The disclosure relates to a carpet product, a process for manufacturing carpet, and an apparatus used in a carpet manufacturing process. The carpet product is made from tufted polymer filament yarn and includes a sheet of extruded polypropylene, integrally fused to the individual yarn filaments of the yarn back loops. The yarn fibers are substantially all secured to the integrally fused sheet so that the carpet resists fuzzing. The process includes providing a carpet base having a primary backing penetrated by yarn, applying heat to the underside of the base, extruding a heated sheet of polymer and continuously contacting the heated extruded sheet of polymer with the base thereby integrally fusing the base to the extruded sheet. The apparatus includes a source of carpet precursor, a heated cylinder for heating the underside of the carpet, an extruder and a casting roll against which the extruded sheet and heated carpet are pressed.

Most carpets are composite structures in which the face fiber forming the pile, i.e., the surface of the carpet, penetrates at least one backing layer. The base portions of the facing yarn extend through the backing and are exposed on the bottom surface of the primary backing. Such carpets may be cut pile or loop pile. Aspects of the present invention are also applicable to woven or knitted carpets such as Berber carpets and certain sports surfaces.
The basic manufacturing approach to the commercial production of tufted carpeting is to start with a woven scrim or primary carpet backing and to feed this into a tufting machine or a loom. The carpet face fiber is needled through and embedded in the primary carpet backing thus forming a carpet precursor or base sometimes called griege goods. Upstanding loops on the upper side of the carpet may be cut to produce cut pile carpet. Yarn loops or knots are usually exposed on the underside of the griege goods.
Griege goods are typically backed with an adhesive coating in order to secure the face yarn to the primary backing. Low cost carpet often receives only a latex adhesive coating as the backing. This type of carpet is widely used in boats and is called marine backed carpet. Typically, the marine backed carpets are backed with a latex adhesive coating that is water and/or mildew resistant. Higher cost carpet often receives both a latex adhesive coating and a secondary backing.
The face fiber or yarn used in forming the pile of a tufted carpet is typically made of any one of a number of types of fiber, e.g., nylon, acrylics, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamides, polyesters, wool, cotton, rayon and the like. Face yarns used in carpet include bulk continuous filament (bcf) yarns which are made up of tens or hundreds of individual fibers. Fibrillated polypropylene grass yarn is also often used as a face yarn.
Primary backings for tufted pile carpets are typically woven or non-woven fabrics made of one or more natural or synthetic fibers or yarns, such as jute, wool, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamides, polyesters, nylon and rayon. Films of synthetic materials, such as polypropylene, polyethylene and ethylene-propylene copolymers may also be used to form the primary backing. Likewise, secondary backings for tufted pile carpets are typically woven or non-woven fabrics made of one or more natural or synthetic fibers or yarns.
The application of the latex adhesive involves coating the bottom surface of the thus formed griege goods with a latex polymer binder such as a styrene-butadiene copolymer. The coated griege goods are then passed through an oven to dry the latex adhesive coating. In this way the face fibers are attached to the primary backing by the latex binder.
It is known in the art to subject the back of greige goods to a gas flame to reduce the bulk of the protruding face yarn, particularly in greige goods with large knots, in order to reduce the amount of latex adhesive necessary to provide a smooth, well-covered surface. It is also known to apply pressure and low level heat (i.e. below yarn melting temperature) to flatten the knots prior to the application of the latex adhesive.
If desired, a secondary backing may be bonded to the undersurface of the primary backing. To produce tufted carpets with a secondary backing, the bottom surface of the griege goods is coated with a latex polymer binder. Thus, the secondary backing is applied to the coated bottom surface and the resulting structure is passed through an oven to dry the latex adhesive coating to bond the secondary backing to the griege goods.
The above-described methods have disadvantages in that they require a drying step and thus an oven to dry the latex polymer binder. The drying step increases the cost of the carpet and limits production speed. Furthermore, it has been reported that latex adhesive compositions generate gases that may be the cause of headaches, watery eyes, breathing difficulties and nausea, especially when used in tightly sealed buildings. See Herligy, The Carpet & Rug Industry, October 1990. In addition, overheating of the carpet may occur during drying of the latex which in turn may affect the shade of the carpet.
Consequently, carpet manufacturers have been attempting to develop a new approach for the preparation of tufted carpets. One new approach is the preparation of tufted carpets with a hot-melt adhesive composition instead of a latex composition.
Hot-melt adhesives are amorphous polymers that soften and flow sufficiently to wet and penetrate the backing surfaces and tuft stitches of carpets upon application of sufficient heat. Furthermore, hot-melt adhesives tend to adhere to the backing surfaces and/or tuft stitches. That is, hot-melt adhesives stick to backing surfaces and tuft stitches.
By the use of hot-melt adhesive, the necessity of drying the composition after application is eliminated and further, when a secondary backing material is desired, it can be applied directly after the hot-melt composition is applied with no necessity for a drying step.
Both latex adhesive based carpet and hot-melt adhesive based carpet have the disadvantage that they are not readily recyclable. Thus, large quantities of carpet trimmings and scrap produced during the manufacture of carpet and used carpet are sent to landfills. Consequently, carpet manufacturers spend a substantial sum on landfill costs. Such carpets are not recyclable after their useful life.
Thus, conventional carpet and carpet manufacturing processes have inherent problems. Specifically, the adhesives used to adhere the tufts of face fiber to the primary backing and to adhere the secondary backing to the primary backing include compositions which require lengthy drying times thus slowing down the manufacturing process. In addition, the latex compositions may produce noxious gases which create health hazards. Likewise, many of the hot-melt compositions conventionally employed in the manufacture of carpet do not result in reproducible consistency regarding scrim bonds, tuft pull strength and fuzz resistance. Finally, the use of conventional latex adhesives and hot-melt adhesives prevent carpet from being efficiently recycled.
In the original parent application Ser. No. 07/883,093, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,530, there is disclosed certain methods for producing carpet. According to the teachings of that application, a thermoplastic polymer sheet may be extruded into contact with griege goods to integrally fuse the primary backing, face yarn and extruded sheet. In a preferred embodiment the yarn, backings and extruded sheet are made of the same polymer, e.g. polypropylene. Cut pile carpet is presented as exemplifying the use of the methods. Trimmings, scrap and used carpet made in this fashion may be readily recycled because of their homogeneous chemical composition. No latex or adhesive application is required. Nor is a backing step required, though one may also be employed in some products.
Use of the techniques of the parent application have been found to present special problems when employed in the manufacture of loop pile carpet made with multi-fiber face yarns. In use, the closed loops of the carpets can be readily caught or snagged, for example by passing traffic. As a result long fibers may be pulled from the yarn leaving an undesirable surface fuzz after periods of wear.
It is known to test conventional carpets for integrity by the so-called fiberlock test using, for example, a QTE Fiberlock Tester manufactured by Quality Testing Equipment Dalton, Ga. The test and tester are often referred to as VELCRO.RTM. test and VELCRO.RTM. tester, respectively. VELCRO is a registered trademark for the well-known hook and loop fastening material. In this test, a two pound roller approximately three-and-a-half inches wide and one-and-a-half inches in diameter coated with VELCRO.RTM. hook material is rolled repeatedly over the loop pile of the carpet, for example, ten times. The carpet is then inspected for protruding fibers or fuzz. By "fuzz," it is meant short, individual filaments (often 1-3 stitch lengths long) removed from fiber bundles.
It is known that latex adhesives, if properly applied, can provide sufficient binding of carpet fibers to permit manufacture of loop pile carpets which can pass the fibertlock test or VELCRO.RTM. test. It is important that any proposal to replace the use of conventional adhesives be likewise capable of producing a carpet in which the face yarn or fibers are securely attached to the carpet, and, in particular, capable of producing loop pile carpet made with bcf face yarn which can pass the fiberlock test or VELCRO.RTM. test.
The present application includes disclosure of improved carpets and improved techniques for manufacturing carpet which retain various advantages of the carpets and methods initially disclosed in the original parent application.


An input unit enters two reference signals having respective different frequencies at a stage preceding a power amplifier. The reference signals are delivered through a predistortion circuit to a power amplifier, and supplied from a predetermined section of the power amplifier. The signals from the power amplifier contain a third-order intermodulation distortion component. Based on the signals from the power amplifier, an extracting unit extracts a frequency component having a frequency which is twice the difference between the frequencies of said two reference signals. A detecting unit detects the extracted frequency component thereby to output a DC voltage. Since the extracted frequency component is correlated to the third-order intermodulation distortion component, the DC voltage represents the magnitude of the third-order inter-modulation distortion component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nonlinear distortion detecting circuit and a nonlinear distortion compensating circuit for a transmitter, and more particularly to a nonlinear distortion detecting circuit and a nonlinear distortion compensating circuit for a transmitter which generates a third-order intermodulation distortion due to its nonlinearity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multiplex radio communication devices use a predistortion circuit or predistorter for minimizing a nonlinear distortion generated by a transmitter thereby to compensate for such a nonlinear distortion. The predistortion circuit is positioned in a stage prior to a power amplifier (high-output amplifier), for generating in advance a signal in opposite phase with a nonlinear distortion that is generated by the power amplifier. For optimally adjusting the predistortion circuit, it is necessary to monitor third-order intermodulation distortion components. The present invention is concerned with the provision of a circuit for easily monitoring such third-order intermodulation distortion components and also a circuit for automatically optimally adjusting a predistortion circuit.
In order to optimally adjust the predistortion circuit of a transmitter, it has conventionally been practiced to supply two continuous waves of different frequencies to an input terminal of the transmitter and monitor an output signal from an output terminal of the transmitter with a spectrum analyzer which is connected to the output terminal. Rather than the two continuous waves, a modulated wave or a single continuous wave may be supplied to the input terminal of the transmitter.
Generally, the power amplifier (high-output amplifier) of a transmitter is often used in the nonlinearity region of the transmitter for operating the transmitter highly efficiently. A distortion generated by the transmitter due to the nonlinearity thereof is compensated for by a predistortion circuit. For adjusting the predistortion circuit, it is necessary to monitor a nonlinear distortion contained in the output signal from the transmitter. According to a specific process of monitoring such a nonlinear distortion, two continuous waves are supplied to an intermediate-frequency amplifier and a signal produced from an output terminal of the power amplifier is monitored. For example, two continuous waves having respective frequencies of 65 MHz and 70 MHz, for example, are supplied to the intermediate-frequency amplifier, which up-converts them respectively into continuous waves having respective frequencies of 8065 MHz and 8070 MHz.
It is assumed that the frequencies of 8065 MHz and 8070 MHz are represented by f.sub.1 and f.sub.2, respectively, in FIG. 17 of the accompanying drawings. When the continuous waves having these frequencies f.sub.1 and f.sub.2 are supplied to a power amplifier, the power amplifier produces an output signal which contains third-order intermodulation distortions (thereinafter referred to as "IM3") having frequencies (2f.sub.1 -f.sub.2), (2f.sub.2 -f.sub.1). The frequency (2f.sub.1 -f.sub.2) is 8060 MHz and the frequency (2f.sub.2 -f.sub.1) is 8075 MHz. The IM3 are monitored, and the predistortion circuit is adjusted to minimize the IM3.
According to the conventional adjusting process, it is necessary to use a spectrum analyzer to monitor the IM3 because the frequencies 8060 MHz and 8075 MHz of the IM3 signals are very close to the frequencies 8065 MHz and 8070 MHz of the original continuous waves by a small frequency difference of 5 MHz.
However, the spectrum analyzer for use in a microwave range is expensive and heavy. The heavy spectrum analyzer poses limitations when the transmitter needs to be adjusted on site for panel replacement or maintenance.
One solution would be not to use any spectrum analyzer, to extract and convert the IM3 signal of 8060 MHz, for example, into a DC voltage, and to monitor the DC voltage. According to such a solution, a nonlinear distortion detecting circuit used would need a filter having such a sharp cutoff characteristic curve that would pass the IM3 signal of 8060 MHz and reduce the level of the signal of 8065 MHz by about 60 dB. As a result, the nonlinear distortion detecting circuit would be highly expensive.

Nonlinear distortion detecting circuit and nonlinear distortion compensating circuit for transmitter


A base-excited vibratory conveyor includes an elongated conveyor trough, and an elongated support structure extending generally beneath the conveyor trough. A plurality of springs operatively interconnect the trough with the support structure, whereby vibratory drive of the support structure effects vibratory motion of the trough for conveyance of materials therealong. The support structure includes a plurality of cross-member assemblies which facilitate operative connection of the springs to the support structure, while enhancing the structural integrity of the support structure. The overall conveyor construction can be relatively lightweight in configuration, thus facilitating economical manufacture and operating efficiency.

Vibratory conveyor devices are in widespread use in view of their versatile material-handling capabilities. Such devices typically include a generally elongated trough or bed which is vibrated by an associated drive system so that material is conveyed along the length of the trough.
In typical constructions of so-called two mass vibratory conveyors, a support structure or base of the conveyor includes a pair of longitudinal base members typically constructed from heavy wall tubing or solid plate steel to obtain the desired structural characteristics, and in part to obtain the specifically desired weight relationship between the trough and the support structure. Generally speaking, the total stroke of the conveyor is divided between the trough and the support structure, including the base members, in inverse proportion to their mass ratio. Since it is desirable to minimize the vibratory motion of the support structure (to thereby facilitate isolation of the conveyor's transmitted vibration to surrounding structures), the support structure, including the base members, is typically more than twice the weight of the trough structure, and in some cases, as much as eight times or more in weight. In some designs, it is often necessary to add ballast weight to the support structure in order to obtain the desired base stroke. Some vibratory conveyor designs, like the base-excited conveyor, are inherently advantageous from an overall weight perspective, because the stroke of the base is dependent upon the tuning of the conveyor's spring/mass system with respect to the desired operating frequency.
In order to maintain the required stiffness of the support structure, and to prevent unwanted torsional and vertical bending modes of the structure that may be excited at the operating frequency of the conveyor, cross-members, typically made from steel tubes, angle, or channel sections, are connected between the longitudinal base members to form a stiff ladder-like frame construction. It is common practice to connect the spring-mounting elements of the conveyor at the points where these cross-members attach to the longitudinal base members to thereby take advantage of the structural support provided by the cross-members.
Experience has shown that one problem encountered with current conveyor designs is the cost associated with the weight, construction, and complexity of the support structure. This problem is aggravated if an all stainless steel construction is mandated by specific sanitation requirements for the conveyor application. While the base-excited conveyor design is more advantageous with respect to such considerations, it will be appreciated that it is desirable to further reduce the overall weight of the machine, while maintaining the same operating capacity, thus providing desired operating efficiencies.
To this end, efforts have been made to develop a base-excited conveyor construction employing the lightest possible support structure construction. However, because of the lightweight formed sheet metal sections used in this construction, it is necessary to avoid fatigue failure at the spring connections to the base members which could result from concentrated shear and bending loads to which the base members are subjected at the spring connections. While previous constructions have employed so-called "scab" reinforcing plates, castings, blocks, or the like for longitudinally spreading the loads to which the mounting blocks for the springs are subjected, such constructions necessarily result in a heavier construction. This, of course, is self-defeating in the context of providing a relatively lightweight base-excited conveyor construction.
The present invention contemplates an improved vibratory conveyor construction, including an improved support structure which can be configured from relatively lightweight components, thus facilitating economical manufacture and operating efficiency.

Vibratory conveyor having spring-mounting cross-member assemblies


A battery comprises at least one battery cell on a support, the battery cell comprising (i) an electrolyte between a plurality of electrodes, and (ii) a top surface. A protective casing having a barrier layer contacts the top surface of the battery cell, the barrier layer comprising (i) an oxygen permeability or nitrogen permeability that is less than 80 cm3*mm/(m2*day), (ii) a carbon dioxide permeability that is less than 1 cm3*mm/(m2*day), and (iii) a water permeability that is less than 4 g*mm/(m2*day). A conformal coating covers the barrier layer, the conformal coating having a viscosity that is less than about 100,000 Pa-s at about 150° C. A cap is adhered to the conformal coating.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to solid-state, thin film batteries and their packaging.
Solid-state, thin film batteries are made of solids and generally absent liquid electrolytes. They are fabricated from superimposed layers of battery components which have thicknesses of less than 10 mm or even less than 1000 microns. Such batteries can include single or multiple battery cells connected in series or parallel. Each battery cell comprises battery components, such as for example, (i) electrodes such as for example, an anode, cathode, anode current collector and cathode current collector, (ii) an electrolyte between the electrodes, and (iii) terminals that extend out of the battery to power external loads. Solid-state batteries are advantageous as they generally provide higher energy densities and specific energy densities than liquid-containing batteries. The volumetric energy density of a battery is its energy capacity per unit volume and its specific energy is its energy capacity per unit weight. Solid-state batteries having high energy densities and high specific energies are used for example in portable electronics, medical devices, and space systems. Large scale solid-state batteries are also used to power electric cars or store electrical power for buildings and electrical grids.
Protective packaging is used to protect the battery components of solid-state batteries from direct exposure to the external environment. The battery components are sensitive to exposure to the ambient environment. For example, environmental elements such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, moisture and organic solvents can permeate into the battery cell to erode or oxidize battery components, such as lithium and lithium compounds, or even copper. Conventional protective packaging structures enclose battery cells with laminated layers of polymer and/or ceramic, an overlying cap and an underlying substrate, to protect the batteries.
However, conventional packaging structures often fail to adequately protect solid-state batteries as the batteries become ever smaller or have higher volumetric energy density and specific energy requirements. For example, as energy density requirements become higher, the volume of space allowed for protective packaging around the battery cells becomes ever smaller. As a result, conventional packaging structures of polymer are not sufficiently thickness to provide the desired impermeability to the environment. It has been found that tubular channels can also form in polymer packaging layers allowing environmental gases and vapor to penetrate the packaging layers and enter the battery. Poor adhesion of a cap to the underlying packaging structure can also result in exposure of battery cells to the external environment.
For reasons including these and other deficiencies, and despite the development of various packaging structures for solid-state batteries, further improvements in battery packaging and related methods of fabrication are continuously being sought.

Battery having multilayer protective casing


A PPM signal demodulator for demodulating a PPM signal transmitted in a UWB radio communication system includes a rectifier for rectifying a received PPM signal to obtain an absolute value signal, integrator and comparators for integrating the absolute value signal for every first, second and third integral times and comparing the integrated values for the integral times, absolute value circuits for converting respective outputs of the integrator and comparators to corresponding absolute values, moving average circuits for moving-averaging respective outputs of the absolute value circuits, a determining circuit for generating demodulation data on the basis of the integrated and compared result by the integrator and comparator, and a main control for generating, on the basis of the outputs of the moving average circuits, integral interval control signals that control the first, second and third integral times to supply them to the respective integrator and comparators.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a demodulator for receiving and demodulating a pulse position modulated (PPM) signal transmitted in a radio communication system using an ultra wide band (UWB).
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, proposals have been made for radio communication systems using an ultra wide band. For example, as disclosed in U.S. patent application publication No. US 2003/0174779 A1, a UWB communication system spreads a data signal spectrum over an ultra wide band in the order of, for example, 2-6 GHz to accomplish pulse transmission.
In a conventional radio transmission system, a transmitter multiplies a carrier frequency by a modulation component to generate an output signal to be transmitted, while a receiver multiplies the received input signal by the same carrier frequency as that of the transmitter side to thereby extract the modulation component. The receiver was configured to include a mixer for multiplying a received signal by a frequency equal to the carrier frequency to convert it to a baseband signal, a processor for sampling the signal with high resolution to determine the signal, and a rake receiver for absorbing the delay time involved in waves arriving over multiple paths to thereby accomplish demodulation.
Also, there was a pulse transmission device for receiving pulse signals rather than such carrier signals, disclosed for example in Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 284129/1993. For example, in a pulse transmission system, such as a pulse position modulation (PPM) system, a waveform to be transmitted is pulsated and carries modulation information at a time position at which the waveform takes its significant level, thereby making it possible to maintain the transmission power as well as to make effective use of the transmission bandwidth.
However, the conventional radio transmission system, when applied to a UWB radio communication system, would cause the conventional configuration including a mixer for modulation and demodulation, a sampling circuit for sampling signals with high resolution and a rake receiver for determining demodulation to raise a problem that the scale of the circuits increases as the band is broadened.
Thus, in Japanese patent application No. 2004-179745 filed in the name of the same assignee as the present patent application, there is proposed a pulse modulator and a PPM demodulation determining circuit in ultra wide band radio communications. The PPM demodulation determining circuit is so configured that an output pulse transmitted is regarded as an electric power to then detect the absolute value of the received signal, integrate the latter for every integral time, and compare the resultant integrated values for the respective integral times with each other to determine at which position the pulse signal exists, thereby determining demodulation. That eliminates the need for the configuration of a mixer, a sampling circuit, a rake receiver and the like described above.
Now, in the specification of the above-mentioned patent application, there is disclosed the configuration for integration for every integral time. However, in order to attain the more optimal reception property, it has become necessary to seek a configuration that determines the length of integral time. Specifically, a PPM signal demodulator is called for, which is capable of optimizing the processing to implement signal control so as to make the reception property favorable without requiring the conventional configuration of a mixer, a sampling circuit and a rake receiver.

Demodulator for demodulating pulse position modulated signal


A connector device includes a circuit unit having a first connector provided with a plurality of contacts. The circuit unit is moveable between a mating position and a final mating position. An electrical connector has a cover member and a second connector provided with a plurality of contacts that is arranged in the cover member. The cover member has a first connector housing receiving recess that receives the first connector. At least one locking projection locks the second connector in the cover member when the circuit unit is in the mating position. At least one lock release projection unlocks the second connector when the first connector is moved from the mating position to the final mating position. The contacts of the first connector are electrically connected to the contacts of the second connector in the mating position and the final mating position.

It is common for connection failure to occur due to vibration when a pair of electrical connectors is placed in a half-mated state, for example, in locations where a hand cannot be inserted to mate the electrical connectors or in locations where the mating position of the electrical connectors cannot be visually checked. This problem is particularly prominent in automobile applications where a hand can not typically be inserted to mate the pair of electrical connectors because of strict space limitations.
In order to solve this problem, a connector device has been proposed which allows a blind connection to be performed between a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector in which axes of the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are aligned simply by pushing in the first electrical connector. FIGS. 38-47C (see JP-A-2002-246106) show an example of such a connector device 101 according to the prior art. As shown in FIG. 38, the connector device 101 comprises a first electrical connector 102 having a first structural body (not shown) such as a circuit board and a second electrical connector 105 having a connector member 104 and a receptacle member 103. The second electrical connector 105 is electrically connected to the first structural body (not shown).
The first electrical connector 102 has a substantially rectangular flattened shape. As shown in FIG. 39, the first electrical connector 102 has an opening 102a at a front end (left end in FIG. 38) thereof. As shown in FIG. 38, lock release members 102b are provided on upper and lower surfaces of the first electrical connector 102 at the front end thereof. A pair of lock release ribs is provided on side surfaces of the first electrical connector 102. Each of the lock release ribs 102d is constructed from a pair of upper and lower ribs 102e that extend from a rear end of the first electrical connector 102 toward a center thereof. A projection 102f that protrudes outward in a semi-circular shape links front end portions of the upper and lower ribs 102e. Engaging windows 102g corresponding to the projections 102f of the lock release ribs 102d are formed in the side surfaces of the first electrical connector 102 and open into the opening 102a. First structural body attachment members 102h are provided on corners at the rear end of the first electrical connector 102.
The second electrical connector 105 comprises the receptacle member 103 and the connector member 104. The connector member 104 is accommodated in the receptacle member 103 and mates with the first electrical connector 102. The connector member 104 includes a substantially rectangular mating member 104a that is received in the opening 102a of the first electrical connector 102. A flange 104b is provided on a rear end (right end in FIG. 39) of the mating member 104a. Projections 104f protrude from side surfaces of the flange 104b. Cutouts 104c are formed in upper and lower central portions of the flange 104b and are configured for receiving the lock release members 102b of the first electrical connector 102. Locking members 104d that pass between the lock release members 102b protrude from upper and lower surfaces of the connector member 104 in a vicinity of the cutouts 104c. Locking arms 104e are provided on side surfaces of the mating member 104a and are configured to engage with the engaging windows 102g of the first electrical connector 102 thereby locking the first electrical connector 102 and the connector member 104.
The receptacle member 103 has a substantially rectangular shape. The receptacle member 103 is connected to a second structural body (not shown). A through-hole 103a for receiving the connector member 104 extends through the receptacle member 103. Elastic locking ribs 103b are formed in a center of upper and lower surfaces of the receptacle member 103. As shown in FIGS. 40 and 46A-47D, locking claws 103c protrude inward from rear ends of the elastic locking ribs 103b. As shown in FIGS. 39 and 47A-47C, projections 103d used as lock release members are provided on inner surfaces of side walls of the receptacle member 103. Attachment members 103e for the second structural body (not shown) are provided on lower end portions of the side walls. Cutouts 103f with which the projections 104f of the connector member 104 are locked are formed on rear surfaces of the side walls.
As shown in FIGS. 39-40, when the connector member 104 is inserted into the through-hole 103a from a rear end of the receptacle member 103, the locking members 104d of the connector member 104 press-open the elastic locking ribs 103b of the receptacle member 103, so that tip ends of the locking members 104d are engaged by the locking claws 103c, and the projections 104f of the connector member 104 engage with the cutouts 103f of the receptacle member 103. As a result, the connector member 104 is accommodated and held inside the through-hole 103a in the receptacle member 103, thus forming the second electrical connector 105.
The method of mating the first and second electrical connectors 102, 105 will now be described. As shown in FIGS. 39-40, when the first electrical connector 102 moves in a direction of arrow A, the front end of the first electrical connector 102 is inserted into the through-hole 103a of the receptacle member 103 of the second electrical connector 105. The locking members 104e of the connector member 104 are inserted into the opening 102a in the first electrical connector 102, as the first electrical connector 102 slides inside the through-hole 103a. FIGS. 41-42 show the first electrical connector 102 in a pre-mated state. As shown in FIG. 46B, in the pre-mated state, the lock release members 102b of the first electrical connector 102 have just made contact with the locking claws 103c of the receptacle member 103, the locking members 104d of the connector member 104 are still locked in by the locking claws 103c of the receptacle member 103 as shown in FIG. 46A, and the connector member 104 is still accommodated and held inside the through-hole 103a in the receptacle member 103. Moreover, in the pre-mated state, the projections 102f of the lock release ribs 102d of the first electrical connector 102 are pressed inward by the projections 103d of the receptacle member 103, as shown in FIG. 47A. As a result, the locking members 104e of the connector member 104 are displaced inward, so that the locking members 104e are not completely engaged with the engaging windows 102g. Accordingly, the first electrical connector 102 and the connector member 104 are not locked together.
When the first electrical connector 102 moves further in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIGS. 39-40 from the pre-mated state by the gap g in FIG. 47B, the first electrical connector 102 and connector member 104 are placed in a state immediately prior to a completed mating position, as shown in FIGS. 43-44. In this position immediately prior to the completed mating position, the lock release members 102b of the first electrical connector 102 press the elastic locking ribs 103b of the receptacle member 103 outward, so that the engagement of the locking members 104d of the connector member 104 by the locking claws 103c of the receptacle member 103 is released, as shown in FIG. 46C-46D. In this position immediately prior to the completed mating position, the projections 102f of the lock release ribs 102d of the first electrical connector 102 are still pressed inward by the projections 103d of the receptacle member 103, as shown in FIG. 47B, which causes the locking members 104e of the connector member 104 to be displaced inward, so that the locking members 104e are not completely engaged with the engaging windows 102g. Consequently, the first electrical connector 102 and connector member 104 are not locked together.
When the first electrical connector 102 moves further in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIGS. 39-40, the pressed state of the projections 102f of the lock release ribs 102d by the projections 103d of the receptacle member 103 is released, as shown in FIG. 47C, so that the locking members 104e of the connector member 104 are completely engaged with the engaging windows 102g. As a result, the first electrical connector 102 and connector member 104 are locked together, thus completing the mating between the first and second electrical connectors 102, 105. Moreover, the front end of the first electrical connector 102 presses the flange 104b of the connector member 104, as shown in FIG. 45. As shown in FIG. 45, because the connector member 104 is away from the inner wall surfaces of the receptacle member 103, it is possible to prevent the transmission of vibration on the side of the second structural body (not shown) attached to the receptacle member 103 to the connector member 104. Thus, the generation of vibration stress or abnormal noise caused by the vibration is prevented.
Several problems, however, have been encountered with the second electrical connector 105. Specifically, before the first electrical connector 102 and the connector member 104, the lock release members 102b of the first electrical connector 102 press the locking claws 103c of the connector member 104 outward, as shown in FIG. 46D, and the locking of the locking members 104d of the connector member 104 by the locking claws 103c of the receptacle member 103 is released, as shown in FIG. 46C, so that the movement of the connector member 104 becomes possible. Accordingly, there are cases in which the first electrical connector 102 does not completely mate with the connector member 104, creating a so-called half-mated state.
Furthermore, As shown in FIGS. 39-40, when the first electrical connector 102 moves in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIGS. 39-40 from the state in which the second electrical connector 105 and the first electrical connector 102 are not connected, the front end of the first electrical connector 102 is inserted into the through-hole 103a in the receptacle member 103 of the electrical connector 105. However, because the receptacle member 103 does not possess any structure for guiding the first electrical connector 102, the first electrical connector 102 and the connector member 104 may collide due to a lack of alignment of the axes. Thus, mating cannot be accomplished in one operation.
Moreover, when the first electrical connector 102 is erroneously inserted into the through-hole 103a in the receptacle member 103, for example, when the first electrical connector 102 is inserted upside down, the first electrical connector 102 is still capable of sliding into the through-hole 103a in the receptacle member 103. Thus, the first electrical connector 102 can easily be erroneously attached to the connector member 104.


An improved process is disclosed for the selective disproportionation of toluene. The process preferably uses a disproportionation catalyst comprising a pentasil type zeolite such as MFI that is bound with aluminum-phosphate. Running the process at a toluene conversion greater than about 30 wt-% and at a hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon ratio less than 3.0, and especially a ratio of 0.1 to 1.0, improves the maximum yield of para-xylene. Optional periodic rejuvenation by increasing the hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon ratio removes some carbon deposits and restores catalyst activity. An inert diluent gas assists in selective pre-coking of the catalyst as well.

The xylene isomers are produced in large volumes from petroleum as feedstocks for a variety of important industrial chemicals. The most important of the xylene isomers is para-xylene, the principal feedstock for polyester which continues to enjoy a high growth rate from large base demand. Ortho-xylene is used to produce phthalic anhydride, which has high-volume but mature markets. Meta-xylene is used in lesser but growing volumes for such products as plasticizers, azo dyes and wood preservers. Ethylbenzene generally is present in xylene mixtures and is occasionally recovered for styrene production, but usually is considered a less-desirable component of C8 aromatics.
Among the aromatic hydrocarbons, the overall importance of the xylenes rivals that of benzene as a feedstock for industrial chemicals. Neither the xylenes nor benzene are produced from petroleum by the reforming of naphtha in sufficient volume to meet demand, and conversion of other hydrocarbons is necessary to increase the yield of xylenes and benzene. Often toluene is selectively disproportionated to yield benzene and C8 aromatics from which the individual xylene isomers are recovered.
A current objective of many petrochemical and aromatics complexes is to increase the yield of xylenes and to de-emphasize benzene production. Demand is growing faster for xylene derivatives than for benzene derivatives. Refinery modifications are being effected to reduce the benzene content of gasoline in industrialized countries, which will increase the supply of benzene available to meet demand. A higher yield of xylenes at the expense of benzene thus is a favorable objective, and processes to convert toluene have been commercialized to obtain high xylene yields.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,219 discloses a process for toluene disproportionation using a catalyst comprising a zeolite which has been modified by the addition of phosphorus in an amount of at least 0.5 mass-%. The crystals of the zeolite are contacted with a phosphorus compound to effect reaction of the zeolite and phosphorus compound. The modified zeolite then may be incorporated into indicated matrix materials. U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,543 discloses toluene disproportionation for the selective production of para-xylene using a zeolite which has undergone controlled pre-coking. The zeolite may be ion-exchanged with a variety of elements from Group IB to VIII, and composited with a variety of clays and other porous matrix materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,923 discloses a process for toluene disproportionation with a high conversion of the toluene to benzene and para-xylene by use of an aluminosilicate zeolite of silica to alumina ratio above 12 and which has been modified by treatment with ammonium hydrogen phosphate to deposit phosphorus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,717 discloses a phosphorus-modified alumina hydrogel formed by gelation of a homogeneous hydrosol. The composite has a relatively high surface area of 140 to 450 m2/g and high activity and selectivity in 1-heptene conversion tests.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,592 discloses an improved process combination for the selective disproportionation of toluene. The combination comprises selective hydrogenation of a toluene feedstock followed by a zeolitic catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 6,359,185 discloses an oil-dropped zeolitic catalyst in an amorphous aluminum phosphate binder that enhances selectivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,331 discloses a pre-coking method that avoids a large temperature rise by using a low pressure in the presence of nitrogen and a low ratio of hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon. U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,347 discloses that running a process at a hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon ratio between 0.2 and 0.5 improves the selectivity of para-xylene and decreases the selectivity of benzene.
Workers in the field of aromatics disproportionation continue to seek processes and catalysts having exceptionally high conversion to para-xylene from toluene combined with favorable selectivity and stability.

Process for selective aromatics disproportionation with increased conversion


The attempt is to improve the light utilization effect by concentrating and irradiating the light on the observation area, and at the same time, to be able to simply wipe the end clean even when dirtied by oil. Optical fiber light guide 7 for illumination is arranged concentrically on the peripheral part of image incident end part 6 in of image guide 6 that has been inserted inside of pipe 2; that light exit end part 7 out is arranged closer to objective lens 3 than the focal point position of objective lens 3. By doing this, after the light that exits and disperses from light exit end part 7 out has advanced along the optical axis facing the linearly in relation to objective lens 3, the light advances by following along the optical axis which diffracts the light in direction passing through the focal point of the object to be observed side of objective lens 3, and it is possible to irradiate nearly all of the light within the range which can be observed by image guide 6, thus improving the light utilization efficiency. Also, because the end aperture part of pipe 2 in which image guide 6 and image light guide 7 is filled up by the objective lens, the end can be easily wiped clean even when dirtied with oil, etc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a bore scope that is inserted, for example, into the bore hole of an engine cylinder in order to observe the interior without removing the cylinder head.
2. Description of Related Art
When inspecting the interior of engine cylinders at an automobile equipping plant, etc., a bore scope is used to inspect the interior without going to all the trouble to remove the cylinder head.
As indicated in FIG. 6, objective lens 31 is arranged on one end, and lenses 35 are arranged coaxially in a series at specified distances within rigid barrel 34, on the other end of which is mounted eyepiece 33 that provides ocular lens 32.
Then, when this objective lens 31 side of barrel 34 is brought near the observation area, the light image, which is incident through objective lens 31, can be observed on the eyepiece 33 side.
However, because this linked lens system arranges multiple lenses 31, 32, 35, 35 coaxially in a series, it is difficult to bring out light axis precision, and there is the problem that a clear image cannot be obtained if there is the slightest light axis discrepancy.
Also, when attempting to illuminate the object to be observed, there is the problem that, because rehalation occurs in which light is randomly reflected within barrel 33 when the illumination light passes through the inside of the barrel and is made incident upon the object to be observed, a separate light bulb must be provided, for example, on the end peripheral surface of barrel 33 so that the object to be observed can be illuminated from the outside of the barrel, and thus the end becomes large scale.
Furthermore, there is also the conventional example in FIG. 7. Objective lens 42 is arranged on the end of image guide 41 which consists of bundled fibers, and fiberscope 40, on which is mounted eyepiece 45 that provides ocular lens 43 on the other side of image guide 41, does not have light axis discrepancies because objective lens 42 and ocular lens 43 are arranged on the two ends of image guide 41. Moreover, because the light exit end 44a of light guide 44 is arranged in a ring-shape on the periphery of objective lens 42, when this is applied to the bore scope, the illumination light can illuminate the object to be observed without making the end large scale.
Nonetheless, there is the problem that, because the light which exits from ring-shaped light exit end part 44a of light guide 44 is dispersed to outside the range which image guide 41 can observe, the light utilization efficiency is poor, with the amount of light incident on the object to be observed being a scant 20-30% of the total amount of light exiting from light guide 44.
Also, light exit end part 44a of light guide 44 is arranged on the periphery of objective lens 42 and is exposed at the end surface, and if the end of image scope 40 becomes dirty with oil, etc. when, for example, observing the interior of an engine cylinder, the oil adhering to the lens surface of objective lens 42 can be wiped off relatively easily because that surface is smoothly curved, but because the light exit end part 44a of light guide 44 is arranged on the periphery of objective lens 44 in a ring-shape that exposes the ends of multiple optical fibers, the oil adhering to light exit end part 44a can not be wiped off cleanly, and consequently, there is the problem that there is great light loss.
Of course, if light exit end part 44a of light guide 44 is arranged inside of objective lens 42, there is no such problem because light exit end part 44a is protected by objective lens 42, but in that case, as indicated in FIG. 8, the illumination light is incident in a ringshape that surrounds the outside of observation range W, and it is not possible to illuminate the object to be observed efficiently at the area to be brought into focus.
Thus, the present invention improves the light utilization efficiency by making the light fall in a manner concentrated on the area to be observed, and, at the same time, addresses the technical issue of making it easy to wipe off the tip even when it is dirtied by oil, etc.


A ring-ordered dynamically reconfigurable computer network utilizing an existing communications system. The network comprises a plurality of nodes. Each node is coupled to the existing communications system by two data channels and a control channel. The network is established by each data channel of each node connecting operably to a data channel of another node. All the nodes are ordered in a ring. The control channel of each node is operably connected to the switch of the existing communications system. The network also comprises a network manager to establish the network, facilitate communication among the nodes, and dynamically reconfigure the network without disturbing communication among the nodes. Optionally, each node connects to the network only when it actually needs to communicate with another node.

The present invention relates generally to networking technology, and more particularly to a network that is ring ordered, dynamically reconfigurable, and utilizes an existing communications system.
Networks are typically used to allow nodes, frequently computers, to communicate with one another. In this way, electronic mail, data files, and other information can be exchanged among computers. The computers may, for example, be located in a common office, or alternatively separated from each other by great distances.
Present-day networks typically utilize technologies which are hard wired and use special-purpose cables and circuitry. For example, a local-area network (LAN) connecting computers within an office may use an Ethernet topology. In this situation, a special cable must be run from the server to each computer in the network. Such a network is also generally not easily reconfigured. If a computer needs to be added or removed from the network, the entire network must first be taken down, reconfigured, and then turned back on. No dynamic reconfiguration is usually possible; a node cannot be added or removed from the network while other nodes on the network continue to communicate with one another.
Wide-area networks (WANs) that allow communication among computers separated from one another by great distances have similar weaknesses. Rather than utilizing existing telecommunications systems, such as two data channel-one control channel systems like Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), they tend to require special, highly sophisticated cabling and circuitry. Moreover, wide-area networks typically cannot be assimilated seamlessly with local-area networks except through other special-purpose interfaces. Wide-area networks are also usually incapable of dynamic reconfiguration.
A further deficiency with present-day local-area and wide-area networks is that each computer residing on a particular network typically remains connected to the network all the time, regardless of whether the computer is communicating with another computer or not. This means that the cabling used to connect computers into a network must be dedicated solely for the purpose of networking. The line that connects a particular computer to a server in a local-area networking environment, for example, cannot be used for any other purpose. Forced constant connection to a network also becomes expensive in the situation where a user of a computer connected to such a network is charged on a per-minute basis for the connection.
There is a need, therefore, for networking technology that utilizes general-purpose lines, such as existing telecommunications systems like ISDN, instead of special-purpose cables and circuitry. There is also a need for networking technology that allows for the dynamic reconfiguration of a network, so that computers can be added to or removed from the network without disturbing existing communication among the other computers. Finally, there is a need for networking technology that enables a computer to be connected to a network only when it actually needs to communicate with another computer, instead of having to remain constantly connected to the network, and thus potentially incurring connect-time charges.
A ring-ordered dynamically reconfigurable computer network utilizes an existing communications system. A first embodiment of the invention comprises a plurality of nodes. Each node is coupled to the existing communications system by two data channels and a control channel. The network is established by each data channel of each node connecting operably to a data channel of another node, so that all the nodes are ordered in a ring. The control channel of each node is operably connected to a switch of the existing communications system. In the first embodiment a network manager establishes the network, facilitates communication among the nodes, and dynamically reconfigures the network without disturbing communication among the nodes.
In a second embodiment of the invention each node for joining a peer-to-peer ring-ordered dynamically reconfigurable computer network of a plurality of nodes utilizing an existing communications system contains a network manager, while in a third embodiment of the invention a network adaptor is used to connect a node to such a network. Both of these embodiments also have network management capability providing the option of a node connecting to the network only when it actually needs to communicate with another node.
The present invention overcomes problems found in the prior art. The nodes in the present invention connect in a ring-ordered network by utilizing an existing communications system, not special-purpose cables. The network manager of the present invention allows for dynamic reconfiguration of the network, which enables nodes to be added to or removed from the network without having to first take the entire network down. The network managers also provides for the advantage of allowing a node to connect to the network only when it actually needs to communicate with another node. Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Ring-ordered dynamically reconfigurable network using an existing communications system


A solid oxide fuel cell includes a core with an anode inlet, an anode outlet, a cathode inlet and a cathode outlet. A first heater is connected to the anode inlet of the core. A second heater is connected to the cathode inlet of the core. A reformer is connected to the first heater. A heat exchanger is connected to the second heater. A burner is connected to the reformer and the anode and cathode outlets of the core. A humidifier is connected to the reformer. A first gas supply is connected to the humidifier. A second gas supply is connected to the reformer. A third gas supply is connected to the burner. A fourth gas supply is connected to the heat exchanger.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a solid oxide fuel cell and, more particularly, to a solid oxide fuel cell that requires a limited amount of external energy.
2. Related Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 3, a conventional solid oxide fuel cell includes a core 20, a first heater 21 connected to the core 20, a reformer 22 connected to the first heater 21, a first heat exchanger 23 connected to the reformer 22, a burner 24 connected to the first heat exchanger 23 and the core 20, a second heater 25 connected to the core 20, a second heat exchanger 26 connected to the second heater 25 and the burner 24, a fuel supply 27 connected to the first heat exchanger 23, a liquid supply 28 connected to the first heat exchanger 23 and an gas supply 29 connected to the second heat exchanger 26. The core 20 includes an anode inlet, an anode outlet, a cathode inlet and a cathode outlet although not shown. The fuel supply 27 includes a fuel reservoir 271 and a flow controller 272. The liquid supply 28 includes a liquid reservoir 281, a pump 282 and a third heat exchanger 283. The gas supply 29 includes an air reservoir 291 and a flow controller 292.
Fuel is provided to the first heat exchanger 23 from the fuel supply 27 while water is provided to the first heat exchanger 23 from the liquid supply 28. The fuel and water are pre-heated in the first heat exchanger 23. Then, the fuel and water are transferred to the reformer 22 in which they are reformed. The reformed fuel is transferred to the first heater 21 in which it is heated. The reformed fuel is transferred to the core 20 through the anode inlet. Fresh air is provided to the second heat exchanger 26 from the gas supply 29. The fresh air is pre-heated in the second heat exchanger 26. Then, the fresh air is transferred to the second heater 25 in which it is heated. The fresh air is finally transferred into the core 20 through the cathode inlet. Incompletely burned fuel is transferred to the burner 24 from the core 20 through the anode outlet. The incompletely burned fuel is burned in the burner 24. Used air is transferred to the first heat exchanger 23 from the core 20 through the cathode outlet. The used air is pre-heated in the burner 24. Then, the used air is transferred to the burner 24 to help the combustion of the incompletely burned fuel. In the core 20, chemical reactions occur, thus generating electricity.
The first heater 21, the second heater 25 and the third heater 283 are heat tapes that require a lot of external energy for heating. Therefore, the efficiency of the conventional solid oxide fuel cell is low.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

Solid oxide fuel cell with recycled core outlet products

Atomic Energy Council-Institute of Nuclear Energy Research


The present invention relates to novel radiation-curing powder coating binders containing maleic and/or fumaric acid esters and one or more amorphous or partially crystalline resins containing at least one group that reacts with ethylenically unsaturated compounds under the action of actinic radiation to form a polymer. The binders have a glass transition temperature ranging from 30 to 90° C. The binders can be used as a constituent in coating compositions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel radiation-curing powder coating binders containing maleic and/or fumaric acid esters and to the use of these binders as a constituent of coating compositions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of radiation-curing pulverulent binders offers the inherent advantage over heat-curing powders that flow and curing are separately controllable. It is therefore conventional firstly to melt the applied powder coating and allow sufficient time to enable the desired flow, and then to cure the coating by means of energy-rich actinic radiation.
To be able to coat temperature-sensitive substrates as well, the melting step should be carried out at the lowest possible temperatures (≦120° C.) for the shortest possible time in order to assure a good flow of the coating composition and so as not to damage the substrate.
Radiation-curing binders are based on the chemical systems known in powder coating chemistry, such as polyesters carrying acrylic groups or polyacrylates. Urethane acrylates are used for particularly high-quality coatings.
Whereas EP-A 410 242 describes the preparation of such binders in organic solvents, DE 199 398 43 teaches the solventless preparation thereof using a high proportion of 10-95 wt. % of a crystalline component synthesized from a monoisocyanate or diisocyanate and a monohydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate.
Although very good coating properties have been obtained, the storage stability of these powder coatings is poor. The powder cakes in the grinding and sieving process, so industrial use is only possible at cooled ambient temperatures that are not practical.
WO-A 03 044 111 describes storage-resistant, pulverulent amorphous urethane acrylates which can be ground at room temperature, have no tendency to cake and have a particularly low viscosity after melting. The glass transition temperatures of these compounds are above 45° C. To obtain a good flow of the powder coating binders described, it is necessary to use melting temperatures above 120° C., which are too high for some important substrates such as certain plastics and types of wood.
The object of the invention was therefore to improve the known radiation-curing powder coating systems so that satisfactory flow properties are achieved even at melting temperatures of ≦120° C. without grindability and storage stability being adversely affected.

Radiation-curing binders containing carboxylic acid esters


A system for locating of objects in a three-dimensional space comprises: (a) an impulse radio network including at least three reference impulse radio units and at least one mobile position indicating apparatus; position information relating the impulse radio units is recorded by at least one indicating impulse radio unit; the impulse radio units are in communication; and (b) an affixing structure for affixing a respective mobile position indicating apparatus with a respective object. A respective mobile position indicating apparatus transmits an impulse radio identifying signal that is received by a receiving impulse radio unit. An indicating impulse radio unit cooperates with the receiving impulse radio unit in using the identifying signal for developing coordinate information for locating the respective mobile position indicating apparatus. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing an impulse radio network including at least three reference impulse radio units and at least one mobile position indicating apparatus; position information relating the impulse radio units is recorded by at least one indicating impulse radio unit; the impulse radio units are in communication; (b) providing an affixing structure for affixing a respective mobile position indicating apparatus with a respective object; (c) transmitting an impulse radio identifying signal from a respective mobile position indicating apparatus; (d) Receiving the identifying signal by a receiving impulse radio unit; and (e) operating an indicating impulse radio unit in cooperation with the receiving impulse radio unit to determine the location of the mobile position indicating apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to position determination in a three-dimensional space effected using impulse radio equipment and methods. Still more particularly the present invention provides a system and method for determining position of mobile units attached to objects or to people within a three-dimensional space. The locating may be carried out from mobile units, from fixed units or from a combination of mobile and fixed units.
The apparatus and method of the present invention are particularly useful for keeping track of rental equipment being used within the three-dimensional space or about to leave the three-dimensional space. Further useful application of the present invention are provision of location information for display to persons traveling about within the three-dimensional space and locating persons lost within the three-dimensional space. One example of a useful such application is persons using facilities of a ski resort. The apparatus and method of the present invention can be employed to provide location information to human operators, such as skiers, to keep from becoming lost. Perhaps most important, the compact lightweight nature of the apparatus of the present invention, and the ability to locate persons in three dimensions from mobile units (such as ski patrol or other rescue personnel) affords a ready capability to find persons buried by an avalanche in time to rescue them alive.
There is a need for a locating apparatus and method that provides lightweight, robust and reliable mobility with a capability for locating objects and people in a three-dimensional space of geographic proportions, such as a ski resort.
2. Related Art
Recent advances in communications technology have enabled an emerging, revolutionary ultra wideband technology (UWB) called impulse radio communications systems (hereinafter called impulse radio).
Impulse radio was first fully described in a series of patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,641,317 (issued Feb. 3, 1987), U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,057 (issued Mar. 14, 1989), U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,186 (issued Dec. 18, 1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,108 (issued Nov. 8, 1994) to Larry W. Fullerton. A second generation of impulse radio patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,677,927 (issued Oct. 14, 1997) to Fullerton et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,169 (issued Nov. 11, 1997) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,035 (issued Nov. 3, 1998) to Fullerton. These patent documents are incorporated herein by reference.
Uses of impulse radio systems are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/332,502, entitled, xe2x80x9cSystem and Method for Intrusion Detection Using a Time Domain Radar Array,xe2x80x9d and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/332,503, entitled, xe2x80x9cWide Area Time Domain Radar Array,xe2x80x9d both filed the same day as the present application, Jun. 14, 1999, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Basic impulse radio transmitters emit short pulses approaching a Gaussian monocycle with tightly controlled pulse-to-pulse intervals. Impulse radio systems typically use pulse position modulation, which is a form of time modulation where the value of each instantaneous sample of a modulating signal is caused to modulate the position of a pulse in time.
For impulse radio communications, the pulse-to-pulse interval is varied on a pulse-by-pulse basis by two components: an information component and a pseudo-random code component. Unlike direct sequence spread spectrum systems, the pseudo-random code for impulse radio communications is not necessary for energy spreading because the monocycle pulses themselves have an inherently wide bandwidth. Instead, the pseudo-random code of an impulse radio system is used for channelization, energy smoothing in the frequency domain and for interference suppression.
Generally speaking, an impulse radio receiver is a direct conversion receiver with a cross correlator front end. The front end coherently converts an electromagnetic pulse train of monocycle pulses to a baseband signal in a single stage. The data rate of the impulse radio transmission is typically a fraction of the periodic timing signal used as a time base. Because each data bit modulates the time position of many pulses of the periodic timing signal, this yields a modulated, coded timing signal that comprises a train of identically shaped pulses for each single data bit. The impulse radio receiver integrates multiple pulses to recover the transmitted information.
In a multi-user environment, impulse radio depends, in part, on processing gain to achieve rejection of unwanted signals. Because of the extremely high processing gain achievable with impulse radio, much higher dynamic ranges are possible than are commonly achieved with other spread spectrum methods, some of which must use power control in order to have a viable system. Further, if power is kept to a minimum in an impulse radio system, this will allow closer operation in co-site or nearly co-site situations where two impulse radios must operate concurrently, or where an impulse radio and a narrow band radio must operate close by one another and share the same band.
In some multi-user environments where there is a high density of users in a coverage area or where data rates are so high that processing gain is marginal, power control may be used to reduce the multi-user background noise to improve the number of channels available and the aggregate traffic density of the area.
Other sources of noise, or electromagnetic interference, may also interfere with efficient communication using impulse radio technology. In communicating voice messages, data messages, control messages, or other types of messages, interference causes problems by corrupting information intended to be conveyed by the transmission message.
There is a need for mitigating the effects of electromagnetic interference, or noise, in communication using impulse radio.
In particular, there is a need for mitigating the effects of electromagnetic interference having various characteristics in communication using impulse radio.
A system for locating a plurality of objects in a three-dimensional coordinate system comprises: (a) an impulse radio network including at least three reference impulse radio units and at least one mobile position indicating apparatus; position information relating the reference impulse radio units is recorded by at least one indicating reference impulse radio unit; the reference impulse radio units being in mutual communication; and (b) an affixing structure for affixing a respective mobile position indicating apparatus with a respective object. A respective mobile position indicating apparatus transmits an impulse radio identifying signal that is received by at least one receiving reference impulse radio unit. At least one indicating reference impulse radio unit cooperates with the receiving reference impulse radio unit in using the identifying signal for developing coordinate information for locating the respective mobile position indicating apparatus.
The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing an impulse radio network including at least three reference impulse radio units and at least one mobile position indicating apparatus; position information relating the reference impulse radio units is recorded by at least one indicating reference impulse radio unit; the reference impulse radio units are in mutual communication; (b) providing an affixing structure for affixing a respective mobile position indicating apparatus with a respective object; (c) transmitting an impulse radio identifying signal from a respective mobile position indicating apparatus; (d) Receiving the identifying signal by at least one receiving reference impulse radio unit; and (e) operating at least one indicating reference impulse radio unit in cooperation with the receiving reference impulse radio unit to develop coordinate information for determining the locating of the respective mobile position indicating apparatus.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for locating objects and people in a three-dimensional space that is lightweight, robust and mobile.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for locating objects and people in a three-dimensional space that may be operated from mobile or fixed sites.

Apparatus and method for locating objects in a three-dimensional space


A state saving circuit and method for using the same. The circuit comprises a first latch powered by an uninterrupted power supply, wherein the first latch includes a first pair of cross coupled inverters for storing data, and includes an input cut-off control for isolating the data in the first pair of cross coupled inverters; a second latch coupled to an output of the first latch and powered by an interruptible power supply, wherein the second latch includes a second pair of cross coupled inverters and a clock input for latching the data from the first latch to the second latch; and wherein an interruption of power to the second latch results in a state being saved in the first latch.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and more particularly to an integrated circuit having a state saving latch.
2. Related Art
With the increasing popularity of portable electronic devices, such as laptops, cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDA""s), there is a growing need for systems that can reduce power consumption in order to extend energy storage times of the device""s power supply (e.g., battery). Namely, applications that utilize CMOS integrated circuits (IC""s) require circuits that utilize a minimal amount of power and have the capability to be powered down when not in use.
Many electronic devices, including systems having custom and application specific IC""s (ASIC) feature some form of standby, sleep, or low power modexe2x80x94referred to collectively herein as sleep mode. These modes exhibit greatly reduced power dissipation by essentially disconnecting some of the logic in the device from the power supply when the logic is not required. Powering down portions of an IC cannot only be used to save power and extend battery life, but can be used in certain schemes to manage chip power in systems operating from a standard power supply.
Recovery from sleep mode generally requires returning the IC to the state it was in just prior to entering sleep mode. However, without power, storage elements in an IC will lose their stored bits of information. Accordingly, for commonly used elements, such as data latches, the stored value in the latch must be maintained when the IC is switched to sleep mode and be restored after power-up. Accordingly, a need exists for circuitry that can save the state of a latch before power-down, and restore the state of the latch after power-up.
The present invention addresses the above-mentioned problems, as well as others, by providing a circuit having a state saving mode of operation. In a first aspect, the invention provides a state saving circuit, comprising: a first latch powered by an uninterrupted power supply, wherein the first latch includes a first pair of cross coupled inverters for storing data, and includes an input cut-off control for isolating the data in the first pair of cross coupled inverters; a second latch coupled to an output of the first latch and powered by an interruptible power supply, wherein the second latch includes a second pair of cross coupled inverters and a clock input for latching the data from the first latch to the second latch; and wherein an interruption of power to the second latch results in a state being maintained in the first latch.
In a second aspect, the invention provides a method of saving a state in a circuit, comprising: providing a first latch powered by an uninterrupted power supply, wherein the first latch includes a first pair of cross coupled inverters for storing data, and includes an input cut-off control for cutting off input into the first latch; providing a second latch coupled to an output of the first latch and powered by an interruptible power supply, wherein the second latch includes a clock input for latching the data from the first latch to the second latch; inputting and storing data in the first latch; activating the input cut-off control to cut off further input into the first latch; and interrupting the power supply to the second latch.
In a third aspect, the invention provides a system having a power down mode for managing power consumption, the system having a state saving circuit, comprising: a first latch powered by an uninterruptible power supply, wherein the first latch includes a data input for receiving data and a storage circuit for storing received data; a second latch coupled to an output of the first latch and powered by an interruptible power supply, wherein the second latch includes a clock input for latching the data from the first latch to the second latch; and an input cut-off control for isolating data in the first latch by preventing further data from being inputted to the first latch, wherein the input cut-off control is activated when power to the interruptible power supply is cut off.

International Business Machines Corporation


The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide approaches for synchronizing signals in a testing system. In some embodiments, the timing signal associated with each device under test (DUT) is maintained at an integer multiple of the tester timing signal. Additionally, in other embodiments, the timing signal associated with various DUTs is used as a timing reference for other devices.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present subject matter relates generally to testing integrated circuits and more particularly to improving measurement techniques for integrated circuits.
2. Background Information
The ubiquitous presence of integrated circuits (ICs) in almost every electronic device is testament to their importance in today's society. ICs are generally manufactured in wafer form, where multiple ICs are manufactured in an array using photolithography techniques. The ICs may be tested at various stages in the manufacturing process. For example, the ICs may be tested while they are in wafer form. The ICs also may be tested after they have been packaged by providing signals to the various pins of the package and examining the output pins.
One method of providing signals to the various pins of the package includes constructing an application specific circuit board for testing purposes, often called a "load board." The load board contains the IC to be tested, sometimes referred to as a device under test. FIG. 1 depicts a group of load boards 10A-C coupled to a tester 12. Load boards 10A-C include at least one device under test (DUT) 14A-C and oscillators 16A-C. Oscillators 16A-C are coupled to the DUTs 14A-C and provide a timing signal to each DUT 14A-C. Tester 12, which also includes an oscillator 18, is capable of performing various measurements on the DUTs 14A-C. The particular functionality of the various DUTs may determine the measurements taken by the tester 12. For example, some DUTs may contain radio-frequency (RF) functionality and therefore the tester 12 may measure the spectral content of signals generated by the DUTs. Furthermore, the measurements taken by the tester 12 may include sampling signals associated with the DUTs 14A-C at discrete instants of time.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary signal 20 generated by any one of the DUTs 14A-C as well as a timing signal 22 generated by any one of the oscillators 16A-C. Timing signal 22 is shown as a digital signal having a high state and a low state. Signal 20 is shown as an analog signal having an active portion that corresponds with the high state of timing signal 22, and an inactive portion that corresponds with the low state of timing signal 22. Oscillator 18 provides tester 12 with a tester timing signal 24. In order to accurately measure signal 20, tester 12 samples signal 20 on the low-to-high transitions of the tester timing signal 24 as indicated by the upward facing arrows on timing signal 24. Measurement problems may arise if the sampling performed by tester 12 is not performed consistently during each sampling interval. For example during the high state φ1, signal 24 has one low-to-high transition, indicating one sampling of signal 20 during φ1. However during the high state φ2, signal 24 has no high-to-low transitions indicating that no sampling of signal 20 occurs during φ2. As a result, signal 20 may be sampled unevenly during successive sampling intervals causing measurement problems. Thus, a method and apparatus for synchronizing timing signals in a testing system is desirable.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing signals in a testing system


Synthetic peptides which have non-narcotic type of analgesic action which may be used in medicine and pharmacology as anesthetic anodynes according to the general formula 1 [SEQ ID NO:1] H-XDL-XDL1-XDL2-L-Lys-L-Leu-XDL3-L-Thr-R2 (I) are disclosed.

Different anesthetic preparations which are divided into narcotic (morphine and congenial structures) and non-narcotic analgesics (derivatives of salicylic acid, pyrazolone, aniline etc.) in terms of their chemical nature and mode of action are known. All the above mentioned analgesics have certain disadvantages which sharply narrow down possibilities of their application in medicine (M. D. Mashkovsky. Medicinal products, Kharkov: "Torsing" publishing house, 1997, edition 13, pp. 144-145).
The known peptide analgesics are synthetic analogs of natural enkephalins and endorphins, such as opioid peptides (Casy A. F., Parfitt A. C., Opioid analgesics: Chemistry and receptors. New York, Plenum Press, 1986, 445-502; Lierz P., Stefan Punsmann S., 2008). Their main disadvantage is that anesthetic activity is accompanied by habituation and narcotic action. Moreover, narcotic analgesics are not effective in all pain syndromes (Fallon M. When morphine does not work. Support Care Cancer. 2008 Feb. 15).
Peptide analgesics which have non-narcotic type of anesthesia not causing habituation and narcotic action are also known. Their anesthetic action is developed through non-opioid receptors and neurotransmitters. Synthetic and, more recently, recombinant calcitonins, anesthetic action of which is implemented through specific calcitonin receptors and brain serotonergic system, have gained the most widespread currency in that group (Yasushi Kuraishi/Neuropeptide action of calcitonin-analgesic effect/ in Magazine Kidney and Metabolic Bone Disease, V. 14 No 03). The most commonly used is synthetic sequence corresponding to salmon calcitonin as the most active one among all known calcitonins. Salmon calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone consisting of 32 residues of amino acids with molecular weight of 3,454.93 Dalton. Its structure represents an alpha helix (Andreotti G. et al, 2006).
Salmon calcitonin has long-term anesthetic action and presently exists in different pharmaceutical forms: in the form of spray or drops for intranasal use, oral and intramuscular administration, as well as in the form of suppositories.
However full-length calcitonins have a variety of essential disadvantages, including:
1) Hormonal activity, impact on calcium and phosphoric metabolism. In this connection calcitonins may not be used during pregnancy and labor pain relief because of possibility of teratogenic and long-term effects for the offspring.
2) Immunologic activity. Therefore, during long-term use of calcitonin, as is the case in treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, neutralizing antibodies are formed, that reduces effectiveness of use of calcitonin (Levy F et al., Formation of Neutralizing Antibodies During Intranasal Synthetic Salmon Calcitonin Treatment of Pagets Disease. 1988, 67, 3, 541-545).
3) Full-length calcitonins contain amyloidogenic sequence Gly2-Gln14 which is common for many amyloidogenic proteins (Steven S.-S. Wang1, Theresa A. Good2 and Dawn L. Rymer3).
4) The cost of full-length calcitonin synthesis and treatment with this preparation is very high. For that reason calcitonins are referred to orphan drugs which are used only when there are no alternative ways of treatment, for example, in case of Paget's disease (Maresca V. Human calcitonin in the Management of osteoporosis: A multicenter Study.—J. Int. Med. Res., 1985, 13, 311-316).
For the purpose of elimination of the specified disadvantages we have separated a fragment of salmon calcitonin which comprises 16-21 amino acids of salmon calcitonin (hereinafter referred to as CT16-21) called the "active centre" of calcitonin (G. P. Vlasov, V. R. Glushenkova, A. M. Kotin et al. (1989) "Search of Active Centre of Calcitonin", Chemistry of Peptides and Proteins 4, 89) (SEQ ID NO: 12):
16  17  18  19  20  21Leu-His-Lys-Leu-Gln-Thr
It was shown that the natural fragment of salmon calcitonin, CT16-21 peptide, has high analgesic activity in the rat formalin test which allows identifying non-narcotic type of anesthesia, whereas it does not have immunologic activity, impact on calcium metabolism and does not contain amyloidogenic sequence. Comparison with similar sequences (16-21) of human, swine, bovine and rat calcitonins revealed greater activity as opposed to the latter ones. (A. M. Kotin, G. P. Vlasov et al. (1988) "Search of "active centre" and comparative study of full-length calcitonin and sequence 16-21 of different calcitonins in various physiological tests. Abstracts of the "Peptide Physiology" symposium", Leningrad, 106).

Synthetic peptides with a non-narcotic type of analgesic effect


The present disclosure relates to kits and associated methods for converting a semi-automatic firearm into a bolt single action firearm, as well as the converted firearm itself. The kit includes a housing (e.g. upper receiver) that accommodates a bolt carrier and a charging handle and a carrier key, if desired. The housing has ends which mount to the existing lower receiver of the semi-automatic firearm to convert the semi-automatic firearm into a manual bolt-action firearm.

1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to firearms.
2. Description of Related Art
For firearm shooters, precision is paramount. Conventional semi-automatic rifles are not precise firearms even with a shooter having superior aim. When using the AR rifle as a semi-automatic firearm, the bolt begins cycle loading the next round prior to the bullet having fully left the barrel. This can cause unintended movement in a shooter's position which affects the aim of the shooter and ultimately the shooter's precision for a target. Moreover, quite commonly when shooting a semi-automatic firearm, it is a natural reaction to shoot more rounds than necessary because of the simplicity of having to just pull the trigger. The present application addresses these and other problems, as described herein.


The invention relates to a composition comprising (a) a functional promoter comprising a water-soluble anionic polymer having a molecular weight of at least about 50,000 daltons and a molecular weight charge index value of at least about 10,000; (b) a cationic surfactant component; such that when the composition treats a fibrous substrate, in conjunction with a cationic strength agent, the treated fibrous substrate exhibits (i) a ratio of wet tensile strength to dry tensile strength ranging from about 1:5 o to about 1:2 and (ii) an increase in a ratio of wet tensile strength to dry tensile strength of at least about 10%, as compared to when the fibrous substrate is treated with the functional promoter and without a surfactant. The invention also relates to a paper product made with such a system, and method for imparting wet strength to a paper product with the functional promoter.

The paper industry currently has no synthetic solution adjunctive to cationic wet strength resins which controls, and preferably improves the wet to dry strength ratio of paper. This ratio is important, as it is a measure of the softness of paper—critical in such products as tissue and towel. Anionic polymers have been shown to improve wet strength of fibrous substrates with the polyamide resin or other cationic strength agents, however, these anionic polymers also improve dry strength thereby maintaining the wet to dry ratio, not improving it. As such, it would be advantageous to develop a composition that enables a market participant to control the wet to dry strength ratio of paper.

Anionic functional promoter and charge control agent with improved wet to dry tensile strength ratio


A speaker device includes a magnetic circuit which includes a magnetic gap, a diaphragm which has a recessed part arranged in the magnetic gap and extending in a direction substantially orthogonal with respect to an extending direction of a magnetic flux in the magnetic gap, and a voice coil which is formed into an annular shape and has a first parallel part extending in one direction and a second parallel part extending in a direction in parallel with the first parallel part and opposite to the first parallel part with a constant space. Particularly, the first parallel part and the second parallel part are arranged in a direction in parallel with an extending direction of the recessed part, respectively. The first parallel part is arranged in the recessed part to be positioned in the magnetic gap, and the second parallel part is positioned above the recessed part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a configuration of a speaker device preferably usable for a mobile phone.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a Ryffel-type speaker including a rectangular diaphragm and a liner voice coil arranged at a central part of the diaphragm (see "New Edition Encyclopedia of Speakers and enclosures" Tamon Saeki, Seibundo-Shinkosha, Aug. 1, 2002, Vol. 3, P. 40, for example). The speaker having a configuration of this kind is disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open under No. 11-187484, No. 11-187485, No. 2000-350284 and No. 10-191494, which are referred to as References-1 to 4, respectively.
The speaker according to Reference-1 mainly includes two diaphragms and a magnetic circuit including two, i.e., upper and lower magnetic gaps in parallel with each other and having opposite magnetic flux directions. At substantial centers on rear surfaces of the respective diaphragms, two, i.e., upper and lower voice coils are arranged, respectively. Thereby, it is said that, even with an elongated configuration having narrow opening diameter and horizontal width, a minimum resonance frequency f0 can be low, and withstand input and a characteristic between low frequency reproduction and a sound pressure frequency can be improved.
The speaker according to Reference-2, also having the substantially same configuration as that of Reference-1, further has such a configuration that an acoustic wave of same phase is outputted from the two diaphragms. Thereby, it is said that sound interference from a rear surface can be prevented.
The speaker according to Reference-3 includes two rectangular diaphragms mainly stuck with each other on one sides to be in a dome state, and two plane voice coils provided on the other sides of the diaphragms to be arranged in magnetic gaps. Thereby, the gap width of the magnetic gap can be very small, and even if a magnet with a low price and comparatively small magnetism is used, the magnetism in the magnetic gap can be very large. Therefore, it is said that the speaker for a high frequency with high sound quality can be obtained with a low price.
The speaker according to Reference-4 mainly includes a rectangular diaphragm, a plate-shaped driving force transmission member connected with the diaphragm and inserted to the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit, a damper formed into a substantially "S" shape, and a voice coil connected with a driving force transmission member. Thereby, suppression of displacement difference in an up-and-down direction, reduction of non-linear distortion at large magnitude and low frequency reproduction can be realized. The speaker includes one or two magnetic gap(s) in which the voice coil is arranged.
Supporting methods of the voice coil at a predetermined position of the diaphragm in the speaker are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publications No. 3337631 and No. 3334842.
The speaker according to Reference-5 includes a recessed part having a U-shaped cross-section at an outer peripheral edge portion of the diaphragm in a ring state, an edge damper at an outer peripheral edge portion of the recessed part, and a cylindrical voice coil attached to the inside of the recessed part by an adhesive. The voice coil is arranged in the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit together with the recessed part and supported in a floating manner by the edge damper. Additionally, in the speaker according to Reference-6, the diaphragm has the voice coil arranged on an outer circumferential surface of a short cylindrical part provided at an end edge part of a main part formed into a semi-sphere shape.
However, the speaker device according to the above-mentioned References-1 and 2 structurally becomes thick in the vibration direction of the diaphragm, and there is such a problem that the speaker device is hardly applied to a recent mobile phone of a thin-type.