The disclosure provides methods for the detection of a possible joint defect, in particular a root fusion defect, in a friction stir weld seam, wherein two members are joined together and the methods include generating of a tensile stress in the region of the friction stir weld seam in the elastic range, and testing in at least some regions of a lower face of the friction stir weld seam, in order to detect any joint defect.

Members that are joined together by means of the friction stir welding method (FSW) have an almost ideal microstructure structure in the seam region, which to a large extent can be compared with the original material properties of the initial members. By this means the strengths that can be achieved of a joint seam manufactured by means of the friction stir welding method can be almost comparable with those of the solid material. The friction stir welding method is primarily suitable for metals or metal alloys that do not have too high a melting point, such as aluminium, for example. By this means it is possible to form a butt joint between plate-type members with a material thickness of 30 mm and more.
In the friction stir welding process a rotating hard metal welding nib, which has a shoulder in an upper section, is in general introduced into the butt joint, i.e. into what is subsequently the seam formation region between the two members that are to be joined together. The friction heat generated plasticises the metal in the butt joint region and enables firstly the introduction of the rotating welding nib and subsequently its ongoing movement along the joint to form the friction stir welding seam. The shoulder of the welding nib primarily has the task of heating the material by frictional heat, and by this means softening it, while the rotating welding nib stirs the plasticised material in the weld formation region, as a result of which an intimate connection ensues between the members to be joined. The feed of the welding nib requires relatively high forces, so that the members to be joined are arranged on a workpiece support, and must be securely clamped to the latter. In a region underneath the joint, i.e. the seam formation region, extends a strip-type backing, which in the event of wear can easily be replaced, (a so-called easily replaceable backing); this in turn rests against the workpiece support. This backing extends over the whole length of the joint, and moreover slightly beyond the joint at both ends.
The distance of the end of the welding nib from the backing is an important factor in the quality of a friction stir weld seam. If this distance is too small the result can be increased wear and/or total failure of the welding nib as a result of fracture, wherein the backing can also be damaged. If, on the other hand, the distance is too large, the material is not completely plasticised and stirred by the welding nib, with the result that in the rear region, i.e. on the lower face of the weld seam, the members are not fully welded through the thickness. Such a seam in which the weld does not penetrate fully through the thickness represents one or a plurality of so-called root fusion defects (or lack of penetration=LOP); in particular in the event of dynamic loading of the weld seam these are to be viewed as notches that can lead to cracks and thus to a total failure of the member. Deployment of friction stir welded components that have not been tested is therefore impermissible in sectors in which safety is relevant, such as, for example, in aviation or in power station technology.
A major problem consists in being able to detect such root fusion defects reliably, since the lower face of the friction stir weld seam, in particular as a result of the use of the backing, and the metal fused on in the weld formation region, has a very smooth surface and the members, even in the region of the root fusion defects, are still "cold welded", i.e. for practical purposes are "adhesively" cemented together, or are "interlocked" together, so that in general no cracks occur that can be detected in a straightforward manner. Nevertheless, as a result of the edges of the joint in the region of the root fusion defects that are just "cold welded" together, only a very low mechanical strength is provided in comparison to that of a zero-defect friction stir weld seam; this strength does not even begin to approach the load capacity of the initial members.

Method for the detection of a possible joint defect in a friction stir weld seam


The method is for harvesting a crop. A harvesting device (10) is provided that has an upper harvesting device (16) and a lower harvesting device (16) . The upper harvesting device is in front of the lower harvesting device. The upper harvesting device detaches crop sections (24) of stalk sections (26) of crops (18) . An intermediate engagement member (42) bends the stalk sections forwardly and the lower harvesting device cuts root sections (48) of the crops.

Many different harvesting machines have been developed in the past. The conventional machines are not suitable for harvesting certain crops such as hemp, cereals and other crops and they sometimes require multiple harvesting that is time consuming and expensive to do. For example, traditional methods are still used in many countries. Pre-retting and drying take place in the field and the processing of fibers takes place in industrial plants. It is often only the long fibers that are sought after for the weaving of textiles. The shives/hurds are retted away in full and only the fibers are taken care of. This is a very labor-intensive method.
There is also a tradition of producing paper of various qualities for different applications. Normally, the seeds are first harvested with the aid of a traditional combine harvester with an elevated cutting table. After that the field is gone over once again using a chaff cutter which cuts of the remaining stalk and lay them parallel in rows in the field for pre-retting and drying. This method provides a relatively good seed yield but does not recover the stalk material at the same time. Methods have also been developed for tearing off the stalk. These methods result in great seed losses and also parts of the stalks are lost.
There is a need to an effective harvesting method that recovers more of the harvest while also being efficient. There is a need for a method that enables the harvesting of the crop while limiting waste and also enables the cutting of the stalk sections without having to go over the field a second time.
Also, for the purpose of spreading harvested material evenly, the predominant method is to mechanically spread the material using centrifugal power. The width of harvesting equipment has increased considerably during recent years, and hence the material has a longer way to go sidewise in order to cover the area properly. The increased length makes this operation more sensitive to wind. The uneven spread makes the soil improvement less efficient.

Crop upper part counter rotating stripper and stalk lower part cutter with crusher


A temperature compensated crystal oscillator has a package body, a crystal blank hermetically sealed in a first recess of the package body, and an IC chip which includes an oscillation circuit electrically connected to the crystal blank, and a temperature compensating mechanism for compensating the crystal blank for the frequency-temperature characteristic. The oscillation circuit and temperature compensating mechanism are integrated into the IC chip. The IC chip is received in a second recess of the package body such that a circuit formation surface thereof faces the bottom face of the package body. External write terminals are formed on a principal surface of the IC chip, which is not the circuit formation surface, for writing temperature compensation data into the temperature compensating mechanism.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the field of a temperature compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO) of a surface mount type and a method of manufacturing the same, and relates particularly to a temperature compensated crystal oscillator which eliminates write terminals provided in a package body for writing temperature compensation data thereinto, thereby promoting a further reduction in outer dimensions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A temperature compensated crystal oscillator which integrates a quartz crystal unit, an oscillation circuit which uses the crystal unit, and a temperature compensating mechanism for compensating the crystal unit for the temperature-frequency characteristic has ability to prevent variations in oscillation frequency caused by variations in ambient temperature. Such a temperature compensated crystal oscillator is widely used as a reference source of the frequency, particularly, in devices used under mobile environments, for example, in portable telephones. In the temperature compensated crystal oscillator, an oscillation circuit and a temperature compensating mechanism is typically integrated into a single IC (integrated circuit) chip.
There are a variety of methods for compensating the temperature compensated crystal oscillator for the temperature. Variations in the resonance frequency of a crystal unit in response to the ambient temperature, i.e., the temperature-frequency characteristic subtly differs from one crystal unit to another. Therefore, for ensuring a fixed oscillation frequency over a wide temperature range in the temperature compensated crystal oscillator, the temperature characteristic of its oscillation frequency must be actually measured after the assembly of the temperature compensated crystal oscillator to create temperature compensation data based on the result of the measurement, and the temperature compensation data must be written into the temperature compensating mechanism within the IC chip, thereby allowing the oscillator to accomplish an optimal compensation for the temperature in accordance with its crystal unit. A conventional temperature compensated crystal oscillator has a crystal unit and an IC chip contained in a package, and write terminals arranged on the surface of the package body, so that temperature compensation data is written into the IC chip from the write terminals.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a conventional temperature compensated crystal oscillator which has write terminals on the surface of a package body, as described above.
The illustrated temperature compensated crystal oscillator comprises package body 1 for use in surface mounting; crystal blank 2 which functions as a crystal unit; and IC chip 3. Package body 1 is made, for example, of laminate ceramics in the shape of low-profile rectangular solid, wherein recesses 1A, 1B are formed in both principal surfaces, respectively. Therefore, package body 1 has an H-shaped cross-section, as illustrated in FIG. 1A. When package body 1 is surface-mounted on a wiring board, it is placed on the wiring board with recess 1B facing the wiring board.
Crystal blank 2 is accommodated in recess 1A, and cover 5 is bonded to package body 1 to close an opening face of recess 1A, thereby hermetically sealing crystal blank 2 in recess 1A. Crystal blank 2 is, for example, a substantially rectangular AT-cut quartz crystal blank, which is formed with excitation electrodes, not shown, on both principal surfaces, respectively. Extension electrodes extend from this pair of excitation electrodes to both ends of one side of crystal blank 2. Then, both the ends of the one side of crystal blank 2, to which the extension electrodes extend, are secured to the bottom face of recess 1A of package body 1 with conductive adhesive 4 or the like, so that crystal blank 2 is held in recess 1A.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, IC chip 3 comprises oscillation circuit 21 connected to crystal blank 2; and temperature compensating mechanism 22; for generating a temperature compensation signal for compensating crystal blank 2 as a crystal unit for the temperature-frequency characteristic in accordance with the ambient temperature, and supplying the temperature compensation signal to oscillation circuit 21. The two components are integrated in IC chip 3. IC chip 3 is manufactured using a silicon semiconductor substrate or the like through a general semiconductor device fabrication process. In IC chip 3, circuits such as oscillation circuit 21, temperature compensating mechanism 22 and the like are disposed on one principal surface of a semiconductor substrate which forms part of IC chip 3. Therefore, one of both principal surfaces of IC chip 3, which is formed with the oscillation circuit, temperature compensating mechanism and the like, is called "circuit formation surface 3A."
As Illustrated in FIG. 3, circuit formation surface 3A of IC chip 3 is provided with a plurality of IC terminals 6 along its periphery. IC terminals 6 are provided for electrically connecting parts and circuits external to IC chip 3 to the circuits internal to IC chip 3. Such IC terminals 6 include a pair of crystal connection terminals (XTAL), a power terminal (VDD), an output terminal (OUT), a ground terminal (GND), and for example, four write terminals 6a directed to temperature compensating mechanism 22. Circuit terminals are formed corresponding to the IC terminals on the bottom face of recess 1B of package body 1, so that IC chip 3 is electrically and mechanically connected to package body 1 by securing the IC terminals of IC chip 3 to the associated circuit terminals, for example, through ultrasonic thermo-compression bonding using bumps 7.
Among IC terminals 6, the pair of crystal connection terminals (XTAL) are connected to crystal blank 2 through the circuit terminals, conductor paths, not shown, formed on package body 1, and the aforementioned conductive adhesive 4. Remaining IC terminals 6, including write terminals 6a, extend to the outer surface of package body 1 through conductor paths, not shown.
Among several surfaces of package body 1, mounting electrodes 8 for use in surface mounting are formed at four corners, respectively, of a surface which is positioned to face the wiring board upon surface mounting. Then, among IC terminals 6, the power terminal (VDD), output terminal (OUT), and ground terminal (GND) extend to mounting electrodes 8, respectively, by way of through-holes, not shown, formed through four corners of package body 1. Four write terminals 6a of IC chip 3 are electrically connected to external write terminals 6A formed on a side surface of package body 1 through conductor paths. Two of external write terminals 6A are arranged on, for example, each of one pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of package body 1.
For protecting circuit formation surface 3A of IC chip 3, protective resin 9 is injected as so-called under-fill between the bottom face of recess 1B and circuit formation surface 3A in recess 1B of package body 1.
In the temperature compensated crystal oscillator as described above, oscillation circuit 21 is operated, while crystal blank 2 is accommodated in recess 1A to make up a crystal unit, to measure the characteristic of the oscillation frequency with respect to the temperature. Then, temperature compensation data is created for compensating the crystal unit for the frequency-temperature characteristic based on the result of the measurement, and such temperature compensation data is written into a memory circuit of temperature compensating mechanism 22 within IC chip 3 from four external write terminals 6A arranged on the side surfaces of package body 1. After the temperature compensation data has been written, temperature compensating mechanism 22 generates a compensation voltage adapted to the frequency temperature characteristic of crystal blank 2 in accordance with the ambient temperature, and this compensation voltage is supplied to oscillation circuit 21. Oscillation circuit 21 employs, for example, a voltage variable capacitance element as part of a load capacitance to the crystal unit, so that the load capacitance of the crystal unit varies in response to the ambient temperature as the compensation voltage is applied to the voltage variable capacitance element, thus accomplishing the compensation of the oscillation frequency for the temperature
The temperature compensated crystal oscillator described above encounters increasing difficulties in the formation of four external write terminals 6A on the side surfaces of package body 1 as its outer dimensions are reduced more and more.
When the temperature compensation data is written, probes, not shown, used for writing data, are brought into contact with external write terminals 6A, and the data is written from the probes. Therefore, each of external write terminals 6A requires a certain area or more in order to establish an electric contact with the probe. However, with the advancement of a reduction in the outer dimensions of the temperature compensated crystal oscillator, required areas cannot be ensured for external write terminals 6A, and an electric contact can be induced between external write terminal 6A and mounting electrode 8 due to a narrower spacing therebetween. Further, the reduction in the outer dimensions can cause difficulties in routing conductor paths for connecting write terminals 6a of IC chip 3 to external write terminals 6A. For these reasons, it is increasingly difficult to form four external write terminals 6A on the side surfaces of package body 1.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2001-36343 (JP, P2001-36343A) discloses an example of a surface-mount temperature compensated crystal oscillator which is provided with external write terminals on side surfaces thereof. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2002-190710 (JP, P2002-190710A) discloses an example of a surface-mount crystal oscillator which has terminals for measuring the characteristic of a crystal unit on an outer surface of a package.

Temperature compensated crystal oscillator and method of manufacturing same


The present invention relates to an inosine-guanosine kinase which catalyzes the reaction of forming 5'-inosinic acid (5'-IMP) from inosine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) and the reaction of forming 5'-guanylic acid (5'-GMP) from guanosine and ATP or dATP.

5'-Nucleotides, inter alia, 5'-IMP and 5'-GMP have a flavor enhancing activity and are widely used as a seasoning agent. As the method for producing 5'-nucleotides, there are known a method for enzymatically decomposing RNA present in yeast cells (Journal of Agricultural and Chemical Society of Japan, 34, 489, 1969), a method for culturing a microorganism having an ability to produce 5'-IMP Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, 46, 2557 (1982)!, a method for chemical phosphorylation of nucleosides such as inosine and guanosine Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 42, 3505-3508 (1969)!, and the like. Currently, it is considered that the chemical phosphorylation utilizing these nucleosides would be the most advantageous from an industrial standpoint, because inosine and guanosine are easily obtained by fermentation. However, in the case of performing chemical phosphorylation, large quantities of chlorides are used at a lower temperature Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 42, 3505-3508 (1969)! so that the method is not desired from viewpoints of both costs and environmental hygiene. Accordingly, enzymatic phosphorylation of nucleosides under mild conditions is desired. Hitherto, biochemical phosphorylation of purine nucleosides using cultured cells of various microorganisms has been reported (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application Nos. 116698/83 and 230094/88) but is inferior to chemical phosphorylation in terms of conversion rate and yield.
As an inosine-phosphorylating enzyme, inosine kinase (EC 18.104.22.168) is known but the crude active fraction derived from animal tissues or microorganisms is only reported The Enzymes, Vol. IX, 54-56 (1973), Academic Press; Nucleosides and Nucleobases in Microorganisms, pp. 66, (1983), Academic Press!. The presence of a guanosine kinase activity which phosphorylates guanosine in E. coli is also suggested J. Gen. Microbiol., 135, 1263-1273 (1989)!. However, the activity is low and it is extremely difficult to purify the enzyme so that it is far beyond industrial utilization. In addition, physicochemical properties of the enzyme are not clarified. In any event, inosine-guanosine kinase is an enzyme that has been neither isolated nor purified.
An object of the present invention is to provide an inosine-guanosine kinase and also to provide a method for preparing 5'-nucleotides, inter alia, 5'-IMP and 5'-GMP, which have been widely utilized as a seasoning agent, industrially at low costs.


An existing primary data copy can be maintained on an existing primary front end server node. One or more existing secondary data copies can be maintained on one or more existing secondary front end server nodes to minor the existing primary data copy (such as by making synchronous changes to the secondary data copies). One or more existing backup data copies can be maintained on an existing backend server node to mirror the existing primary data copy (such as by making asynchronous changes to the one or more backup data copies). The existing backend server node can be accessible by one or more of the front end nodes. In response to detecting a failure of the existing primary data copy, one of the one or more secondary data copies can be designated as a new primary data copy in place of the existing primary data copy.

Many large scale distributed systems store data in a centralized location and access the data from that location. Such a centralized location may use high-end hardware to increase performance and reliability. Such centralized storage often stores data in a format that is specific to a particular application that is accessing the data, and the storage is often done with storage software that is homogenous, where all the software is the same version even if multiple computing machines are acting as server nodes and are being used for storage.

Front end and backend replicated storage


An antenna for use at frequencies of 200 MHz and upwards has a cylindrical ceramic core with a relative dielectric constant of at least 5, and pairs of helical elements extending from a feed point at one end of the core to the rim of a conductive sleeve adjacent the other end of the core, the sleeve acting as a trap for isolating from ground currents circulating in the helical elements. To yield helical elements of different lengths, the sleeve rim follows a locus which deviates from a plane perpendicular to the core axis in that it describes a zig-zag path. The helical elements form simple helices with approximately balanced radiation resistances.

Such an antenna is disclosed in our co-pending British Patent Application No. 9517086.6, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated in this present application so as to form part of the subject matter of this application as first filed. The earlier application discloses a quadrifilar antenna having two pairs of diametrically opposed helical antenna elements, the elements of the second pair following respective meandered paths which deviate on either side of a mean helical line on an outer cylindrical surface of the core so that the elements of the second pair are longer than those of the first pair which follow helical paths without deviation. Such variation in the element lengths makes the antenna suitable for transmission or reception of circularly polarised signals.
The applicants have found that such an antenna tends to favour reception of elliptically rather than circularly polarised signals, and it is an object of the present invention to provide for enhanced reception of circularly polarised signals.


The invention relates to a combination power plant which is embodied as a single shaft, power plant, essentially consisting of a gas turbine, a steam turbine and a generator which is connected therebetween. A coupling is arranged between the generator and the steam turbine, and at least one drive device, which is used to drive the single-shaft power plant, is also provided. The coupling is uncoupled during a turning operation and a control unit, which is used to control the rotational speed of the steam turbine, is provided.

Combination power plants embodied as a single shaft power plant are described in the report "Single shaft combined cycle power generation systems", 9th. Conference of Electric Power Supply Industry, Hong Kong 1992, and are previously disclosed accordingly. A generator is driven in this case by a gas turbine and a steam turbine. A coupling arranged between the steam turbine and the gas turbine is embodied in this case as a synchronized and self-actuating coupling. The gas turbine can accordingly be operated on its own. The cooling periods for the rotating principal components of the gas turbine, and also those of the steam turbine, must be allowed to elapse before being able to make a start on inspection or repair work after shutting down the combination power plant. The gas turbine rotor and the steam turbine rotor must be caused to rotate by means of a shaft-rotating device during this cooling period, in order to prevent deformation as a consequence of thermal stresses. As a rule, the gas turbine will already have cooled down to a temperature at which the inspection work can be carried out after a single day, whereas the steam turbine, on the other hand, will require a cooling period of up to a week.
A combination power plant embodied as a single shaft power plant is illustrated in DE 44 26 354 C2. A coupling arranged between the gas turbine and the steam turbine is embodied in this case in such a way that it is uncoupled in the rest condition and engages automatically only upon reaching a specific boundary speed. The combination power plant described in DE 44 26 354 C2 is embodied with two shaft-rotating devices acting as drive devices. One shaft-rotating device is provided for the purpose of causing the steam turbine rotor to rotate, whereas the second shaft-rotating device is provided for the purpose of causing the gas turbine rotor to rotate.
If the rotational speed of the steam turbine is less than the rotational speed of the gas turbine, it is possible, by using the two shaft-rotating devices, to cause both the steam turbine rotor and the gas turbine rotor to rotate independently of one another during the cooling process.
Combination power plants with only a single, common drive device are also previously disclosed. In this particular embodiment, the gas turbine is caused to rotate together with the steam turbine via the drive device for the steam turbine. The turning speeds are identical in this case. The coupling between the gas turbine assembly and the steam turbine assembly is engaged.
The axial gap of such a coupling is only a few millimeters. During the cooling process, the so-called turning operation, it is necessary to cause the steam turbine rotor to rotate in order to prevent thermally induced deformation by so doing. Inspection work on the rotor or on parts of the gas turbine situated in the vicinity of the rotor in the case of a steam turbine that is involved in turning operation are prohibited for safety reasons. In the event of a fault-related incident, the coupling could be actuated unexpectedly. As a result, a major potential risk is presented by the considerable mass inertia of the steam turbine rotor and the relatively high rotational speed during turning operation, that is to say by the high stored rotational energy, if the coupling is actuated unexpectedly in a fault-related incident.

Combination power plant and method for the cooling thereof


A data transmission method, a node, and a system, the method including receiving, by a forwarding node, a data packet, where a label stack of the data packet comprises a path identifier (path-ID), where the path-ID is an identifier of a constrained path, and where the constrained path is a path that consists of at least two nodes arranged in a specific order, determining, by the forwarding node, that the forwarding node is a node on the constrained path, selecting, by the forwarding node, a target label/target address from a local available label block/address block according to the path-ID and according to a preset rule, where the label block/address block comprises at least one label/address, searching for, by the forwarding node, a corresponding target interface according to the target label/target address, and forwarding, by the forwarding node, the data packet through the target interface.

Segment routing (SR) is a source routing technology, and is used to indicate a forwarding path for transmitting a data packet from a source node to a target node in a network. The source node may add a segment to the data packet in a specific order as an instruction for instructing to forward the data packet in the network. Such a segment is referred to as a segment identifier (SID). One SID is used to indicate one node, and a plurality of SIDs are arranged in a specific order to obtain a SID list. The SID list is encoded into a label stack of the data packet, so that when the data packet reaches a node, the node determines a next-hop node based on the SID list carried in the data packet, and sends the data packet to the next-hop node. However, if the data packet needs to pass through a large quantity of nodes, the SID list is excessively long, and a data amount of the label stack of the data packet is excessively large. Consequently, a proportion of load of the data packet is reduced, and transmission efficiency is low.
Currently, to resolve the foregoing problem, the source node may determine a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) label for a constrained path, and notify each node on the constrained path in advance, so that the node on the constrained path predetermines the MPLS label and a corresponding interface. The corresponding interface is used to indicate a next-hop node on the constrained path. In this way, when sending a data packet, the source node may carry only the MPLS label, and does not need to carry a SID list of the entire constrained path. When a node on the constrained path receives the data packet, the node may search for a corresponding interface based on the predetermined MPLS label, and forward the data packet through the interface.
In the foregoing method, each node on a same constrained path needs to use an MPLS label. Because another service also uses an MPLS label, usage of MPLS labels of different nodes is different, and it cannot be ensured that different nodes have a same MPLS label. Even if all nodes have a same available MPLS label, the nodes need to negotiate with each other. It is not easy to execute the negotiation.

Data transmission method, node and system


A driving assist ECU determines that a current situation is a specific situation where it is predicted that there is no object that is about to enter an adjacent lane from an area outside of a host vehicle road on which a host vehicle is traveling, when a road-side object is detected at a part around an edge of the adjacent lane, and/or when a white line painted to define the adjacent lane is detected at the part around the edge of the adjacent lane and no object near the detected white line is detected. The driving assist ECU does not perform a steering control for avoiding a collision, the steering control for letting the vehicle enter the adjacent lane, when it is not determined that the current situation is the specific situation.

There has been a known collision avoidance assist apparatus configured to:
detect an obstacle having a high possibility (collision possibility) of a collision with a host vehicle, using a forward obstacle detection sensor such as a camera sensor and a radar sensor;
issue an alert to a driver when the obstacle having the high collision possibility is detected; and
brake the host vehicle autonomously when the collision possibility becomes higher, so as to assist the driver to avoid the collision.
The collision avoidance assist apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2017-43262 is configured to perform autonomous steering to change a moving direction of the host vehicle to a direction allowing the host vehicle to avoid the collision with the obstacle when the collision possibility remains high even after the host vehicle starts to be braked.


A pendulum-activated switch assembly includes a housing comprising first and second housing portions which define an interior cavity. A pendulum is pivotally mounted within the interior cavity, with pivotal movement of the pendulum controlling the flow of electrical current through the switch assembly. A plurality of electrodes are provided, with the illustrated embodiment including integral connector and bulb sockets. The switch assembly can be configured for position-responsive or inertial-responsive applications.

Automobiles and like motor vehicles typically include dozens of electrical switch assemblies for controlling all manner of electrical devices in the vehicle. One type of switch which is quite common can generally be considered of the position-reactive type, wherein the particular positioning of the switch effects its actuation. For example, switches of this type can be used on trunk lids or hoods for controlling interior lights attendant to opening and closing of the associated structure. While mercury switches have typically been employed for this type of application, concern regarding the adverse impact on the environment by the highly toxic mercury is mandating that these types of switches no longer be employed.
Another type of switch which has become increasingly important for automotive use is of the socalled inertial type, wherein the switch is activated in response to acceleration which exceeds a predetermined level. Switches of this type can be employed in connection with activation of air bags, or other vehicle systems which are activated in response to impact or the like on the vehicle.
The present invention is directed to a switch assembly, which can be embodied with an integral light bulb socket, with the switch assembly being versatile in application, and readily manufactured for economical use.


An insulated steel shell safe has a lip extending inward around an inner periphery of a door opening; and a molded resin liner, inserted into the steel shell through the door opening, is connected to the lip to form an interior of the safe. The liner has a face flange seated against the front face of the lip and outwardly extending ribs engaging a rear face of the lip. This supports the liner within the shell by engagement of the face flange and the ribs with the lip while insulation material is poured through a back wall of the shell into the space between the shell and the liner.

A resin liner for a safe with a steel outer shell takes advantage of desirable characteristics of both materials. A resin liner makes the safe's interior versatile and moisture resistant, and a steel outer shell adds strength and durability. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,048,926 and 3,408,966 have recognized the possibility of such a combination; and more recently, the assignee of this application has manufactured steel shell safes with resin liners. The steel shells were formed without back panels, and the resin liners were inserted from the rear to seat against the inside of front frames of the steel shells. The rear steel panels were then assembled to the backs of the safes, and insulation was poured into spaces between the resin liners and the steel outer shells.
All these suggestions have left room for improvement. For example, assembling a back panel to a steel shell after a liner is in place involved interconnections between the back panel and the liner and proved to be more expensive than welding the back panel to the shell as the rest of the shell is fabricated. Also, problems have persisted with insulation material leaking from a junction between the liner and the steel shell. The present invention aims to solve these problems and reduce assembly cost while taking advantage of the properties of a steel outer shell and a resin liner for a fire-resistant safe.

Steel shell safe with snap-in resin liner


A superabsorbent polymer which has excellent initial absorbency and keeps water from flowing out under pressure even after the passage of a long period of time, in which the superabsorbent polymer keeps water from flowing out under pressure even after the passage of a long period of time to exhibit excellent absorbency, and also has an anti-caking property under conditions of high temperature and high humidity to improve storage stability, is provided. The superabsorbent polymer composition of the present invention may be used to improve physical properties of a variety of diapers, potty training pants, incontinence pads, etc., thereby being applied to production of personal absorbent hygiene products having high absorbency and excellent storage stability under conditions of high temperature and high humidity.

A superabsorbent polymer (SAP) is a type of synthetic polymeric material capable of absorbing from 500 to 1000 times its own weight of moisture. Various manufacturers have denominated it with different names, such as SAM (Super Absorbency Material), AGM (Absorbent Gel Material), etc. Such superabsorbent polymers started to be practically applied in sanitary products, and they are now being widely used not only for hygiene products such as disposable diapers for children, etc., but also for water retaining soil products for gardening, water stop materials for the civil engineering and construction, sheets for raising seedling, fresh-keeping agents for food distribution fields, materials for poultices, or the like.
As a preparation process for such superabsorbent polymers, a process of reverse phase suspension polymerization and a process of solution polymerization have been known. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication Nos. S56-161408, S57-158209, and S57-198714 disclose the reverse phase suspension polymerization.
The process of solution polymerization further includes a thermal polymerization method in which a polymerization gel is polymerized while being broken and cooled in a kneader equipped with a plurality of shafts, and a photo-polymerization method in which an aqueous solution at a high concentration is irradiated with UV rays onto a belt to be polymerized and dried at the same time.
The water-containing gel polymers obtained through the polymerization reaction are generally marketed in a powdery form after drying and pulverization processes.
In the products made of superabsorbent polymers, permeability is an index for determining fluidity of a liquid to be absorbed. Permeability may differ depending on the properties such as particle size distribution of crosslinked polymers, particle shape, and the connectedness of the open pores between particles, and surface modification of the swollen gel. Fluidity of the liquid passing through swollen particles differs depending on permeability of the superabsorbent polymer composition. A liquid cannot flow readily through a superabsorbent polymer composition with low permeability.
As one of methods for increasing permeability of the superabsorbent polymer, there is a method of performing surface crosslinking reaction after polymerization, in which silica or clay is added together with a surface crosslinking agent. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,140,076 and 4,734,478 disclose the addition of silica during surface crosslinking of dry superabsorbent polymer powders.
However, while permeability is improved by the addition of silica or clay, there are problems that water retention capacity or absorbency under pressure is reduced in proportion thereto, and separation from the superabsorbent polymer easily occurs by external physical impact during transport. In particular, when silica or clay is mixed by a wet or dry process, an anti-caking property can be obtained, but absorbency under pressure is remarkably reduced. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve rapid absorption performance when practically applied to diapers, etc.
To ensure a desired anti-caking effect, silica must be mixed by a dry process. Even though a small amount thereof is added, absorption performance under pressure is excessively reduced. There is also a problem that dry mixed silica is separated from the superabsorbent polymer during transport in a line.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a superabsorbent material which rapidly absorbs excretion, stores the excretion, or transfers the excretion to adjacent materials for distribution or storage in personal hygiene products such as diapers, and also has an excellent anti-caking property to show excellent storage stability under conditions of high temperature and high humidity.


A lead frame assembly which allows for the connection of multiple individual fixed components in various locations, while alleviating tolerance concerns by having a flexible lead frame. The lead frame assembly includes several sub-lead frames, and a plurality of interconnects which connect each of the sub-lead frames together. The lead frame assembly also includes a plurality of segments, and each segment surrounds one of the sub-lead frames, to electrically isolate each sub-lead frame. Various components are electrically connected by incorporating stamped receptacles, or slot terminals, in the sub-lead frames. The interconnects along with plastic voids allow the various attached components to have tolerance flexibility relative to one another, as various components are attached to each of the slot terminals.

Lead frames are commonly used to provide connection between various electrical components. Typical lead frames are rigid overmolded structures that are assembled with other components during an assembly process. Because the lead frames are rigid, there is very little adjustment available, and therefore little allowance for flexibility of component location tolerances. These tolerances may vary as a result of dimensional fluctuations which occur during the manufacturing process, or from exposure to different temperatures, where the lead frame, overmolding, and components connected to the lead frame have different coefficients of thermal expansion, leading to inconsistent dimensional fluctuations during thermal cycling. Some components, due to the nature of their construction, may require more flexibility with regard to positioning relative to the lead frame, ensuring a proper connection with minimal stress on the lead frame.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a lead frame which provides suitable connection between various electrical components, and allows for flexibility of component location tolerances which may occur during the manufacturing process, or from exposure to thermal cycling.

Flexible lead frame connection for electronic interconnects


The invention relates to Mycobacterium tuberculosis superoxide dismutase antibodies, methods of using them for detection of M. tuberculosis, methods of testing for an inhibitor of an M. tuberculosis superoxide dismutase, and methods of detecting tuberculosis infection.

Superoxide dismutase catalyzes the conversion of superoxide radicals (O2−) into molecular oxygen (O2) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The conversion of superoxide radicals is generally beneficial to a cell, since such molecules can react with the cell's genomic DNA to induce mutations.
Superoxide dismutases (SOD) have been classified based on the inorganic atoms they require for activity. Three SOD families have been identified: those requiring manganese (MnSOD), those requiring iron (FeSOD), and those requiring copper and zinc (Cu, ZnSOD).
MnSODs have been found in mitochondria and prokaryotes, whereas FeSODs have been found in prokaryotes, primitive eukaryotes, and some plants. Cu, ZnSODs were originally found in eukaryotes and later found in several bacteria.
Macrophages are an important arm of a vertebrate's immune system. Such cells can kill pathogens such as bacteria by engulfing the pathogen and bombarding it with superoxide radicals. Therefore, a secreted Cu, ZnSOD may play a role in the survival of bacterial pathogens, especially those known to survive and grow in macrophages.


The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and computer-readable media for enhancing security of communications between instances of clients and servers while enabling rotation of server certificates (e.g., X.509 certificates). The systems described herein involve updating a client list of server certificates (e.g., a certificate thumbprint) without reconfiguring or re-installing a client and/or server application, starting a new session (e.g., a hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) session), or deploying new code. The systems described herein may passively or actively update a client list of certificates to enable a client to security verify an identity of a server instance in a non-invasive way that boosts security from man-in-the-middle types of attacks.

Recent years have seen rapid development in computing and communication technology, particularly in the capabilities of electronic devices to communicate with one another over various network environments. For example, electronic devices can communicate with other devices over local networks, remote networks, cloud computing systems and other computing environments. In addition, with cloud computing and other remote computing services becoming increasingly common, security of information transmitted between devices has similarly become increasingly important. Indeed, as malicious actors attempting to intercept or otherwise hijack communications between devices has become more common, enhancing security of communications between devices has become increasingly important.
Many conventional communication systems have attempted to avoid or deter malicious actors by implementing secure communication protocols (e.g., hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS)) that are rooted in trust of certificates used to sign communications between devices. For example, upon deploying code, many communication systems implement a certificate thumbprint on one or more clients that may be used to verify whether a communication originates from a trusted source (e.g., a trusted server). In this way, clients may confidently send and receive information from servers associated with a trusted certificate.
While certificate authorization and thumbprinting provide useful tools for preventing certain attacks from malicious actors (e.g., man-in-the-middle attacks), these techniques for preventing information from being compromised has a number of problems and drawbacks. For example, where malicious actors are able to obtain valid certificates from one or more certificate authorities, malicious actors are often able to convince clients that communications to and from the malicious actor (e.g., a malicious server) should be trusted. In addition, where implementing a certificate thumbprint may provide additional security, conventional techniques for rotating or updating credentials generally involves reconfiguring a client and/or server application, deploying new code to any number of clients, exposing clients and/or servers to additional security risks, and/or potentially rendering a service dysfunctional for a number of clients.
These and other problems exist in connection with enhancing secure communication between clients and servers.


A memory device includes a memory array, an I/O circuit for accessing the memory array, and a tracking circuit. The tracking circuit includes a dummy bit line, a first tracking cell including a first NMOS transistor, the first tracking cell being coupled to receive a control signal and also coupled to the dummy bit line through the first NMOS transistor, and a second tracking cell including a second NMOS transistor, the second tracking cell being coupled to receive the control signal and also coupled to the dummy bit line through the second NMOS transistor, a gate of the second NMOS transistor being coupled to the dummy bit line. The memory device also includes a control circuit coupled to the dummy bit line for generating a clock signal for the I/O circuit.

Memory devices are digital circuits and operate on clock signals in order for different parts thereof to act on a synchronized schedule. However, a clock signal received by a memory device may reach different parts thereof through different paths and at different times. Such mismatch between different signal paths results in problems, one of which being a reduced read margin of the memory device. FIGS. 1, 2, 3A, and 3B illustrate the problem of reduced read margin due to the different clock signal delays and a conventional technique for overcoming the problem.
FIG. 1 shows a portion of a memory device 100. Memory device 100 includes one or more memory arrays 102 (only one of which is shown). Each memory array 102 includes a plurality of memory cells 104 arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each row corresponding to a word line WL (WL0, WL1, . . . ) and each column corresponding to a pair of bit lines, BL and BL_ ((BL0, BL_0), (BL1, BL_1), (BL2, BL_2) . . . ). A word line decoder 106 receives word line address signals ("WL ADDR") and provides word line signals to select one of word lines WL of memory array 102. A bit line decoder 108 receives bit line address signals ("BL ADDR") and provides bit line signals Y (Y0, Y1, Y2, . . . ) to select a pair of bit lines BL and BL_of memory array 102 through switches 110. Each switch 110 may comprise a pair of NMOS transistors, and is turned on and off by bit line signals Y. Each memory cell 104 may be selected by selecting the corresponding word line and pair of bit lines. An I/O circuit 112 is coupled to bit lines BL and BL_to detect the datum stored in the selected memory cell 104 and to output the same. A control signal CTRL is provided to word line decoder 106 and I/O circuit 112 as a clock signal to trigger the operations thereof. For example, on an edge (rising edge or falling edge) of control signal CTRL, word line decoder 106 may decode the word line address and I/O circuit 112 may detect a datum stored in a selected memory cell 104 and output the same. Memory device 100 also includes a plurality of precharging PMOS transistors 114 each coupling a corresponding bit line BL or BL_ to a power supply voltage Vcc to precharge the corresponding bit line BL or BL_, thereby increasing a speed of accessing memory cells 104.
Memory cells 104 may comprise any suitable structure, such as a conventional 6-transistor structure shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows one memory cell 104 including two PMOS transistors 202 and 204 and four NMOS transistors 206, 208, 210, and 212. Each of MOS transistors 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, and 212 has a gate, a source, a drain, and a substrate. The gate of PMOS transistor 202, the gate of NMOS transistor 206, the drain of PMOS transistor 204, the drain of NMOS transistor 208, and the source of NMOS transistor 212 are all coupled to one another. The gate of PMOS transistor 204, the gate of NMOS transistor 208, the drain of PMOS transistor 202, the drain of NMOS transistor 206, and the source of NMOS transistor 210 are all coupled to one another. The sources and substrates of PMOS transistors 202 and 204 are coupled to power supply voltage Vcc. The sources and substrates of NMOS transistors 206 and 208 and the substrates of NMOS transistors 210 and 212 are grounded. The gates of NMOS transistors 210 and 212 are coupled to receive the word line signal WL. The drain of NMOS transistor 210 is coupled to bit line BL. The drain of NMOS transistor 212 is coupled to bit line BL_. Thus, PMOS transistor 202 and NMOS transistor 206 form an inverter 214, and PMOS transistor 204 and NMOS transistor 208 form an inverter 216. Inverters 214 and 216 are coupled to form a loop and may stably store a bit of datum. If the drains of PMOS transistor 202 and NMOS transistor 206 are at a logic high, i.e., approximately Vcc, then the drains of PMOS transistor 204 and NMOS transistor 208 are at a logic low, i.e., approximately ground, and memory cell 104 may be considered to have stored therein a logic high datum. If the drains of PMOS transistor 202 and NMOS transistor 206 are at logic low, then the drains of PMOS transistor 204 and NMOS transistor 208 are at logic high, and memory cell 104 is considered to have stored therein a logic low datum. When NMOS transistors 210 and 212 are turned on by word line signal WL, the datum stored in memory cell 104 and its reverse respectively appear on corresponding bit lines BL and BL_.
FIG. 2 also shows two of precharging PMOS transistors 114, 114-1 and 114-2, each having a gate, a drain, and a source. The gates of precharging PMOS transistors 114-1 and 114-2 are coupled to receive control signal CTRL. The sources of precharging PMOS transistors 114-1 and 114-2 are coupled to power supply voltage Vcc. The drain of precharging PMOS transistor 114-1 is coupled to bit line BL. The drain of precharging PMOS transistor 114-2 is coupled to bit line BL_. Switch 110 is shown to include NMOS transistors 218 and 220, each having a gate, a drain, and a source. The gates of NMOS transistors 218 and 220 are coupled to bit line decoder 108 to receive bit line signal Y. The drain of NMOS transistor 218 is coupled to bit line BL. The drain of NMOS transistor 220 is coupled to bit line BL_. I/O circuit 112 is coupled to the sources of NMOS transistors 218 and 220. Thus, when one memory cell 104 is selected, corresponding NMOS transistors 218 and 220 are turned on, corresponding NMOS transistors 210 and 212 are also turned on, corresponding PMOS transistors 114-1 and 114-2 are turned off, and I/O circuit 112 is allowed to access the datum stored in the selected memory cell 104 through corresponding bit lines BL and BL_. Then, on an edge of control signal CTRL, I/O circuit 112 is triggered to detect voltages on bit lines BL and BL_, amplifies a differential voltage across bit lines BL and BL_, and outputs the amplified differential voltage.
Due to parasitic resistances and capacitances, bit lines BL and BL_ corresponding to the selected memory cell 104 do not instantly exhibit the datum stored in the selected memory cell 104. Rather, if the datum stored in the selected memory cell 104 is a logic low, the corresponding bit line BL is gradually discharged from a precharged logic high state to a logic low state. Conversely, if the datum stored in the selected memory cell 104 is a logic high, the corresponding bit line BL_ is gradually discharged from a precharged logic high state to a logic low state. A read margin is defined as the differential voltage across the corresponding pair of bit lines BL and BL_ when I/O circuit 112 is triggered to detect the voltages on bit lines BL and BL_ Because I/O circuit 112 can only detect a differential voltage above a certain level, e.g., 100 mV, a small read margin, if below that certain level, may result in a read failure. To avoid a read failure, the triggering of I/O circuit 112 should be delayed to allow the differential voltage across bit lines BL and BL_ to develop and exceed the detectable level of I/O circuit 112, i.e., to ensure a read margin exceeding the detectable level of I/O circuit 112. A conventional technique for delaying the triggering of I/O circuit 112 is by using a tracking circuit, an example of which is shown in FIG. 3A.
In FIG. 3A, a tracking circuit 302 is shown to include a pair of dummy bit lines DBL and DBL_ and several tracking cells 304. A conventional tracking circuit, such as tracking circuit 302, may include five or more tracking cells 304. Tracking circuit 302 receives and delays control signal CTRL. A control circuit 306 is coupled between tracking circuit 302 and I/O circuit 112 for receiving the delayed control signal CTRL and generating a clock signal for I/O circuit 112. An example of control circuit 306 is an inverter that simply inverts the delayed control signal CTRL. FIG. 3A shows that dummy bit line DBL is coupled to power supply voltage Vcc through a precharging PMOS transistor 308.
FIG. 3B shows the detailed structure of one tracking cell 304, which includes 6 transistors, i.e., PMOS transistors 310 and 312 and NMOS transistors 314, 316, 318, and 320. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B, tracking cell 304 has a structure similar to memory cell 104, except that the gates of PMOS transistor 310 and NMOS transistor 314 are coupled to power supply voltage Vcc, and that the gate of NMOS transistor 318 is coupled to control signal CTRL. Also as shown in FIG. 3B, dummy bit line DBL_ is floating and not used, while dummy bit line DBL is coupled to I/O circuit 112 through control circuit 306 for generating the clock signal for I/O circuit 112.
When memory array 102 is not accessed, control signal CTRL is at logic 0, and dummy bit line DBL is pre-charged to a voltage level approximately equal to Vcc. When a memory cell 104 of memory array 102 is being accessed, control signal CTRL changes to logic high, turning off PMOS transistor 308 and turning on NMOS transistor 318. At the same time, word line signal WL is at logic high, and NMOS transistor 320 is turned on. Because NMOS transistor 314 is always turned on, precharged dummy bit line DBL is discharged through NMOS transistors 318 and 314. When the voltage on dummy bit line DBL drops below a flipping point, control circuit 306 generates a clock signal and I/O circuit 112 is triggered. Therefore, I/O circuit 112 is now triggered not by control signal CTRL, but rather is triggered by the clock signal generated by control circuit 306, which represents control signal CTRL delayed by the process of discharging dummy bit line DBL. Because tracking cell 304 has a structure similar to memory cell 104, the process of discharging dummy bit line DBL closely resembles the discharging process of bit lines BL or BL_ of memory cells 104. At the same time, control signal CTRL or a signal synchronized to control signal CTRL is used, without delay, to select and activate one of memory cells 104. Thus, through careful design of tracking cells 304, e.g., through control of the size of the six transistors of each tracking cell 304, the time period for discharging precharged dummy bit line DBL may be controlled to correspond to the time required to discharge the bit line BL or BL_ associated with the selected memory cell 104, such that a desirable read margin is achieved.
Memory devices are generally designed to operate at a certain power supply voltage, such as 1.2 V. But often the memory devices also need to operate at lower power supply voltages, such as 0.9 V or even lower. A problem with memory device 100 of FIG. 3A is that, when power supply voltage Vcc is lowered, the read margin decreases accordingly, because the time period required to discharge precharged dummy bit line DBL is approximately proportional to how much charge is stored thereon, which is in turn approximately proportional to Vcc. For example, with the conventional tracking circuit shown in FIG. 3B, memory device 100 may have a read margin of above 100 mV when Vcc is 1.2 V or above, but may have a read margin of less than 60 mV when Vcc is 0.8 V. If I/O circuit 112 is capable of detecting only a differential voltage of 100 mV or above, a read margin of 60 mV will result in read failures. Thus, a minimum operable power supply voltage, VCCMIN, is largely limited by the tracking circuit. On the other hand, if Vcc is high, the process of discharging dummy bit line DBL takes longer time, and the read margin of memory device 100 may be significantly higher than 100 mV, resulting in unnecessary power consumption.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


A compact bevel differential gear mechanism with pinion bevel gears arranged in a tightly packed array is disclosed. The compact bevel differential gear mechanism includes first and second side bevel gears that are co-axially aligned along an axis of rotation. The compact bevel differential gear mechanism also includes an array of pinion bevel gears mounted between the first and second side bevel gears. The pinion bevel gears intermesh with the first and second side bevel gears to form a torque transfer arrangement configured for transferring torque between the pinion bevel gears and the first and second side bevel gears and for allowing the first and second side bevel gears to rotate at different rotational speeds with respect to one another. Each of the pinion bevel gears has an actual gear face angle value that is within +/−10 percent of a target gear face angle value. The target gear face angle value is equal to 360 degrees divided by twice the total number of pinion bevel gears provided in the array of pinion bevel gears.

A differential is a component of an axle assembly that is used to transfer torque from a driveshaft to a pair of output shafts. The driveshaft can drive the differential through the use of a bevel gear that meshes with a ring gear mounted to a housing of the differential. In automotive applications, a differential allows the tires mounted at either end of the axle assembly to rotate at different speeds. This is important when the vehicle is turning because the outer tire travels over an arc of greater distance than the inner tire. Thus, the outer tire must rotate at a faster speed than the inner tire to compensate for the greater distance of travel. The differential includes a gear arrangement that allows torque to be transferred from the driveshaft to the output shafts while concurrently allowing the output shafts to rotate at different speeds as needed.
To address increased fuel costs, the automotive industry has been driven to provide vehicles with increased fuel economy. To increase fuel economy, vehicle designers have looked for ways to remove weight from vehicles. Additionally, smaller vehicles have become more prevalent. In this environment, there is a need for differentials having reduced size and weight without loss of torque capacity when compared to conventional differential designs.

Compact differential gear mechanism having a densely packed pinion bevel gear array


A semiconductor mounting board 80 is prepared by electrically joining an IC chip 70 via an interposer 60 of high rigidity to external pads 41 and internal pads 43, which are formed on the uppermost surface of a build-up layer 30. When the IC chip 70 generates heat, since pads 41 are positioned away from the center, a large shearing stress is applied to the portions at which pads 41 are joined to the interposer 60 in comparison to the portions at which pads 43 are joined to the interposer 60. Here, pads 41 are formed at substantially flat wiring portions and thus when joined to the interposer 60 by means of solder bumps 51, voids and angled portions, at which stress tends to concentrate, are not formed in the interiors of solder bumps 51. The joining reliability is thus high.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a semiconductor mounting board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the progresses in integration circuit (IC) technologies in recent years, the number of input and output terminals of an IC chip is increasing. In order to accommodate for this, a flip-chip method is employed in some cases to mount an IC chip onto a printed wiring board. In this flip-chip method, the input and output terminals are positioned two-dimensionally in a lattice-like, zigzag, or other manner on the main plane of the IC chip, pads are formed at the corresponding positions on a surface of a printed wiring board formed of resin, and these components are joined by solder bumps. Since IC chip is significantly low in thermal expansion coefficient in comparison to a printed wiring board formed of resin, a shearing stress acts on solder bumps, as the joining material due to the thermal expansion coefficient difference of the two components when heat is generated during mounting or use of the IC chip. The solder bumps may thus break after temperature changes accompanying heat generation by the IC chip occur repeatedly. In one proposal, an interposer (relay substrate), having a thermal expansion coefficient intermediate of the thermal expansion coefficients of the IC chip and the printed wiring board, is interposed between the IC chip and the printed wiring board to relax the shearing stress (Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 10-12990 (paragraph 0037)).


A fan system includes a stator magnetic pole, a driving unit and a real-time stopping unit. The driving unit is coupled with the stator magnetic pole and controls a polarity change of the stator magnetic pole in accordance with a driving signal. The real-time stopping unit is electrically connected with the driving unit. When the fan system is powered off, the driving unit enables two ends of the stator magnetic pole to have the same voltage level in accordance with a control signal generated by the real-time stopping unit so that the fan system stops operating immediately.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a fan system and a device thereof, and, in particular, to a fan system capable of immediately stopping operating when the fan system is powered off, and a real-time stopping device of the fan system.
2. Related Art
Because the performance and the processing speed of the electronic device are increased, the integration of the used electrical elements is greatly increased, and the heat dissipating requirement is also increased. A fan may be disposed in the electronic device to dissipate the heat. A convention fan control device can properly fix or adjust the rotating speed of the fan at or to a speed between the full speed and the low speed in accordance with the environment temperature of the fan. However, after the electronic device is powered off, the fan cannot stop completely until a period of time of inertial rotation is elapsed.
However, when the fan is making its inertial rotation, the user may unintentionally touch the fan and get hurt. Thus, he or she has to wait for the fan to stop rotating completely and then starts to maintain the fan. So, it is time-wasting and decreases the working efficiency.
Therefore, it is an important subject of the invention to provide a fan system capable of stopping operating immediately after the fan system is powered off, and a real-time stopping device thereof.

Fan system and real-time stopping device thereof


Polymeric hybrid precursors, mixtures of polymeric hybrid precursors and polymers, and polymer composite matrices prepared from the mixture of the polymeric hybrid precursors and the polymer. The mixture of the polymeric hybrid precursors and the polymer can undergo a process to form the polymer composite matrix having a cross-linked network of a silasesquioxane based polymer formed from the polymeric hybrid precursors that interpenetrates the polymer. The polymeric hybrid precursors include chemical linkage moieties that are capable of forming non-covalent bonds with portions of the polymer. The polymer composite matrices are useful as biomaterials in medical devices.

Biomaterials research involves many areas of material science. The area of material science generally depends on the intended application of the biomaterial. For example, metals and metal alloys are used in orthopedics, dentistry and other load bearing applications; ceramics are used because of their chemically inert nature or their high bioactivity; polymers are used for soft tissue replacement and used for many other non-structural applications.
Regardless of their application, biomaterials are often required to maintain a balance between application specific mechanical properties and their biological effect on the body. So, biomaterial are often required to display a range of properties, such as biological activity (or inactivity), mechanical strength, chemical durability, etc. These aspects of biomaterial design are important to the successful application of the biomaterial to a given situation and/or application. Use of composite technology has enabled biomedical material researchers to develop a wide range of new biocomposites, which offer the promise to improve the quality of life of many people.
In a specific example, attempts have been made to incorporate ceramic and/or metallic nanoparticles into polymer matrices for the purpose of improving both the durability and surface characteristics (e.g., abrasion resistance) of polymers. However, the ceramic and/or metallic nanoparticles tend to conglomerate or clump when processed or mixed into the base polymer material. A suitable solution to this problem is desired.

Polymeric hybrid precursors, polymeric hybrid precursor composite matrices, medical devices, and methods


An arrangement for fixing the position of a coil carrier in a cup-shaped formed casing part between a base of the casing part and a closure part which attaches to the casing part, comprises at least one spring element located on the circumference of the coil carrier and extending away from the coil carrier at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the coil carrier and towards a wall of the casing part. The spring element is sized and shaped so that it presses against the wall of the casing part, thereby elastically fixing the position of the coil carrier in the casing part. In a preferred embodiment, at least one rigid abutment is also provided on the coil carrier. The rigid abutment extends at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the coil carrier and towards the wall of the casing part. The rigid abutment is sized and shaped to securely support the coil carrier against the wall of the casing part via the rigid abutment. The spring element and rigid abutment are positioned relative to each other so as to center the coil carrier in the casing part.

The invention relates to an arrangement for fixing the position of a coil carrier in a cup-shaped formed casing part. The invention finds particular application in a magnetic sensor.
In the prior art magnetic sensor described in European Patent 0 384 014 B1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,117), the coil carrier is housed in a cup-shaped formed casing part. The cup-shaped formed casing part is closed on one end, which is called the base, and fitted with a closure part on the other. Tongue-like elements are formed on the closure part, and these elements extend in the direction of the coil carrier. Each tongue-like element is provided with a triangular barb that has a shallow face and a steep face. The steep face extends at substantially right angles to the surface is of the coil carrier. The surface of the coil carrier is provided with asymmetrical ridges or grooves forming teeth that interact with the barbs in the manner of a locking connection. That is, the shallow faces of the barbs readily ride over the teeth as the closure part is forced onto the coil carrier. However, the steep faces of the barbs do not ride over the teeth in the opposite direction, thus preventing the closure part and coil carrier from separating.
The coil carrier and the closure part of the prior art arrangement are inserted as a subassembly into the cup-shaped formed casing part until the coil carrier is brought to bear upon the base of the cup-shaped formed casing part. Each tongue-like element is also provided with a rounded projection extending towards the wall of the cup-shaped formed casing part. The rounded projections of the tongue-like elements press against the wall of the cup-shaped formed casing part, so that the coil carrier is centered in the cup-shaped formed casing part.
The performance of the magnetic sensor degrades if the coil carrier does not remain accurately centered and fully inserted in the cup-shaped formed casing part. It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve on the prior art arrangement by providing a simple elastic mounting that absorbs the forces and vibrations exerted on the coil carrier of a magnetic sensor in normal use.

Arrangement for fixing the position of a coil carrier in a housing


A photoconductive drum driving gear usable with an image forming apparatus includes a driving shaft, a driving gear to rotate with the driving shaft in connection with the driving shaft and meshed with a photoconductive drum gear of a process cartridge of the image forming apparatus, and a connection unit to connect the driving gear and the driving shaft so that the driving gear rotates with respect to the driving shaft by a predetermined angle when mounting the process cartridge to a main body of the image forming apparatus. The connection unit includes a plurality of connection projections formed at one of the driving shaft and the driving gear, a plurality of connection recesses formed at the other one of the driving shaft and the driving gear to correspond with the connection projections and having a greater width than the connection projections, and an elastic member interposed between the connection projections and the connection recesses to elastically bias the driving gear in a certain direction with respect to the driving shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus using a process cartridge, for example, a photocopier, a printer and a multi-function office machine, and more particularly, to a driving gear device to drive a photoconductive drum of the process cartridge.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a process cartridge, processing units, such as an electrifying device, a developing device and a cleaning device, are mounted together with a photoconductive medium as a cartridge to be detachably mounted into a main body of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. Alternatively, the process cartridge may comprise the photoconductive medium together with at least one of the processing units, such as the electrifying device, the developing device and the cleaning device, as the cartridge for detachable connection to the main body of the electrophotographic image forming apparatus.
An image forming apparatus employing an electrophotographic process uses the process cartridge. Due to easy management and operation without requiring a dedicated skill, the image forming apparatus using the process cartridge has been widely spread.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a conventional process cartridge. A photoconductive drum 20 is rotatably supported at a cartridge frame 10 by a shaft 21. A photoconductive drum gear 22 is mounted on the shaft 21. Ends of the shaft 21 are protruded by a certain length out of the cartridge frame 10.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a connection between the photoconductive drum gear 22 of the conventional process cartridge mounted to a main body (not shown) of an image forming apparatus and a photoconductive drum driving gear 30 mounted to the main body (not shown).
A mounting rail 40 has a photoconductive drum center fixing part 41. By seating the shaft 21 in the photoconductive drum center fixing part 41, the process cartridge is mounted at a desired position in the main body of the image forming apparatus. The photoconductive drum driving gear 30 transmits power from a driving source (not shown) connected to the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 to the photoconductive drum gear 22 by meshing with the photoconductive drum gear 22.
FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional structure of the photoconductive drum driving gear 30. The photoconductive drum driving gear 30 rotates in connection with the driving source and, as shown in FIG. 2, is disposed at a certain angle (a) with respect to a vertical line C of the photoconductive drum center fixing part 41 to apply a force in a certain direction to the process cartridge when transmitting the power from the driving source to the photo conductive drum gear 22 of the process cartridge by meshing with the photoconductive drum gear 22.
When mounting the process cartridge into the image forming apparatus, the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 is at the certain angle (a) with respect to the vertical line C of the photoconductive drum center fixing part 41, and teeth of the photoconductive drum gear 22 mesh with teeth of the photoconductive drum driving gear 30. At this time, the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 is restrained from rotating due to connection with the driving source, such as a motor, and this may cause a problem in that the photoconductive drum gear 22 and the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 may not correctly mesh with each other. That is, the teeth of the photoconductive drum gear 22 and the teeth of the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 may not be properly aligned to mesh when the process cartridge is mounted into the image forming apparatus. Therefore, the teeth of the photoconductive drum gear 22 and the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 can be damaged, thereby deteriorating image quality in the image forming apparatus.
In addition, when the photoconductive drum gear 22 and the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 are incorrectly meshed, the photoconductive drum gear 22 and the photoconductive drum driving gear 30 may operate in a state in which the shaft 21 is deviated from the photoconductive drum center fixing part 41 of the mounting rail 40, as shown in FIG. 2. This may also considerably deteriorate the image quality, and the driving source may be applied with a load, thereby causing a malfunction of the image forming apparatus.

Photoconductive drum driving gear device usable with image forming apparatus


A safe and secure storage location for automobile theft deterrent devices (such as the Club.RTM.) which is both easily accessible to the driver, yet secure and out of the way of passengers. An elongated closable pouch having one or more strong clamps attached in alignment along the length of the pouch. The pouch includes two elongated panels which are mirror-images of each other attached together along their perimeters, except at the top where a zipper or Velcro.RTM. is provided. The pouch is designed such that the clamp(s) may be attached to a side of the vertical portion of an automobile driver seat. The strong clamps hold the pouch containing the automobile theft deterrent device securely in place so that it is out of the way of passengers, and less likely to cause injury in the event of an accident. Optional extenders may be provided on the clamps to more firmly secure them to the seat.

The present invention relates to automobile theft deterrent devices, and more particularly to a new and removably secure pouch for holding automobile theft deterrent devices in a vehicle when not in use.
Automobile theft is a serious crime which has proliferated to the point where it is committed somewhere in the United States more than twice a minute, every minute of every day. With the great expense an owner invests in an automobile, and the relative unavailability of peace officers or security personnel to monitor parked vehicles, numerous automobile theft deterrent devices (ATDD's) have come into existence in recent years. These range from electronic alarms and transmitters to vehicle disabling apparatus. One of the most popular ATDD's is known as "The Club.RTM.." This devices is an elongated heavy metal bar having a U-shaped bracket at one end, an adjustable clamp at the other end, and an elongated arm. The Club.RTM. is designed for attachment to the steering wheel of a parked vehicle. It is visible and cumbersome, difficult to remove, and while in place, prevents the vehicle from being steered through turns. As a result, it tends to deter potential thieves from even bothering with a vehicle so equipped.
The Club.RTM. and similar ATDD's are only useful if employed every time the vehicle is parked. Accordingly, it is desirable to keep such an ATDD near the driver's seat of the vehicle for easy access. It is common for such ATDD's to be kept lying loosely on the floor of the passenger side of the vehicle front seat, or lying loosely on the floor of the back seat in order to be readily accessible by the driver. However, such unrestricted storage can prove hazardous, as the heavy metal device can become a dangerous projectile potentially causing injury in the event of an automobile accident. It is also inconvenient to passengers who desire to place their feet or packages on the floor of the automobile where the device is kept.

Automobile theft deterrent device holder


To provide a curable composition which gives a cured fluorinated product excellent in transparency, light resistance (particularly against a short wavelength light having a wavelength of from 200 to 500 nm) and heat resistance, and having a controlled volume particularly thickness.

An illumination light source comprising a light emitting device (hereinafter referred to as white LED) which emits white light by wavelength conversion of a phosphor by means of a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as LED) emitting light having a wavelength of 460 nm (blue), 405 nm (violet) or 380 nm (ultraviolet) encapsulated with an epoxy type transparent resin in a light-transmitting manner has a problem in poor durability since the transparent resin will deteriorate by light and heat of the white LED.
On the other hand, a fluoropolymer having a fluorinated alicyclic structure in its main chain has low refractive index properties and low surface energy properties, is excellent in transparency, light resistance (especially durability against a short wavelength light), chemical resistance, etc., and can be dissolved in a specific solvent. Therefore, a method of applying the fluoropolymer to an adhesive or coating agent to form a coating film having the above properties in various fields has been developed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Use of a coating film formed from a coating agent as disclosed in Patent Document 2 as a transparent resin for encapsulating a white LED in a light-transmitting manner has also been proposed (see Patent Document 3).
However, in the coating agent as disclosed in Patent Document 3, the concentration of the fluoropolymer is at a level of 25 mass % at the highest, whereby a thickness (at least 100 μm) required for encapsulating LED in a light-transmitting manner will not be obtained. It is possible to increase the thickness by applying the coating agent a plurality of times, but cracks are likely to occur in the coating film by recoating, thus lowering the yield.
Further, a process has been proposed to produce a molded product having high transparency to ultraviolet rays and excellent in transparency by bulk polymerization of a fluoropolymer such as perfluoro(2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxole) or perfluoro(butenyl vinyl ether)by means of a polymerization initiator comprising a fluorinated organic peroxide (see Patent Document 4). However, a polymer of the fluoromonomer is a thermoplastic linear monomer and has not necessarily sufficient heat resistance. Further, the fluoromonomer has a low boiling point and if the bulk polymerization is carried out in an open system, the fluoromonomer will volatilize, whereby it will be difficult to control the volume of the molded product.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2-84456
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2-129254
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2003-8073
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2000-1511

Curable composition and process for producing cured fluorinated product

Abstract: A curable composition which contains a perfluorocyclic polyene having alicyclic structures which comprise carbon atoms and which may contain an oxygen atom and having at least two carbon-carbon double bonds, at least one of which is a polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond in which at least one of the two carbon atoms forming the polymerizable carbon-carbon double bond is a carbon atom forming the alicyclic structure, and a polymerization initiator; a cured fluorinated product obtained by curing the curable composition; an optical material made of the cured fluorinated product; and a light emitting device encapsulated with the cured fluorinated product in a light-transmitting manner.


A projection system is provided. The projection system comprises a projector for producing a polarized light for projecting an image and a projection screen on which the image projected by the projector is visualized. The polarization plane of the polarized light and the polarization plane of the polarizing means are parallel. The polarizing means comprises a film formed by rodlike supramolecules including at least one polycyclic organic compound with conjugated π-systems, whereby the 40% viewing angle transmittance iso-line of the polarizing means of the screen has an aspect ratio of not less than 2.

Modern home TV appliances, movie theaters, and presentation apparatuses often use digital projection systems for the purposes of video or static image demonstration. The conventional projection system comprises a projector and a projection screen. One of the most promising solutions for digital projection employs a liquid crystal display (LCD) as the image-forming device. The LCD forms an image as an array of pixels by selectively modulating the polarization state of incident light for each pixel. High-resolution large-area LCDs can be fabricated more readily than the analogous devices of other types. In addition, small thickness and low weight define the general portability and mobility of projection systems. The LCD-based projection systems are often simpler in manufacturing and practical use, especially when large-area image or video demonstration is required.
Conventional projection screens typically include fine transparent or translucent porous particles embedded in a transparent medium and a reflective material located behind the particles. The projection screens reflect substantially all the incident light, that is, they reflect ambient light as well as light from the imaging source. Since a part of the ambient light is reflected toward the viewers, the image contrast and the apparent brightness of the image is often reduced, particularly in areas where the ambient light intensity is relatively high.
To enhance the brightness of the reflected image, some projection screens include retroreflective elements such as glass beads, which are capable of reflecting the ambient light back in the direction from which it was incident onto the screen. The introduction of retroreflective elements, however, narrows the range of angles over which the image can be viewed because the imaging light is also retroreflected. Moreover, if the source of ambient light is aligned with the viewers, the ambient light can also be retroreflected toward the viewers along with the imaging light.
The brightness of images produced by liquid crystal projectors, in particular, can be relatively low because light of only one polarization state is projected onto the screen due to the nature of a liquid crystal display used to form the image. If the projection screen reflects ambient light at a low brightness of the projected, the image contrast can be significantly reduced. As a result, liquid crystal projectors are used primarily in areas with low levels of ambient light, such as rooms in which the windows are shuttered with curtains and in which artificial lighting is dimmed, to limit the contrast reducing effects of the ambient light. This may be undesirable, however, because it hinders the ability of viewers in the room to consult written materials, take notes, etc. during presentations.
Attempts to solve the brightness and contrast problems associated with liquid crystal projectors have included the use of absorbing polarizers in combination with reflective materials. By incorporating absorbing polarizers in the screens, about one-half of the ambient light can be absorbed in the projection screen rather than reflected as in conventional screens that do not use absorptive polarizing materials.
The absorptive polarizing materials used in the projection screens provide for the preferential transmission of light with the first polarization state and block the light with the second polarization state. The transmitted light is then reflected back from the reflective material and retransmitted through the absorptive polarizing material. Therefore, the liquid crystal projectors use light of only one polarization state to form images—that preferentially reflected by the projection screen. Ambient light, however, typically includes light having both polarization states and, therefore, a significant portion of the ambient light incident on the projection screen is absorbed rather than reflected. As a result, the contrast and apparent brightness of the images formed by the liquid crystal projectors on projection screens employing absorptive polarizing materials can be improved as compared to conventional projection screens reflecting light of both polarization states.
While the ideal absorptive polarizing material transmits all incident light having the first polarization state and absorb all incident light in the second polarization state, real absorptive polarizing materials absorb at least some of the incident light having the first polarization state along with the light in the second polarization state. As a result, some of the imaging light is absorbed rather than reflected, thereby reducing image contrast and brightness. Moreover, in projection screens using absorptive polarizing materials, this material is located in front of the reflector. In this arrangement, the incident imaging light having the preferentially transmitted first polarization state must pass through the absorptive material two times before reaching the viewer. In each passage, the absorptive polarizing material can absorb a significant portion of the light with the first polarization state, thereby reducing image brightness.
Besides the above problems, projection screens with absorbing polarizers that include other elements such as diffusing materials may also suffer from reduced image brightness and/or contrast if those additional elements cause some of the image light to change polarization states. A portion of the imaging light whose polarization changes to the state absorbed by the absorptive polarizing material will not reach the viewer. The result is reduced image brightness and contrast.
Projection systems usually require a large viewing angle characteristic of the projections screen. This requirement is especially desirable for the projections screens working in large rooms or in the outdoor environment. For the convenience of the projection screen viewers, the greater viewing angle is especially important in the horizontal plane.
The common drawback of the conventional polarizing projection screens made of iodine-containing organic polarizers is a small viewing angle. This drawback is due to a rodlike shape of molecules of the iodine-containing organic polarizers. The light polarized along a single direction coinciding with the axis of rod-shaped molecules is absorbed. Any deviation of the light polarization from said direction leads to a sharp decrease of the polarized light absorption.


A sampling arm coupler device comprises a coupler comprising a rectangular tructure or bar, having a cylindrically hollow bore therethrough. The bar has internal threading along the hollowv bore, and internally threaded holes through opposite sides of the bar perpendicular to the hollow bore. The holes are aligned along the bar so as to permit passage of a bolt therethrough. Additionally, the sampling arm coupler device has a lever arm structure having one insert end comprising a half cylinder portion with external threading and a flat longitudinal sure opposite the external threading. The external threading of the half cylinder is capable of mating with the internal threading of the bore whereby the half cylinder portion and the flat longitudinal surface portion inserts and screws into one end of the bar, wherein the flat longitudinal surface portion is positioned as to allow at least one bolt to be inserted through the bar holes perpendicular to the bore along the flat longitudinal surface portion. This rotationally locks the lever arm structure in the bar. The sampling arm coupler disclosed may be installed by hand.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sampling arm coupler. More particularly, the sampling arm coupler of the present invention is designed to attach a sampling arm to a lever arm, preferably on a vehicle, to facilitate collection of environmental samples. The sampling arm coupler has improved operational performance, maintenance and repair in cross-country terrain environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sampling arm assemblies have been used in military and civilian operations to test the environmental quality of a possibly contaminated area. The use of these assemblies allows area samples to be collected, retained and analyzed in a continuous operation over a large area. Samples from areas of possible nuclear, biological or chemical, commonly referred to as NBC, contamination may be gathered for testing for NBC agents. The assemblies obtain samples outside of a protective environment, such as a vehicle, with minimal exposure of personnel gathering the samples to the possible contamination. As this contamination may occur accidentally or purposely, samples need to be quickly and reliably collected over various geographical areas, including cross-country terrain.
Sampling arm assemblies have a lever arm which is joined to a sampling arm by a sampling arm coupler. The sampling arm coupler needs to provide stiff support to the sampling arm, and yet be flexible to withstand cross-country terrain operations. The sampling arm coupler also should be replaceable, separate and apart from the sampling arm and lever arm, to facilitate maintenance and repair.
Typically, the sampling arm coupler is part of an environmental sampling system which is attached to the rear end of a vehicle. As part of this sampling system, a lever arm is attached to a rotating servo motor on the vehicle. The lever arm is solid and approximately 18 inches long. Connected on the other end of the lever arm is a sampling arm, which is attached to the lever arm by the sampling arm coupler. The sampling arm is a solid flat piece approximately 2 feet long. Generally, the sampling arm has a wheel mechanism for carrying the sampling arm along the ground, while the sampling arm collects samples. Once the sampling arm collects a sample, the rotating servo motor lifts the lever arm and attached sampling arm up to a sensor on the vehicle. The sensor analyzes the collected sample for contamination. Once analyzed, the lever arm and attached sampling arm are lowered by the rotating servo motor to collect additional samples. Commonly, a sampling system has two or more separate lever arms on the back of the vehicle. This allows constant sampling, as one arm is positioned alongside the sensor, the other arm is collecting samples. Multiple arms also provide redundancy to the sampling system in case one arm is damaged.
The sampling arm coupler provides several functions. The coupler needs to ensure that the sampling arm does not detach from the lever arm. Additionally, the coupler needs to be designed and constructed to provide a strong and flexible attachment between the lever arm and sampling arm. Furthermore, the coupler needs to reliably place the sampling arm, once it is lifted, close to the sensor for proper analysis of the collected samples. This is preferably within a 10.degree. margin of error for misalignment. Alignment is also important to ensure that the two sampling arms do not crossover, thereby fouling the entire system. This is especially important because operational repair may expose operators to possible NBC contamination.
The reliability of testing an environmental sample is directly related to the quality of obtaining that sample. Fast response times are needed to obtain samples for testing which are analyzed quickly enough for preventive measures to be instituted. Rapidly moving a sampling system through a possibly contaminated area is especially useful to aid military operations. These military operations include personnel evacuations of non-combatants and medical assistance for populations exposed to NBC agents. In large area military operations, the sampling system is commonly moved to fully assess the size and location of a contaminated area. As the location of NBC contamination is usually uncertain, detection over cross-country terrain is an important capability.
Cross-country operations require sampling arm systems to function properly away from primary and secondary roads in cross-country terrain. Traveling across the cross-country terrain, the sampling arm system is continuously subjected to forces which may damage or break the sampling arm. As such, the system must withstand frequent deflections on rocks, or entanglement in vegetation as the vehicle travels over the cross-country terrain. Accordingly, the system needs flexibility to endure the repeated deflections, and structural resilience to maintain the proper structure to function properly.
When sampling arm systems are used in military operations, they must conform to military maintenance doctrines which ensure unified and reliable maintenance practices throughout the military. Strict military maintenance policy forbids certain practices, for example, soldiers are not permitted to use torque wrenches. Frequent changing of the sampling arm may be desired, however, in remote and dangerous environments. Commonly, however, couplers require a variety of bolts, machine screws, washer and nuts, tightened to a torque specification. Previously known sampling arm couplers may require up to fifteen bolts, washers and nuts, in the sampling arm assemblies. This complexity of previously known sampling arm couplers is problematical for maintenance personnel who have decreased manual dexterity when wearing NBC protective gear or in other difficult and adverse environmental conditions, such as snow, sand or loose dirt.
In view of the foregoing, improvements in sampling arm couplers have been desired. In addition to improved durability in cross-country terrain operations, it has been desired to provide sampling arm couplers which are easier to maintain and simpler to repair.
The present invention addresses these needs.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army