allow a manager to dynamically discover resources that can be managed and the management features that are available for a particular resource. Current systems also do not provide facilities for determining resources that are related to a discovered resource, and whether or not the related resources can also be managed.

System and method for discovering managed information technology resources

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The rubber composition of the present invention comprises a rubber component which is a blend rubber of a copolymer rubber and other diene based rubbers or the copolymer rubber alone, the copolymer rubber having a glass transition temperature of -60.degree. C. or higher, a styrene content of 15 to 30% by weight and a vinyl content of 40 to 70% of a butadiene portion and the blend rubber comprising 55 parts by weight or more of the copolymer rubber and 45 parts by weight or less of the other diene based rubbers in 100 parts by weight of the rubber component; 20 to 100 parts by weight of silica per 100 parts by weight of the rubber component; 0 to 100 parts by weight of carbon black per 100 parts by weight of the rubber component, a ratio by weight of the amount of the silica to the amount of the carbon black being 1:1 to 1:0; and, in an amount of 1 to 20% by weight of the amount of silica, a specific silane coupling agent which is a bis(alkoxysilylalkyl) polysulfide having a specific polysulfide structure with a specific distribution of sulfur. The obtained rubber composition has excellent workability. The pneumatic tire using this rubber composition shows improved uniformity and abrasion resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rubber composition and to a pneumatic tire using said rubber composition, and more particularly, to a rubber composition showing improved workability due to suppressing an increase with time in Mooney viscosity of a mixed rubber and improving shrinkage of the mixed rubber, and to a pneumatic tire using said rubber composition and having excellent uniformity and abrasion resistance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, because of social requirements to save energy and to save resources, and particularly to cut down fuel consumption of automobiles, much research has been carried out with respect to decreasing the rolling resistance of tires and many proposals have been made.
To further improve the low heat buildup property and the low rolling resistance of a rubber composition or a tire using the same, silica is generally used in the rubber composition and a silane coupling agent such as Si69 is also used in combination.
However, a rubber composition containing silica shows very large shrinkage, causing inferior workability. Generally in a process for producing a tire, an unvulcanized rubber composition is extruded to form a prescribed shape and the extruded composition is cut to lengths prescribed for various rubber parts of the tire in accordance with the tire size. However, a rubber composition containing silica shows large shrinkage causing changes in the length after being cut and workability in tire building deteriorates to a great degree. The shrinkage is larger in portions in the vicinity of the cut surfaces of the rubber parts. As the result, the rubber parts around joint portions have larger weights and this causes a decrease in the uniformity of the tire. A rubber composition containing silica has another drawback in that the abrasion resistance thereof is inferior.
A rubber composition containing silica and Si69 shows a large increase in Mooney viscosity with time after being prepared by mixing, and workability in the extrusion step is inferior.
As for the rubber composition containing silica and a silane coupling agent, it is disclosed in International Patent Application Laid-Open No. WO97/40095 that a rubber composition comprising a conventional rubber component, silica, a specific silane coupling agent and various types of silica dispersion improvers can suppress formation of blisters during extrusion at high temperatures, prevent formation of gel, improve dispersion of silica without decreasing workability and provide a tire having excellent abrasion resistance, low heat buildup property and low rolling resistance. However, it is desired that an increase with time in Mooney viscosity of a mixed rubber composition be suppressed and shrinkage be decreased, to improve the workability and uniformity of a tire. It is disclosed in International Patent Application Laid-Open No. WO97/40096 that a rubber composition comprising a conventional rubber component and a specific silane coupling agent shows an effect similar to that shown in International Patent Application Laid-Open No. WO97/40095. However, the same drawback as that described above remains. Similar rubber compositions are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (hereinafter, referred to as JP-A) Nos. 9-3245, 8-337687 and 8-333482. However, improvement in the workability and uniformity of a tire by suppressing an increase with time in Mooney viscosity of a rubber composition and by improving shrinkage is not sufficiently disclosed, not disclosed at all or not even suggested.

Rubber composition and pneumatic tire using the same rubber composition


The Geared Wheelchair Ramp is a wheelchair lift system designed to be a substitute for conventional ramps used to allow accessibility between floor levels. The key of the invention is a gearing system that allows the occupant of a modified wheelchair to go up or down moderate level changes under his own power using the same or less effort required for a conventional ramp. The advantage being that the geared wheelchair ramp requires only a small fraction of the space and is less expensive than a conventional ramp.

A. Field of the Invention
The geared wheelchair ramp is a system that allows a wheelchair 4 and its occupant to ascend and descend horizontal level changes either assisted or unassisted. The invention consists of simple modifications to the wheelchair 4 along with floor or wall mounted guide tracks 2,3 to support and direct the wheelchair 4. The wheelchair 4 is powered by the use of mechanical advantage gained by the use of small drive gears 5 mounted on the wheelchair drive wheels 7. The system is a direct replacement for conventional ramps 1 that requires only a fraction of the space while requiring the same amount of effort to make the level change. There are no motors or electric controls required, and when mounted in a stairway the system does not prevent the use of the stairway.
B. Description of Prior Art
The most common ways for a wheelchair occupant to transit between different horizontal levels are ramps, elevators, and mechanical lifts. Elevators and mechanical lifts use motors and guided cars or platforms to lift the wheelchair between floors. They rely upon an outside power source and are generally custom fabricated for each installation. Problems associated with both elevators and mechanical lifts include expense and lead-time requirements inherent in custom-made apparatus, and complexity of maintenance. The number of moving parts in such systems increases the likelihood of component failure and consequent downtime.
Ramps are simple inclined floor planes with handrails of prescribed height and configuration. The Federal Americans with Disabilities Act regulates the design of such ramps and sets maximum slope at twelve units of run for each unit of rise. The result is that very long ramps are required for only moderate level changes. The costs and space requirements involved are often prohibitive. Therefore, what is needed is a wheelchair lift system that functions like a ramp of accepted proportions, but that requires less space and is less expensive to install. Such a system should allow the wheelchair occupant to transit the level change using no more effort than what is required to use a conventional ramp, either with or without assistance. It must also not block the use of stairs and must be made of simple components which are easy to install in the field and have a minimum of moving parts. The result would be a system with the simplicity of a conventional ramp but that fits into the space of a mechanical lift or elevator.


A robot is provided with a dynamically controlled center of mass which is decoupled from the end effector. The robot is comprised of a moving arm including a redundant linkage of connecting links and joints coupled to an end effector. The movement of the links and joints of the robot are coordinated by a dynamic servo controller. The robot has at least twice as many degrees of freedom as the number of operating dimensions. Also, for each dimension of operation, there is one group of masses that moves in the same direction as the end effector and another group of masses capable of independently moving in the same or opposite direction. This separation of the motion of the center of mass from the motion of the end effector can be used to decrease reaction forces and to generate significant forces at the end effector.

Most dynamic tasks performed by robots involve manipulation with high accelerations and application of forces to the environment. However, these tasks depend on the joint torques of the robot and reaction forces to the robot's base. For the case of manipulating objects with high accelerations, the reaction forces can be quite high. Applying forces to the environment also can produce high reaction forces and in addition require that all of the joint torques create the applied force. The production of these reaction forces and the dependence on joint torques can significantly limit the robot's performance.
Many conventional robots use counterweights to eliminate reaction forces generated by robot manipulation. However, counterweights add significant mass to the system and require the use of more powerful motors. Thus, the use of counterweights is undesirable for high-speed manipulation.
Conventional robots apply forces by relying on torques at each joint and reaction forces to the base. Therefore, the limiting factors for producing a force with a conventional robot are the weakest joint torque and the maximum allowable reaction force. These limitations significantly reduce the possible performance of robots

Dynamic control of a robot with its center of mass decoupled from an end effector by a redundant linkage


The present invention relates to a shear for shearing laminar elements, flat material. This shear comprises at least one pair of blade-holders and associated blades which move substantially parallel to each other along straight lines which are spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other. The predetermined distance is computed as a function of the thickness of the material and the nature of the material which is to be sheared. The blades have cutting edges which, at the time of shearing, apply a pair of mutually perpendicular forces Fx and Fy to the material being sheared. The force Fy acts along a straight line perpendicular to a plane or surface through the material or upon which the material rests. It is along the straight line of the force Fy that the blade-holders and blades move during the shearing operation.

The present invention relates to a shear for shearing laminar elements, flat material or the like. This shear comprises at least one pair of blade-holders and associated blades which move substantially parallel to each other along straight lines which are spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other. The predetermined distance is computed as a function of the thickness of the material and the nature of the material which is to be sheared. The blades have cutting edges which, at the time of shearing, apply a pair of mutually perpendicular forces Fx and Fy to the material being sheared. The force Fy acts along a straight line perpendicular to a plane or surface through the material or upon which the material rests. It is along the straight line of the force Fy that the blade-holders and blades move during the shearing operation.

FIMI S.p.A. Fabbrica Impianti Macchine Industriali


A highly durable cathode component for a discharge lamp is provided. A cathode component for a discharge lamp includes a barrel having a wire diameter of 2 to 35 mm and a tapered front end, wherein the cathode component comprises a tungsten alloy containing 0.5 to 3% by weight, in terms of oxide (ThO2), of a thorium component, not less than 90% of tungsten crystals are accounted for by tungsten crystals having a grain size in the range of 1 to 80 μm, as observed in terms of an area ratio of 300 μm×300 μm in unit area in a circumferential cross section of the barrel, and are accounted for by tungsten crystals having a grain size in the range of 10 to 120 μm, as observed in terms of an area ratio of 300 μm×300 μm in unit area in a side cross section of the barrel.

Discharge lamps are classified roughly into low-pressure discharge lamps and high-pressure discharge lamps. Low-pressure discharge lamps include arc discharge-type discharge lamps, for example, general lightings, special lightings for use, for example, in roads and tunnels, coating material curing apparatuses, UV (ultraviolet) curing apparatuses, sterilizers, and light cleaning apparatuses, for example, for semiconductors. High-pressure discharge lamps include apparatuses for water supply and sewerage, general lightings, exterior lightings, for example, in stadiums, UV curing apparatuses, exposure devices, for example, for semiconductors and printed boards, wafer inspection apparatuses, high-pressure mercury lamps, for example, for projectors, metal halide lamps, ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamps, xenon lamps, and sodium lamps. Thus, discharge lamps are used for various apparatuses such as lighting apparatuses and production apparatuses.
Tungsten alloys containing thorium oxide (ThO2) have hitherto been used in cathode components for discharge lamps. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 226935/2002 discloses a thorium-containing tungsten alloy that has been improved in resistance to deformation by finely dispersing thorium and a thorium compound in a mean grain size of not more than 0.3 μm.


The device for breaking rocks includes a hollow cylindrical chamber having a closed lower end, a closed upper end and an access aperture in the closed upper end and an outer circumstantial surface. A cylindrical plunger is longitudinally-reciprocally disposed within the interior of the cylindrical chamber, has a converging portion and is biased to a retracted position. Four spools are equally disposed around the circumference of the cylindrical plunger, each spool including a converging upper end which is configured to be in slidable contact with the converging portion of the cylindrical plunger. Four hardened inserts are secured to an outer face of an associated spool. Each spool and secured hardened insert is biased to an inner retracted position. Hydraulic pressure is applied to the upper face of the cylindrical plunger to urge the converging portion to move downwardly, thereby urging the spools, together with the secured hardened inserts, radially-outwardly so that the hardened inserts project radially outwardly from the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical chamber whereby the radially-outwardly-projecting inserts can fracture a rock face.

Currently, rock quarries use a series of cored holes in rock faces and fill them with explosives. When these explosives are discharged, the flying debris becomes very dangerous and most of the time leaves the rock in large pieces, which must be exploded again into smaller, manageable pieces to be crushed The explosives are an expensive one-time use and are very hazardous to handle and ship. Furthermore, explosives are banned in areas, such as city limits, and in some areas of mines.
To overcome such problems, various rock drills have been suggested which are operated by pressure liquid One such prior art rock drill comprises a body to which a tool can be attached. The body includes a striking piston moving to and fro in a cylinder space, and a distributing valve located in a distributing tool. The piston and the distributing valve are operated by pressure liquid. The object of the distributing valve is to accomplish the motion of the piston to and fro. Because they avoid the use of explosives, such hydraulic splitters are now widely used in the mining industry.
However, the fact that the drive of a hydraulic splitter is located outside a borehole results in an increase in weight of the hydraulic splitter due to the need to increase thickness of walls of the hydraulic splitter upon an increase in pressure in its hydraulic system. This also substantially limits the field of application of hydraulic splitters. Maximum splitting force as the directional propagation of a fracture is only possible in the immediate vicinity to the working member. A concentration of load at the mouth of the borehole may cause surface spalling of a block rather than the formation of a predetermined splitting plane.
Also known in the art is a powered member having an axially-parting casing accommodating a coaxially-mounted flexible tubular chamber and a pair of spacer inserts, each located on the casing parting line side. The powered member has a pair of rings, each having a nipple designed for supplying fluid to the interior of the flexible chamber. Each end of the flexible chamber is disposed between the nipple and ring. A perforated tubular core is provided to extend in the interior of the flexible chamber along the longitudinal axis thereof. Each end of the core is made in the form of a nipple. Each ring is in the form of a bushing having an inner thread coupled to an outer thread of the nipple. The rings are thus rigidly secured to each other by means of the tubular core. The rings are designed for sealing the ends of the flexible chamber. When fluid under pressure is supplied to the interior space of the flexible chamber, the parts of the casing are tensioned under the action of both flexible chamber and spacer inserts.
Still further known in the art is a power unit comprising a housing, internally accommodating along its longitudinal axis and throughout its entire length, a tubular elastic vessel with sealing means disposed at the ends thereof. The housing of the power unit comprises two portions, one of which is stationary relative to the axis of the power unit, while the other one is an extendable metal plunger. When pressure in the hydraulic system is raised, the inner space of the elastic vessel is filled with a working medium and the vessel is expanded As the volume occupied by the elastic vessel is restricted by the housing portions, the plunger extends and acts upon an object. The power unit develops the force in a direction which is proportionally to the area of the plunger surface in contact with the elastic vessel.
Yet another device known in the prior art is a power unit which comprises a longitudinally-split housing internally coaxially accommodating a tubular elastic vessel and two expanding inserts, each of which is disposed on the side of the parting line of the housing. In addition, the power unit incorporates two holders, each of which is provided with a pipe union intended for delivery of a working medium into the space of the elastic vessel. Each of the ends of the elastic vessel is disposed between the pipe union and the holder. A perforated tubular core is arranged in the space of the elastic vessel along the longitudinal axis thereof. Each end of the perforated tubular core is made in the form of a pipe union. Each of the holders is essentially a sleeve with the internal thread engaged with the external thread of the pipe union. Thus the holders are rigidly connected with each other through the medium of the perforated core. The holders are intended for sealing the ends of the elastic vessel. When the working medium is delivered under pressure into the inter space of the elastic vessel, the housing portions are expanded, thus expanding both the elastic vessel and the expanding inserts.
Such known power units have failed to find wide application in breaking natural rock monoliths, for example, granite, off the rock mass because of a limited force developed by the elastic vessel, as the power unit cannot develop the required force in a preset direction, i.e., in a direction which is perpendicular to the plane of the break. The material of the elastic vessel "flows" in this clearance and then the vessel ruptures. The core stretching weakens the sealing of the elastic vessel ends which brings about leaks of the working medium. It has been suggested to reduce the stretching of the core by increasing the core cross-sectional area. However, this leads to a sharp increase in the overall dimensions and metal content of the power unit. If the original overall dimensions of the power unit were to be maintained, a decrease is brought about in the working travel of the movable portions of the housing and a rise of the unit pressure at the place where the side surface of the inserts come in contact with the inner surface of the housing. This is not desirable, since it involves the use of special materials and lubricants.
Accordingly, many patents have been provided which have attempted to solve such problems. Among these patents are:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,033, patented Aug. 2, 1977, by P. N. Salmi, which provided a striking apparatus comprising a body to which the tool can be movably attached. The body included a striking piston moving to and fro in the cylinder space and a liner type distributing valve concentric with the piston, moving to and fro in the valve space and aimed for changing the direction of the motion of the piston. Pressure liquid from an annular space defined by the body of the drill, the piston and the distributing valve, was used to operate a hydraulic rotating motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,701, patented Aug. 22, 1989, by P. P. Weyer, which provided a percussion device for breaking apart or forming cuts or holes in a stationary work piece, e.g., a rock, cement or other hard material. The device included a fluid-powered rotary actuator with an outer body having a forward end and a rearward end, and having ports for the introduction of pressurized fluid within the body. A drive member extended within the body and was supported for rotation relative thereto within a limited rotational range. The drive member had an interior bore extending fully and generally coaxially through the drive member from a forward drive member end to a rearward drive member end. The drive member bore was sized to include the tool shank therewithin in generally coaxial arrangement with the drive member. The drive member bore had drive means for transmitting selective rotational drive force from the drive member to the tool as the drive member was selectively rotated within the limited rotational range. The drive means also restrained the tool against rotation when the drive member was held stationary by the application of fluid within the body through the ports. The drive means permitted substantially unrestricted axial movement of the tool relative to the drive member within a limited longitudinal range. The drive member held the tool working head positioned at the forward body end exterior of the body to engage the work piece and the rearward end portion of the tool positioned at the rearward end of the body. The drive member included lock means at the forward drive member end for locking the tool against forward removal from the drive member bore while permitting substantially-unrestricted reciprocal axial movement of the tool within the limited longitudinal range. The tool was movable axially within the limited longitudinal range to a position where the rearward end portion of the tool was axially endwise impacted by the striker of a percussion hammer which was moveable with reciprocating motion to provide repeated endwise impact to the tool. The striker drove the tool forwardly when the working head of the tool was moved into engagement with the work piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,460, patented Sep. 1, 1987, by J. A. Lebedev, which provided a power unit comprising a longitudinally-split housing internally coaxially accommodating a tubular elastic vessel. The housing included two expanding inserts, each of which was disposed on the side of the housing parting line the base of which was against the elastic vessel, while the sides were against the inner wall of the housing. The housing included two holders which were such provided with a pipe union for delivery of a working medium into the space of the elastic vessel. Each of the ends of the elastic vessel was disposed between the pipe union and the holder. Each of the holders had a flange disposed in a circular recess which was made on the inner surface of the housing and accommodated an elastic element surrounding the tubular elastic vessel. The pipe unions were installed in the holders for longitudinal movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,517, patented Mar. 19, 1991, by J. A. Lebedev, which provided a powered member comprising an axially-parting casing accommodating a coaxially mounted flexible tubular chamber. The casing included spacer inserts, each being located on the side of the parting plane of the casing and in a plane which was perpendicular with respect to the axis of the casing. The spacer inserts had a base bearing against the flexible chamber and the sides bearing against the inner surface of the casing wall. The casing included a pair of nipples for supplying fluid to the interior of the flexible chamber and for air escape therefrom provided on the side of the end faces of the casing for movement along the longitudinal axis of the casing, and a means for attaching each end of the flexible tubular chamber to a nipple head. The means for attaching each end of the flexible chamber to the nipple head included a pair of cylindrical bushings interconnected by means of a tenon and a mortise joint, received in the casing and defining a central passage having its axis aligned with the axis of the casing. The walls of the passage in a plane drawn in parallel with the longitudinal axis of the casing had the configuration of two truncated cones having their larger bases facing towards each other. One generatrix of the conical surface of the passage extended substantially in parallel with the generatrix of one conical surface of the nipple head. The other generatrix of the passage extended substantially in parallel with another generatrix of the conical surface of the nipple head.
The above-described tools were somewhat similar, in their physical construction, to devices for anchoring earth and rock. Such anchoring devices were frequently employed for anchoring gas and petroleum-product pipelines, guy-supported towers, utility poles, large-sized retaining walls and building foundations, among numerous other types of application.
One type of such anchoring device included an expanding rock anchor in which an essentially-cylindrical structure included radially-outwardly expandable wedges which was adapted to be inserted into a hole drilled into rock or rock formations, and then expanded by means of a suitable turning rod and screw structure, thereby causing the wedge surfaces to expand radially and grippingly engage the wall of the drilled hole. A guy wire could then be secured to the upper end of the rod which was utilized for expanding the wedges of the rock anchor, so as to form a guying structure for securing line poles or other types of structures.
Another type was represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,848, patented Jul. 7, 1990, by W. J. Blankinship et al, which provided an expanding earth anchor including the expandable wedge-like blades supporting on a base The encasing of the anchor components was through the intermediary of a plastic shrink wrap film to retain them in their initial assembled condition prior to installation in the earth. The covering of the components with a tightly encasing packaging material was said to maintain the components, i.e., the base and the expandable wedge-like blade portion. Moreover, the tight interconnection between the base and the wedge-like expandable anchoring element was said to prevent the previously-encountered wobbling between these components during installation into a bore hole, thereby rendering easier the insertion into the bore hole.
However, it is noted that none of the prior art rock splitters provided a breaking action which was in the form of a gentle burst without flying debris and loud exploding noises.
It is therefore an object of a first aspect of the present invention to provide an improved rock splitter in which the means for transmitting the forces to expand the radially-outwardly expandable portions of the housing is improved.
An object of a second aspect of the present invention is to provide such a rock splitter in which the radially-outwardly expendable portions are more uniformly and accurately radially-outwardly expanded.
An object of a third aspect of the present invention is to provide such a rock splitter which provides superior work performance.
An object of a fourth aspect of the invention is to provide such a rock splitter in which the rush of flying debris during use is obviated.
One broad aspect of the present invention provides a device for breaking rocks comprising a hollow cylindrical chamber having a closed lower end, a closed upper end and an access aperture in the closed upper end and an outer circumferential surface. A cylindrical plunger was longitudinally-reciprocally-disposed within the interior of the cylindrical chamber, the plunger being biased to a retracted position, the upper end of the plunger having an upper face and a converging, preferably frusto-conical, portion below the upper face. At least two, preferably four, spools are disposed equally around the circumference of the cylindrical plunger. Each spool includes a converging upper end, preferably frusto-conical, which is configured to be in slidable contact with the converging, preferably frusto-conical, portion of the cylindrical plunger. Each spool preferably included an outer, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface, and an inner, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface. A like, at least two, preferably four, hardened inserts, are secured to an outer face of an associated spool. Each hardened insert has a partial, circumferential, outer surface, which is coextensive with the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical chamber. Each spool and secured insert is biased to an inner retracted position. Means are provided for applying a hydraulic pressure to the upper face of the cylindrical plunger. In this manner, the converging portion of the cylindrical plunger is urged to move downwardly, thereby urging the spools, together with the secured hardened inserts, radially-outwardly so that the hardened inserts project radially outwardly from the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical chamber. Thus, when the device is disposed within a bore of the rock to be broken, the expanded inserts fracture the rock.
By one feature of such device, at least two, and preferably four, equalizers are equally disposed around the plunger, and rest on the inner face of the closed lower end. Each equalizer includes an upper, diverging, preferably frusto-conical, face, the lower end of each at least two, preferably four, spools includes a diverging, preferably frusto-conical, face which is configured to be in slidable contact with an associated upper diverging, frusto-conical face of an associated spool. By a preferred feature thereof, each equalizer includes an inner diverging, preferably frusto-conical, face, and the cylindrical plunger includes a lower pointed, preferably conical, end in slidable contact with the inner diverging faces.
By other features of such device, the cylindrical plunger is biased to its retracted portion by a longitudinally-positioned compression spring.
By still other features of such device, each spool is biased to the inner retracted position by means of radially-positioned compression springs, and preferably, an upper compression spring and a lower compression spring.
By still further features of such device, the cylindrical plunger includes an upper threaded cylindrical portion, an adjacent, integral, cylindrical portion of greater diameter than the upper threaded cylindrical portion, an adjacent, integral, frusto-conical portion, an adjacent, integral, depending cylindrical portion whose diameter is less than the diameter of the upper cylindrical portion, and a lowest integral adjacent conical point.
By yet still further features of such device, each spool includes an outer, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface, and an inner, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface, an upper converging partial frusto-conical surface between the outer, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface and the inner curved longitudinally-extending partial circumferential surface, a lower diverging, partial frusto-conical surface between the inner, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface, and the outer, curved, longitudinally-extending partial circumferential surface, and a terminal, partial circumferential flange.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a device for breaking rocks comprising an upper hollow cylindrical chamber (A) which is connected to a lower cylindrical chamber (B). The upper hollow cylindrical chamber (A) includes a closed upper end, the closed upper end including an access aperture, an upper and a lower support ring. The lower support ring includes an upstanding cylindrical rod and a lower, internally-threaded bushing. A compression spring surrounds the upstanding cylindrical rod, the upper end of the compression spring abutting the lower surface of the upper support ring, and the lower end of the compression spring resting on the upper surface of the lower support ring. The lower cylindrical chamber (B) comprises an open upper end and a closed lower end. A concentrically-disposed cylindrical plunger is contained within the lower hollow cylindrical chamber (B). The cylindrical plunger includes an upper, threaded, cylindrical portion threadedly secured to the lower, internally-threaded bushing of the lower support ring, an adjacent, integral cylindrical portion of greater diameter than the upper, threaded, cylindrical portion, an adjacent integral frusto-conical portion an adjacent, integral, depending cylindrical portion whose diameter is less than the diameter of the upper cylindrical portion, and a lowest integral adjacent conical point. Four spools are disposed equally circumferentially around the cylindrical plunger. Each spool includes an outer, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface, and an inner, curved, longitudinally-extending, partial circumferential surface. An upper converging, partial frusto-conical surface is provided between the outer, curved, longitudinally-extending partial circumferential surface and the inner curved longitudinally-extending partial circumferential surface. A lower, diverging, partial frusto-conical surface is provided between the inner, curved, longitudinally-extending partial circumferential surface and the outer curved longitudinally-extending partial circumferential surface. A terminal partial circumferential flange is also provided. The partial frusto-conical upper end of each spool is configured to be in slidable contact with an associated frusto-conical portion of the cylindrical plunger. Each spool is biased to an inner retracted position. Four hardened inserts are provided. Each hardened insert is secured to an outer face at an associated spool. Each hardened insert includes an elongated sliver of a cylinder having an outer curved face and an inner flat face, the inner flat face is secured to the outer face of an associated spool by means of longitudinally spaced-apart removable securing means. Each spool and its secured insert is biased to the inner retracted position by means of two longitudinally-spaced-apart, compression springs. One end of each compression spring is anchored within a radial well in an associated spool, and is secured by means of removable securing means to the outer circumference of the lower hollow cylindrical chamber. Four equalizers are disposed equally around the circumference of the cylindrical plunger and rest on the inner face of the lower closed end of the lower cylindrical chamber. Each equalizer includes an inner diverging, partial frusto-conical face, which is configured to be in slidable contact with the lower pointed conical point of the cylindrical plunger. Each equalizer includes an outer, diverging, partial frusto-conical face, and a lower partially-cylindrical portion. The outer diverging partial frusto-conical portion is configured to be in sliding contact with the lower, diverging, partial frusto-conical portion of an associated spool. The outer, partial cylindrical portion of the equalizer is configured to be in slidable contact with the partial cylindrical flange of an associated spool. The device further includes (C) means for applying hydraulic pressure to the upper face of the cylindrical plunger. In this way, the converging portion of the cylindrical plunger is urged to move downwardly, thereby urging the spools, together with the secured hardened inserts, radially-outwardly, so that the hardened inserts project radially-outwardly from the outer surface of the hollow cylindrical chamber.
By one feature of this preferred embodiment, the upper hollow cylindrical chamber (A) is further connected to the lower hollow cylindrical chamber (B) by means of cooperating cylindrical portions of lesser diameter on one of the hollow cylindrical chamber, (A) or (B) and flange portions of greater diameter on the other of the hollow cylindrical chamber, (B) or (A), respectively.


A reference delay generator includes a delay unit having a plurality of delay elements which are cascaded and respectively have variable delay times. The delay unit receives a reference signal and generates a delayed signal which is a delayed version of the reference signal. A control part detects a phase difference between the reference signal and the delayed signal and generates a control signal which sets the phase difference to an integer multiple of 90.degree.. The control signal is applied to the delay elements, so that the delay times of the delay elements are changed on the basis of the control signal. The control signal is used for, for example, controlling a delay circuit which includes a plurality of delay elements identical to those of the delay unit.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to delay circuits, and more particularly to a voltage (or current) controlled delay circuit capable of generating a delayed signal having an adjustable delay time based on a phase difference between a reference signal and the delayed signal.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Of the physical quantities which can be handled by semiconductor devices, a voltage generated by a band gap reference circuit and a frequency oscillated by a crystal oscillator circuit are stable physical quantities. The band gap reference circuit and the crystal oscillator circuit are designed to remove temperature dependence and voltage dependence of semiconductor elements. The voltage and frequency generated by these circuits are widely used for various applications. Recently, there has been considerable activity in the development of signal generators using crystal oscillator circuits. Particularly, a signal generator which utilizes the crystal oscillator circuit and a PLL (Phase Locked Loop) circuit has been advanced. Such a signal generator is capable of generating arbitrary frequencies or stabilizing a circuit having low stability by locking it with the precision of the crystal oscillator circuit.
The combination of the crystal oscillator circuit and the PLL circuit can define a stable operation timing. This stable operation timing is used for example, for a shift register. The shift register shifts data in synchronism with a predetermined timing corresponding to a rise or fall of a shift clock. When the shift clock is stabilized, the shift register delays the data precisely.
It should be noted that the stable timing defined by the combination of the crystal oscillator circuit is synchronized with a clock signal generated by the crystal oscillator circuit. Thus, it is impossible to operate the shift register in asynchronism (i.e., asynchronously) with the clock signal generated by the crystal oscillator circuit.

Reference delay generator and electronic device using the same


The invention provides a fuel feed system for an internal combustion engine, the system including a fuel pump, a vapor separator including a fuel chamber having an inlet and an outlet and being adapted to contain a supply of fuel, the vapor separator including a float valve and a passage for venting fuel vapor from the chamber when the supply of fuel is below a predetermined level, and a vapor pump communicating with the passage and a source of cyclically varying pressure for pumping fuel vapor from the vapor separator and to a location remote from said source of alternating pressure, the fuel vapor pump operating independently of the fuel pump.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to fuel feed systems for internal combustion engines and more particularly to fuel feed systems including vapor separators.
2. Reference to the Prior Art
In the prior art, it is generally known to provide a fuel feed system for an internal combustion engine including a fuel source and a fuel pump for pumping fuel from the source to the internal combustion engine. Because fuel for internal combustion engines is aromatic, fuel vapor easily evaporates from the fuel. When fuel in a fuel feed system is under relatively low pressure, excessive amounts of fuel vapor can form in the fuel feed system prior to introduction of the fuel to the internal combustion engine. In order to separate accumulated fuel vapor from the fuel supply prior to introduction of the fuel to the internal combustion engine, it is generally known to place a fuel vapor separator downstream of the fuel pump and before the introduction of fuel to the internal combustion engine.
Prior art designs for fuel vapor separators often introduce difficulty because the fuel vapor separator relies on negative pressure pulses from the engine to remove fuel vapor from the supply of fuel. In some applications, the engine is too small to provide adequate negative pressure pulses to remove the fuel vapor from the fuel supply.
Attention is directed to the fuel vapor separators disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:
______________________________________ 4,534,774 LeCoffre et al. August 13, 1985 4,450,820 Haynes May 29, 1984 4,315,760 bij de Leij February 16, 1982 4,117,817 Nishida October 3, 1978 4,010,012 Griffin, III et al March 1, 1977 3,985,626 Klein October 12, 1976 3,961,918 Johnson June 8, 1976 3,867,071 Hartley February 18, 1975 3,703,165 Hansen November 21, 1972 3,307,331 Lambert March 7, 1967 2,998,057 Graham August 29, 1961 2,917,110 Brohl December 15, 1959 2,878,889 Gilbert March 24, 1959 2,811,219 Wenzl October 29, 1957 2,745,551 Berck May 15, 1956 2,742,049 Granberg April 17, 1956 1,851,163 Daugherty March 29, 1932 1,804,557 Gould et al. May 12, 1931 1,381,897 Ackley June 21, 1921 1,119,980 Mulligan December 8, 1914 ______________________________________


A bearing flushing system is provided that enables the clearance between a bearing and shaft to be flushed with water but prevents the backflow of the pumped liquid into the region. The system hereof includes a flow restrictor located downstream of the bearing which presents a second clearance between the shaft to screen out particulates. A ring may be provided between one of a pump impeller and the shaft downstream of the flow restrictor to provide an additional backflow restriction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bearing flushing system for pumps and the like that are exposed to materials that would ruin or degrade the bearings. The bearing flushing system hereof includes a flow restrictor that is designed to permit the passage of flushing water but resist the infusion of contaminants into the bearing surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pumps can be designed to handle and move a large quantity of liquids, including those carrying or containing solid materials and liquids that contain corrosives or other materials that would damage the pump if they come in contact with the bearing surfaces between the housing and the shaft or impeller. For example, pumps have been developed which move municipal sludge or other sediment-containing slurries having a large quantity of suspended solids such as twigs, rags, glass, grit, or sand. In many industrial applications, pumps must handle highly corrosive acids.
A pump useful in such environments is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,849 entitled Non-Clogging, Centrifugal, Coaxial Discharge Pump. The pump disclosed therein is designed to be at least partially submerged in fluid containing sediment or sludge. It includes a centrally located, normally vertically oriented shaft for driving the impeller, at least one of the bearing surfaces for the shaft being located below the water level of the fluid to be pumped.
In order to isolate the bearing surfaces from such contaminants, and to lubricate and cool the bearing surfaces, water has been employed as a medium to flush the bearing surfaces. Water is injected into the bearing surfaces at a pressure higher than the internal pressure of the pump. This is designed to ensure a positive flow of cleansing and lubricating fluid to the bearing surfaces. The bearings are designed with a lubricating groove or grooves that pass through the entire length of the bearing surfaces. The water thus is permitted to flow through the bearing and to pass through the other components of the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,751 entitled Centrifugal Pump Improvement discloses a pump for moving liquids but does not specifically recite any bearing flushing system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,371 entitled Pump, discloses a pump for moving dirty, viscous, hazardous or corrosive liquids but positions one of the pump bearings away from the liquid and does not provide for flushing lower bearings which may be submerged in the liquid.
However, when the pump is at least partially submerged such that one or more of the bearings is below the surface level of the pumped medium, there is a substantial risk that backflow of the pumped medium may contaminate the bearing surface with grit, sand, acid or the like. Maintaining the water flow to flush the bearings when the pump is not operating may be expensive both in terms of the expense of the water and the labor necessary to monitor the flushing operation. If the water supply to flush the bearing is stopped or interrupted, the backflow of contaminants may enter the bearing, leaving grit or the like which is extremely difficult to remove without disassembling the pump and removing the bearing. Given that such pumps often move sewage or sludge and may be extremely large, this is a situation to be avoided if at all possible.
Accordingly, there has developed a real need for a backflow restrictor which can be used in connection with a flushing system for pumps. Such a flow restrictor must allow clean flushing water to flow into the bearing and through the seal, but resist the entry of the pumped medium, and especially suspended particulates, into the bearing surfaces. Yet further, there has developed a need for a bearing flushing system that will reduce the amount of flushing water required and, when the flow of flushing water is discontinued, resist the entry into the bearing surfaces not only of small solids carried by the liquid but of contaminating liquids such as acids or other corrosives as well. Such a seal must nonetheless be compatible with existing pump systems so that radical modifications are not necessary to accommodate such a system. In particular, a bearing flushing system must be able to withstand exposure to and resist entry of contaminant liquids when some of the components of the flushing system are in direct contact with the contaminant liquid and submerged therein, but nonetheless admit the passage of flushing liquid therethrough.