An improved pressure activated control apparatus is provided for sensing fluid pressure and triggering one or more switches in response to the fluid pressure, as desired. The apparatus is designed to be placed within a fluid of a reservoir. The apparatus includes a first resilient member, such as a pliable rolling diaphragm or bellofram, having an outer surface exposed to the fluid and responsive to the fluid pressure. The pressure activated control apparatus includes a second resilient member, such as a spring with a chosen spring constant, k, that provides a biasing force against the diaphragm that is opposite the fluid pressure. A transducer is operative to monitor changes in pressure of gases within the apparatus causes by movement of the diaphragm. A controller is responsive to the transducer and selectable fluid level thresholds to activate pumps and/or valves for adjusting the level of the fluid in the reservoir.

The present invention relates to pressure-responsive systems and components. Specifically this invention relates to devices and systems that sense the level or depth of fluids and responds thereto by triggering switching mechanisms.
It is often desirable to know information about fluid levels in tanks. Determining fluid levels and controlling fluid levels in tanks, such as in sewage tanks, water cisterns or tanks, and other fluid system and storage vessels, whether enclosed or open and exposed to the environment, has been done in a number of ways. For example, in tanks that are visually accessible, an operator may periodically take visual readings of the fluid level.
Visual readings, however, are often not desirable, in systems where an automatic response is required when the fluid level reaches a certain threshold. In such cases the activation of a pump or valve may be necessary to move more fluid into the vessel or to discharge fluid from the vessel. In systems where visual readings are not available or when an immediate response is required, control systems are typically employed that are responsive to a fluid level indication. Such control systems may illuminate a light on an indicator panel representing the fluid level and/or trip an alarm to notify a human operator that corrective action is required.
Unfortunately having a human operator manually initiate a corrective function may not be desirable due to the repetitive nature of the function or due to the inefficiency of having a human operator in the system. As a result, control and indicator functions are typically handled by electronic control systems which are responsive to one or more switches that are triggered by fluid level or pressure input. For example, in sewage tanks it is well known to use multiple tilt style float switches to control the fluid level. These may be mercury switches or rolling ball switches, where a ball triggers a microswitch within the mechanism. These switches are triggered when the whole switch mechanism tilts downward toward a tethered connection a sufficient amount. Tilt style float switches are typically attached via an anchor tether either directly to the vessel interior wall, or to a bar, rail, or other vertically disposed structural member within the vessel. A plurality of these tilt style float switches are often disposed vertically with each one representing a unique elevation of fluid level within the vessel.
Unfortunately, numerous problems have been encountered with these mechanisms. For example, turbulent conditions within a fluid-holding vessel can negatively impact performance of float switch systems. Such turbulence is often the result of fluidized material inflow and/or pump-discharged fluid material exiting the tank. This turbulence can create undesirable eddies and waves within the tank that can cause tethered tilt style float switches to become entangled, thus preventing them and the system from proper operation. In addition, the turbulence within the tank can cause inadvertent switching and what is often referred to as xe2x80x9ccontact chatterxe2x80x9d of the switches within the tilt style float switch assemblies. Inadvertent switching can cause system inefficiency and degradation, such as a false level reading which causes a pump to turn on or off earlier or later than desired. Such contact chatter can cause the pump, which is responsive to the triggered switch, to cycle inadvertently on and off at a high rate, resulting in undue and undesirable system wear and operation. Consequently there exists a need for a fluid level sensing and control system which is more reliable in turbulent environments.
Other problems that can result from tilt style float switches include the fact that they are disposed adjacent the surface of the fluid material in the sewage tank. Such environments are often highly corrosive and greasy. These tethered switches can become damaged from banging against each other and the tank wall during the turbulent system operation. In addition, the greasy outer surface of the tilt style float switches can cause them to intermittently adhere and even get stuck against the tank wall, thus affecting system performance and reliability. In addition, low pressure sewage system tanks in both residential and commercial use are often of corrugated side wall construction. These corrugations can serve as a series of mini-ledges or shelves to the grease-covered tilt style float switches, thus facilitating their adherence and entrapment. The tilt style float switches can also become corroded. Leaking mercury from some styles of these switches poses a serious environmental and health hazard. Non-mercury versions of the tilt style float switches can similarly be ruined by corrosion of their contact or leads, thus rendering them inoperable. Consequently there exists a need for a fluid level sensing and control system which is more reliable in corrosive, greasy, and/or contaminated environments.
Another type of known switching mechanism performs similarly to the typical toilet, in which a ball floats with the fluid level and closes the valve when the tank is full after the toilet is flushed. In these switching mechanisms, the ball floats on the liquid and bumps switches on and off. As with tilt style float switch assemblies, ball float switching mechanisms can only represent the actual liquid level when the switch is bumped and triggered. Consequently there exists a need for a fluid level sensing and control system which can indicate a range of fluid levels. There also exists a need for a fluid level sensing and control system which can be easily adjusted to change the range of fluid levels being monitored.
Another common problem with all of the aforementioned tilt style float switches, and vertical ball float switches is in servicing these systems. Since they are disposed in sewage tanks or other fluid vessels, servicing them can be a messy, less than ideal, undertaking. Consequently there further exists a need for a fluid level sensing and control system which is easier to service.
It is an object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system.
It is a further object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system which accurately and reliably indicates fluid levels within a reservoir.
It is a further object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system which accurately and reliably indicates fluid levels within reservoirs with turbulent environments.
It is a further object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system which is operative to reliably indicate fluid levels for reservoirs with corrosive, greasy, and/or contaminated environments.
It is a further object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system which is operative to control the input and/or output of fluids within a reservoir responsive to the fluid level in the reservoir.
It is a further object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system which is easy to configure and service.
It is a further object of the exemplary form of the present invention to provide a fluid level sensing and control system which does not require electrical components disposed within the fluid of the tank.
Further objects of exemplary forms of the present invention will be made apparent in the following Best Modes for Carrying Out Invention and the appended claims.
The foregoing objects are accomplished in an exemplary embodiment of the invention by a pressure activated control apparatus that includes a first resilient member having a first or outer surface exposed to the fluid and is responsive to the fluid pressure to trigger one or more switches of a force translation and switching mechanism. The pressure activated control apparatus includes a second or inner surface exposed to the inside of the apparatus that is sealed from the fluid. The force translation and switching mechanism responds to changes in the force exerted by the pressure of the fluid on the outer surface of the first resilient member to trigger one or more switches. The pressure activated control includes a second resilient member that provides a biasing force against the force translation and switching mechanism in a direction opposite to the force exerted by the fluid pressure on the outer surface of the first resilient member. In this way, change in height of the fluid level within the vessel compared to movement of the force translation and switching mechanism is greater than one-to-one.
The apparatus of the exemplary form of the present invention provides a reliable, affordable alternative to known tilt style float switches, vertical float switching assemblies and electronic pressure transducer-based systems used for, among other possibilities, determining fluid level or controlling fluid level in open or enclosed fluid holding vessels, such as fluid storage or septic tanks, cisterns, sump and sewage basins, and other fluid system and storage vessels. In one embodiment, the pressure activated control of the present invention is provided in an elongate, vertically disposed housing that can be connected to an interior side wall of a tank, cistern or other fluid-holding vessel, such that the first resilient member has an outer surface that is substantially always in contact with the fluid. The first resilient member can be a pliable rolling diaphragm made of durable nitrite rubber, or any other suitable material selected based on the environment it is to be exposed to, including chemical and thermal environments. In one exemplary embodiment, the rolling diaphragm is in the shape of a bellofram, or a cup with a radially outwardly extending peripheral flange at its upper open end (i.e., it is top hat-shaped), that is sealed at its flange to the housing near a first or lower housing end. The rolling diaphragm acts together with a push cup, a rod and a plunger that are centrally disposed in the elongate housing to serve as a substantially zero friction piston to actuate or trip one or more switches, such as a plurality of microswitches.
In one exemplary embodiment, the second resilient member may be a spring of a selected spring constant, xe2x80x9ck,xe2x80x9d that is disposed within the housing between the push cup and an annularly disposed spring plate which is connected to the housing. The spring can be annularly disposed around the rod and provides a biasing force against the push cup and rolling diaphragm, such that for every linear distance of movement of the piston assembly, which includes the rolling diaphragm, push cup, rod and plunger, vertically upward within the housing, a multiple greater than one times that lineal distance of incremental fluid level is being represented by that piston assembly movement. Simply changing the spring to one with a different spring constant k, allows for a different fluid level range to be sensed or controlled with the same pressure control apparatus. For example, one spring can give approximately eighteen inches of fluid level representation or control with about four inches of corresponding piston assembly travel, whereas a second spring can give forty-two inches of fluid level representation or control. Consequently, substituting a different spring (different k constant) will give a correspondingly different range of fluid level control.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of microswitches are housed in a head portion of the housing, at a second or upper housing end. The microswitches are each adjustably and removably connected on a switch track assembly such that each one is tripped at a different plunger vertical elevation within the housing, thereby allowing for adjustable fluid level control within the vessel.
In one exemplary embodiment, the switch track assembly comprises a top piece and a bottom piece connected by four identical spaced switch mounting rails, or switch track rods. The microswitches are each connected to a switch coupler piece that snaps onto an adjacent pair of the rods, such that the switch trigger can be contacted by the plunger coming through a hole in the bottom piece of the switch track assembly in response to sensed fluid pressure on the overall piston assembly. Each switch coupler and corresponding microswitch pair can easily be snapped along the switch track rails making for an adjustable fluid level control system. In an alternative embodiment, the switch track assembly can accommodate up to fourteen such commercially available microswitches each mounted on a removable switch coupler to two adjacent switch track rods.
Although one surface of the rolling diaphragm is meant to be continuously exposed to fluid material in the tank at a subsurface fluid level, the remaining interior of the housing is sealed from the fluid and can be connected to a source of fresh air, such as by a vent tube or line connected at some upper apparatus location to outside air external to the fluid vessel. In this way, the switches are not exposed to corrosive liquids or gases within the vessel and the volume of air displaced by the rolling diaphragm and piston assembly in response to a fluid elevation increase in the vessel can be vented. Correspondingly, the vent line serves as a source of fresh air brought into the apparatus when the fluid elevation within the vessel is decreased, such as by a pump discharge cycle, and the rolling diaphragm unrolls or relaxes with the piston assembly moving downward.
In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the housing may be made substantially from a combination of commercially available, off-the-shelf standard sized PVC piping, couplers, reducers, aluminum bar stack, and the like, and from a minimum number of specially fabricated components (such as of molded ABS, Lexan(copyright) (General Electric Company) or other suitable plastic, or fabricated from another suitable material), thereby minimizing system cost. In one exemplary embodiment, four microswitches can be provided representing, from lowest to highest elevation along a switch track assembly: off, pump on one, pump on two, and an alarm, respectively. Such an arrangement is common in preexisting sewage tank systems, thereby making for easy retrofit of tilt style float switch sewage tank systems with the present invention. The present invention can simply replace the tilt style float switches and be wired to the existing control system. Servicing the system and adjusting the switches and corresponding fluid control levels can be done simply and in the field, without any tools. In another exemplary embodiment for sensing fluid level and indicating the same, fourteen microswitches can be provided. Such a system could be employed to represent a series of fluid elevations on an indicator panel and have an alarm level, e.g. Of course in other exemplary embodiments longer piston assemblies and switch track assemblies could be substituted allowing for more microswitches and more range of fluid level representation and control.
The pressure activated control apparatus and system of exemplary forms of the present invention provide a reliable, affordable and easily serviceable means to trigger a switching apparatus in response to fluid pressure or level. No electric cords or components are submerged in the fluid. The fluid level can be adjustably controlled by the apparatus. The apparatus operates within its own enclosure envelope and senses fluid pressure at a subsurface fluid level, such that it is not susceptible to turbulent surface conditions or the greasy surface layer typically found in sewage tanks that is known to affect system performance and reliability.
Still further advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. For example alternative exemplary embodiments of the present invention may include a control device that is responsive to pressure changes of gases caused by the displacement of a diaphragm of an exemplary embodiment of a pressure responsive device. Such a control device may include manually adjustable switches for selecting a desired depth range for the liquid in a reservoir. Current depth levels may be visually displayed by the described exemplary embodiment of the control device in terms of a percentage of the selected depth range for the liquid. In addition, switches, pumps, valves and alarms may be triggered when the determined depth level of the liquid breaches one or more selectable thresholds. Such thresholds may be represented by the controller as a percentage of the selected depth range for the liquid.


An electrical shock apparatus includes a power source, a high voltage generation device for generating a very high voltage to shock a robber in response to a connection to the power source, an alarm device for generating an alarming sound to shock a robber in response to a connection to the power source, a function selection switch switchably connecting the power source to either the high voltage generation device, the alarm device, or an empty connection. A pin-socket switch is connected between the power source, the function selection switch, and the alarm device. The pin-socket switch includes a socket and a pin removably received in the socket. Normally, the pin of the pin-socket switch is retained in the socket and electrically connects the function selection switch to the power source yet separates the alarm device from the power source. The function selection switch electrically connects the power source to the empty connection via the pin-socket switch in normal condition. A user is allowed to select either high voltage or alarm sound to shock a robber by appropriately operating the function selection. The user can pull the pin from the socket causing an alarm sound to shock a robber when the robber is going to take control of the electrical shock apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical shock apparatus, especially one which is easily controlled by a user to provide relatively high instant voltage to scare a robber, an attacker, a thief etc. when the user handles the electrical shock apparatus, or disables the high voltage output and alarms to scare the robber when it is going to be taken over by the robber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An electrical shock device is used for scaring robbers thus is popular in these times when people are concerned for their personal safety. Sometimes if the user can not operate the electrical shock device properly, the robber may wrest it from the user and attack the user by the electrical shock device. It is requisite to provide a new electrical shock apparatus which can output high instant voltage to shock a robber when it is under control by a user or to disable itself and alarm upon operation by the user if the robber is going to take control of the electrical shock apparatus.


A fatty acid ester prepared by treating botanical seeds or fruits with a monohydric alcohol having 1 to 10 carbon atoms under pressure at a temperature of at least 180xc2x0 C., preferably under supercritical conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing fatty acid esters which are esters of fatty acids from botanical seeds and/or fruits with a monohydric alcohol (hereinafter sometimes referred to as xe2x80x9cfatty acid estersxe2x80x9d).
2. Prior Art
Esters of fatty acids with monohydric alcohols are widely used as raw materials in the production of surfactants. Furthermore, such esters are used as diesel fuel as alternates for gas oil.
In general, fatty acid esters are prepared by reacting fats and oils (fatty acid triglycerides), which are extracted from botanical seeds and fruits, with monohydric alcohols.
The extraction of fats and oils from the botanical seeds and fruits require a complicated multi-step oil-bearing process comprising an expression step, an extraction step with solvents, a purification step, etc. JP-A-6-136384 discloses a process for extracting fats and oils from perilla (Perilla ocimoides) using a fluid in a supercritical state in an oil collection process, that is, supercritical state CO2 at a temperature of 40xc2x0 C. under a pressure of 400 kg/cm2. However, the products obtained are fats and oils, and thus the fats and oils should be mixed with a monohydric alcohol to effect a transesterification reaction to obtain fatty acid esters.
A method for preparing fatty acid esters through the transesterification by reacting fats and oils with monohydric alcohols is known. For example, JP 2000-143586 A discloses a method for preparing fatty acid esters comprising reacting fats and oils with a monohydric alcohol under conditions where the fats and oils and/or the monohydric alcohol are in the supercritical state. However, the fats and oils used in this method are obtained by a complicated process such as the extraction of fats and oils from botanical seeds and fruits.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing fatty acid esters from botanical seeds and fruits by a simple process.
This and other objects can be achieved by a method for preparing a fatty acid ester comprising treating at least one of botanical seeds and fruits with a monohydric alcohol of the formula:
Rxe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
wherein R is an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms under pressure at a temperature of at least 180xc2x0 C.
The method of the present invention for preparing fatty acid esters, which is greatly simplified in comparison with the prior art methods, has been completed based on the finding that, when the botanical seeds and/or fruits are treated with the monohydric alcohol under pressure at a temperature of at least 180xc2x0 C., the extraction of fats and oils from the seeds and/or fruits and the formation of the fatty acid esters through the reaction of the extracted fats and oils with the alcohol proceed in one step.
The botanical seeds to be used as the raw materials in the method of the present invention may be any seeds containing fats and oils. Examples of such seeds include seeds of soybean, rape plant, kenaf, sunflower, grape, rice, cotton, safflower, castor, sesame, camellia, mustard, peanut, corn, flax, coconut, apricot, perilla, paulownia, chaulmoogra, etc. Among them, the seeds of soybean, rape plant and kenaf are preferable. Those seeds may be used singly or in admixture. In particular, the seeds of kenaf are preferable in view of quick growth.
The botanical fruits to be used as the raw materials in the method of the present invention may be any fruits containing fats and oils. Examples of such fruits include fruits of olive, palm, etc. Those fruits may be used singly or in admixture.
The fats and oils contained in the botanical seeds or fruits are synthesized by plants from carbon dioxide in an air, and the fatty acid esters produced from such fats and oil can be used as a diesel fuel and the combustion of the fatty acid esters generates carbon dioxide. Accordingly, carbon dioxide in the air can be recycled when the fatty acid esters are used as a fuel, and thus the fatty acid esters attract attentions as the diesel fuel which can suppress the increase of carbon dioxide in the global environment. Thus, the present invention also provide a method for producing a diesel fuel, which is suitable as a measure to suppress the amount of carbon dioxide in the air for the prevention of global warming, by simplified steps in comparison with the conventional method.
In the method of the present invention, the botanical seeds and fruits can be used as such, while damaged or deformed ones may be used. In the case of fruits containing seeds therein, the fruits containing seeds as such can be used, or only the flesh of the fruits may be used after removing the seeds. Before being used as the raw materials in the method of the present invention, the seeds and/or fruits may be subjected to a pretreatment such as expression, depression, peeling, cutting, heating, pressurizing, drying, etc.
In the alcohol of the formula (1), which is the other raw material, R is an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The alkyl group may be a linear, branched or cyclic group.
Specific examples of the monohydric alcohol include methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, 2-butanol, tert.-butanol, n-pentanol, n-hexanol, cyclohexanol, n-heptanol, n-octanol, n-nonanol, n-decanol, etc. Among them, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, isobutanol, 2-butanol and tert.-butanol are preferable, and methanol and ethanol are more preferable. In particular, methanol is preferable. Those alcohols may be used singly or in admixture.
A weight ratio of the alcohol of the formula (1) to the botanical seeds and/or fruits is usually from 0.01:1 to 100:1, preferably from 0.03:1 to 50:1, more preferably from 0.05:1 to 20:1, particularly preferably from 0.1:1 to 5:1.
Typical but non-limiting examples of the fatty acid esters to be produced by the method of the present invention include esters of caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, hexadecenoic acid, oleic acid, eicosenoic acid, erucic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, ricinoleic acid, etc.
The kind of the alcohol moiety of the fatty acid esters depends on the monohydric alcohol used. For example, when methanol is used as the monohydric alcohol, methyl esters are obtained, and when ethanol is used as the monohydric alcohol, ethyl esters are obtained.
The method of the present invention is characterized in that the treatment is carried out under pressure at a temperature of at least 180xc2x0 C.
When the temperature is lower than 180xc2x0 C., the extraction of the fats and oils from the seeds and/or fruits and the transesterification of the fats and oils may hardly proceed. The pressure in the method is usually higher than the atmospheric pressure, and is preferably at least 2 MPa for the acceleration of the extraction and transesterification of the fats and oils. More preferable treatment conditions are those under which the monohydric alcohol of the formula (1) is in the supercritical state.
A supercritical state is now explained.
A material has specific three states, that is, a gas state, a liquid state and a solid state. Furthermore, a temperature exceeds a supercritical temperature, the gas state and the liquid state cannot be distinguished and a material has a fluid state in which it is not condensed by the application of pressure. Such a state of a material is a supercritical state, and a material in the supercritical state is called a supercritical fluid.
A supercritical fluid has different properties from those of a liquid or a gas. The supercritical fluid has a density close to that of a liquid, a viscosity close to that of a gas and a thermal conductivity and diffusion coefficient inbetween those of a gas and a liquid. Thus, the supercritical fluid functions as xe2x80x9ca non-liquid solventxe2x80x9d, and may accelerate the extraction and reaction due to its high density, low viscosity and high diffusivity and cause the extraction and reaction at the same time. However, the mechanisms of the above have not been clarified.
In addition, since the supercritical fluid has a density close to that in the liquid state, its use can reduce the volume of a reactor in comparison with a gas phase reaction.
The heating condition to achieve the supercritical state of a monohydric alcohol will be explained.
When methanol is used as a monohydric alcohol, the heating is carried out at a temperature of at least 239xc2x0 C. under a pressure of at least 8.0 MPa, since methanol has a critical temperature of 239xc2x0 C. and a critical pressure of 8.0 MPa. When ethanol is used as a monohydric alcohol, the heating is carried out at a temperature of at least 241xc2x0 C. under a pressure of at least 6.1 MPa, since ethanol has a critical temperature of 241xc2x0 C. and a critical pressure of 6.1 MPa. When n-propanol is used as a monohydric alcohol, the heating is carried out at a temperature of at least 264xc2x0 C. under a pressure of at least 5.2 MPa, since n-propanol has a critical temperature of 264xc2x0 C. and a critical pressure of 5.2 MPa. When n-butanol is used as a monohydric alcohol, the heating is carried out at a temperature of at least 290xc2x0 C. under a pressure of at least 4.4 MPa, since n-butanol has a critical temperature of 290xc2x0 C. and a critical pressure of 4.4 MPa.
Preferably, the heating temperature does not exceed 500xc2x0 C., more preferably 450xc2x0 C., particularly preferably 400xc2x0 C. to suppress side reactions.
Preferably, the pressure during heating does not exceed 25 MPa, more preferably 20 MPa.
The heating time is usually from 1 minute to 24 hours.
The reaction in the method of the present invention proceeds effectively in the absence of a catalyst, while it is possible to use a catalyst to further increase the efficiency of the method. Any catalyst that can increase the reaction efficiency may be used. Preferred examples of the catalyst include metal oxides, and hydroxides, carbonates, hydrogen carbonates and carboxylates of alkali metals since they achieve a high reaction rate. More preferably, the hydroxides and carbonates of the alkali metals are used.
Specific examples of the metal oxides include MgO, CaO, SrO, BaO, ZnO, SiO2, GeO2, SnO2, CuO, WO3, MnO2, MoO3, etc. Among them, MgO, CaO, SrO and BaO are preferable. Specific examples of the alkali metal hydroxides include LiOH, NaOH, KOH, RbOH and CsOH. Specific examples of the alkali metal carbonates include Li2CO3, Na2CO3, K2CO3, Rb2CO3 and Cs2CO3. Specific examples of the alkali metal hydrogen carbonates include LiHCO3, NaHCO3, KHCO3, RbHCO3 and CsHCO3. Specific examples of the alkali metal carboxylates include lithium acetate, sodium acetate, potassium acetate, rubidium acetate, cesium acetate, sodium formate, potassium formate, sodium propionate, potassium propionate, sodium oxalate, potassium oxalate, etc.
The amount of the catalyst used depends on the mode and scale of the reaction, and is usually from 0.001 to 10% by weight, preferably from 0.01 to 5% by weight, more preferably from 0.1 to 2% by weight, based on the weight of the seeds and/or fruits.
The method of the present invention may be carried out in various ways. For example, it can be carried out in a batch system or a continuous flow system.
The crude product obtained by the method of the present invention may contain glycerin, unreacted monohydric alcohol, intermediates, impurities and/or solid components in addition to the fatty acid esters and the residues of the botanical seeds and/or fruits. Thus, the desired fatty acid esters are recovered from the crude products and purified. To this end, any conventional method such as filtration, distillation, extraction, etc. may be used depending on the properties of the fatty acid esters to be recovered and purified.
According to the present invention, the fatty acid esters can be produced from the botanical seeds and/or fruits and a monohydric alcohol of the formula (1) by the simple method.

Method for preparing fatty acid esters from seeds or fruits


In a draft gear apparatus, the housing is strengthened to better withstand distortion by draft stress imposed by the yoke on the end of the housing. Strengthening is accomplished by increasing the thickness of the housing side walls at selected areas near the housing end and by widening and thickening portions of the ribs which partially define the main spring chamber.

Heretofore, as disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,916,163, granted Dec. 8, 1959 to David S. Campbell, there has been constructed a high capacity draft gear, which, generally speaking, utilizes in a housing a friction cushioning element in tandem with a coil spring cushioning element and longer gear travel is accommodated with a conventional type of coil spring cushioning element by utilizing a guide stem that is movable with the follower for the coil spring element to cooperate with the spring element and give it necessary columnar stability during compression. During release, the coil spring aligns the guide stem, which cooperates with an intermediate follower for preventing tipping of this follower, thereby avoiding binding or sticking of the gear. Additional capacity is achieved through longer travel and through the use of corner coil springs mounted in individual spring chambers that extend parallel to the main coil spring chamber. The action of the friction system throughout the gear closure absorbs sufficient energy to maintain reaction pressures on the car within required limits.
As is well known, draft gears are subjected to two major types of loading, namely buff and draft. The buff loading occurs during train make up, train operations, train braking, and "in train action" to compensate for relative motion between railroad cars. This type of loading manifests itself in a coupler shank compressive force which is transmitted to the follower block which, in turn, distributes the loading among the center wedge and two movable plates in the draft gear. This force is transmitted through the friction clutch mechanism and is borne by the housing walls which are supported by the rear lugs of the draft gear pocket in the car.
On the other hand, draft loading occurs during locomotive tractive actions as well as "in train action" to compensate for relative motion between railroad cars. This type of loading manifests itself in a coupler shank tensile force which is transmitted through the coupler key and yoke to the draft gear housing end. This force is transmitted from the housing end through the housing walls, friction clutch mechanism, and follower block which is supported by the front lugs of the draft gear pocket of the car.
In the draft gear design of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,916,163, the yoke bears against the center-section of the draft gear end where the load is distributed outward to the walls of the housing. Because of the rigid connection between the bottom portion of the housing and the walls, a bending moment is transmitted into the side walls causing them to flex.
Service conditions existing at the time the aforementioned draft gear design was constructed and placed into service involved applications to 70-ton rail cars with relatively low utilization and shorter train lengths. Consequently, a reasonable number of years of service could be expected from the draft gear. Subsequently, with the introduction of unit trains, increased car capacity and utilization, and longer train lengths have all contributed to increased magnitude and number of draftbuff fatigue cycles on the draft gear. Even today in normal rail car service, the aforementioned draft gear design is satisfactory and provides a reasonable life.
Under severe service conditions, however, the housing side wall flexure is increased which reduces the fatigue life of the draft gear.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to increase the fatigue life of the draft gear housing.
Another object of the invention is to strengthen the draft gear housing against a side wall flexing face imposed by the yoke under draft bearing against the housing end.
Yet another object is to increase the rigidity of the housing side walls by increasing the cross-sectional areas of the main spring guide ribs to better support the housing end against draft force induced by the yoke.


A three-dimensional display device and a method for forming the same are provided. The three-dimensional display device includes a display panel and a parallax barrier on the display panel. The parallax barrier includes a first parallax sub-barrier, a resin layer on the first parallax sub-barrier and a second parallax sub-barrier on the resin layer. A thickness of the parallax barrier is larger than a predetermined thickness, where the predetermined thickness d1 is smaller than or equal to 1 μm.

Along with the development of display technology, the three-dimensional display is becoming more and more common. At present, the three-dimensional display technology mainly includes a glass-type three-dimensional display and a naked eye type three-dimensional display. The naked eye type three-dimensional display technology mainly adopts a parallax barrier, a lens, a directional backlight, etc. The parallax barrier is commonly used at present.
The parallax barrier achieves the three-dimensional display through a fence-like barrier between a display panel and a pair of glasses. Through slits, pixels of the display panel observed by two eyes respectively are different, and a parallax image may occur as a result. In a practical application, when the opening of the slit of the parallax barrier is relatively large, a crosstalk may occur between the images observed by the left and right eyes respectively. In order to reduce the crosstalk, the opening of the slit may be decreased. However, display brightness may be reduced when the opening of the slit is decreased. Therefore, it is a main research direction in the field to reduce the crosstalk between images without reducing the display brightness.

Three-dimensional display device and method for forming the same


A system for monitoring temperature comprising a first thermocouple temperature sensor mounted to a catheter, the catheter also having a connector with a plurality of connecting devices for making the thermocouple signals available to external equipment. The connecting devices are formed of a material dissimilar to at least one of the thermocouple leads such that a second thermocouple is created at the connection point. The second thermocouple produces a second temperature signal that combines with the signal from the first thermocouple. A reference temperature sensor is mounted at the connector to sense the temperature at the connector and provide a reference temperature signal for use by a processor in correcting the combined temperature signal to derive the first thermocouple signal received from the connector.

The invention is generally related to biomedical devices for sensing physiological parameters and, more particularly, to catheters having temperature sensing devices.
The heart beat in a healthy human is controlled by the sinoatrial node ("S-A node") located in the wall of the right atrium. The S-A node generates electrical signal potentials that are transmitted through pathways of conductive heart tissue in the atrium to the atrioventricular node ("A-V node") which in turn transmits the electrical signals throughout the ventricle by means of the His and Purkinje conductive tissues. Improper growth of or damage to the conductive tissue in the heart can interfere with the passage of regular electrical signals from the S-A and A-V nodes. Electrical signal irregularities resulting from such interference can disturb the normal rhythm of the heart and cause an abnormal rhythmic condition referred to as cardiac arrhythmia.
Electrophysiological ablation is a procedure often successful in terminating cardiac arrhythmia. This procedure involves applying sufficient energy to the interfering tissue to ablate that tissue thus removing the irregular signal pathway. However, before an ablation procedure can be carried out, the interfering tissue must first be located.
One location technique involves an electrophysiological mapping procedure whereby the electrical signals emanating from the conductive endocardial tissues are systematically monitored and a map is created of those signals. By analyzing that map, the interfering electrical pathway can be identified. A conventional method for mapping the electrical signals from conductive heart tissue is to percutaneously introduce an electrophysiology ("EP") catheter having mapping electrodes mounted on its distal extremity. The catheter is maneuvered to place those electrodes in contact with or in close proximity to the endocardium of the patient's heart. By monitoring the electrical signals at the endocardium, aberrant conductive tissue sites responsible for the arrhythmia can be pinpointed.
Once the origination point for the arrhythmia is located in the tissue, the physician may use an ablation procedure to destroy the tissue causing the arrhythmia an attempt to remove the electrical signal irregularities and restore normal heart beat or at least an improved heart beat. Successful ablation of the conductive tissue at the arrhythmia initiation site usually terminates the arrhythmia or at least moderates the heart rhythm to acceptable levels.
The distal end of an EP catheter may include the mapping electrodes as well as an ablation device mounted near the tip for performing the ablation procedure. One type of ablation device includes an ablation electrode that emits radio frequency ("RF") energy to heat the target tissue to a temperature high enough to cause ablation of that tissue. Other types of ablation devices may be used and in the following disclosure, an ultrasonic device is disclosed.
As the ablation procedure progresses, heat is generated and the surrounding blood is exposed to this heat. At approximately 90.degree.-100.degree. C., charring and boiling of the blood take place. Charring is particularly troublesome at the surface of the ablation device because emboli may form on the surface of the device to an extent that the catheter must be removed and cleaned before the procedure can continue. Furthermore, in RF ablation procedures, charring can cause a substantial increase in the impedance and a corresponding decrease in the power delivery to the tissue. Too great a rise in impedance can result in sparking and thrombus formation within the heart, both of which are undesirable.
Because part of the ablation transducer is in contact with the blood in the heart, blood boiling, emboli development, and clotting can result if the surface temperature of the transducer exceeds 90.degree.-100.degree. C. If this occurs, the ablation procedure must be stopped regardless of whether the entire ablation procedure has been completed. The catheter must then be removed from the patient, the attached necrotic tissue removed, and the catheter reinserted into the patient. Such cleaning processes require extra time and unduly prolong the ablation procedure. To avoid such undesirable circumstances, a temperature sensor may be incorporated at the distal end of the catheter to monitor and maintain a selected temperature during ablation. The ablation process can then be controlled so that the temperature is not allowed to increase above a predetermined level.
Temperature sensors have been incorporated in catheters for some time. One of these temperature sensors comprises a thermocouple having elongated sensing joined together at their distal ends to form the thermocouple and their proximal ends connected to a connector mounted in the catheter. External equipment may be connected to the connector of the catheter to receive the temperature signals of the thermocouple for processing to determine the temperature sensed. The thermocouple is typically disposed at the distal end of the catheter.
Thermocouples use two leads formed of dissimilar materials, for example one lead formed of constantan and the other lead formed of copper, that are joined at one end to form a thermocouple junction. The thermocouple junction produces a voltage representative of the temperature at the junction and that voltage varies as the junction is exposed to temperature changes. The proximal ends of the leads of dissimilar materials are commonly directed within the catheter to the connector and are connected to connecting devices, such as pins, of that connector. The connector is typically formed with a plurality of metallic connecting devices to which the thermocouple leads and other leads are soldered. If those connecting devices are composed of a material dissimilar to a material of the thermocouple leads, for example copper, then when the constantan thermocouple lead is connected to the copper connecting device, a second thermocouple junction will be formed at that connection point. This second thermocouple junction will also produce a voltage dependent on the temperature of that particular junction and because it is part of the electrical circuit of the distal end thermocouple, this additional voltage will combine with the distal end thermocouple signal resulting in reduced accuracy of the temperature indication of the distal tip of the catheter.
While custom connectors and interconnection cables may be built having certain pins formed of constantan and some of copper, for example, so that thermocouples at the connector are not formed, such devices can be relatively expensive. It would be desirable to be able to use standard, less expensive devices.
Hence, those skilled in the art have recognized the need for a temperature sensing system that compensates for thermocouple effects produced at the connection points in the catheter handle to produce a more accurate temperature indication. A need has also been recognized for such a system that does not significantly increase the expense of the catheter yet provides increased accuracy. The present invention fulfills these needs and others.

Biomedical device having a temperature sensing system


An armored vehicle has a turret having a gun; a targeting system which is arranged inside the turret and is provided with a day channel, a night or thermal channel and a laser range-finder, a power control system for controlling the movement of the turret in azimuth and the movement of the gun in elevation; a device for guiding missiles using lasers, which generates a laser guiding line; and a turret controller which determines the mode for guiding the missile, wherein the turret has gyrostabilizer for gyrostabilizing the laser-guiding line.

One knows laser guidance systems for missiles of the "beamrider" type, in which a laser signal receiver located in the rear part of the missile detects the laser signal, analyzes it and determines the position of the missile. The latter centers itself automatically relative to the beam. Two alternated patterns ensure coding of the horizontal and vertical position of the missile.
This guidance system is deemed to be very precise in static mode. However, when the missile is launched, for example from an armored vehicle turret under actual operating conditions, i.e. when the vehicle or the target is moving, and particularly on uneven land or when there is wind, the precision of the guidance is deteriorated.
Furthermore, it is known that currently, an armored vehicle turret typically comprises a sight system, which provides the gunner and the commander with a day channel and a night (or thermal) channel, as well as a laser telemeter. The gunner and the commander have both at their disposal a station with a joystick, which makes it possible to give the azimuth and elevation (or height or altitude) command to the sight system, and therefore to modify the line of sight, as well as a control screen. The commander's sight system also provides a panoramic view. The image in the sight system is gyrostabilized relative to the ground owing to an integrated gyroscopic system. This means that the line of sight remains parallel to itself irrespective of the movements of the vehicle. The line of sight and the line of fire are parallel to each other owing to the power control system which commands the turret in azimuth and the cannon in elevation, according to the values communicated by the sight system.
The guidance system, comprising a laser line and a control camera that are perfectly harmonized, i.e. aligned or optically matched, is fastened to the launcher or to the vehicle, and may or may not be integrated into the sight system of the vehicle, or on a station separated from the vehicle. According to the state of the art, the means for modifying the direction of the laser guidance line are rudimentary and do not allow precise, fluid and regular control to engage a moving target. Currently, any modification in the guidance line is done manually, without assistance from the optic, either by moving the turret, or by moving the guidance system of the missile. This causes somewhat mediocre performance and also does not offer many firing opportunities.
Document DE 42 03 474 A discloses a sight device for a gunner of an armored vehicle, in which the gunner observes the target by means of a day/night periscope installed in the turret, the optical axis of which is harmonized with the axis of an integrated laser telemeter, operating according to the pulse return principle. In order to optimize the firing range and precision, there is provision for having, in the functional field of the laser telemeter, a guidance laser transmitter as a separate entity, in the guidance beam of which flies a projectile provided with a receiver in its rear part and the optical axis of which is generated so as to be harmonized with the optical axis of the day/night periscope. The guidance laser transmitter is positioned in the turret of the tank in the region between the day/night periscope and the reactive modules of the armored vehicle located behind the sight station. A device of this type was on the Leopard II tank.
In document DE 41 37 843 A1, the weapon system includes a sight module equipped with an integrated laser telemeter. A laser beam is modulated outside the sight module and coupled to the optical path of the laser telemeter via a fold mirror, to serve as a guidance beam for a remotely guided projectile.
The inventoried missile firing stability and precision limits, in the case of the solutions of the state of the art, are related, depending on the case, to:                the movement inside the vehicle (occupants, motor, wind, etc.);        scenarios involving firing at a moving target;        the moving vehicle; in this case, the use of the optical system may be contemplated, but is not really recommended because many conditions would have to be met (flat terrain, etc.).

System for guiding missiles for vehicles and moving targets


In a method for the glow discharge deposition of an amorphous, continuous layer from an organosilane and oxygen where the deposition is interrupted, wherein a glow discharge in oxygen is employed prior to resumption of glow discharge layer deposition.

The copending application, Ser. No. 048,166, filed June 13, 1979 of Dholakia entitled "Method for Precision Grinding of Sharp Tips," is being filed concurrently with the instant application. Dholakia discloses that a thick, abrasive silicon oxide layer can be used to lap the narrow, sharp point of a hard material such as diamond, sapphire and the like to a flat surface with a smooth finish. The Dholakia method both results in reduced breakage of the tips during lapping and prevents destruction of the lapping medium.
Several problems were encountered in the initial attempts to prepare thick SiO.sub.x abrasive layers by employing a glow discharge. SiO.sub.x may be thought of as a mixture of SiO.sub.2 and SiO. The vinyl substrate, which is a preferred substrate, should not be heated above a temperature of about 50.degree. C. Above this temperature the vinyl may warp due to stress relaxation which limits the disc's usefulness. This temperature sensitivity limits the maximum time the substrate may reside in the glow discharge. The maximum coating thickness which may be deposited for a given deposition rate is limited by the residence time. Several deposition steps, allowing the substrate to cool between them, are often required to produce a coating having the desired thickness.
SiO.sub.x layers may be glow discharge deposited using silane or certain of its derivatives as precursors. When organosilane precursors such as methyldimethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane are employed, difficulties arise in the deposition of thick abrasive layers because of the reactivity of the organosilanes in the absence of the glow discharge plasma. These precursors condense to form thin amorphous films on the substrate in the presence of residual water or oxygen via hydrolysis or oxidation, respectively. The condensed materials adhere poorly to the substrate and cause coating inhomogeneity when they deposit on the intermediate layers between deposition cycles. Thus, in practice it is difficult to deposit a thick film by simply repeating the deposition at the time intervals set by the thermal sensitivity of the substrate in order to avoid the problem of excessive heating discussed above.


A clipboard includes a board and a clip member. A recess is formed at the outside face of the clamp member and is configured to receive a calculator. A positioning device is provided for detachably positioning the calculator in the recess of the clamp member. Therefore, the calculator can be easily removed from the clamp member because a large working space is available.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a clipboard having a calculator mounted thereon, more particularly to a clipboard having a calculator mounted on the outside of a clamp member provided on said clipboard.
2. Description of the Related Art
Calculators are useful tools for mathematical calculations. Typically, a pocket calculator is mounted on a clipboard to obviate the inconvenience caused by the necessity of positioning the calculator with one of the user's hands while the user's other hand holds a pen to write on the clipboard. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3 U.S. Design Pat. No. 284,678 disclosed a clipboard comprises a clamp member 1, a board 2, a supporting base 3 fixed to the board 2, a torsional spring 4, and a pivot axle 5. The clamp member 1 is pivotally connected to two projections 31 with the pivotal axle 5 and cooperates with the board 2 to form a clamping device. The torsional spring 4 is arranged between the inside face of the clamp member 1 and the supporting base 3 to bias the clamp member 1 to abut against the board 2. The clamp member 1 has two lugs (1b) which extends downward from its two opposite edges to define a receiving portion (1a) at the inside face of the clamp member 1. The receiving portion (1a) is adapted to receive a calculator 6, and two folded portions (1d) are used for holding the calculator 6 within the receiving portion (1a). A plurality of holes (1c) are provided on the clamp member 1, exposing the keys 61 and the display 62 of the calculator 6 for viewing purposes. The torsional spring 4 abuts upon the back of the calculator 6 while the calculator 6 is positioned in the receiving portion (1a). However, the conventional clipboard suffers from the following disadvantages:
(1) When folded to clamp the calculator 6, the folded portions (1d) are likely to damage the internal electronic parts in the casing of the calculator 6 because of excess force.
(2) The display is likely to be damaged by the biasing force of the torsional spring 4.
(3) The disassembly of the calculator 6 in order to replace the battery means in the calculator 6 is troublesome because the folded portions (1d) of the clamp member 1 have to be stretched from the back side of the clamp member 1 where a little working space is available.

Clipboard having a calculator mounted thereon


In an electro-optical strand motion detecting device the improvement comprises an optically transparent tubular shield surrounding the path of said strand at said sensor.

The need for a reliable and efficient strand detection system is well known in the textile industry. Many of the prior art devices use a light source and reflected light from the strand to actuate a light sensor and provide a strand presence signal. One such prior art device is U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,908 which discloses a guide for a filament or strand and a fiber optic system for supplying light to the guide and for receiving light reflected from the strand. Other examples of using reflected light to sense the presence of a strand are shown in British Pat. Nos. 1,124,590 and 779,548.
The strand detection system disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 940,068 filed on Sept. 7, 1978, for Sheldon A. Canfield discloses an optical sensor unit having a solid state light source and light detector. The sensor is focused at the outer periphery of a pathway through which the strand travels.
One problem with such a system has been the build-up of fuzz around the sensor that can disable the system.

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An object of the present invention is to achieve an improved flash memory which enables to simultaneously obtain high performance and reliability even with voltage V.sub.CC of 3.3 V or below. The device includes a memory cell 6, a V.sub.CC type transistor 7 and a V.sub.PP type transistor 8. Memory cell 6 includes a tunnel oxide film 2, a floating gate 3 and a control gate 4. A V.sub.CC type transistor 7 includes a first gate insulating film 9 and a first gate 10. A V.sub.PP type transistor 8 includes a second gate insulating film 11 and a second gate 12. An inequality, t(V.sub.CC)<t(TN)<t(V.sub.PP), is satisfied where t(TN) is the thickness of the tunnel oxide film, t(V.sub.CC) is the thickness of the first gate insulating film, and t(V.sub.PP) is the thickness of the second gate insulating film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates t non-volatile semiconductor memory devices and, more particularly, to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device (hereinafter referred to as a flash memory) which is capable of electrical programming and erasing of data and employs a floating gate.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view showing a conventional flash memory.
This memory cell has two gate electrodes; a floating gate 3 completely covered with a silicon oxide film and a control gate 4 stacked thereon. A tunnel oxide film 2 which is a thin (80-100 .ANG.) oxide film is provided between floating gate 3 and a semiconductor substrate 1. For writing or erasing of the data, electrons are introduced to or emitted from floating gate 3 by a current flowing through tunnel oxide film 2 (a tunnel current).
A threshold voltage of a transistor (a gate voltage obtained when a drain current starts to flow) is changed by whether electrons are present in floating gate 3 or not. Since the drain current changes by the change in the threshold, "0" and "1" are distinguished from each other by the amount of the drain current. Such a memory cell is called a non-volatile memory cell because electrons remaining in floating gate 3 will not be lost even by turning off the power supply unless light is directed thereto. A kind of non-volatile memory which can write and erase data electrically is called a flash memory.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a flash memory showing only such a flash memory cell as described above and peripheral transistors. The flash memory basically includes a memory cell 6, a V.sub.CC type transistor 7 and a V.sub.PP type transistor 8. V.sub.CC type transistor 7 is a switching transistor for a supply voltage (V.sub.CC). V.sub.PP type transistor 8 is a programming transistor for applying a high voltage V.sub.PP to control gate 4.
Memory cell 6 includes tunnel oxide film 2, floating gate 3 and control gate 4, as described above. V.sub.CC type transistor 7 includes a first gate insulating film 9 and a first gate 10. V.sub.PP type transistor 8 includes a second gate insulating film 11 and a second gate 12. A conventional flash memory satisfies the following inequality: EQU t(TN)<t(V.sub.CC)<t(V.sub.PP) (1)
where t(TN) is a film thickness of tunnel oxide film 2, t(V.sub.CC) is a film thickness of first gate insulating film 9, and t(V.sub.PP) is a film thickness of second gate insulating film 11. In the conventional flash memory, a voltage of 5V is applied to V.sub.CC type transistor 7, and a voltage of 12V is applied to V.sub.PP type transistor 8.
Since flash memories are scaled down, there is a problem with a conventional flash memory structured in accordance with the inequality above. This problem will be described below in detail.
First, let us consider the electronic field applied to tunnel oxide film 2. Assuming that the amount of stored charges is approximately 10 fC/cell at present, when a scaling factor is k (k is a multiplier less than 1), the amount of stored charges will be k.times.10 fC/cell. In any generation, the charges must be extracted in approximately one second at most. Assuming that the area electrons pass through when charges are extracted is about 0.1 .mu.m.sup.2 (at present), this area will be k.times.0.1 .mu.m.sup.2 correspondingly (although the area might be k.sup.2 .times.0.1 .mu.m.sup.2 in some cases, it will not make any big difference to the discussion here). Therefore, a current density I (tunnel) of 10 .mu.A/cm.sup.2 must be ensured in any generation, as obtained from the following expression:
Current density I (tunnel)>(k.times.10 fC)/(k.times.0.1 .mu.m.sup.2) .div.10 .mu.A/cm.sup.2
As long as charges are extracted by utilizing the Fowler-Nordheim tunnel phenomenon, current density J is obtained by the following expressions:
J (FN).div.AE.sup.2 exp (-B/E)
A=q.sup.2 m/8.pi.h.phi..sub.b m.sup.* .div.1.47.times.10.sup.-6 (A/V.sup.2)
B=-(4 (2m.sup.*).sup. 1/2 (q.phi..sub.b).sup. 3/2 /3qh).div.2.37.times.10.sup.10 (V/m)
where E is the electric field applied to an oxide film, q is elementary charges, m is the mass of an electron, h is the Planck's constant, .phi..sub.b is the barrier height against the oxide film, m.sup.* is the effective mass of an electron.
As can be seen from the expressions above, the electric field of at least 10 MV/cm must be ensured for the tunnel oxide film in any generation in order to obtain current density J of 10 .mu.A/cm.sup.2. Here, the electric field applied to the tunnel oxide film is defined as E(TN).
Although actually there are various methods of applying voltage to tunnel oxide film 2, it is assumed here for simplicity that a voltage of t(TN).times.E(TN) must be handled in chip where t(TN) is the film thickness of tunnel oxide film 2. In other words, a high voltage V.sub.PP in chip can be expressed by the following equation;
In-chip high voltage V.sub.PP =t(TN).times.E(TN)
Now, the film thickness of the gate oxide film of peripheral transistors handling the high voltage will be considered. Generally, when a voltage is applied to a silicon oxide film, the silicon oxide film will break down in a finite time. The life of a silicon oxide film is a function of the applied electric field and the area of the oxide film. (Although it is also related to the film thickness of the oxide film, it is not taken into consideration here because its effect is small.)
FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the life (sec) of a silicon oxide film and the applied electric field (Eg). As can be seen from FIG. 6, the life of a silicon oxide film is shortened as the applied voltage increases. From the figure, the electric field E(V.sub.PP) applied to the gate oxide film in a V.sub.PP type transistor must be less than 5 MV/cm so as to secure the life of ten years (.div.3.times.10.sup.8 second). Therefore, the expression of E(V.sub.PP)<5 MV/cm must be satisfied.
Considering the effects of the area and the fact that V.sub.PP is not actually applied for as long as ten years, the expression of E(V.sub.PP)<3-7 MV/cm must be satisfied.
From the consideration above, the film thickness t(V.sub.PP) of the gate oxide film in a V.sub.PP type transistor can be obtained from the following expressions: ##EQU1##
Therefore, if an oxide film having a thickness of 100 .ANG. is used as tunnel oxide film 2, the thickness of the gate oxide film in the V.sub.PP type transistor is suitably 150 .ANG.-330 .ANG..
Next, V.sub.CC type transistors will be considered. Regarding V.sub.CC type transistors as well, the life of ten years must be secured and, in that order, electric field E(V.sub.CC) applied to the gate insulating film in the V.sub.CC type transistor must be less than 3-5 MV/cm, as can be seen from FIG. 6. That is, E(V.sub.CC)<3-5 MV/cm. Therefore, when V.sub.CC =5V, thickness t(V.sub.CC) of the gate oxide film in the V.sub.CC type transistor is 100 .ANG.-170 .ANG..
Since V.sub.CC of 5V is utilized in the conventional device, a flash memory satisfying the inequality (1) above has excelled in performance.
As long as reliability is secured, a transistor having a thinner gate oxide film enjoys the greater improvement in performance and thus is more advantageous in terms of performance of a chip such as access. Furthermore, it can be seen from the foregoing that if the voltage is scaled down, the thickness of the gate oxide film can be reduced in proportion thereto.
Meanwhile, regarding the scaling of the thickness of the tunnel oxide film, Naruke, et al. has pointed out a stress-induced leakage current at low electric field, which is the lower limit of the reliability (K. Naruke, et al., IEDM Tech. Dig., (1988) pp. 424).
Taking this point into consideration, scaling of the tunnel oxide film is said to be k.sup.0.25 (K. Yoshikawa, et al., Sympo. of VSLI Tech. Dig., (1991), pp. 79). According to Yoshikawa, et al., the thickness of the tunnel oxide film remains to be around 100 .ANG. even in the 64M (.about.0.4 .mu.m rule) generation.
Meantime, in order to achieve the best performance of the transistor with the given V.sub.CC as long as reliability is secured, the thickness of the transistor must be set as t(V.sub.CC)=V.sub.CC /E(V.sub.CC). This results in t(V.sub.CC) equal to 70 .ANG.-100 .ANG. in the generation where V.sub.CC =3.3V. Therefore, in the generation where V.sub.CC =3.3V, a conventional semiconductor device satisfying the expression (1) above cannot achieve a high reliability. More specifically, if the expression (1) above is to be satisfied, t(TN) must be less than 70 .ANG. because t(V.sub.CC)>t(TN).
However, such a small amount of t(TN) gives rise to a problem of reliability, that is, a stress-induced leakage current at low electric field.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device


A core has first to third magnetic leg portions. First and second windings wound on the first and second magnetic leg portions, respectively, are connected in series to constitute a first reactor. A third winding wound on the third magnetic leg portion constitutes a second reactor. A magnetic field produced from the first reactor and a magnetic field produced from the second reactor reinforce each other in the second magnetic leg portion, but weaken each other in the first magnetic leg portion. In accordance with increase in currents, the operation of the first and second reactors changes from a magnetically uncoupled mode in which the first and second reactors operate in a magnetically non-interfering state to a magnetically coupled mode in which the first and second reactors operate in a magnetically interfering state.

An inductive element, such as a reactor, used for a power converter is generally formed by winding coils on a core made of a magnetic material, which is likely to increase in size. It has therefore been proposed to configure a composite magnetic component having a plurality of inductive elements integrated by sharing a magnetic body (core).
For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-59995 describes a configuration of a composite magnetic component in which a transformer and a reactor are integrated. In the configuration described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-59995, a primary winding and a secondary winding are wound on one of two cores constituting the transformer, and an extension of the primary winding is wound on the other core. Accordingly, the reactor connected in series with the primary winding of the transformer can be formed integrally with the transformer by means of the above-described extension.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2009-284647 describes a configuration of a composite transformer in which first and second inductors and a transformer are formed integrally.

Variable magnetic coupling reactor having two integrated reactor elements, power supply system including the same, and method of use of composite magnetic component having two integrated reactor elements


An aircraft cabin is climatized by tapping air from the engine compressors and feeding it into the cabin through a loop which includes a compressor, a cooling turbine driving the compressor, and several cooling stages. A second loop, using preferably helium, includes a second compressor and a second turbine, the second compressor being driven by both turbines, and the cooled helium is in heat exchange with another cooling loop which runs through instrument compartments. Discharged cabin air is used to precool the compressed helium.

The present invention relates to climate control, i.e., air conditioning cooling and heating of the cabin of an aircraft.
The temperature of the air in an aircraft cabin is usually controlled by means of pressurized air taken (i.e., tapped) from a compressor stage in one of the engines, unless a separate compressor is provided for that purpose. One should tap the engine compressor only if, thereby, the power of the engine is not, or only very insignificantly, reduced. Military aircraft have a comparatively small cabin so that the air requirements for climate control can, indeed, be satisfied from an engine compressor without loss in power. However, military aircraft are to an increasing extent "loaded" with sensitive electronic equipment which must also be climatized. Safety of the aircraft as well as completion of the assigned mission depends on the proper working of this equipment. Thus, inspite of a small crew cabin, one does also need a large amount of air for climate control of a military aircraft, and interference with the power requirement of propulsion may be expected if an engine were to be tapped.
The situation is different for commercial, i.e., passenger, aircraft, but with a similar result. A modern passenger plane has a large passenger cabin and requires considerable quantities of air on that account alone. It can thus be seen that the practice of tapping the engine compressor for climatizing the plane appears to be no longer an attractive approach.

Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke-Fokker GmbH


Metallocene compounds and processes for preparing such metallocene compounds are provided. Such processes for preparing such metallocene compounds comprise reacting an alkynyl ligand, an alkali metal compound, and a transition metal-containing compound.

A fulvene-type compound as used herein is a compound containing a cyclopentadienyl-type group having an external carbon-carbon double bond bonding the cyclopentadienyl-type group to a hydrocarbyl group. Cyclopentadienyl-type as used herein are groups containing a cyclopentadienyl functionality, and include cyclopentadienyl, substituted cyclopentadienyl, indenyl, substituted indenyl, tetrahydroindenyl, fluorenyl, substituted fluorenyl, and octahydrofluorenyl groups. Cyclopentadienyl-type compounds are compounds containing a cyclopentadienyl-type group. The term alkynyl fulvene-type compound as defined herein is a fulvene-type compound containing a terminal alkynyl bond. As used herein, the term alkynyl ligand is a ligand containing a terminal alkynyl bond and at least one cyclopentadienyl-type group.
Cyclopentadienyl-type ligands have found a number of uses in the past. Such ligands have utility in the preparation of metallocene compounds useful for the polymerization of olefins. Other applications for metallocene compounds include asymmetric hydrogenation, alkene epoxidation, alkene isomerization, ketone reduction, and as stoichiometric reagents for stereoselective cobalt-mediated reactions, allyltitanium addition reactions with aldehydes, and the highly selective formation of allylic amines.
It would therefore be desirable to produce a variety of novel ligands from readily available materials employing a simple and economical process. It would also be desirable to produce a variety of such ligands in pure form without by-products and in high yields from readily available materials employing a simple and economical process.
Metallocene catalysts have been used in homogeneous solution polymerizations of olefins. Attempts to use soluble metallocene catalysts in a slurry or particle form type polymerization are currently not commercially feasible. It has been observed that when such particle form polymerizations are carried out in the presence of a soluble metallocene catalyst, large mounts of polymeric material are formed on the surfaces of the polymerization vessel. This surface fouling produces an adverse effect on the heat transfer and also results in the need for periodic, if not continuous, cleaning of the reactor. It would therefore be desirable to produce economical metallocene catalysts useful in polymerization processes free of reactor fouling.
For many applications, such as thermoforming, extrusion, blow molding and the production of film, it is desirable to produce a polymer having a broad molecular weight distribution. It would therefore be desirable to produce metallocene catalysts capable of producing polymers having a broad molecular weight distribution.

Metallocene compounds and preparation thereof containing terminal alkynes


There are provided an environment recognition device and an environment recognition method. An environment recognition device 130 provisionally determines a specific object corresponding to a target portion from a luminance of the target portion, groups target portions of which differences in the width direction, and the height direction are within a first predetermined range and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object into a target object, sequentially detects, from any target objects, target objects of which differences in the width direction, in the height direction, and in the relative distance are within a second predetermined range, and which are provisionally determined to correspond to a same specific object, thereby specifying a target object group, and determines whether or not the target object group is the specific object according to the number of the target objects in the target object group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an environment recognition device and an environment recognition method for recognizing a target object based on luminances of the target object in a detection area.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a technique has been known that detects a target object such as an obstacle including a vehicle and a traffic light located in front of a subject vehicle for performing control to avoid collision with the detected target object and to maintain a safe distance between the subject vehicle and the preceding vehicle (for example, Japanese Patent No. 3349060 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 10-283461).
Further, in such techniques, there is a technique that performs more advanced control. Specifically, it not only specifies a target object uniformly as a solid object, but further determines whether the detected target object is a preceding vehicle that is running at the same speed as the subject vehicle or a fixed object that does not move. In this case, when the target object is detected by capturing an image of a detection area, it is necessary to extract (cut out) the target object from the captured image before specifying what the target object is.
For example, there is known a technique that recognizes, when the captured image is a color image, a light source such as a traffic light as a target object by grouping a set of pixels with a same luminance (color) (for example, JP-A No. 2010-224925). However, when a resolution of the image capturing device that captures the detection area is low, or when the captured light source is located at distance, a luminance (color) and size of a light source which is different from a traffic light are unlikely to correctly be recognized and may be similar to the luminance and size of a lighting portion of the traffic light. In this case, simply grouping plural pixels having similar color characteristics may cause the light source, which should be recognized a light source different from a traffic light, to be falsely recognized as the traffic light.

Environment recognition device and environment recognition method


A dual mode light assembly for a forward position light of an aircraft includes a base, a visible light source mounted to the base that is configured to emit visible light, a covert light source mounted to the base that is configured to emit covert light, and a light shield mounted to the base. The light shield is configured to restrict transmission of the visible light to a visible light pattern and to restrict transmission of the covert light to a covert light pattern.

Aircraft position lights are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") and other regulatory agencies. Position lights improve the visibility of aircraft, thereby allowing air traffic controllers and other aircraft to visually identify and orient the aircraft. In certain situations, non-visible lights, such as infrared lights, are utilized on an aircraft. Such non-visible lights enable an aircraft to operate in covert mode. In covert mode, bystanders using the naked eye are unable to see the non-visible lights but people equipped with appropriate devices, such as infrared detectors, are able to perceive the non-visible light and thereby identify and orient the aircraft.


Sanitary appliance (washbasin, bidet, bath, sink, etc . . . ) which comprises a main basin (2) in conjunction with an adjoining chamber (4), but where the basin (2) and the chamber (4) are separated from one another by an at least partially removable wall (3). The water in the basin (2) is in contact with chamber (4) via openings (14). The chamber (4) is provided with a discharge conduit which at the same time forms the overflow (15). Said discharge conduit is a virtually upright pipe (7, 8) which in the open state discharges the water and in the closed state retains the water in the basin. At least a portion of the removable wall (3) is joined to at least a portion of the upright pipe. FIG. 1a.

The present invention relates to a sanitary appliance such as washbasin, bidet, bath, shower tub, sink, urinal or any other equivalent appliance, of the type which comprises a main basin and an adjoining chamber, the two separated by a wall, water or any other liquid in the basin being capable of being discharged via a water outfall in the adjoining chamber, and said water outfall comprising a virtually upright pipe which is displaceable between an open state, in which the water can be discharged, and a closed state in which the water remains in the basin.
An appliance of this type has been described by. applicant in the European Patent No. 202 308. According to this patent, at least one portion of the wall which separates the basin from the adjoining chamber is removable.
Appliances of this type look smart, and they can be shaped more simply, since no discharge opening and sealing plug is present in the underside, but they are still not widespread, since the chamber and the water discharge pipe are not readily accessible for cleaning nor for installing them. Even if a portion of the partition between the basin and the chamber is removable, as proposed in the said European patent, there remains a problem for cleaning the discharge pipe; moreover, the manufacture of the unit still presents problems.

Sanitary appliance with indirect discharge


An input device includes a first input interface, a second input interface disposed adjacent to the first input interface, and a controller configured to: validate an input to the first input interface when a first detection value corresponding thereto is greater than a first threshold value; validate an input to the second input interface when a second detection value corresponding thereto is greater than a second threshold value; and change the second threshold value so that detection sensitivity is lowered in response to a specific screen including an item located at an area adjacent to the second input interface being displayed on the first input interface and/or an input received at the first input interface being a specific input to an area adjacent to the second input interface.

There has been proposed an input device having a plurality of input units and configured to receive an input to each input unit resulting from touch or approach of an object, such as a touch operation of an operator, has been put to practical use. In the input device, when the plurality of input units is disposed adjacent to each other, the object may touch or approach over the plurality of input units, so that an unintentional input of the operator may be received.
There has been disclosed a technology of coping with the unintentional input of the operator, for example. The related-art technology discloses a configuration of a digital camera having a touchscreen panel provided to be freely moveable relative to a main body, where when an angle formed by the touchscreen panel and the main body is a predetermined value or greater, regarding a touch operation on the touchscreen panel, detection sensitivity of a touch operation in a direction of coming close to a grip part configured to grip the main body is made different from detection sensitivity of a touch operation in a direction of getting away from the grip part.

Input device, control method of the input device and non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer program for controlling the input device


An airless paint sprayer includes an outlet check valve assembly having a dual spring configuration which allows for increased fluid flow through the valve without diminishing response time of the valve or the priming operations of the system. One of the springs is not engaged when the valve is closed and the other spring has a much lower spring rate and biases the valve toward a closed configuration when the valve is open, closed, and all positions therebetween. The dual spring configuration accommodates highly viscous fluids or paints with maximum fluid flow and no detrimental impact on the priming operations of the sprayer.

This invention relates to airless paint sprayers, and more particularly, to a mechanism for providing a high flow rate of paint spray in a paint sprayer.
In a typical airless paint sprayer, a piston driven diaphragm pulls the paint from a supply line past a check valve into a paint holding or diaphragm chamber. On piston reversal, the paint in the diaphragm chamber is pressurized. A spray gun has a trigger which, when depressed, opens a valve to allow the pressurized paint in the chamber to flow through an outlet check valve and through a gun nozzle to atomize the paint as it exits an orifice for spraying onto a surface to be coated.
Airless paint sprayers commonly include a suction tube inserted within a can of paint through which the paint is delivered to the diaphragm chamber. Suction is created in the suction tube by a deformable diaphragm which is secured around its perimeter. A central portion of the diaphragm is oscillated, by a piston-driven hydraulic system, for example, between a convex and a concave configuration to thereby pull the paint toward the diaphragm and hence force it outwardly to the spray gun.
In another format, a rotating eccentric cam drives a bearing which in turn drives a piston. The piston is coupled to the diaphragm and the rotation of the cam drives the piston to thereby move the diaphragm to and between the convex and concave configurations. The paint is drawn from the can through the suction tube and inlet valve toward the diaphragm and into the diaphragm chamber to be discharged through the outlet check valve to the spray gun.
Despite past efforts, the use of such systems for spraying paint, for example, have been subject to inconsistent results and unexplained, undesirable variations. For example, a system may not work well with one paint, failing to fully atomize it and "spattering" it onto a surface while operating efficiently with the same paint at another time or in another location. Solutions to these types of problems have been identified as shown in two related applications for U.S. patent Ser. Nos. 08/370,159, filed Jan. 9, 1995 and 08/370,377, filed Jan. 9, 1995, each of which are assigned to the assignee of this invention and are expressly incorporated herein by reference. The inventions of those applications solve certain problems of poor paint sprayer performance.
Other problems which are commonly identified in airless paint sprayers include inconsistent spraying, for example, ineffective spraying of paint of a first type but efficient spraying of paint of a second type. Several possible causes of problems of this type have been proposed such as lack of consistent priming, paint buildup, clogged filters, paint viscosity variation resulting in flow rate variations, humidity, etc. Specifically, a lower flow rate of the paint through the sprayer occurs when a higher viscosity paint is sprayed even when the filters are clean and the flow path of the paint is unclogged. Paint viscosities typically range from about 3.8.times.10.sup.-4 ft.sup.2 /sec to about 1.5.times.10.sup.-2 ft.sup.2 /sec. The viscosity of water is even less, about 1.07.times.10.sup.-5 ft.sup.2 /sec. The inventions of applications Ser. Nos. 08/370,159 and 08/370,377 improve the performance of airless paint sprayers, but the variations in flow rate of higher viscosity paints and fluids as compared to lower viscosity paints and fluids prevent uniform performance. For example, flow rates of higher viscosity paints can be about 25% lower than the flow rate for less viscous paints and fluids.
Accordingly, the effective and consistent use of an airless paint system appears to be a sometimes thing dependent on flow rates resulting from the viscosity of the specific paint or fluid used in the system.
Therefore, it is apparent that there is a need for an airless paint sprayer which does not exhibit significant flow rate variations or loss of pressure, while spraying, due to the viscosity variations of fluids pumped and can reliably, efficiently and effectively spray all types of paint having a wide range of parameters, including viscosity, without the above identified problems and inconsistencies.
While the lower viscosity paints and fluids are relatively easy to handle and consistently pump at desired flow rates, use of the same valving and pumping structures for higher viscosity fluids runs into problems as a result of the more viscous fluids. The same pump and valve structure which works well with lower viscosity fluids does not work well with the higher viscosity fluids in the anticipated viscosity ranges of all paints intended for spraying.
It has thus been one objective of the invention to provide an improved airless sprayer capable of producing consistent spraying results for all anticipated paint viscosities.
It has been another objective of this invention to provide an improved airless paint sprayer which has a consistently high flow rate and does not loose pressure while spraying.
It has been a further objective of this invention to provide such a paint sprayer which can be efficiently and effectively used with a variety of paint types without loosing flow rate or pressure while spraying regardless of normally anticipated variations in paint viscosities.
It has been a still further objective of this invention to provide such a paint sprayer which can be used with a variety of paints and fluid viscosities to consistently atomize and spray the paint in a desired homogeneous pattern.

Airless paint sprayer outlet check valve


An absorbent passive acoustic antenna, designed to be attached to the hull of a ship, is made in the form of a stack of layers of polyurethane having different types of composition to obtain absorbent and/or reflective characteristics so as to minimize the parasitic signals received by the hydrophones and achieve the maximum absorption of the signals coming from the active sonars external to the vessel on which these antennas are placed.

1. The present invention relates to absorbent, acoustic passive antennas that can be used to receive the acoustic signals in order to convert them into electrical signals to be processed and, at the same time, to absorb these very same acoustic signals, especially when they come from an active detection sonar. It can be applied more particularly to antennas having large surface areas, designed to be fixed with a shape matching that of the hull of a ship.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For some years now, acoustic antenna structures have been developed with large dimensions, for example several square meters. These antennas are called surface antennas. These antennas essentially use, as sensors, piezoelectric poller elements, generally of the PVF2 type. In view of these dimensions, it becomes necessary to fix the antennas to the hull of the boat bearing the sonar to which they are linked. These antennas are shaped so that they match the shape of the hull to which they are attached. Under these conditions, in order to ensure the performance characteristics of the system, it is essential to have control over three essential criteria:
a hydrodynamic criterion to avoid lowering the performance characteristics of the carrier ship, this being achieved precisely by making an antenna with a matching shape; PA1 an acoustic barrier criterion to obtain an efficient rejection of noises coming from the rear of the antenna, hence from the carrier boat, to avoid masking the useful signals; PA1 a criterion of anechoic quality to absorb the acoustic signals at the frequencies used by underwater weapons such as torpedoes by using precisely the fact that the surface area of the hull covered by the antennas is great.
It will be noted however that these criteria may be met with standard localized sensors, and not by the use of a piezo-electrical polymer, when the frequencies used exceed one or two kHz, provided however that the matching shape of the antenna is maintained. This is relatively difficult with a large number of small sensors, made of ceramic for example.
In a French patent application No. 92 06274 filed on 22nd May 1982 and delivered on 26th Nov. 1993 under U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,569, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,467) the present applicant has described a antenna for submarines that has a matching shape and that essentially meets the hydrodynamic criterion described here above.
There also exist known "soft" acoustic reflectors designed to be placed in the rear of the cylindrical antennas, which are themselves located in the front of surface boats. Soft reflectors such as these are described especially in the French patent application No. 83 00753 filed by the applicant on 19th Jan. 1983 and delivered under U.S. Pat. No. 2,539,541. It is also the practice sometimes, in the place of these soft reflectors, to use hard type reflectors, namely high impedance reflectors.
The antennas that best meet the above-defined criteria are essentially devices designed to act as side antennas for high-tonnage antennas, the structure of which is defined in a sectional view in the appended FIG. 1.
The antenna is placed on the thick hull 101 of a submarine and comes into contact with water by means of intermediate apertures made in the thin hull 102 of this submarine.
The hydrophones 103, embedded in a protective layer, are fixed to the surface of a metal plate 104 that plays the role of a hard reflector and is flush with the thin hull 102.
This plate 104 is itself borne by compliant supports 105 which are furthermore fixed to the surface of the thick hull 101. These compliant supports demarcate an internal space 106 that has reflective and absorbent elements as described here below. The rest of this internal space 106 is filled with water.
In the cavity 106, there are therefore soft type absorbent reflectors 107 fixed to the lower face of the metal plate 104, and absorbent reflectors 108 formed by compliant tubes embedded in a soft matrix and fixed to the external surface of the thick hull.
The heterogeneity of such a structure implies that it is complicated to build and difficult to position on rounded hulls. Furthermore, the thickness of this antenna conventionally reaches 300 mm, which is considerable. These difficulties result in a high cost that becomes prohibitive.