A cooling device for a mounting module in which heat generated from a predetermined number of circuit elements mounted on the mounting module is dissipated by a cooling arrangement. The cooling device is comprised of at least one conduction element which thermally connects the circuit element with the cooling arrangement, the conduction element includes a predetermined number of first conductive members which is placed in a respective hole formed in the conduction arrangement and is movably supported by a first conductive material filled between the side surface of the first conductive member and the surface of the conduction element so as to complete a thermal flow from the circuit element to the cooling arrangement.

The present invention generally relates to a cooling device for a mounting module, and more particularly, to a cooling device which is capable of lowering a temperature of a small flat heat generating device such as an integrated circuit chip.
Recently, circuits used for electrical devices such as a personal computer, information processor, work station and server are highly integrated and the capacity of semiconductor devices mounted on a control plate circuit has greatly increased. This results in a temperature raise in such electrical devices and therefore there is a need to dissipate the heat generated from circuit plates or the semiconductor devices in an efficient manner.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a conventional cooling device for a mounting module.
A cooling device 11A shown in FIG. 1A is comprised of a printed board 12, circuit elements 13, a heat sink 14 and conductive members 15. A predetermined number of circuit elements 13 such as semiconductor chips are mounted on the printed board 12 and the heat sink 14 having the shape of a flat plate is located above the circuit element 13. The back of the heat sink 14 is connected to the upper surface of each of the circuit element 13 via the conductive member 15 which is usually made of a silicon compound. Thus, the heat generated from the circuit elements 13 is dissipated from the heat sink 14.
The above-mentioned conductive member 15 makes it possible to effectively transmit the heat generated from the circuit elements 13 by supplementing the surface flatness, surface roughness and surface inclination so as to decrease a thermal resistance at a contacting surface (i.e., increase in the contacting surface area). However, it is effected by the thickness of the conductive member 15, which has a certain thermal resistance, upon heat dissipation. The thermal resistance R of the conductive member 15 may be expressed by the following formula (1): EQU R=t/(.lambda..multidot.A) (1)
wherein .lambda. indicates the thermal conductivity W/(m K)! of a conductive member, A indicates a conductive area m.sup.2 ! of the conductive member, and t indicates a mean thickness m! of the conductive member.
FIG. 1B is a diagram showing another conventional cooling device 11B comprising a printed board 12, circuit elements 13, a conductive member 15, a cooling header 21, a block 22, a spring 23 and a heat sink (not shown in the figure). The cooling header 21 is located above the circuit elements 13 mounted on the printed board 12. The cooling header 21 has a hole 21a in a position corresponding to the position of each of the circuit elements 13 and the block 22 is inserted in the hole 21a so that it is in contact with the circuit element 13 via the conductive member 15. The spring 23 presses the block 22 towards the circuit element 13 to assure the contact between the block 22 and the circuit element 13. Heat is transmitted from the block 22 to the cooling header 21 by physical contact between the two or by use of a gas.
In the above-mentioned cooling device shown in FIG. 1B, since the block 22 is pressed to the circuit element 13 by the spring 23, the thickness t.sub.1 of the conductive member 15 is made thinner and the thermal resistance R becomes smaller compared with the case shown in FIG. 1A, and hence the thermal conductivity and the dissipating efficiency may be improved.
However, the cooling device 11B shown in FIG. 1B has some disadvantages. For instance, since the block 22 is pressed to the circuit element 13 by the elastic force of the spring 23, although it is capable of equalizing the difference in the thickness of the conductive member 15, a load applied to the circuit element 13 is increased by, say, vibration and there is a danger that solder balls 16 connecting the circuit element 13 to the printed board 12 may be broken or the circuit element 13 itself destroyed. Also, if the elastic force of the spring 23 is attenuated in order to avoid the above problems, the block 22 may be easily shaken by an outer force and the thickness t.sub.1 of the conductive member 15 may be changed. Thus, there are possibilities that the heat dissipating efficiency of the device is decreased and the cooling performance is lowered.


[PROBLEMS] To provide a softening detergent composition capable of washing a fibrous manufactured article or the like having softening ability, and at the same time allowing a clay mineral to be less likely to remain on clothes.

Conventionally, there has been studied to blend a softening agent to a detergent for the purpose of preventing the loss of softness to have a stiff feel of the washed fibrous manufactured article due to the detachment of a fiber treating agent, deposition of salts or the like. For example, as a softening agent for giving softness to the feel of the fibrous manufactured article by the deposition of the softening agent on the fiber surface, a clay material such as smectite (see, for instance, Patent Publication 1); a cationic surfactant such as a dialkylated quaternary ammonium salt (see, for instance, Non-Patent Publication 1); a silicone such as poly(dimethyl siloxane) (see, for instance, Patent Publication 2); and the like have conventionally been known to be blended. Also, in recent years, studies have been made on a method of enhancing softening effects of a clay mineral from the viewpoint of easiness in formulation, environmental issue and the like. For instance, there have been known a combined use of bentonite and a pentaerythritol compound (see, for instance, Patent Publication 3), a combined use of a clay mineral and an aggregating agent (see, for instance, Patent Publication 4), a combined use of bentonite and a soluble potassium salt (see, for instance, Patent Publication 5, and Non-Patent Publication 1), and the like.
On the other hand, in recent years, as a part of reinforcement of detergency, especially detergency against oil stains, a nonionic surfactant has been formulated as a main surfactant. However, as a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found a disadvantage that if a nonionic surfactant is present in a detergent containing a clay mineral, the dissolubility of the clay mineral itself is likely to be lowered, which causes the detergent to remain on clothes, thereby causing softening ability of the clothes to be lowered.    Patent Publication 1: JP-A-Showa-49-85102    Patent Publication 2: JP-A-2002-249799    Patent Publication 3: JP-A-Hei-5-140869    Patent Publication 4: JP-A-2002-541342    Patent Publication 5: JP-A-Hei-8-506843    Non-Patent Publication 1: Shuchi Kanyo Gijutsu Shu (Laundry Powder Detergent), published on Mar. 26, 1998

Abstract: [SOLVING MEANS] A softening detergent composition containing (a) 2 to 20% by mass of clay granules containing as a main component a smectite clay mineral represented by the following general formula (I), provided that a Na/Ca mass ratio in the granules is 1.0 or more: [Si8(MgaAlb)O20(OH)4]X−.X/n [Me]n+ (I), wherein a, b, and x satisfy the formulas 0<a≦6, 0≦b≦4, 0.2≦x=12−2a−3b≦1.2; Me is at least one member of Na, K, Li, Ca, Mg and NH4; and n is valency of Me; (b) 3 to 9% by mass of a nonionic surfactant; and (c) 12 to 27% by mass of an anionic surfactant, provided that a salt of a fatty acid is excluded; and the softening detergent composition used for hand-washing.


The present invention intends provided a tandem pressing apparatus which can shorten and the conveying distance i.e. the conveying time without increasing conveying speed of the work.

As one of a press apparatus continuously pressing works sequentially a tandem pressing apparatus has been known. It includes a tandem pressing line in which plural tandem press are disposed, and a work conveying apparatus conveying works between adjacent tandem presses. The tandem press includes a bed, four uprights studded on the bed, a crown fixed at upper portions of the uprights, and a slide supported by the crown to be ascended and descended. To a bolster mounted on the bed a lower mold is set, while to the slide an upper mold is set.
For conveying the works between the adjacent tandem presses, a work conveying apparatus such as a conveying robot etc. has been used. FIGS. 7 and 8 show a work conveying apparatus for conventional tandem press disclosed in the Japanese Publication H6-47465. In this conventional art, a conveying robot 160, disposed between the first pressing machine 150 and the second pressing machine 155 disposed adjacent thereto, conveys the works from the first pressing machine 150 to the second pressing machine 155. A front/rear of the work is reversed during the conveyance thereof. Onto an arm 161 of the conveying robot 160 a vacuum cap 162 for conveying the work is mounted, while onto an upper mold 156 of the second pressing machine 155 a vacuum cap 158 for holding the work is mounted.
When the upper mold 151 ascends after completion of pressing by the first pressing machine 150, the arm 161 of the conveying robot 160 enters into the space between the upper mold 151 and the lower mold 152. Thus, the vacuum cup 162 for the work conveying absorbs the work W. The conveying robot 160 makes the work W to float up from the lower mold 152, and takes out the work from space between the first pressing machine 150 and the second pressing machine 160 at once, to reverse the front/rear thereof.
Then, being faced to space between the upper mold 156 and the lower mold 157 of the second pressing machine 155, the work W is pushed upwardly to be pressed onto the vacuum cap 158 for the work holding.
When the work W is absorbed to the vacuum cap 158, the vacuum cap 162 for the work conveying releases the work W, so that the conveying robot 160 is stood by at the area between the first pressing machine 150 and the second pressing machine 155. In this way, the work W having been pressed by the first pressing machine 150 is reversed the front/rear thereof, then supplied or fed to the upper mold of the second pressing machine 155.
In the above conventional art, the conveying robot 160 conveying the work W between the first pressing machine 150 and the second pressing machine 155 is disposed between the both pressing machines 150 and 155. As a result, a space 165 required for disposing the conveying robot 160 between the first and second pressing machines 155 makes a conveying distance (conveying pitch P) of the work longer.
Increase of the conveying pitch P makes a conveying time of the work W between the first and second pressing machines 150 and 155 longer, so that productivity of the pressed article decreases. The productivity can be somewhat improved by increasing the conveying speed of the work W, but absorbing ability by the vacuum cup 162 for the work conveying is apt to be shortened. Further, large drive source will be required for the high-speed conveyance.
The Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-307116 has disclosed a conveying apparatus (transfer feeder) of a transfer press. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the transfer press 170 includes a bed 171, four up-rights 173, a crown 175 and a slide 177. A lower mold is attached to a bolster 172 of the bed 171, while an upper mold is attached to the slide 177.
Spanning the adjacent transfer presses 170, a conveying apparatus 80 is disposed. It includes a pair of lifting beams 181 disposed along conveying direction of the work, servo motors 184 for ascending/descending the lifting beams 181, carriers 187 movably attached to the lifting beams 181, linear motors (not shown) for driving the carriers 187 in the conveying direction, and work holding means 194 having a cross bar 192 and a vacuum cap 193.
Proximity portions of the lifting beam 181 in the work conveying direction have length correspond to each of conveying areas T2, T3 and T4. The lifting beams 181 in the conveying areas T2 and T4 are positioned inside the lifting beam 181 in the conveying area T3. The servo motors 184 are supported on the uprights 171 by supporting members 185 to drive the lifting beams 181 upwardly and downwardly. The carriers 187 are attached to the linear motors, to be moved relative to the lifting beams 181.
The work W is conveyed by this conveying apparatus 180 in the following manner. In the conveying area T3, at the timing when the slide 177 having finished processing at the processing station W3 moves upwardly, the carrier 187 positioned at the predetermined height is moved to end of the processing station W3 along the lifting beam 181. With the vacuum cap 193 being positioned at center of the processing station W4, the lifting beam 181 descends to absorb the work W. Then, the lifting beam 187 ascends, the carrier 187 moves to end of the processing station W4, the vacuum cap 193 moves to a center of the processing station W4, and the lifting beam 181 descends to release the work W.
Next, the lifting beam 181 is ascended before the slide 177 of the processing station W4 fully descends. The carrier 187 is returned to substantial center of the conveying area T3 not to interfere with the slide 177 and the mold. Thereafter, after completion of the processing at the processing station W4, the lifting beam 181 and the carrier 187 are operated in the conveying area T4, in the same manner as that of the conveying apparatus in the conveying area T3.
This conveying apparatus 180 extending between the processing stations W2 and W3, and between the processing stations W3 and W4, is not for the tandem press but or the transfer press. In the transfer press having singe bed, whole of the processing station forms pair, so that an interval between the adjacent processing stations is short. Thus, there exits no space for disposing the conveying apparatus between the adjacent processing stations. For this reason, the conveying apparatus may be disposed over or spanning the adjacent processing stations.
In addition, the servo motor 184 driving the lifting beam 181 in the up-down direction consumes much power.
In the tandem pressing line, different from the transfer pressing line, one slide is provided for one bed in each of tandem presses, which means each tandem press is independent from remaining tandem presses. Accordingly, corresponding to increase/decrease of the numbers of articles, the tandem press can be added or removed. Also, even when the particular tandem press is broken, the article can be produced by the remaining normally operating tandem presses. Thus, it has flexibility in the article producing. However, the tandem press has disadvantages that the conveying distance longer than that of the transfer press decreases the producing ability.

Abstract: A tandem pressing apparatus of the present invention is comprised of a tandem pressing line constructed by plural tandem presses 10 and 20 disposed side by side, and a work conveying apparatus 70 including a main member and an arm portion. Each of the tandem press includes a bed, 11, plural uprights 13a to 13d studded on the bed, and a slide 15 supported on the uprights to be ascended or descended. The main member 62 and 63 is provided at a portion located inside the uprights of the adjacent two tandem presses constructing the tandem pressing line and does not interfer with the slide. The arm member 65 is held on the main member to transfer the work having been pressed by the upstream tandem press to the downstream tandem press.


A rebar structure includes a plurality of column longitudinal bars to be connected to a beam. The yield point or the 0.2% proof stress of at least a portion the column longitudinal bars is larger than the yield point or the 0.2% proof stress of a normal reinforcing bar defined by JIS G 3112.

A first related art rebar structure includes columns and beams to be connected to the columns.
In a beam-column connecting portion of such a rebar structure where a column and beam are connected together (a panel zone), longitudinal bars (main reinforcement) and shear reinforcing bars for the column and longitudinal bars (main reinforcement) for the beam are arranged, and concrete is placed thereon. According to Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete Structures, the first impression of the eighth edition (Edited by Architectural Institute of Japan), generally, the beam-column connecting portion is designed in accordance with allowable shearing force Q which can be obtained from the following equation.
Q=κ(f−0.5) bD (κ: a coefficient according to the shape of the beam-column connecting portion, f: short-term allowable shearing unit stress of concrete, b: effective width of beam-column connecting portion, D: column depth)
For example, in a rebar structure disclosed in JP 3147699 U, column longitudinal bars include a normal strength portion having a given strength and a joint section and a high strength portion having a higher strength than the given strength. The normal strength portion is arranged in the central portion of the column longitudinal bars, and the high strength portion is arranged in the portion to be connected to a beam. In such column longitudinal bars, the ends of the normal strength portion are connected together by joining means such as welding.
However, in the generally-designed rebar structure, in order to increase the allowable shearing stress (shearing proof stress) of the beam-column connecting portion thereof, it is required to either increase the strength of the concrete by changing its base material or, as can be understood from the above equation, increase the section area of the beam-column connecting portion by increasing the column depth D.
When the concrete strength is increased, the cost of the structure is increased. Also, when the section area of the beam-column connecting portion is increased, the section areas of the entire column and the entire beam are increased, which narrows a living space.
According to JP 3147699 U, the longitudinal bars are partially reinforced to solve the problem of reliably connecting the reinforcing bars having different strengths, but JP 3147699 U does not address the narrowing of the living space.
A second related art rebar structure uses reinforcing bars in columns and beams, and in its beam-column connecting portion where a column and a beam are cross-connected together, column longitudinal bars arranged in the column and beam longitudinal bars arranged in the beam are connected together, and shear reinforcing bars are further arranged at this portion.
At this beam-column connecting portion, in addition to the axial force of the column acting thereon, and also forces generated due to repeated application of loads to the column and the beam act on the portions of the column corresponding to the upper and lower portions of the beam-column connecting portion, which may cause cracks in the concrete placed on the rebar structure thereby reducing the strength of the column. Especially, at the time of an earthquake, the displacements of the beams are larger than those of the columns and, when great force in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the columns) is applied to the columns due to the beam displacements, the portions of the columns corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the beams (that is, the portions of the columns corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the beam-column connecting portion) are caused to crack. In order to prevent such crack or the like, it is necessary to reinforce the beam-column connecting portion.
For example, in a rebar structure disclosed in JP 2010-236217 A, in order to prevent cracks in the upper and lower ends of the beam-column connecting portion from developing, reinforcing bands are provided to surround the column longitudinal bars.
However, in the rebar structure of JP 2010-236217 A, the reinforcing bands are provided on the upper and lower ends of the beam-column connecting portion, so that the reinforcing bands adjoin the beam longitudinal bars, and the working efficiency for providing the reinforcing bands is not taken into consideration.
Also, since the reinforcing bands are provided on the upper and lower ends of the beam-column connecting portion, the reinforcement of the columns with respect to the shearing stress applied to the columns is not always sufficient. Also, there is a demand for a reinforcement of larger columns.
A third related art rebar structure includes a plurality of longitudinal bars extending in an axial direction and a plurality of shear reinforcing bars surrounding the longitudinal bars for reinforcing the shear strength thereof. When there is a difference between the amount of the longitudinal bars in the end portion of the member and the amount of the longitudinal bars in the central portion of the member, the longitudinal bars may be arranged along the entire length of the member, in order to prevent the longitudinal bars from slipping and moving out of the inside of the reinforced concrete member even when the longitudinal bars receive bending tension. However, this increases the amount of the longitudinal bars, requires additional parts for connecting the longitudinal bars to each other, and increases the workload for connecting the longitudinal bars. Also, the amount of the shear reinforcing bars may be increased to improve the bond strength between the longitudinal bars and the concrete so as to suppress the slipping of the longitudinal bars. However, this increases the amount of the shear reinforcing bars and thus increases the workload for arranging the shear reinforcing bars.
In view of this, bond reinforcing bars may be used in addition to the shear reinforcing bars. For example, in a rebar structure disclosed in JP 4151245 B2, a longitudinal bar is surrounded by a bond reinforcing bar, or, a plurality of longitudinal bars arranged inwardly of longitudinal bars arranged at the outermost periphery of the structure are surrounded by a bond reinforcing bar.
However, in the rebar structure as disclosed in JP 4151245 B2, although a longitudinal bar is surrounded by a bond reinforcing bar, or, a plurality of longitudinal bars is surrounded by a bond reinforcing bar, a longitudinal bar arranged in the outermost periphery of the structure is not surrounded by the bond reinforcing bar. Therefore, there is a limit to providing sufficient reinforcement of the outermost peripheral side of the rebar structure that receives the shearing force the most.

Rebar structure and reinforced concrete member


A device for measuring mean staying time of persons inside a building by processing signals from an entry/exit detector that outputs entry and exit signals when persons enter into and exit from the building. The device includes a staying measurer for determining the number of persons staying inside the building by subtracting the number of exit signals from the number of entry signals, an entry or exit measurer for determining the number of persons who have entered into or exited from the building by counting the entry or exit signals per predetermined period of time, and a calculating section for calculating the mean staying time of persons in the building during such a time period by dividing the number of persons staying inside at the time the unit time has expired by the number of persons who have exited.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for measuring an average time period of people staying inside a building such as department stores, exhibition halls, etc. (hereinbelow, this time period is called a "mean staying time").
2. Prior Art
The device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 61-7675 is an example of an automatic device that measures the mean staying time.
As shown in FIG. 4, this device is made up by a detection means 1 and a processing means 2. The detection means 1, that comprises an entry-detector 11 and an exit-detector 12, is installed at an entrance/exit of a building (or a particular "establishment") and detects persons entering into and exiting out of the establishment. The processing means 2 processes the detection signals supplied from the detection means 1. The device further includes a timer 4 and a memory 3, etc. which are connected to the processing means 2 along with a display 5.
In the memory 3, the time at which an entry detection signal is generated by the entry-detector 11 is stored in the order of signals generated. The detection signal is generated when a person enters into the establishment. Also stored in the memory 3 is (a) the number of times persons exiting from the establishment detected by the exit-detector 12 and (b) the sum of the time difference between when persons entered and exited in the same order (that is, the sum of the time difference between a first person who entered and a first person who exited, a second person who entered and a second person who exited, and so on). Thus, the mean staying time is calculated by dividing the sum of such time difference by the number of persons who have exited (that is, by the number of persons who have exited as detected by the exit-detector 12). The mean staying time thus obtained is displayed on the display 5.
However, in this prior art measuring device, the entry time of a large number of persons who enter into the establishment must be read individually from the timer 4 and then stored in the memory 3. This causes problems. The overall size of the measuring device needs to be large because a large capacity is required for the memory 3 so as to store all the entry time information of persons who have entered into the establishment.
In addition, the prior art device measures (and displays) the mean staying time of persons who have entered between the time the entry thereinto started (e.g. the time a store is opened) and a specific time thereafter. As a result, the mean staying time during a particular time period of interest, or the mean staying time at a specific time, cannot be obtained. In other words, even though, a true mean staying time of each of various time periods of interest can make it possible to review the relationship between the mean staying time information and the amount of sales, etc., with the conventional devices, the mean staying time data cannot be used efficiently because they cannot measure the mean staying time at a particular time period.


In a handle switch device of a vehicle, a switch casing which surrounds a bar handle and accommodates a switch in the inside thereof is mounted on the bar handle, and a manipulation knob which manipulate the switch is mounted on a rear wall of the switch casing. The manipulation knob is arranged substantially at the same height as the bar handle and is tiltably supported on the switch casing by way of a pivot shaft, the switch is formed of a slide-type switch in which a movable contact holder slides, the switch is arranged in the inside of the switch casing above or below the bar handle, and the manipulation knob and the movable contact holder are connected with each other by way of moving direction conversion means which converts a tilting of the manipulation knob to a linear movement and transmits the linear movement to the movable contact holder. Thus, it is possible to provide a handle switch device of a vehicle which exhibits favorable manipulability of a manipulation knob and has a compact shape.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a handle switch device of a vehicle in which a handle grip is formed on an end portion of a bar handle for steering, a switch casing which surrounds the bar handle and accommodates a switch in the inside thereof is mounted on the bar handle adjacent to an inner end of the handle grip, and a manipulation knob which manipulate the switch is mounted on a rear wall of the switch casing on a rider side.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a handle switch device of a vehicle has been already known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-196297.
In such a conventional handle switch device of a vehicle, a manipulation knob and switches manipulated by the manipulation knob are concentrated on one side of the bar handle. Accordingly, a switch casing which accommodates and supports these parts largely projects to the manipulation knob side thus impeding the realization of the device having a compact shape. Further, in the conventional handle switch device of a vehicle, the manipulation knob is integrally connected with a movable contact holder of the switch so that the manipulation knob is integrally slidable with the movable contact holder. Accordingly, a stroke ratio between the manipulation knob and the movable contact holder is 1 and the stroke ratio cannot be set to other value other than 1 and hence, the degree of freedom in design is limited.


A lubricant sealed bearing, which is provided between a piston pin and a small end part of a connecting rod, comprises at least one rolling element and at least one grease standing ring. The grease standing ring is adjacent to an end portion in an axial direction of the small end part. A capacity of a grease pool defined by grease standing ring and an end side in the axial direction of the outer ring, is 40-60% of a theoretical amount of the grease extruded by the rolling element, the movement of the rolling element being caused by the movement of the piston from a top dead point to a bottom dead point and vice versa.

The present invention relates to a lubricant sealed bearing for reciprocatively rotating members, of oil-less type reciprocating machines. Such machines include, for example, compressors, vacuum pumps, etc.
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an oil-less type reciprocating motion compressor, as one example of oil-less type reciprocating machines, which compressor is applied to a grease sealed bearing. This bearing is one example of a conventional lubricant sealed bearings. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a connecting portion of the compressor shown in FIG. 1, in which a small end part of a connecting rod and a piston pin are connected to each other. The oil-less type reciprocating motion compressor shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 has an approximately cylindrical shaped cylinder 1, and a cylinder head 2 mounted on the cylinder 1 through a valve plate 3. A suction chamber 2A and a discharge chamber 2B are formed on the valve plate 3 located in this cylinder head 2. Also an approximately cylindrical shaped piston 4 is inserted to fit inside the cylinder 1. This piston 4 is reciprocatively movable in the up and down directions as viewed in FIG. 1 inside the cylinder 1. A compression chamber 5 as a sealing chamber is formed between the piston 4 and valve plate 3.
A suction hole 3A and discharge hole 3B are formed on the above mentioned valve plate 3. The suction chamber 2A and the discharge chamber 2B open into the compression chamber 5 through the suction chamber 3A and discharge chamber 3B, respectively. Also a suction valve 6 is provided on the compression chamber 5 side of the suction hole 3A. A discharge valve 7 is provided on the discharge chamber 2b side of the discharge hole 3B. Further one pair of through holes 4A, 4A are formed on left and right sides of FIG. 1 in a radial direction of the piston 4. An approximately cylindrical shaped piston pin 8 is inserted to be fitted inside the through holes 4A, 4A by means of pipe-shaped thermal insulating elements 9, 9 made of polytetrafluoroethylene etc.
A small end part 10A, which is a top end part of a connecting rod 10 viewed in FIG. 1, is connected to the center portion of the piston pin 8 and a bottom end (not shown) of this connecting rod 10 is connected to a crankshaft (not shown) so as to be rotationally movable to each other. Thus the connecting rod 10 connects the piston pin 8 and the above mentioned crankshaft to each other. Also, a bearing hole 10B, in which the piston pin 8 is inserted, is formed on the small end part 10A of the connecting rod 10. Thus the connecting rod 10 is connected with the piston 4 so as to be rotationally movable to each other by means of the piston pin 8 inserted in the bearing hole 10B of the small end part 10A.
A grease sealed bearing 11 is fitted as shown in FIG. 2 between an inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole 10B of the small end part 10A of the connecting rod 10 and a peripheral surface of the piston pin 8. This grease sealed bearing 11 has a plurality of needle rollers 12, 12, . . . as rolling elements each having an approximately cylindrical shape, a center lines of which plurality of rollers are parallel to a center line A of the piston pin 8. These needle rollers 12, 12, . . . are located at equal intervals from each other so as to surround a peripheral surface of the piston pin 8. Maintenance elements (not shown) for maintaining the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . at equal intervals from each other are located respectively on the intervals between the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . . Also, each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . rolls accompanying a rolling of the small end part 10A of the connecting rod 10 against the piston pin 8. The rolling course of the each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . describes a circle, a center of which circle coincides with the center line A of the piston pin 8. A smooth rotation of the small end part 10A of the connecting rod 10 against the piston pin 8 is ensured by these respective rolling movements of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . between the small end part 10A and piston pin 8.
Further, holding rings 13, 13 are provided inside the bearing hole 10B of the small end part 10A so as to sandwich each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . by both end sides of an axial direction of the rollers 12, 12, . . . . These holding rings 13, 13 prevent the positions of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . from shifting toward both side of the axial direction of the rollers 12, 12, . . . . Also approximately ring-shaped oil seals 14, 14 are provided on both sides of axial direction of the bearing hole 10B.
Further, in the grease sealed bearing 11, grease G for lubrication is filled in a space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing hole 10B and the peripheral surface of the piston pin 8 and in the intervals between the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . . The grease G is sealed inside the grease sealed bearing 11 by the oil seals 14, 14.
In a conventional oil-less type reciprocating motion compressor having the above mentioned construction, the crankshaft is rotationally driven by an external driving source, and the connecting rod 10 connected to the crankshaft is reciprocatively moved. Also the connecting rod 10 is swung, being caused by the rotational motion of the crankshaft. This movement of the connecting rod 10 is transmitted to the piston 4 via the piston pin 8 and the grease sealed bearing 11, so that the piston 4 reciprocatively moves in the up and down directions as viewed in FIG. 1 inside the cylinder 1. During this reciprocating movement of the piston 4, the piston 4 is moved from a top dead point of the crankshaft to a bottom dead point of it, which movement is referred to as suction process. On the suction process, the pressure of the compression chamber 5 is reduced. Therefore the suction valve 6 is opened, and air is drawn into the compression chamber 5 from the suction chamber 2A through the suction hole 3A. Also air is drawn from outside to the suction chamber 2A. Further, a movement of the piston 4 from the bottom dead point of the crankshaft to the top dead point of it is referred to as a compression process. During the compression process, the air of the compression chamber 5 is compressed. Therefore the discharge valve 7 is opened, and the compressed air in the compression chamber 5 is discharged to the discharge chamber 2B through the discharge hole 3B. Then the compressed air discharged to the discharged chamber 2B is supplied to the outside.
According to one example of the conventional oil-less type reciprocating motion compressor described above, the grease sealed bearing 11 is provided between the piston pin 8 of the piston 4 and the small end part 10A of the connecting rod 10. Also each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . of the grease sealed bearing 11, the above mentioned piston pin 8 and the bearing hole of the small end part 10A are lubricated by the grease G. Each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . rotates along a circumferential direction on the peripheral surface of the piston pin 8, the rotation of the rollers 12, 12, . . . being caused by the rotation of the small end part 10A against the piston pin 8. There is a case where the grease G, which is filled in the equal intervals between the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . , is extruded to both sides in the axial direction of the rollers 12, 12, . . . , the extrusion being caused by the rotation of the each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . .
Each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . moves alternately in forward and reverse directions, resulting from the alternating rotation in both forward and reverse directions of the small end part 10A, this special movement being caused by the above mentioned swinging motion of the connecting rod 10. The swinging motion occurs when the connecting rod 10 is driven by the crankshaft. The rotation of each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . makes the grease G filling the intervals of between the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . shake violently. Also the grease G has a certain amount of inertia, because it has rather higher viscosity than other lubricants. Therefore there are some cases where the grease G cannot follow the alternate rotation of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . . Due to this reason, in the case where the grease G is extruded to both end sides of the axial direction of each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . , this extruded grease G exerts a pressure against each of the oil seals 14, 14 of both end sides in the axial direction of the bearing hole 10B.
There is the case when the grease G, which is sealed inside the grease sealed bearing 11 by the oil seals 14, 14 as mentioned above, leaks outside the both end sides in the axial direction of each of the oil seals 14, 14. This leaking is caused from such portions of the seals 14, 14 that the sealing performance is weakened. Being weakened of the sealing performance there results in the above mentioned pressure of the grease G against the each oil ssal 14 being exerted by the alternating rotation of each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . . In that case, the quantity of the grease in the grease sealed bearing 11 decreases. Because of this, the quantity of the grease G in the periphery of each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . becomes short. Also the quantity of the lubrication in the periphery of each of the needle rollers 12, 12, . . . and between the piston pin 8 and the small end part 10A becomes insufficient. Therefore life time of the grease sealed bearing 11 is shortened. Also, there is a problem in that a part of the grease G, which leaks outside via each of the oil seals 14, 14, enters into the compression chamber 5. For example, this intruded grease is mixed with the compressed air in the compression chamber 5. As the result of this, clean compressed air cannot be supplied to the outside.

Lubricant sealed bearing for forward and reverse rotation of rotating members


A Raman chemical imaging system uses a laser illumination source for illuminating an area of a sample. The spectrum of scattered light from the illuminated area of the sample is collected and a collimated beam is produced therefrom. An Evans Split-Element type liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) selects a Raman image of the collimated beam. A detector collects the filtered Raman images which are subsequently processed to determine the constituent materials. The Evans Split-Element-type LCTF suitable for high-definition Raman chemical imaging is incorporated into an efficient Raman imaging system that provides significant performance advantages relative to any previous approach to Raman microscopy. The LCTF and associated optical path is physically compact, which accommodates integration of the LCTF within an infinity-corrected optical microscope. The LCTF simultaneously provides diffraction-limited spatial resolution and 9 cm.sup.-1 spectral bandpass across the full free spectral range of the imaging spectrometer. The LCTF Raman microscope successfully integrates the utility of optical imaging and the analytical capabilities of Raman spectroscopy which has practical significance in materials analysis, including the diagnosis of cancer.

Chemical imaging is a new scientific discipline, which combines the chemical analysis power of optical spectroscopy, including Raman, infrared and fluorescence techniques, with high-resolution optical imaging. It has powerful capability for materials characterization, process monitoring, quality control and disease-state determination. This invention relates to a system for obtaining spectroscopically resolved images of materials, including biological samples, using electronically tunable imaging spectrometers employing liquid crystal elements.
Raman and infrared chemical imaging provide molecular-specific image contrast without the use of stains or dyes. Raman and infrared image contrast is derived from a material's intrinsic vibrational spectroscopic signature, which is highly sensitive to the composition and structure of the material and its local chemical environment. As a result, Raman and infrared imaging can be performed with little or no sample preparation and are widely applicable for materials research, failure analysis, process monitoring and clinical diagnostics.
Several approaches to Raman imaging have been demonstrated that employ means to simultaneously record spatial and Raman spectral information. Almost exclusively, modern Raman imaging methods employ multi-channel charge-coupled device (CCD) detection. CCDs are employed to record two dimensions of the three-dimensional information inherent in Raman image data sets. Raman imaging systems can be differentiated by the means they employ to collect the third dimension of information. Raman imaging systems employing dispersive monochromators coupled to CCDs have been devised that rely on two-dimensional point scanning, one-dimensional line scanning, and spatial multiplexing. In addition, Michelson interferometers have been employed in point scanning systems, while a number of tunable filter spectrometers have been described in the past several years.
Of the imaging spectrometers that have been employed for Raman imaging, including liquid crystal tunable filters (LCTFs), acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) and Fabry-Perot filters, LCTFs are the most effective. In general, tunable filter methods employ wide-field laser illumination in combination with multichannel detection. The two spatial dimensions of the image are recorded directly by the CCD camera, while the multispectral information is acquired by capturing images at discrete wavelengths selected by the tunable filter. Under computer control it is possible to collect a data set with a Raman spectrum at each pixel of the image. An advantage of tunable filters is that they provide image fidelity that is limited only by the number of pixels in the camera. As a result, the use of high-definition detectors allows the efficient collection of high-definition images. Prior to the introduction of LCTFs, a key limitation of tunable filters that had handicapped Raman microscopy had been the lack of the availability of tunable filters that simultaneously provided narrow spectral bandpass, broad free spectral range and high image quality. For example, AOTF Raman imaging systems provide high throughput and broad spectral coverage, but AOTFs have distinct limitations. AOTFs suffer from broad spectral bandpass, and imaging performance is degraded appreciably from the diffraction-limited conditions. In effect, AOTFs provide spectral resolution that is an order of magnitude worse than that of a typical Raman spectrometer, and spatial resolution that is approximately 2.5 times worse than the diffraction limit.
A better alternative to the AOTF is the LCTF. In general, LCTFs are electro-optically controllable spectral bandpass filters which can function from the visible to the near-infrared. A number of LCTF designs have been demonstrated for use in multispectral imaging. LCTFs based on the Lyot filter design have been used primarily as red-green-blue (RGB) color filters and fluorescence imaging filters. A nematic LCTF based on the design of the Lyot birefringent filter has been used in a Raman imaging system. The multistage Lyot filter is comprised of a fixed retardance birefringent element and a nematic liquid crystal wave plate placed between parallel linear polarizers. The nematic liquid crystal wave plates incorporated within the Lyot filter act as electronically controlled phase retarders. The LC wave plates can be adjusted over a continuous range of retardance levels, enabling continuous tunability of wavelength. In general, Lyot filters suffer from low peak transmittance. The two main sources of optical loss in the Lyot LCTFs are absorption in the polarizers and imperfect waveplate action arising from the use of simple .lambda./2 plates to construct the wide-field retarder stages. An LCTF based on a Fabry-Perot design has been demonstrated for Raman microscopy. However, Fabry-Perot filters suffer from low transmittance, low out of band rejection efficiency, limited free spectral range and low spectral bandpass (25 cm.sup.-1). In addition, Fabry-Perot filters are susceptible to thermal-induced drift in spectral bandpass unless contained in temperature-controlled housings.
John Evans described a `split-element` design that addresses the inefficiency of the Lyot design. The `split-element` design cuts the number of polarizers in half, plus one, reducing the absorbance of light due to the polarizers. In addition, the .lambda./2 waveplates are eliminated providing enhanced optical throughput. This yields an improved filter transmission ranging from 1.55-3.1 times that of the Lyot filter.
Unlike other tunable elements for Raman imaging, the LCTF is free of optical distortions, spectral leakage, or image shift with tuning. The first generation (Lyot) LCTFs were designed to operate with green laser excitation and operated only to 650 nm. Evans Split-Element LCTFs operate from 420-720 nm and from 650-1100 nm, as determined by the choice of polarizers. Operation in the red wavelength region has advantages, particularly for the analysis of biological systems. For example, operation in the red wavelength region provides enhanced fluorescence rejection when combined with efficient diode laser sources and takes full advantage of the enhanced red sensitivity of recent generation CCD detectors.
Compared to existing, non-imaging systems, the Raman LCTF system adds the powerful ability to visualize the distribution (morphology and architecture) of chemical species in heterogeneous samples with molecular compositional specificity. Raman images can be collected rapidly, non-invasively, with limited or no sample preparation, at high spatial resolution (<250 nm) and with high fidelity where the spatial fidelity is limited by the number of pixels on the CCD detector. Most importantly, every image pixel has associated with it a Raman spectrum whose quality is comparable to that obtained with conventional non-imaging spectrometers.
Raman is so broadly applicable because most materials exhibit characteristic `fingerprint` Raman vibrational spectra. Generally accepted practice in performing Raman microscopy is to use non-imaging techniques such as a scanned laser Raman microspot, which yield spectral data but limited (or inefficient) collection of spatial data. Samples exhibiting complex morphologies and well characterized spectral bands are best studied using LCTF technology because of the inherent efficiency of analyzing all spatial channels simultaneously in a massively parallel fashion. The LCTF Raman chemical imaging measurement identifies the presence and/or location of an analyte species in a sample by imaging at the characteristic analyte Raman spectral bands. In general, it is not necessary to have a complete Raman spectrum at each image pixel in order to obtain meaningful and chemically relevant image contrast. This is especially due in part to the redundancy of a typical Raman spectrum. Often only several regions of the spectrum are needed to generate analyte-specific image contrast. The Evans Split-Element LCTF represents a breakthrough technology because it provides spectral resolution comparable to a single stage dispersive monochromator while also providing diffraction-limited spatial resolution. This performance is provided without moving mechanical parts in a computer controlled device which allows automated operation.
Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide. Early definitive detection and classification of cancerous growths is often crucial to successful treatment of this disease. Currently, several biopsy techniques are used as diagnostic methods after cancerous lesions are identified. In the case of breast cancer, lesions are typically identified with mammography or self breast exam. The most reliable method of diagnosis is examination of macroscopic-sized lesions. Macroanalysis is performed in conjunction with microscopic evaluation of paraffin-embedded biopsied tissue which is thin-sectioned to reveal microscale morphology.
The detection and diagnosis of cancer is typically accomplished through the use of optical microscopy. A tissue biopsy is obtained from a patient and that tissue is sectioned and stained. The prepared tissue is then analyzed by a trained oncologist who can differentiate between normal, malignant and benign tissue based on tissue morphology. Because of the tissue preparation required, this process is relatively slow. Moreover, the differentiation made by the oncologist is based on subtle morphological differences between normal, malignant and benign tissue based on tissue morphology. For this reason, there is a need for an imaging device that can rapidly and quantitively diagnose malignant and benign tissue.
Alternatives to traditional surgical biopsy include fine needle aspiration cytology and needle biopsy. These non-surgical techniques are becoming more prevalent as breast cancer diagnostic techniques because they are less invasive than biopsy techniques that harvest relatively large tissue masses. Fine needle aspiration cytology has the advantage of being a rapid, minimally invasive, non-surgical technique that retrieves isolated cells that are often adequate for evaluation of disease state. However, in fine needle biopsies intact breast tissue morphology is disrupted often leaving only cellular structure for analysis which is often less revealing of disease state. In contrast, needle biopsies use a much larger gauge needle which retrieve intact tissue samples that are better suited to morphology analysis. However, needle biopsies necessitate an outpatient surgical procedure and the resulting needle core sample must be embedded or frozen prior to analysis.
A variety of "optical biopsy" techniques have potential as non-invasive, highly sensitive approaches that will augment, or even be alternatives to current diagnostic methods for early detection of cancer, including breast cancer. Optical biopsies employ optical spectroscopy to non-invasively probe suspect tissue regions in situ, without extensive sample preparation. Diagnostic information is provided by the resultant spectroscopically unique signatures that allow differentiation of normal and abnormal tissues. One biodiagnostic technique is fluorescence optical biopsy. Due to the nonspecific nature of tissue autofluorescence and the need to add staining agents to augment the specificity of fluorescence approaches, this technique has limitations.
In contrast to other techniques, Raman spectroscopy holds promise as an optical biopsy technique that is anticipated to be broadly applicable for characterization of a variety of cancerous disease states. A number of researchers have shown that Raman spectroscopy has utility in differentiating normal vs. malignant tissue and differentiating normal vs. benign tissue. In general, the Raman spectra of malignant and benign tissues show an increase in protein content and a decrease in lipid content versus normal breast tissue, demonstrating that cancer disease states have a molecular basis for their origin.
However, difficulties exist when trying to use Raman spectroscopy alone to differentiate benign vs. malignant tissues due to the spectral similarities of these tissue types. In addition, Raman spectroscopy of breast tissue samples requires large numbers of cell populations. If only a small portion of the cells are cancerous, as in the early stages of lesion development, then Raman spectroscopy will be insensitive to the disease. It would be advantageous to have a technique capable of the spatial sensitivity needed for discrimination of cancerous from normal cells in early stage breast cancer diagnosis.
Chemical imaging based on optical spectroscopy, in particular Raman spectroscopy, provides the clinician with important information. Chemical imaging simultaneously provides image information on the size, shape and distribution (the image morphology) of molecular chemical species present within the sample. By utilizing molecular-specific imaging, based on chemical imaging, the trained clinician can make a determination on the disease-state of a tissue or cellular sample based on recognizable changes in morphology without the need for sample staining or modification.


A system and method for implementing tracking of computing system activities wherein the tracking can be dynamically adjusted. The system provides a multiple level logging system having a first level for detecting message level errors and a second trace level for obtaining trace information and for filtering same to provide more details to be used for implementing corrective action. A set of filters is provide to further refine the data which is provided to a user/system administrator. The system also provides for selective activation of tracking and logging for selected subsystems, as well as the ability to vary the frequency at which the tracking is performed. The frequency of logging can be adjusted upward in response to detection of a error and can then be decreased, or the tracking selectively disabled or entirely stopped upon detection of a stop event.

In order to provide support services for computing systems, ideally one would like to have a trace record of all of the activities which have occurred at a node or machine. For personal computers operating in standalone fashion, such tracking or recording of actions may be realistic. Some computer code does provide for the continual logging and tracing of all activities, typically using a log component as well as a tracer. Should an error occur and an error message be generated, then there exists a complete record of activities which can be pulled up by a debug program and can be reviewed to determine the source of the problem. If such a logging and/or tracing record exists, it eliminates the need for a customer to recreate the problem, a process which is unpredictable and time-consuming. The log records provide both a time frame and a task or entity identification of the source of the error. Again, when dealing with one computer operating in standalone mode, it can readily be ascertained whether the problem arose from user error (e.g., a misspelling on the input) or from a bug in a part of the code, and the problem can be addressed.
The trade-off for providing thorough logging and tracing of actions is, of course, a decrease in performance of the overall system, since resources are being dedicated to the tracking tasks and are not, therefore, available for actual execution of tasks. Furthermore, once the computing system goes beyond standalone operation and begins interacting with other entities (not only computers, but also computer peripherals, PDAs, etc.) then the tracking becomes more complex and the potential sources of error multiply almost exponentially. When one envisions servicing a large-scale distributed computing system, having thousands of nodes, or endpoints, the desirability of tracking is far outweighed by the complexity of the tracking and by the performance losses associated with trying to log and trace every action.
A detailed discussion of distributed network services can be found in copending patent application, Ser. No. 09/738,307 filed Dec. 15, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,874 entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCE LEASES IN AN APPLICATION FRAMEWORK SYSTEM", the teachings of which are herein incorporated by reference. In addition, the specifics of the logging capabilities of a server in a distributed computing system can be found in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/895,979, filed Jun. 29, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,921 entitled "Methods and Apparatus in a Logging System for the Tracking of Tasks Based on Function for Data Analysis, the teachings of which are also incorporated by reference herein (AUS920010501)
What is desirable, and is an object of the present invention, is to provide a system and method whereby the logging and tracing of computing activities in a distributed computing system can be selectively enabled and/or adjusted.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system and method whereby the frequency of logging of computing activities can be dynamically adjusted in response to user or system input.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a multiple level logging system for which both the frequency and the degree of logging can be adjusted.
Still another object of the invention is to provide dynamic and configurable filtering of log information based on user or system input.

Method and apparatus for dynamic configurable logging of activities in a distributed computing system

International Business Machines Corporation


In certain embodiments, a method includes accessing one or more parameters based on an IT service request received from an upper-layer IT interface, the parameters formatted according to an upper-layer IT interface construct. Appropriate IT domains are determined, according to at least a portion of the parameters, from a number of IT domains for implementing IT infrastructure for fulfilling the request, the domains each associated with one or more vendor-specific solutions for providing IT infrastructure of a type associated with the domain. Using a common semantic interrelational data model that includes mappings of constructs for upper-layer IT interfaces to constructs for IT domains, at least a portion of the parameters are translated from the upper-layer IT interface construct into constructs suitable for use by the determined appropriate domains. One or more parameterized instructions operable to cause appropriate vendor-specific implementations of the determined appropriate domains to implement appropriate infrastructure for fulfilling the request are communicated.

Client entities often contract with an IT service provider or other entity for the IT service provider to provide one or more IT services to the client. These IT services may include management of IT infrastructure for the client, including interaction with one or more IT infrastructure domains. In IT environments, particularly for IT service providers, many IT infrastructure domain management solutions have disparate techniques in which they communicate programmatic interfaces and provide data or metadata to upper-layer IT service management interfaces. As enterprises and IT service providers acquire and use infrastructure domain management tools in their respective environments, vendor-specific implementations of application program interfaces (APIs), scripting interfaces, adapter data constructs, and supporting data schemas may lead to large amounts of manual integration and/or rip-and-replace activities when vendors change existing functionality or add new functionality. Additionally, simply processing requests for IT services may involve substantial amounts of human interaction.

Heterogeneous information technology (IT) infrastructure management orchestration

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.