Methods and apparatus for decelerating a train are provided. The method including: disposing a movable surface configured to be moved by the train as the train passes the movable surface; and converting a kinetic energy of the train into potential energy upon movement of the movable surface by the train to thereby decelerate the train. The apparatus including a railway upon which a train travels. The railway including: a movable surface extending in a direction of the train's travel; and potential energy storage device operatively connected to the movable surface for converting a kinetic energy of the train into potential energy upon movement of the movable surface thereby slowing the train.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to moving objects and devices for use therewith, and more particularly, to methods and devices for decelerating moving vehicles.
2. Prior Art
Along many highways, exits are provided for runaway trucks or other types of vehicles. Once a vehicle takes such an exit, it enters a stretch of a road that is filled with relatively fine sand of an appropriate depth. As the runaway vehicle enters the sand-filled portion of the road, it quickly begins to decelerate and slow down and after a relatively short distance it comes to rest. The deceleration of the vehicle is caused primarily by the process of "sinking" the vehicle tires into the sand, and forcing it to continuously "climb the height of the sand in front of it, i.e., a height equal to the sinking depth of the tire. The kinetic energy of the vehicle is absorbed primarily by the friction forces generated within the displacing sand. This process is fairly similar to an uphill travel of a vehicle, which would decelerate a non-powered vehicle and eventually bring it to rest. The amount of deceleration, i.e., the rate of slow-down, is dependent on the uphill slope. For the case of a sand-filled road, the amount of deceleration that can be achieved is dependent on the depth of the sand and the mechanical characteristics in terms of the amount of resistance that it can provide to its displacement by the tires.
As the vehicle travels along the sand-filled road, the vehicle usually experiences a fairly bumpy ride, since the sand cannot be made and maintained perfectly flat and perfectly homogeneous or protected from contaminants carried by the wind and rain and also by an uneven absorption of moisture. Another major disadvantage of the sand is that due to the relatively small friction that it provides between the tire and the roadway, the tires can easily skid sideways and slip, particularly if the driver attempts to use the brakes, and the vehicle may easily be rendered minimally controllable while slowing down. As a result, accidents, such as overturning and jackknifing, can occur while the vehicle is being brought to rest. The skidding, slipping and partial loss of control becomes increasingly more probable with increased initial speed of the vehicle as it enters the stretch of sand-filled road.
In addition, a depth of sand that is most appropriate for a certain vehicle weight, number of tires, and/or tire size may not be appropriate for other vehicles having a significantly different weight, number of tires, and/or tire size. For example, a road with a depth of sand that is appropriate for a heavy truck will decelerate a light vehicle too fast and can therefore result in injury to the passengers due to the rapid deceleration and/or most likely due to the vehicle loss of control. The optimal depth of the sand is also dependent on the initial speed of the vehicle. If a vehicle enters the sand-filled road with a relatively slow speed, then it would be best for the depth of sand to be relatively small, so that the vehicle is brought to stop as slowly as the length of the sand-filled road allows. Other factors also contribute to the optimal design of such sand-filled roads such as the weight of the vehicle, the number and size of the tires, etc. In short, to achieve an optimal condition, a sand-filled road has to be tuned to the type of the vehicle, its entering weight and initial velocity. In addition, the road and sand conditions have to be regularly monitored and maintained. Such conditions cannot obviously be met for roads that are constructed for general use and are subject to various environmental conditions. Such sand-filled roads are in use in numerous highways and are particularly located where the downward slope of the road is high and heavier vehicles such as trucks are prone to run away and are used as the means of last resort.
Such sand-filled roads are not, however, suitable for fast moving vehicles such as airplanes. For the case of airplanes, other issues may also arise. For example, the load on each tire is usually much larger than road vehicles; the relative distance between the tires may be smaller than those of road vehicles, thereby rendering them more uncontrollable; the center of mass of the plane may be higher than that of road vehicles, thereby making them more prone to tipping over; etc. In addition, and particularly for fast moving planes, the load applied to the tires keep varying due to the suspensions and the lift action, and therefore may cause a ripple to be formed on the surface of the sand-filled road, thereby making the ride even more bumpy and uncontrollable. In addition, the sand-filled section of the runway needs to be re-leveled after each use. In short, sand-filled roads are not appropriate and practical for fast moving vehicles in general and for airplanes in particular.
To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings for airplanes, runway segments have been added to the end of test runways that are constructed with a special type of concrete that collapses in a more or less controlled manner under the load of the airplane tire. Such runway segments solve some of the aforementioned problems of sand-filled roadways. However, such runway segments leave some of the major aforementioned problems unsolved and they even create some new problems and hazards. For example, the problem of lack of control is only partially solved by reducing the skidding potential caused by the sand. However, the collapsed concrete tends to constrain the tire to travel, more or less, in the generated "groove," making it difficult for the plane to maneuver (turn) sideways due to the resistance that the uncrushed "concrete wall" provides against the tire as it attempts to turn sideways. In addition, the concrete material cannot be formed such that it is sufficiently homogeneous to prevent bumpy rides. In addition, the collapsible concrete runway can only be optimally formulated and constructed for a certain airplane with a certain total weight and certain initial velocity as it reaches the collapsible segment of the runway.
Furthermore, once the collapsible segment of the runway is used by a "runaway" plane during landing or takeoff, the damaged segment has to be repaired before the runway can be opened to traffic. Otherwise, the damaged segment would pose a hazardous condition for the next runaway plane or even for a plane that could have stopped if a regular runway segment was present in place of the collapsible segment. In addition, while the repair crew is repairing the damage, any takeoff or landing would pose a hazardous condition for the repair crew and the plane. The use of the runway must therefore wait for the completion of the repairs, including the time required for the proper setting of the added or replaced sections of the concrete and inspection of the final condition of the runway. In short, the operation of the airport must be significantly curtailed for a significant length of time, and if the airport has only one runway, the entire operation of the airport has to be suspended until the damaged sections of the collapsible runway has been repaired. In short, such collapsible runway segments have major technical difficulties for safe operation and even those technical problems are one day solved, they are still effectively impractical due to the required relatively long periods of closure after each use and the related economical costs involved.
With regard to trains, no such means exist for slowing the same with the exception of a barrier at the end of the train tracks. Currently, fixed stops are provided at the end of railway lines to bring runaway trains to a stop. The stops may be provided with certain spring and/or damping element to absorb some of the shock if the train is moving at very slow speeds. A pile of soil may also be piled up behind the stop structure to further absorb the kinetic energy of the train. However, such stops cannot gradually slow the train and it is only used as a last resort that will very little to prevent serious injury to the occupants. In addition, the existing stop devices are essentially bumpers and can be used only at the terminal ends of the railways. Thus if a runaway train is not traveling towards the terminal end of a railway, no effective means currently exist to decelerate and stop the train. The only hope would be to divert the train to a railway that ends in a certain distance to avoid disastrous consequences.
A need therefore exists for railway sections that are equipped with the means that when deployed, would act to decelerate a moving train and bring it to a stop. Thus an objective of the present invention is to provide methods and apparatus that can perform such tasks.


Provided is an ink jet fluid composition which comprises a liquid carrier medium and a diketene. Upon ink jet printing on a printing medium and subsequent exposure to an energy source, a durable and water-insoluble layer is formed. Such an ink jet fluid composition and printing process can be advantageously used to produce durable and water-insoluble images on printing media.

Lithographic printing has long been the most widely used printing technique, especially for short to medium printing run lengths of 1,000 to 15,000. The term "lithographic" is meant to include various terms used synonymously, such as offset, offset lithographic, wet lithographic, planographic, and others. Most lithographic plates are still produced photographically. The disadvantages of this and some of the alternative lithographic plate materials and processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,958,563 and 5,487,338.
With the advent of the computer in revolutionizing the graphics design process leading to printing, there have been extensive efforts to develop a convenient and inexpensive computer-to-plate system, particularly for use in lithographic printing. Many of the new computer-to-plate systems are large, complex, and expensive. They are designed for use by large printing companies as a means to streamline the prepress process of their printing operations and to take advantage of the rapid exchange and response to the digital information of graphics designs provided by their customers. There remains a strong need for an economical and efficient computer-to-plate system for the many smaller printers who utilize lithographic printing.
A number of electronic, non-impact printing systems have been investigated for use in making lithographic printing plates to satisfy the needs of these smaller printers. Foremost among these have been laser printing systems, for example as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,443 and references therein. These have had some limited success, but have not been able to overcome the disadvantages of undesired background toner imaging, limitation to small sizes (approximately 11 inches by 18 inches) which are too small for many applications, and limitation to only those flexible substrates such as paper and plastic films which can transport through the laser printers.
Another non-impact printing system which has received attention for economical and convenient computer-to-plate preparation for lithographic printing is thermal transfer printing, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,564. This involves the printing of a hydrophobic wax or resin material on to the lithographic printing blank. This approach has similar size and flexible substrate limitations as described above for laser printing. In addition, the nature of the thermal transfer process is very demanding on intimate contact of the wax or resin donor ribbon to the receiver substrate to obtain consistent image quality. For this latter reason especially, the low cost thermal transfer printers in wide use for hard copy color output printing from computers are not used to prepare lithographic printing plates. Instead, more expensive, specially built thermal transfer printers have been proposed. The only widely used printers for hard copy computer output that have seen some use in making lithographic plates are laser printers, in spite of their aforementioned disadvantages.
In recent years, ink jet printers have replaced laser printers as the most popular hard copy output printers for computers. Some of the competitive advantages of ink jet printers have been low cost, reliability, and the ability to make color images without significantly increasing the cost of the printer. Both thermal ink jet and piezoelectric ink jet printing methods have been widely adopted for desktop computer printing. A third conventional type of ink jet printing, a continuous flow type method, has found acceptance in high quality color printing and proofing in graphics applications.
In spite of the very large and rapidly growing installed base of low cost desktop ink jet printers as well as a large number of higher cost, larger size ink jet printers used in prepress proofing and in printing output, there has not been use of these ink jet printers to make lithographic printing plates. There have been some reports in the literature proposing the use of ink jet printers to make lithographic printing plates. In Japanese Kokai 62-25081, an oleophilic liquid or fluid ink was printed by ink jet printing on to a hydrophilic aluminum surface of a lithographic printing plate. Titanate or silane coupling agents were present in the ink.
An ink jet printing apparatus to make lithographic printing plates is described in PCT WO 94/11191. It is directed to depositing hydrophobic or hydrophilic substances on hydrophobic printing plates.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,150, a fluid ink and hydrophilic media set containing materials to produce a silver-reducible image by ink jet printing are used to make a metallic silver image which, following wet processing to make the silver image sufficiently hydrophobic, is said to provide a lithographic printing plate.
Ink jet printing where the ink is a solid or phase change type ink instead of a liquid or fluid type ink is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,486 to deposit a hot wax on a surface of an offset plate. Upon cooling of the wax, it solidifies, thereby providing a printing plate. Solid ink jet printing has serious disadvantages for lithographic plates in that the wax or resin image has limited durability due to its thermoplastic, chemical, and adhesive properties and the amount and rounded shape of the solidified ink jet droplet on the media do not have the intrinsic image resolution properties found in liquid or fluid ink jet printing.
There is also prior art in the use of ink jet printing to apply an opaque image or mask pattern to a photosensitive lithographic printing plate blank, as for example, in Japanese Kokai 63-109,052. The blank is then exposed through the ink jet imaged mask pattern and then processed by conventional means to provide a lithographic printing plate. This approach retains the materials and processing of conventional lithographic printing plates and only uses ink jet printing as an alternative in the photomask through which the conventional plates are exposed. Thus this approach adds to the complexity and expense of the platemaking process and does not depend on the ink jet ink image for the hydrophobic image of the plate. U. S. Pat. No. 5,495,803 describes a solid or phase change type of ink jet printing to form a photomask for a printing plate.
Much of the technical development in ink jet printing has been directed to color and black imaging for computer hard copy output. The need for more archival, durable, and waterfast imaged media has led to ink jet inks and receiver media that containchemically reactive components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,860 describes a reactive ink jet ink/media set where the receiver media has a reactive component which reacts with the ink to give a more durable image and reacts in the non-image areas to give a durable coating. This patent is directed solely to durable colorant imaging elements and has no teaching on durable oleophilic material imaging elements or production of lithographic printing plates, which are the subjects of the present invention. Other prior art, as for example, U.S. Pat. 5,006,862 describes the use of reactive colorants in the liquid ink jet ink or fluid to provide more durable, waterfast, and bleed resistant images when printed on the media. These approaches for archival, more durable color and black ink jet images do not address the requirements for a durable hydrophobic image suitable for a lithographic printing plate. It would be advantageous to have a liquid ink jet ink or fluid that could be used on the large installed and future base of ink jet printers, now used extensively to print colorants on media, to print a durable oleophilic and water-insoluble image, particularly for use on a suitable lithographic printing plate blank to make a lithographic printing plate.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a liquid ink jet ink or fluid that provides an oleophilic, durable, and water-fast image upon ink jet printing.
Another object of this invention is to provide a liquid ink jet fluid-media set that provides an oleophilic, durable, and water-fast image with a hydrophilic, durable non-image area. It is a further object of this invention that this liquid ink jet fluid-media set provides an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing.
It is a further object of this invention that the liquid ink jet fluid-media set be capable of being printed on conventional, low cost desktop ink jet printers to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing. Yet another object of this invention is that the liquid ink jet fluid-media set is capable of being printed on conventional large format ink jet printers with printing widths and lengths in excess of 24 inches to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing. Still another object of this invention is that the liquid ink jet fluid-media set is capable of being printed on ink jet printers of all sizes with a wider choice of rigid and flexible media than with laser and other non-impact printers to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing.
It is a further object of this invention that no wet processing step, before or after the ink jet printing, is required to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing.
It is another object of this invention that no colorant is required in the liquid ink jet fluid to provide an oleophilic, durable, and waterfast image and to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing.
It is a further object of this invention that no metal precursor is required in the liquid ink jet fluid or the media and no metal is required in the image areas to provide an oleophilic, durable, and water-fast image and to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a convenient and economical method to provide an imaged printing plate suitable for high quality lithographic printing.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon a review of the following specification and the claims appended thereto.

Ink jet fluid composition and ink jet printing using same

New England Science & Specialty Products, Inc.


A pattern wheel driver is provided. The pattern wheel driver includes a rotatable pattern wheel with patterned regions repeatedly formed on the pattern wheel. Each of the patterned regions has a plurality of patterns. Each of the plurality of patterns has a different width. The pattern wheel driver also includes a detector for detecting the plurality of patterns, mounted at a position where the patterned regions of the pattern wheel pass when the pattern wheel rotates. The pattern wheel driver also includes an encoder for producing a signal indicating whether the pattern wheel rotates in a forward direction or a reverse direction based on signals produced by the detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a wheel driver, and more particularly, to a wheel driver in a portable electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A jog wheel allows a user to reproduce audio or video content. Recently, jog wheels have been employed as interfaces for menu selection on portable terminals, such as portable phones, music players, or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). For example, jog wheels are used for scrolling menu entries on a portable terminal, or for controlling the movement of a mouse pointer displayed on the portable terminal.
Typically, jog wheels have been implemented with electrical capacitive sensing or magnetic sensing. In such cases, it is necessary to provide one or more sensors (e.g., hall sensors) for sensing an electrical capacitive circuit or magnetic field around the jog wheel. Consequently, if such a jog wheel is applied to a portable terminal, the size (or thickness) of the portable terminal would increase.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2008-0039814 entitled "User Navigation Device and Method of Producing the Same" has proposed a jog wheel which attempts to solve the problem of resulting increased portable terminal size. FIG. 1 illustrates a circuit of an optical reflective jog wheel, and FIG. 2 illustrates a code wheel provided in the circuit of FIG. 1. The optical jog wheel 100, shown in FIG. 1, includes a turn dial 102, a pattern wheel 104, an encoder 106, a decoder 108, and a microprocessor 110. The turn dial 102 is physically coupled to the pattern wheel 104. If a user manually rotates the turn dial 102, the pattern wheel 104 is rotated. As shown in FIG. 2, reflective sections 144 and non-reflective sections 142, which are the same in width, are alternately and repeatedly provided on the pattern wheel 104.
The encoder 106 includes an emitter 120 and a detector 130. The emitter 120 includes a light source 122, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED), and the detector 130 includes one or more optical detectors 132, such as a photodiode. Signals produced by the photodiodes 132 are processed by a signal processing circuit 134 for producing channel signals CHA and CHB.
FIG. 3A illustrates signals produced by the photodiodes 132 when the code wheel rotates counterclockwise, and FIG. 3B illustrates signals produced by the photodiodes when the code wheel rotates clockwise. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a first photodiode inputs a reference signal for confirming direction, and a second photodiode inputs a signal at a different timing. The signal input by the second photodiode is input differently depending on the rotating direction of the code wheel. The signal processing circuit 134 determines the rotating direction of the pattern wheel 104 by confirming the timing of the signal input by the second photodiode with reference to the signal input through the first photodiode.
Consequently, the above-described conventional optical reflective jog wheel requires at least two photodiodes. In addition, its response time is poor because the rotating direction of the pattern wheel 104 is determined after the signals input through the two photodiodes are confirmed.

Wheel driver and portable electronic device having the same


In an engine for a motorcycle, a main shaft is supported rotatably by first and second support walls of a lower case which constitutes a part of a crank case. The center distance between the crank shaft and the main shaft is to be shortened while attaining a reduction in the number of parts and the number of assembling steps. A first bearing hole is formed in a first support wall for fitting therein and holding a first bearing which is mounted on one end of the main shaft. A second bearing hole is formed in a second support wall which permits the main shaft to be inserted therein from an opposite end side of the main shaft until one end of the main shaft is fitted in the first bearing. A second bearing is fitted and held in the second bearing hole so as to be fitted on the main shaft from the opposite end side of the main shaft after fitting of one end of the main shaft into the first bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine for a motorcycle wherein a crank shaft and a counter shaft parallel to the crank shaft are supported rotatably by a crank case. The crank case including an upper case and a lower case joined to each other, and a main shaft having an axis parallel to the crank shaft and the counter shaft is supported rotatably by first and second support walls, the first and second walls being provided in the lower case spaced along the axis of the main shaft.
2. Description of Background Art
For example in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-43886, there already is known an engine for a motorcycle wherein a crank shaft and a counter shaft parallel to the crank shaft are supported rotatably between an upper case and a lower case which are joined together so as to constitute a crank case. A main shaft is supported rotatably by the lower case at a position corresponding to between the crank shaft and the counter shaft in order to shorten the center distance between the crank shaft and the counter shaft.
In the above structure wherein the main shaft is supported rotatably in the lower case of the crank case at a portion of the lower case other than the surface joined with the upper case, it is difficult to form a bearing by a pair of half portions. Therefore, according to the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-43886, a through hole larger in diameter than a main gear of a maximum diameter out of plural main gears, which are provided on the main shaft so as to constitute a part of gear trains of plural shift ranges, is formed in one of a pair of support walls which one wall is located on the side where the main shaft is inserted at the time of assembly. A bearing is interposed between the main shaft and a bearing holder which is fitted and fixed into the through hole.
In the above structure wherein the through hole for fitting and fixing therein the bearing holder is formed in a support wall, it is necessary for the through hole to have a relatively large diameter. Therefore, a limit is encountered in shortening the distance between the main shaft and a shaft other than the main shaft. In addition, auxiliary devices which require bearings, such as a shift drum and an oil pump, are disposed in the lower case, so that it is difficult to shorten the center distance between the crank shaft and the main shaft. Therefore, in the engine disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-43886, power from the crank shaft is transmitted to the main shaft side through a chain. In the structure using a bearing holder, the number of parts used increases and the main shaft assembly becomes troublesome.


The invention relates to an exhaust system (10) for an internal combustion engine, having an exhaust gas path which, at least in sections, has two parallel exhaust ducts (30, 32), specifically a main duct (30) and a secondary duct (32), wherein a HC adsorber (42) for the reversible adsorption of unburned hydrocarbons (HC) is provided in the secondary duct (32); having a setting means (46) for selectively conducting an exhaust gas flow into the main duct (30) and/or into the secondary duct (32), and having a main catalytic converter (40) arranged downstream of the parallel exhaust ducts (30, 32). It is intended that a catalytic exhaust gas converter (44) for converting at least one exhaust gas component is provided in the main duct (30) of the parallel exhaust ducts (30, 32).

This invention relates to an exhaust system with HC adsorber and parallel exhaust gas catalytic converter and a vehicle that comprises such a system.
The use of catalytic converters in exhaust systems of internal combustion engines has become a matter of course today. For example, oxidation catalytic converters that convert unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) are used for diesel engines in particular, and reduction catalytic converters that convert nitrogen oxides (NOx) in both diesel and spark-ignition engines. In addition, three-way catalytic converters are known that combine the functions of oxidation and reduction catalytic converters and thus catalytically convert all three components; these are primarily used with spark-ignition engines. All catalytic converters generally require a specific minimum temperature called light-off temperature at which they convert 50% of the limited exhaust gas components. This temperature is typically not yet reached directly after a cold start of the engine, so that emissions called startup emissions leave the exhaust system unconverted unless other steps are taken.
Current and, of course, future exhaust gas legislation requires that the startup emissions measured in standardized test cycles are included in the determination of the overall emissions of a vehicle. The desire for further emission reduction and the increasingly dropping exhaust gas limits also necessitate that startup emissions are reduced as well and thus that the catalyst system reaches its operating temperature faster.
A common measure to reduce startup emissions is provide relatively small-volume preconverters, also called primary catalytic converters, at the hot end of the exhaust system. The preconverters reach their light-off temperature relatively fast due to their small volume and their hot end location, and they take over the conversion of most of the emissions until a downstream main catalytic converter has reached its operating temperature as well.
DE 100 21 421 A1 discloses an exhaust system in which an exhaust turbine of an exhaust turbocharger is provided in the main duct of the exhaust duct and can be bypassed via a parallel bypass duct. A three-way catalytic converter or a preconverter designed as a HC adsorber is provided in the bypass duct. A controllable flap can either seal the bypass duct or the main duct shut; intermediate positions of the flap may be provided. After a cold start, the entire exhaust gas flow is conducted through the bypass duct via the preconverter. As soon as a downstream primary catalytic converter has reached its light-off temperature, the flap is switched over and the exhaust gas flow is conducted via the exhaust turbine in the main duct.
US 2002/0132726 A1 describes an exhaust system that comprises a main catalytic converter and two parallel exhaust passages upstream of it, which can be selectively closed or opened using a switchover valve. The two parallel exhaust passages are arranged concentrically, wherein the main passage is at the center and the secondary passage in which an annular HC adsorber is located concentrically encompasses the main passage. A return passage that feeds unburned hydrocarbons desorbed from the adsorber back into the internal combustion engine branches off the secondary passage upstream of the HC adsorber. After a cold start, the interior main passage is closed and the exhaust gas flow is conducted via the HC adsorber that absorbs and/or chemically adsorbs unburned hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons not converted by the main catalytic converter that is not yet ready for operation. As soon as the main catalytic converter has reached its operating temperature and ensures sufficient HC conversion, the exhaust gas flow is directed into the main passage. As a result of the heating up that takes place, hydrocarbons desorb from the HC adsorber and are returned to engine combustion via the return passage.
A similar concept is known that also uses the concentric arrangement of exterior HC adsorber and interior main duct, however the main catalytic converter is not provided upstream but downstream of the HC adsorber in this design. The return passage described in US 2002/0132726 A1 can be eliminated in this design. Instead, the desorbed hydrocarbons are converted by the downstream main catalytic converter.

Exhaust system with HC adsorber and parallel exhaust-gas catalytic converter, and vehicle having an exhaust system of said type


A system and method quickly and effectively display battery status and/or other parameters of a portable electronic device. In one embodiment, a method displays parameters of a portable electronic device in a power-off state by storing a plurality of user-definable settings in response to a power-off condition. In addition, the method detects an activation of a status input, and in response applies power to a display, and displays a status of the stored parameters on a display, while maintaining operational logic of the personal electronic device in a power-off state. In another embodiment, a method displays a current battery-power status of a portable electronic device, while in a power-off state. This method retrieves a battery-power status that was previously measured and saved. Using this retrieved information, along with a measured amount of time since the information was measured or saved, method determines the current battery-power status.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable electronic devices and, more particularly, to a system and method for displaying battery status and other parameters of a portable electronic device in a power-off state.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There are a wide variety of portable electronic devices that are operated by battery power and have some sort of visual display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), for displaying information to a user. In addition to substantive or operational information, many portable electronic devices may display certain configuration information, such as operational or control settings. Digital cameras are one example of portable electronic devices that have a display for displaying information (in addition to picture or field-of-view information) to a user. During operation, the camera may display a variety of configuration information to the user, such as the number of pictures in memory, the shutter setting, the remaining battery life, and a variety of other settings which may be of interest to the user.
As is known, this information is displayed when a portable electronic device is in an operational mode. Thus, when the device is powered off, for example, this configuration and other information is not displayable to the user. In fact, when the portable electronic device is in a power-off state, typically no power is applied to the display (to maximize the conservation of power and therefore battery life), and therefore nothing is displayed on the display. Further, many portable electronic devices require undesirably long period of time to cycle through start routines (after the device is turned on). Thus, when users desire to know the expected battery life or other parameters of a device that is currently powered off, there is typically an undesirably long waiting period before that information can be displayed.
In the specific situation of a user desiring to obtain information about battery life when the device is powered down, the start-up cycle typically includes a period of time in which the battery-power status is determined. As is know, this determination typically involves placing a load on the battery and measuring the current and/or voltage response to the load.
Accordingly, there is a desire to provide a portable electronic device with the ability to display this information to a user rapidly, even when in a power-off condition.

System and method for displaying battery status and other parameters of a portable electronic device in a power-off state

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A retractable needle fluid transfer device is provided. The device includes a manually operable actuator for affecting retraction. Upon depressing the actuator, a spring displaces the needle rearwardly so that the contaminated needle is enclosed, thereby preventing inadvertent needle sticks. The device includes forward and rearward stops for impeding displacement of the needle after the needle is retracted. A seal prevents contaminants from entering the device after the needle is retracted. A safety sampling access port adapter for obtaining fluid samples from a fluid line is also provided. The sampling adapter includes a first end configured to cooperate with an access port attached to the fluid line. The sampling adapter further includes a collapsible socket configured to cooperate with a fluid container such as a vacuum tube. A needle assembly disposed within the housing of the sampling adapter is operable to pierce the seal on the fluid container. After use, the socket is collapsed to prevent contact with the contaminated needle.

Various types of medical devices employ a needle for piercing the skin of a patient for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. One such fluid transfer device is a fluid collection device which includes a needle for piercing a blood vessel or other part of the patient to allow a fluid, for example, blood, to be withdrawn from a patient. When the needle is inserted into the patient, blood or other fluid is withdrawn through the needle, for example, into a collection bag. Handling of such needle-bearing medical devices after the needle is withdrawn from the patient can result in transmission of various pathogens, most notably human immune virus (HIV), thereby exposing medical personnel and possibly others to serious or, fatal illness due to an inadvertent needle stick or scratch.
After use of a needle-bearing medical device, it is desirable to have an easily usable feature for retracting the needle into a housing to avoid contact with the small volume of contaminated fluid or blood that may remain on or inside the needle. It is further desirable that it be made difficult for personnel to accidentally or intentionally re-extend the needle from within the housing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fluid transfer device that not only retracts the needle following its use, but that also captures or positively retains the needle in the retracted position within the housing thereafter.

Fluid collection device with captured retractable needle


A function block for field devices of process automation technology. The function block can be loaded into a component of a field device and is linkable with other function blocks (e.g., PID, AI, AO). The function block includes a web-server which makes information available in a general descriptive language (e.g., HTML).

In process automation technology, field devices are often used which serve for registering and/or influencing process variables. Examples of such field devices are fill level meters, mass flow measuring devices, pressure and temperature measuring devices, etc., which as sensors register the corresponding process variables, fill level, flow, pressure, and temperature.
Serving for the influencing of process variables are the so called actuators, e.g., valves which change the flow of a liquid in a section of pipeline, or pumps which change the fill level in a container.
A large number of such field devices are manufactured and sold by the firm Endress+Hauser.
As a rule, field devices in modern fabrication plants are connected via a fieldbus (Profibus®, Foundation® Fieldbus, etc.) with control systems or units. These serve for process control, process visualization, process monitoring, as well as for configuring and parametering of the field devices. Field devices execute various functions within the process control. For special standard functions, e.g., PID-controller, so-called function blocks with defined communication interfaces are available. These function blocks represent, on the basis of corresponding algorithms which are executed in the microprocessors of the individual field devices, special application functions. Field devices with microprocessors are also referred to as intelligent field devices or smart field devices.
An essential aspect of the function blocks is that they have defined interfaces and, therefore, can be easily interconnected for complex control strategies.
In the Foundation® Fieldbus specifications, which are publicly available, various standard function blocks are specified. Typical function blocks for field devices are "Analog Input" AI, "Analog Output" AO, "Discrete Input" DI, "Discrete Output" DO, "PID-control" PID. Besides these basic function blocks, there are also special function blocks "Analog Alarm," "Arithmetic," "Device Control." Recently, also flexible function blocks of the Foundation® Fieldbus are specified, which are freely programmable according to the IEC Standard 61131 (e.g., Supervisory Data Acquisition). In the IEC Standard 61158 are specified, besides different fieldbus systems, also the Foundation® Fieldbus technology.
Before a field device can be introduced in a process environment, it must be configured and parametered. For this, among other things, the loading of the control strategy into the corresponding field devices is necessary. A known application which makes this possible is the system SYSCON (of the firm SMAR). With this application, also the concrete interconnection of the individual function blocks, as well as the chronological course of the control strategy can be tested.
For changing the parameters of a function block, first this function block must be called up within a corresponding operating program. Thereupon, the parameters of this function block displayed in the operating program can be changed by the user. If a plurality of parameters of a control loop, e.g., a cascade control, must be changed, then the corresponding individual function blocks must be sequentially found within the operating program, called up, and the necessary parameter changes effected. This is very complicated and time consuming for the user. The user must also, in order to get certain information of a plurality of function blocks, in each case, call-up the corresponding function blocks separately, in a complicated manner, to have them then be displayed on the user interface of the operating program.

Functional block for field devices used in process automation technology


Inline crossfold product and method that will provide substantially more insert sheet material than previous inline crossfold methods, and, additional inline crossfold packet configurations, is provided. A bound crossfold booklet, the equivalent of or a small catalog, which is particularly adapted for large mail distribution is provided. The substantially lower mailing cost of a six by nine inch booklet size, instead of the ordinary letter size catalog, yields substantial savings. Production and handling costs are also minimized since the booklets are bound in the inline process, thereby eliminating separate handling and binding costs, where there is a separate binding and envelope stuffing operation required.

Inline printing and manufacture is used for making low cost large volume advertising items, particularly bulk mail pre-addressed envelopes, termed mailers, which contain advertising and solicitation material.
Inline manufacture involves printing a web and subsequently performing a number of successive high speed inline processing operations on it, to obtain the intended format and configuration of the final printed item.
The first operation is the printing of an envelope and advertising format on a continuous web, within each of a succession of identical printed half repeat sections. Typically, a full repeat section is printed with each revolution of a printing press cylinder.
Subsequent operations include applying a pattern of adhesive to the envelope (outer wrap) panels, in each half repeat; adding personalized printing to each successive half repeat section; longitudinally folding the ribboned or folded advertising section of the web, or slitting it into independent ribbons which are then superposed and combined; and, then packaging the printed advertising pieces by longitudinally folding the envelope portion of the web over the advertising material to form envelope packets; and separating, from the web, the formed envelope packets.
These operations result in an envelope item, containing printed advertising, produced in one continuous economical operation, ready for mailing. Two identical advertising mailers, in two half repeats, are printed on the flat web surface with each rotation of the printing cylinder.
In the conventional inline process, each successive printed one-half repeat or less of the printed web, is the web area limit usable for inline processing. Ordinary inline mailer advertising pieces are usually typical envelope size items having a panel width of four inches and a length of nine inches. This typical letter size envelope limits the size of insert advertising panels, to a smaller size panel and less effective advertising presentation, than the maximum envelope size mailer having a six inch width. But, the six inch width envelope allows for only four advertising insert panels, in a one half repeat, even with the large thirty-six inch inline printing cylinder.
Since the inline production process is limited to only a longitudinal folding of the web, it consequently requires two outer wrap envelope panels to be printed side by side in a single one half repeat section of the web.
The new type packet, produced by an inline crossfold method, the subject of my co-pending parent application, is not confined to the one-half repeat printing area of the web, and is not limited to longitudinal folding. It recognizes that a crossfold operation can be made as a final step, using a modified signature printing press folder unit used with large printing press equipment. This permits use of a full repeat, if the printed envelope panel configuration is changed, to position the envelope panels end to end in adjacent half repeats. The inline crossfold process introduced to inline printing and fabrication, the ability to produce a finished piece having twice the amount of printed advertisement panels.
Although the inline crossfold method substantially increased advertising insert contents and market for inline products, it is limited to a paper content of one repeat.

Inline manufactured crossfold package and method


A method for producing an electrochemical element having at least one lithium-intercollating electrode and an organic electrolyte, at least one positive electrode, at least one negative electrode and at least one separator are joined together to form an element, with the separator being a porous matrix composed of at least about 60% by weight of a ceramic material A, which contains lithium ions, and a polymer as a binding agent. The resulting element is then introduced into a housing and impregnated with a liquid organic electrolyte B, whose conductive salt contains lithium ions, so that the ionic total conductivity of the separator is formed by adding the ion conductivities of A and B and the reciprocal of the specific contact resistance of the phase boundary between A and B, and is then closed such that it is sealed. A copolymer composed of vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene is used as the binder polymer. Material A is a naturally occurring mineral.

In electrochemical elements with lithium-intercollating electrodes in the form of rechargeable 4 V cells, the separator carries out a large number of extreme tasks. The negative electrode, which is normally based on carbon, has a lithium activity close to unity when the cell is in the fully charged state, which is generally 4.2 V. This means that, although the active material is a carbon modification, the reduced potential with the fully charged cell can be compared with that of metallic lithium. On the positive side, lithium transition metal oxides are generally used as the active material. When the cell is fully charged, this results in a very strong oxidation potential, which only a small number of substances withstand. Furthermore, the stability of a fully charged cell must not be adversely affected in a damaging manner even at increased temperatures, at least in the short term, in which context it is necessary to consider temperatures of up to 90° C. and a time period of at least two or more hours.
For this reason, polyolefin separators which are formed, for example, from polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or from two or more layers of these materials, are standard in rechargeable lithium cells. With uniaxial or biaxial stretching, these are provided with the necessary pore structure for holding the liquid electrolyte and, by way of example, the melting point of PE at about 120° C. is made use of to melt these pores in the event of an inadvertent short circuit or a rise in the temperature in the cell interior caused in any other way, thus resulting in a so-called "shut-down effect." This is a drastic rise in the internal resistance, since the closing of the pores means that the liquid electrolyte no longer provides conductivity in the separator.
EP 0 951 080 B1 describes a battery separator comprising a first and a third microporous layer, with a second microporous membrane with a shut-down capability between them, and with the porous membranes being produced using a stretching process.
However, it has been found in practice that this effect does not always work reliably. In the event of a very short and severe temperature rise, the shut-down mechanism may no longer work in some circumstances. Drastic temperature rises such as these may occur in particular when the cell is poked from the outside with a conductive sharp object, and in the event of overcharging of the cell. This negative reversal of the shut-down mechanism is associated with the polyolefin separators shrinking during melting. The greater and stronger the sudden energy rise, the greater is the shrinkage process. This results not only in pores being closed, but in the entire separator collapsing by shrinkage in a disadvantageous manner such that the cell is short-circuited and, thus, reacts even more strongly, with possible ignition of the cell. The method of producing uniaxial or biaxial stretching to produce pores in the separators may in this case also have a disadvantageous effect since the separator collapses in the form of shrinkage like a spring in the stretching direction as a result of the memory effect, which is associated with the production process. Particularly in the case of large lithium cells, such as those for 42 Volt vehicle power supply systems or traction purposes, a solution to the separator problem as described above is essential.
EP 1 096 591 A1 describes a gel-like separator membrane with a binder polymer from the group comprising polyacrylonitrile, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl sulphone, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylidene difluoride or mixtures thereof with a ceramic material chosen from Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, ZrO2, or mixtures thereof.
EP 1 043 795 A2 describes a composite electrode, which is formed from active electrode material, a conductivity enhancer, a polymer electrolyte and a mineral, naturally occurring solid electrolyte.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,061 discloses a battery separator comprising an oriented microporous film which contains ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVA) and has a chemically inert filling material chosen from glass-like ceramic, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or condensed plastic particles having rubber-like characteristics.
EP 1 011 157 A2 describes a separator material for rechargeable lithium batteries using a polyvinylidene difluoride hexafluoropropylene as the binding agent, in which particles with a higher softening temperature are dispersed.
DE 199 16 109 A1 describes composite bodies which are suitable for use as separators in electrochemical cells, with at least one first layer which contains at least one solid being applied to at least one second layer composed of a conventional separator material.
DE 200 10 080 U1 describes a rechargeable battery based on solid ion conductors with a solid electrolyte arranged between the positive and negative electrodes, with the negative electrode also being formed from carbon nanostructures.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a method for producing an electrochemical element with fire protection characteristics, in which dangerous shrinkage of the separator in response to a short-term very severe temperature rise in the cell is prevented and in which the cell is prevented from igniting, but whose separator at the same time has better ionic conductivity.

Method for producing an electrochemical element


A vehicle-mounted conveyor system including an infeed conveyor assembly mounted for powered rotation relative to the vehicle. The conveyor system includes a discharge conveyor assembly pivotally mounted to a main turret, which in turn is mounted to a primary turntable for powered rotation relative to the vehicle. The discharge conveyor assembly includes a telescoping boom and a moving discharge conveyor belt to supply an aggregate material, such as concrete, to a desired point at the work site. An infeed conveyor assembly is rotatably mounted to the main turret by a powered secondary turntable. The powered secondary turntable is mechanically driven by a drive mechanism, such that the infeed conveyor assembly can be rotated relative to the main turret. The secondary turntable and the primary turntable are independently operable and rotate about a common vertical axis, such that the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly can be independently rotated relative to the vehicle.

The present invention relates to a self-propelled, vehicle-mounted conveyor system used to place concrete or other material in a desired location. More specifically, the present invention is a vehicle-mounted conveyor system that includes powered turntables and lifting mechanisms for both the discharge conveyor assembly and the infeed conveyor assembly.
Vehicle-mounted, extendible concrete conveyor systems, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,357, have been in use for some time. Vehicle-mounted conveyor systems of this type have been found to be very useful because the concrete, or other material, can be transferred to a location at the work site that may be located a considerable distance from the supply of the material. The vehicle mounted conveyor system has proven to be very useful since the entire conveyor system can be quickly and easily moved by simply moving the vehicle on which the conveyor system is mounted. The conveyor system not only can be moved around the work site, but also includes a discharge conveyor assembly having a telescoping boom that can be extended and retracted, rotated about a vertical axis, and elevated to considerable heights. The vehicle-mounted conveyor system identified above can be moved from a working position to a stowed position and the entire system can be transported over highways to travel between job sites.
The extendible discharge conveyor assembly of the conveyor system includes a moving discharge conveyor belt that is feed by a second, infeed conveyor assembly. One end of the infeed conveyor assembly is positioned on the ground and receives a supply of concrete from a ready-mix truck or other type of delivery means. The infeed conveyor assembly transfers the material onto the discharge conveyor belt, which transport the material to the desired point at the work site.
In currently available vehicle-mounted conveyor systems, the infeed conveyor assembly is mounted to a swivel mechanism above one end of the discharge conveyor assembly. The swivel mechanism allows the infeed conveyor assembly to be manually rotated about the stationary vehicle to position the infeed conveyor assembly near the ready-mix truck or other delivery means. Typically, the infeed end, or loading point, of the infeed conveyor assembly includes a supply hopper and relatively large wheels that allow the infeed conveyor assembly to be pulled or pushed along the ground at the work site. Although the loading point of the infeed conveyor assembly can be moved to the desired location, the infeed conveyor assembly is typically quite large and heavy, which makes manual movement of the infeed conveyor extremely difficult. Additionally, the unevenness of the ground at the work site makes the movement of the infeed conveyor assembly even more difficult and subject to damage.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-mounted conveyor system in which the infeed conveyor assembly is mounted to a powered, secondary turntable such that the infeed conveyor assembly can be rotated relative to the vehicle using mechanical power. It is a further object of the invention to provide the secondary turntable between the discharge end of the infeed conveyor assembly and a main turret mounted on the vehicle such that the secondary turntable can be operated to rotate the infeed conveyor assembly on the same vertical axis as the main turret. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a powered, primary turntable positioned between the main turret and the vehicle to rotate the main turret relative to the vehicle. Additionally, it is an object of the invention to permit independent operation of the primary turntable and the secondary turntable, such that rotation of the discharge conveyor assembly and rotation of the infeed conveyor assembly are independent from each other. It is a further object of the invention to provide mechanical lifting mechanisms, such as hydraulic cylinders, that are operable to independently raise and lower the infeed conveyor assembly and the discharge conveyor assembly.

Vehicle-mounted conveyor system including powered rotating infeed conveyor


After a toner image is transferred from a photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer belt, a surface of the photoreceptor is destaticized by a static eraser including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in an axial direction of the photoreceptor. A first density sensor and a second density sensor for detecting densities of toner applied to the intermediate transfer belt are provided at a position where a large quantity of light from the static eraser is applied to the photoreceptor surface and a position where a small quantity of light from the static eraser is applied to the photoreceptor surface. In a case where a density difference between the detected toner densities exceeds a predetermined threshold value, a destaticization controller carries out an additional destaticizing operation by the static eraser.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as copiers, printers, facsimiles and multi-functional peripherals thereof. Particularly, the invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which after transfer of a toner image formed on a rotatably driven photoreceptor to an intermediate transfer belt, a surface of the photoreceptor is destaticized by irradiating the surface of the photoreceptor with light from a static eraser including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in an axial direction of the photoreceptor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The image forming apparatuses such as such as copiers, printers, facsimiles and multi-functional peripherals thereof are conventionally adapted to perform: an operation by a charger unit which electrically charges the surface of a rotatably driven photoreceptor; an operation by a latent image forming unit which forms an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor surface by exposing the charged surface of the photoreceptor to light according to image information; an operation by a developing unit which forms a toner image on the photoreceptor surface by supplying toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor surface; an operation by the static eraser which removes the static charge remaining on the photoreceptor surface after transfer of the toner image thus formed on the photoreceptor surface to an intermediate transfer belt or recording medium; and an operation by the charger unit which charges again the destaticized surface of the photoreceptor.
A device which includes a plurality of light emitting elements such as LEDs arranged in the axial direction of the photoreceptor and is adapted to destaticize the photoreceptor surface by irradiating the photoreceptor surface with light from the individual light emitting elements thereof is widely used as the above static eraser.
In a case where the surface of the photoreceptor is destaticized by irradiating the photoreceptor surface with light from the individual light emitting elements arranged in the axial direction of the photoreceptor, the intensity of light applied to the photoreceptor surface at a portion opposite to the light emitting element is higher than that of light applied to the photoreceptor surface at a portion opposite to space between the light emitting elements and hence, the surface of the photoreceptor is unevenly destaticized in the axial direction thereof.
When the unevenly destaticized surface of the photoreceptor is electrically charged by the charger unit, the photoreceptor surface is unevenly charged, which results in density unevenness and the like of formed images.
More recently, a patent document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H06-230658) has proposed an apparatus which is equipped with the static eraser including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged with predetermined spacing in the axial direction of the photoreceptor and which operates an oscillating cam or the like to oscillate the light emitting elements in a moving direction of the photoreceptor surface. At turn-on of the light emitting elements, optical axes of the light emitting elements are displaced to a downstream side of the moving direction of the photoreceptor surface. Just before turn-off of the light emitting elements, on the other hand, the optical axes of the light emitting elements are displaced to an upstream side of the moving direction of the photoreceptor surface. The photoreceptor surface is prevented from being inadequately destaticized at the portion opposite to space between the light emitting elements in the moving direction of the photoreceptor surface just after turn-on or just before turn-off when the light quantity of the light emitting elements transiently vary. Thus is provided a clear linear borderline of destaticization.
However, the apparatus disclosed in the above patent document 1 requires a mechanism such as the oscillating cam for displacing the optical axes of the light emitting elements to the downstream side and the upstream side of the moving direction of the photoreceptor surface at turn-on of the light emitting elements and just before turn-off of the light emitting elements. This leads to a problem that the apparatus is increased in costs and size. Further, in a case where the intensity of light applied to the photoreceptor surface varies between the portion opposite to the light emitting element and the portion opposite to space between the light emitting elements so that the photoreceptor surface is unevenly destaticized, the apparatus that is simply adapted to displace the optical axes of the light emitting elements to the downstream side and the upstream side of the moving direction of the photoreceptor surface as described above has difficulty in properly detecting such a destaticization unevenness and fully eliminating the destaticization unevenness.
Further, a patent document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-175675) has proposed an apparatus in which, in an image non-forming period, a photoreceptor drum is charged by applying a predetermined voltage to a contact charging member, a region of the photoreceptor surface is exposed to light by turning on a standard exposure device adjusted to a predetermined light quantity without turning on a pre-charge exposure device, and a first charging current value of the current through the region recharged by the contact charging member is detected by a charging current detection device; in which, in the image non-forming period, the photoreceptor drum is charged by applying the predetermined voltage to the contact charging member, the region of the photoreceptor surface is exposed to light by turning on the pre-charge exposure device without turning on the standard exposure device, and a second charging current value of the current through the region recharged by the contact charging member is detected by the charging current detection device; and in which a control unit determines a light quantity of the pre-charge exposure device in an image forming period based on the first and second charging current values, thus properly optimizing the light quantity of the pre-charge exposure device in the image forming period without using surface potential detection means.
However, the apparatus of the above patent document 2 requires an additional circuit for setting the light quantity of the pre-charge exposure device because the control unit controls the light quantity of the pre-charge exposure device in the image forming period based on the first and second charging current values. What is more, in a case where the intensity of the light applied to the photoreceptor surface varies between the portion opposite to the light emitting element and the portion opposite to space between the light emitting elements so that the photoreceptor surface is unevenly destaticized, the apparatus has difficulty in properly detecting such a destaticization unevenness and fully eliminating the destaticization unevenness.
Further, a patent document 3 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-232881) has proposed an apparatus in which an electrostatic latent image is formed on a photoreceptor by charging means charging the photoreceptor surface to a primary charge potential higher than an image forming potential, followed by exposure means exposing an image non-forming area to laser of a surface-potential control power to lower the surface potential to an image forming potential while exposing an image forming area to laser of an image forming power. The image forming apparatus is adapted to perform image formation without being equipped with an additional static erasing member such as a preliminary charging member or light emitting diode.
However, the apparatus of the patent document 3 has problems that load on the photoreceptor is increased because the photoreceptor surface is charged to the primary charge potential higher than the image forming potential and that the apparatus is complicated and increased in costs because the exposure means requires control and mechanism to vary the power of laser to be applied to the image non-forming area and to be applied to the image forming area. Since the static erasing member such as the light emitting diode is not added to the apparatus, the apparatus per se does not involve the problem that the intensity of light applied to the photoreceptor surface varies between the portion opposite to the light emitting element and the portion opposite to space between the light emitting elements and the destaticization unevenness on the photoreceptor surface results.

Image forming apparatus with destaticizing of a photoreceptor


A method and system of stacking and aligning a plurality of integrated circuits. The method includes the steps of providing a first integrated circuit having at least one funnel-shaped socket, providing a second integrated circuit, aligning at least one protrusion on the second integrated circuit with the at least one funnel-shaped socket, and bonding the first integrated circuit to the second integrated circuit. The system includes a first integrated circuit having at least one funnel-shaped socket, a metallization-diffusion barrier disposed on the interior of the funnel-shaped socket, and a second integrated circuit. The at least one funnel-shaped socket is adapted to receive a portion of the second integrated circuit.

In semiconductor production, it is often necessary to accurately stack and bond two or more integrated circuit chips or wafers to one another. Such alignment and stacking must be carried out with a high degree of accuracy so as to prevent damage to the chips or wafers. As illustrated in FIG. 1, this process traditionally employed "bump to bump" bonding whereby a series of bumps or protrusions on a first chip or wafer was aligned with, and bonded to a corresponding series of bumps or protrusions on a second chip or wafer. As can be seen in FIG. 1, this procedure did not have any means to ensure proper mechanical alignment of the two chips or wafers, and therefore required a bonding tool having a high degree of accuracy. In the case illustrated in FIG. 1, a high degree of misalignment is shown for illustration. Even misalignment of a lesser degree can deleteriously affect the electrical and possibly mechanical properties of the resulting structure, however.
Therefore, there exists a need for a system of stacking and bonding integrated circuits that provides mechanical alignment of the chips or wafers, and reduces the risk of damage.

System and method for 3D integrated circuit stacking

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A data processor in an image coding apparatus includes a zero detecting circuit for determining if the quantized AC coefficients are zero or not; a counter, that is reset periodically, for counting the quantized AC coefficients that are not zero; a comparator for comparing the count of the counter and a first reference value, and outputting an AC coefficient eliminating signal when the count exceeds the first reference value; and a first logic circuit for forcibly replacing the quantized AC coefficients with zero based on the AC coefficient eliminating signal so that the volume of data of the quantized AC coefficients that are not zero is reduced. The image coding apparatus cuts off some portions for the images having a large volume of codings, and keeps the volume of data below a predetermined maximum.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image coding control in an image coding apparatus for effectively processing a valid factor of a discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficient after quantization. In particularly, the present invention relates to an image coding control for enabling a digital camera using a JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert Group) system to contain a fixed number of photographs in one disc.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, Huffman coding has been used to reduce the volume of coding in a digital camera using the JPEG system. However, since Huffman coding has a variable length, the volume of coding varies depending on types of images. That is, a large compression ratio can be provided for a single color wall or sky, but cannot be provided for an image with a great variation. Therefore, the number of photographs which one disc can hold has varied depending on the images. Sometimes thirty photographs can be contained in one disc, and other times only five can be contained in one disc. In this kind of situation, it has been unknown how many discs were necessary when taking photographs, and in a situation such as a trip, many discs have had to have carried. The present invention provides an image coding apparatus for enabling discs to hold approximately the same number of photographs.
Before explaining the present invention, the conventional coding method is explained below. FIG. 18 shows a conventional image coding apparatus. The image coding apparatus of FIG. 18 comprises an input terminal 1 for inputting image data of 8.times.8 pixels, a discrete cosine transformer (DCT) 2, a zigzag converter 3, a quantizer 4, a quantizing table 5, an entropy coder 6, a coding table 7, and an output terminal for outputting a parameter or coding data.
The operation of the conventional coding method is explained below. First of all, image data, for example, a component image Pxy (x, y=0, 1, 2, 3, . . . , 7), is input from the data inputting terminal 1. The image data input is transmitted to the discrete cosine transformer 2. The discrete cosine transformer 2 performs a two dimensional discrete cosine transformation. As a result of the two dimensional discrete cosine transformation, 64(=8.times.8) coefficients Suv are obtained. The 64 coefficients are rearranged from a serial order to a zigzag order and transmitted to the quantizer 4. The quantizer 4 quantizes the 64 coefficients for each step size, which differs for every coefficient position, using the table 5. The 64 quantized coefficients are transmitted to the entropy coder 6. The entropy coder 6 performs Huffman coding using the coding table 7, and the coding data is output from the output terminal 8 in several byte units (for example, a 16-bit width).
The 8.times.8 pixel component image Pxy (x, y=0, 1, 2, 3, . . . , 7) is processed with a two dimensional DCT, and the coefficient Suv is obtained as the following formula (1): ##EQU1## Where, x, y=positions of pixels within a block
u, v=positions of the DCT coefficients ##EQU2##
The DCT coefficients Suv include S.sub.00 (DC (direct current)) components and other S.sub.01 -S.sub.77 (AC (alternating current)) components. S.sub.00 is the largest, and the AC components are extremely small compared with S.sub.00.
Secondly, the zigzag converter 3 converts the DCT coefficient Suv from a serial order to a zigzag order. Then the DCT coefficients Suv are input to the quantizer 4. The quantizer 4 divides the DCT coefficients using the value Quv of the quantizing table 5. That is, the quantized DCT coefficients Ruv are obtained in the following formula. EQU Ruv=round (Suv/Quv)
where, the round function converts the result of Suv/Quv to the closest integer. Therefore, by determining that the value Quv in the quantizing value table 5 is large compared to the AC coefficient, it is possible to make almost all the coefficients zero in the AC area.
Then, the 64 coefficients Ruv output from the quantizer 4 are transmitted to the entropy coder 6. Since the coding systems are different for a DC coefficient (R.sub.00) showing the average value of 8.times.8 pixels and for the other AC coefficients (all except for R.sub.00), the coding systems are explained separately.
First of all, a block diagram for grouping of the DC coefficients R.sub.00 is illustrated in FIG. 20. In FIG. 20, a block delaying portion 61 delays the preceding DC coefficient R.sub.00, and a subtractor 62 subtracts the delayed DC coefficient R.sub.00 from the preceding R.sub.00. The difference is transmitted to the grouping portion 63. In the operation of the subtractor 62, as shown in FIG. 21, the difference between the DC coefficient (DC i) of the current DC component block (i) and the DC coefficient (DC.sub.i-1) of the same colored component block (i-1) which is preceedingly coded is calculated, and the resultant difference (.DELTA.DC i ) is obtained. Except for special images, such as computer graphics, it is rare that the average value changes greatly between one block and an adjacent block. Therefore, the difference between a DC coefficient and the preceding DC coefficient centers around zero. Therefore, it is possible to expect better coding by coding the difference obtained in this manner.
The difference of the DC coefficient obtained by the above subtractor 62 is input to the grouping portion 63, and the group to which the difference value belongs is obtained using the table shown in FIG. 22. The output from the grouping portion 63 represents the group number (S) of the DC difference value and the added bit (A), where, the added bit (A) is a number indicating the order of the difference value within the group. For example, in the group 3 of FIG. 22, the added bit number is 3, and the DC difference value may take eight values such as -7, -6, -5, -4, 4, 5, 6, 7. Therefore, the added bit of 000 is assigned to -7, 001 for -6, 010 for -5, 011 for -4, 100 for 4, 101 for 5, 110 for 6 and 111 for 7. In this manner, the group number (S) and the added bit (A) are output from the grouping portion 63. The group number (S) and the added bit (A) are one dimensional Huffman coded by an one dimensional Huffman coder 65 shown in FIG. 26, as explained below.
FIG. 23 shows a block diagram for grouping the AC coefficients in the image coding apparatus. Since the AC coefficients are already rearranged by the zigzag converter such as shown in FIG. 24, they are output in the order of the zigzag sequence. When the judgment portion 92 determines that each AC coefficient is 0, the run length counter 93 counts the continuous number of the AC coefficients that are 0, and outputs the number as a run length (N).
When the AC coefficient is other than 0, the group number (S) and the added bit (A) are generated in the grouping portion 94 in the same method as that of when the DC difference is obtained. The group in which the AC coefficient belongs is obtained using the table shown in FIG. 25 where, the added bit is the value which represents the order of the AC coefficients within the group. For example, assuming that AC coefficient is 7, its group number is 3. In group 3, the added bit number is 3, and the DC difference value may take the eight values -7, -6, -5, -4, 4, 5, 6, 7. Therefore, the added bit of 000 is assigned to -7, 001 for -6, 010 for -5, 011 for -4, 100 for 4, 101 for 5, 110 for 6 and 111 for 7. In this manner, the grouping number (S) and the added bit (A) is output from the grouping portion 94.
The group number (S) output from the grouping portion 94 and the run length (N) output from the run length counter 93 are Huffman coded by a two dimensional Huffman coder part 95 of a Huffman coder 70 and an AC coding table 96 as explained below.
FIG. 26 shows a circuit diagram for grouping and Huffman coding of the DC coefficients and the AC coefficients. In FIG. 26, a DC grouping portion 60a is the same circuit as that shown in FIG. 20, and an AC grouping portion 60b is the same circuit as that shown in FIG. 23.
The Huffman coder 70 is explained below. In FIG. 26, the Huffman coder 70 comprises an one dimensional Huffman coding part 65, a DC coding table 66, a DC added bit coupling portion 67 for coding the DC coefficient, a two dimensional Huffman coding part 95, an AC coding table 96 and an AC added bit coupling portion 97 for coding the AC coefficient. A coupling portion 68 couples the DC coding signal and the AC coding signal.
Firstly, the coding of the DC coefficient is discussed below. The group number S obtained from the DC grouping portion 60a is one dimensional Huffman coded in the one dimensional Huffman coding part 65 using the DC coding table in the DC coding table 66, and output as a DC code.
One example of the one dimensional Huffman coding is shown in FIG. 27. For example, when the group number 3 is input into the one dimensional Huffman coding part 65, the one dimensional Huffman coding part 65 outputs the number 110 as a one dimensional Huffman coded DC code. The number 110 output from the one dimensional Huffman coding part 65 is coupled with the added bit 100 (4) output from the grouping portion 60a in the DC added bit coupling portion 67, and the result is 110100 (DC code+added bit).
Next,the coding of the AC coefficients is explained below. In FIG. 26, the group number S output from the grouping portion 60b and the run length N output from the run length counter 93 in the grouping portion 60b are Huffman coded by two dimensional Huffman coding part 95 using the AC coding table 96. The added bit A is added to the coded value in the AC added bit coupling portion 97, and output as the AC code. The two dimensional Huffman coding is explained below using a concrete example.
FIGS. 28A, 28B, and 28C show an example of coding the signal Ruv. The signal Ruv is input to the entropy coder 6 in FIG. 26. The signal Ruv comprises one DC coefficient R.sub.00, one AC coefficient AC1 (value=3), four invalid coefficients of value "0", one AC coefficient AC2 (value=10), and 57 invalid coefficients of value "0".
According to the above example, the first AC coefficient AC1 includes one zero invalid coefficient (Run Length=0) and one AC coefficient having value of 3 as shown in FIG. 28A. The zero invalid coefficient having value of 0 is input to the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95 as a run length (N=0). The following value "3" is also input to the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95. Since the value of the AC coefficient is 3, the group number S becomes 2 according to FIG. 25. Since the value 3 of the valid coefficient is the largest in the group, the added bit becomes 11. Therefore, in the two dimensional Huffman coder, the invalid coefficient (N) is 0, and the group number (S) is 2, as stated above. Therefore N/S becomes 0/2 as shown in FIG. 28B. Therefore, in the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95, the two dimensional Huffman coding is performed according to the AC coding table 96 (FIG. 29) corresponding to N/S (0/2), and then the added bit is added to the result, and the two dimensional Huffman coding signal "10011" is obtained as shown in FIG. 28C.
On the other hand, the next portion includes four invalid coefficients having value of 0 (Run length=4) and one AC coefficient AC2 (value=10) as shown in FIG. 28A. This portion produces the group number (S) of 4 and the added bit of 1010 (10). Therefore, the AC grouping portion 60b causes the N/S signal of 4/4 to be supplied to the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95 as shown in FIG. 28B. Then the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95 carries out the two dimensional Huffman coding using the AC coding table 96 (FIG. 29). Then the added bit is added to the result from the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95 at the AC added bit coupling portion 97 to obtain the two dimensional Huffman coding signal "11111111100110001010" as shown in FIG. 28C. For the remaining 57 invalid coefficients, the two dimensional Huffman coding part 95 produces the EOB (End of Block) code "00" which is added to the result of the preceding signals as shown in FIG. 28C. Then, the coding process is completed.
Therefore, as stated above, the Huffman coding system is a variable length coding system where the code length changes according to incoming data, and the volume of coding changes according to the original image.
Since the conventional image coding apparatus is constructed in the manner explained above, there has been a problem that the compression ratio varies depending on the image, and the coding volume (compressed data volume) also differs even if the image is the same.

Image coding apparatus for compressing image data

Mitsubishi Electric Semiconductor Software Co. Ltd.