A circuit design is created in a computer memory in response to user input to a computer processor. The circuit design has a static portion. A virtual socket is instantiated in the circuit design in response to user input, and one or more reconfigurable modules are instantiated in the virtual socket in response to user input. The static portion of the circuit design is coupled to the one or more reconfigurable modules, and configuration data are generated from the circuit design. The configuration data include a configuration bitstream corresponding to the static portion of the circuit design and one or more partial configuration bitstreams corresponding to the one or more reconfigurable modules.

Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are a well-known type of programmable integrated circuit (IC) that can be programmed to perform specified logic functions. One type of PLD, the field programmable gate array (FPGA), typically includes an array of programmable tiles. These programmable tiles comprise various types of logic blocks, which can include, for example, input/output blocks (IOBs), configurable logic blocks (CLBs), dedicated random access memory blocks (BRAM), multipliers, digital signal processing blocks (DSPs), processors, clock managers, delay lock loops (DLLs), bus or network interfaces such as Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) and Ethernet and so forth.
Each programmable tile typically includes both programmable interconnect and programmable logic. The programmable interconnect typically includes a large number of interconnect lines of varying lengths interconnected by programmable interconnect points (PIPs). The programmable logic implements the logic of a user design using programmable elements that can include, for example, function generators, registers, arithmetic logic, and so forth.
The programmable interconnect and programmable logic are typically programmed by loading a stream of configuration data into internal configuration memory cells that define how the programmable elements are configured. The configuration data can be read from memory (e.g., from an external PROM) or written into the FPGA by an external device. The collective states of the individual memory cells then determine the function of the FPGA.
Partial reconfiguration has made it possible to reduce the power consumed and the size of circuits implemented on programmable ICs. Using partial reconfiguration, it is possible to dynamically change a portion of a circuit in response to changes in operating conditions, while keeping other portions of the circuit running. However, current design tools are limited to supporting the development of static designs, which are designs that have a fixed physical topology. For example, in a static design there is a one-to-one mapping between design elements and FPGA resources.
Developing partial reconfiguration designs using current tools is cumbersome and prone to error. To create a partial reconfiguration design, the designer creates a static design that contains instantiations of empty (black-box) modules to represent the reconfigurable regions. Each reconfigurable region corresponds to a portion of a configuration bitstream that implements the design, with that portion being filled (perhaps multiple times) at runtime using partial bitstreams for reconfigurable modules. For each reconfigurable region, the designer creates constraints that define a set of physical design resources in order to define the bounds of the reconfigurable region. Each reconfigurable module is an element that may occupy a reconfigurable region during runtime, with different reconfigurable modules occupying the reconfigurable region at different times. The designer creates and adds decoupling blocks to surround the reconfigurable regions. Each decoupling block ensures that a signal leaving (and on occasion, entering) a reconfigurable region takes on a known, safe, value during the "reconfiguration interval," which is the period of time when the reconfigurable module in a reconfigurable region is being replaced by another reconfigurable module. The designer creates a set of designs in which each design represents one reconfigurable module that can be inserted into the static portion of the design at run time. The designer must ensure that identical interfaces and names are maintained for all the reconfigurable modules targeted for a reconfigurable region. The reconfigurable modules and static portion of the design are synthesized independently, and the designer creates a set of configurations in which each configuration is a fully populated static design including the static portion and a reconfigurable module placed in each reconfigurable region. Special commands are used to link the reconfigurable modules to the appropriate reconfigurable regions in the different configurations.

System and method for preparing partially reconfigurable circuit designs


A support that is positioned on either a table or a tripod and holds a cue stick to either train an arm of a billiard player to move in a perfectly straight fashion or to function as a bridge. The support includes a base and a cue stick-moving portion. The base is positioned on either the table or the tripod. The cue stick-moving portion moves relative to the base and holds the cue stick to either train the arm of the billiard player to move in the perfectly straight fashion or to function as the bridge.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a training aid, and more particularly, a billiard training aid.
Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for billiard training devices have been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention.
A FIRST EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,876, Issued on Dec. 3, 1974, to Baker teaches a training aid-guide device for a pool or billiard cue, which is adapted to be easily held by a user by reason of a configuration featuring a generally rectangular elongate body having a thumb notch in one corner, a palm abutment in spaced opposition, a cue notch above the thumb notch, and a generally flat bottom edge for supporting contact with a pool or billiard table.
A SECOND EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,026, Issued on Mar. 30, 1976, to Scoutten teaches a billiard training device (e.g., for games of pool, snooker, or billiards) for simultaneously providing a visual indication of a desired point of aim for a cue ball and a desired point of contact with an object ball, to propel the latter in a predetermined desired direction. The device can be unitary in construction, with a relatively flat indicator surface at substantially one half the height of the cue ball. The indicator surface can also be of the same diameter as the cue ball, and can be provided with indicia to locate both the desired point of contact on the object ball and the desired point of aim for the cue ball. In use, the device is positioned immediately adjacent to an object ball to indicate both the desired point of contact and the point of aim. Through repeated use in practice, a player can learn both the "feel" and principle of correct aim, and thus perfect his playing ability. To facilitate visual training, the device can also be constructed of transparent material.
A THIRD EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,270, Issued on Apr. 4, 1978, to Josenhans teaches a training device for determining a theoretical point to aim a billiard ball at a billiard table cushion when attempting a bank shot.
A FOURTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,415, Issued on Oct. 13, 1992, to Zotos teaches a device including a protractor member attached to a board member at a straight edge of the protractor member. The device attaches to the rail of the table so that the straight edge of the protractor member is directly over the inside edge of the rebound cushion, and can be slid along the rail of the table from side-to-side. There are two weighted posts with draw twines attached at their tops. One of the posts is situated on the table at the exact point that the ball is presently at, while the other post is situated on the table at the exact spot that the ball is to end up after it rebounds off the cushion. Each of the twines is drawn to the center point of the straight edge of the protractor member. This creates a straight line from each post to the center point of the straight edge of the protractor member. The existence of both of these straight lines creates an angle from one post to the center point of the straight edge of the protractor member to the other post that can be seen and identified on the face of the protractor member. As the base is moved from side-to-side on the rail, this angle changes. Guide marks on the protractor member give a measurement of each line from the forward center of the protractor member referred to as the ninety degree point. The base can be moved from side-to-side until both lines are at an equal distance from the ninety degree point. A chalk basin situated on the base, at the center point of the straight edge of the protractor member, is now automatically over that point.
A FIFTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,398, Issued on Jan. 4, 1994, to Compton teaches an apparatus for use with a pool or billiard table, which includes a stick assembly and arrays of light reflectors attached to the table in parallel with the respective ball-rebounding surfaces. The stick assembly includes a stick and a laser unit connected to the stick. The laser unit includes a housing that is adjustably connected to a bracket that receives the stick. The stick can also include a spring-loaded ram assembly for striking a ball with a predetermined force that results from an amount of energy stored in a compressed spring. A trigger releases the compressed spring permitting the spring to drive the ram to strike a ball. To employ the apparatus for a straight shot, a first ball, which is to be struck by the stick, a second ball, which is to be struck by the first ball, and a target location, such as a pocket, are selected by a player. For the straight shot, as the first ball is struck by the stick, the stick, an aimed light beam, the first ball, the second ball, and the target location are maintained in alignment. To employ the apparatus for a bank shot, a light reflector array is positioned parallel to a ball-rebounding side of the table. For the bank shot, as the first ball is struck by the stick, the stick, the aimed light beam, the first ball, a light reflector, the second ball, and the target location are maintained in alignment.
A SIXTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,319, Issued on Oct. 17, 2000, to Schluter teaches a billiards training apparatus used in training a user to properly strike a cue ball. The apparatus includes a housing having a front face. The housing is coupled to a striking platform extending a length from the housing. An elongated striker is held in position by at least one support element. The elongated striker has a striking end and a terminal end. Further, the striking end extends out from the front face of the housing and is positioned parallel to the striking platform. At least one lateral movement sensing element is electronically coupled to at least one visual indicia element. The elements are lights in one embodiment of the invention. The elongated striker is positioned to be struck in-line by a cue. The lateral movement sensing element alerts the user to any non-linear movement of the cue relative to the striker.
A SEVENTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 7,658,680, Issued on Feb. 9, 2010, to Malak teaches a cue ball aiming or training device for learning to aim a cue ball to an object ball to drive the object ball in a desired direction. The aiming device provides an indication of the true point of aim for directing a cue ball to an object ball to drive the object ball in a desired direction. In use, the aiming device is positioned on top of the object ball and has a direction indicator to point to the desired intended direction of the object ball and a strike point indicator to identify the true point of aim for the cue ball.
AN EIGHTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 8,523,693, Issued on Sep. 3, 2013, to Nelson teaches a methodology and technology of two billiard balls. Each ball includes nine one quarter inch (¼″) lines scribed 360°. The lines are scaled to diamonds on rails of a billiard table. With the aid of the diamonds and lines, it becomes simple for a user and spectators to recognize the type of shot. The training balls provide a tool for improving a user's shot.
A NINTH EXAMPLE, U.S. Patent Office Document No. 2005/0009613, Published on Jan. 13, 2005, to Davis teaches a billiard trainer for promoting accuracy and consistency in contacting an object ball with a cue ball to effect a desired path for the object ball and a resultant path and position for the cue ball. The trainer includes an alignment body supported above the object ball, an object ball laser projecting a forward beam that is positioned on the desired path along a longitudinal axis, an impact indicating laser downwardly projecting a contact line along the object ball for indicating a contact point for the cue ball, a light unit for projecting a ghost ball image on the longitudinal axis at the contact point for indicating the impact position for the cue ball, and a pair of transverse lasers for projecting lateral beams to indicate and reference post impact cue ball position.
It is apparent now that numerous innovations for billiard training devices have been provided in the prior art that adequate for various purposes. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, accordingly, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


The present invention discloses wireless communication method and wireless communication apparatus. Provided is an electronic equipment for a first communication apparatus of a wireless communication system, comprising: a number of antenna sub-arrays, each sub-array comprising a plurality of antennas, each column or row in the sub-array corresponding to one input terminal; a plurality of groups of first direction phase shifter, wherein the first direction phase shifters in each group are disposed between the input terminal of the corresponding sub array and a radio frequency chain, wherein each group of the plurality of groups of first direction phase shifters is configured to adjust a first direction angle of an antenna wave beam for transmitting a corresponding radio frequency chain signal in a first direction in accordance with a first control signal.

Recently, Massive Multi-Input Multi-Output (MIMO) technique and Millimeter Wave technique have been considered as a part of critical 5G technology in the future, and have attracted wide attentions from the academia and industry. The Millimeter Wave band has a large amount of available spectrum resources to meet growing traffic demands of mobile communications. In addition, due to short wavelength of the millimeter wave, according to the related antenna theory, sizes of antennas for a millimeter wave system are small, so that hundreds or even thousands of antennas can be arranged in a small space, which is more advantageous for usage of a large-scale antenna technology in a real system. In addition, a beamforming technology provided by large-scale antennas can effectively compensate for shortcoming of millimeter-wave channel paths attenuating excessively, which makes it possible to apply the millimeter-wave technology to mobile communications.
Full Dimension Multiple Output Multiple Output (Full Dimension MIMO, FD-MIMO) antenna technology, also be referred to as Uniform Planar Array antenna technology, is also one of hot spots attracting attentions from the industry. Compared with traditional linear antenna arrays, FD-MIMO can deploy more antennas in a limited space, thereby improving performances of spatial diversity and multiplexing. In the existing 3GPP standardization work, a two-dimensional planar antenna array (or be referred as full-dimensional MIMO, FD-MIMO) has become one of core technologies of a future 5G standard. In a Massive MIMO scenario, especially in a FD-MIMO scenario, how to reduce hardware complexity while ensuring antenna transmission performance has become a research focus of the industry.

Wireless communication method and wireless communication apparatus


A robot for use in vacuum chambers is disclosed. The robot may be mounted within an oblong transfer chamber and may be translated within the transfer chamber by an umbilical arm operating in conjunction with a linear motion guide and carriage. Motors or drive systems for the robot may be housed in atmospheric conditions, and the transfer chamber may be kept at a vacuum. The robot may include one or more arms configured for wafer handling. The robot may include one or more motors or drive systems and a multi-axial seal to realize independent extension/retraction of each arm and overall simultaneous rotation of the arm assembly.

Different types of tools are used to perform hundreds of processing operations during semiconductor device fabrication. Most of these operations are performed in process chambers at very low pressure, i.e., in a vacuum or partial vacuum. Such process chambers may be arranged about a central hub, and the hub and process chambers may be kept at substantially the same very low pressure. Wafers may be introduced to the process chambers by wafer handling systems that are mechanically coupled to the process chambers. The wafer handling systems transfer wafers from the factory floor to the process chamber. The wafer handling systems may include loadlocks to bring the wafers from atmospheric conditions to very low pressure conditions and back, and robots to transfer the wafers to various positions. Wafer handling systems may utilize robots which operate outside of the vacuum environment, e.g., robots which operate in the ambient factory floor environment, and robots which operate within the very low pressure environment, e.g., vacuum, of the process chambers. Throughput—the number of wafers that is processed in a period of time—is affected by the process time, the number of wafers that are processed at a time, as well as timing of the steps to introduce the wafers into the vacuum process chambers.
Conventional transfer chambers typically feature one or more robotic manipulators that are configured to rotate about a fixed point in the center of a generally circular transfer chamber. A plurality of process chambers may be connected to ports located about the periphery of this circular transfer chamber (the exterior of the transfer chamber may be octagonal or otherwise faceted to provide flat mounting surfaces for mounting the process chambers to the transfer chamber. Due to various factors, e.g., wafer size, process chamber size, and available factory floor space, the number of process chambers (and/or other chambers, e.g., loadlocks) that may be connected to a typical transfer module for a 300 mm wafer process may be limited to, for example, eight chambers—two of which are typically reserved for use by load locks. The number of available mounting locations for process and other chambers at larger wafer sizes, e.g., 450 mm wafers, may, due to common industry floor space constraints and other factors, be reduced to four or six chambers.
In some cases, two conventional transfer chambers may be connected together in an "8" configuration. This may increase the number of available facets for mounting chambers to the transfer chambers, but some of the facets may be blocked from use due to the presence of the additional transfer chamber or because the facets are used to connect the transfer chambers to each other. In such figure-8 configurations, two robot arm assemblies are used, one in each chamber, and the robot arms must pass wafers off to one another in order to move wafers between the transfer chambers.

Vacuum robot with linear translation carriage


A splicing device includes a drive device configured to cause a pressing surface of a first pressing member and a pressing surface of a second pressing member to reciprocate relatively towards and away from each other through a series of actions and a control device configured to stop temporarily the series of actions of the drive device in a pressing state where the first pressing member and the second pressing member press a first splicing tape and a second splicing tape against a first carrier tape and a second carrier tape through the series of actions of the drive device.

Generally, in an electronic component mounter, a reel on which a carrier tape storing multiple electronic components (hereinafter, referred to simply as "components") at regular intervals is wound is loaded into a tape feeder. Then, by driving a sprocket engaging with feeding holes in the carrier tape, the carrier tape is fed out by a constant amount to sequentially supply components to a component supply position where the components are picked up by a suction nozzle to be mounted on a board.
In this type of electronic component mounter, when the remaining number of components stored on one reel is small, so-called splicing is performed in a splicing device in which a leading end of a carrier tape (hereinafter, referred to as a "second carrier tape") wound around a separate reel storing the same type of component is connected to a tail end of a carrier tape (hereinafter, referred to as a "first carrier tape") where the remaining number of stored components is small by using a splicing tape.
For example, in a splicing device described in Patent Literature 1, a first carrier tape and a second carrier tape are fed in directions in which the first and second carrier tape move toward each other from both sides of the splicing device, and a tail end of the first carrier tape and a leading end of the second carrier tapes are positioned in a splicing position. Then, a front surface splicing tape and a rear surface splicing tape are pressed against a front surface and a rear surface, respectively, of the terminating end of the first carrier tape and the initiating end of the second carrier tape which are positioned in the splicing position to be affixed to each other while extending over the relevant ends of the first and second carrier tapes by a cam drive mechanism.


A flexible lead screw and motor combination is provided that attaches to the body and has the ability to move body parts. The invention contains at least one motor actuated cincture screw that transfers torque over an articulating joint of the body. A high torque motor is mounted on a suitable location of the body, on one side of the articulating joint to be moved. The motor is attached, through a cable having an externally threaded cincture, to an internally threaded guide bushing mounted to a body location on the opposite side of the articulating joint. In certain mounting locations, the cable routing will be redirected by guide rings before entering the guide bushing. Activation of the motor rotates the cable and, depending on the threads and the direction of rotation chosen, either pulls the threaded guide bushing toward, or away from the motor. Thus, the joint lying between the attached motor and attached guide bushing can be either closed or opened.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to motion transfer and, more specifically, to a device for robotically moving parts of the body by the high speed transfer of torque through flexible screw-like cinctures.
2. Background information
U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,369, (369) issued to the instant inventor, teaches the use of a flexible lead screw device that provides motion transfer around corners without loss of propagated torque. The disclosure of 369, incorporated herein by reference, required hinged attachment of at least one articulating member to a support platform. A high torque motor, also mounted on the platform, was connected to the articulating member via a cable. The cable had at least one externally threaded cincture which engaged a threaded guide bushing attached to the articulating member. The articulating member thereby rotated about its hinged attachment in accordance with rotation, by the motor, of the cable and threaded cincture. By utilizing multiple members hingedly attached to the articulating member, and having a predetermined threaded engagement of the cable, cincture, and guide bushing connections, the device could move all the members according to the rotational output of the motor.
The disclosure of 369 used an artificial hand prosthesis as an example of the application of multiple articulating members. There exists a need for a device that performs analogously to the artificial hand prosthesis, but acts directly on the body.
While the connection of a guide bushing to each articulating member, and the use of multiple threaded cinctures, works well on an artificial prosthesis, the problems encountered in applying this device to a hand, or other body part, become apparent.


Provided is an adaptive front light system (AFLS) for a vehicle. The AFLS comprising one or more light-emitting diode (LED) lamp units and a housing which accommodates the LED lamp units, wherein each of the LED lamp units comprises one or more LEDs as its light source and a reflector which reflects light emitted by the light source so that the reflected light can be directed forward, and said adaptive front light system is operable to form different beam patterns by selectively turning on or off the lamp units, and wherein one or more reflectors of the lamp units comprise a multi-face reflector including a plurality of cells having different curvature radiuses or focal points.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adaptive front light system (AFLS) for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an AFLS having light-emitting diodes (LED) lamp units, which can generate various beam patterns according to various driving circumstances such as road conditions and weather conditions, by selectively turning on or off the LED lamp units according to the road or weather conditions to emit a hot beam, a middle beam, a spread beam and a high beam.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles are generally equipped with various headlights for improving driver's field of vision at night and for indicating the presence of vehicle on a road. Conventional headlights for vehicles include a halogen lamp or a high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp as a light source. The headlights also include a reflector which reflects light emitted from a light source forward. The reflector may include a coating layer which is deposited on the surface of the reflector and is formed of a highly-reflective material such as aluminum or silver powder.
In order to improve driver's field of vision in various driving conditions, an adaptive front light system (AFLS) has been introduced. AFLS is a system for varying the width and length of headlight beams according to driving conditions, road conditions, and other environmental conditions. For example, AFLS may provide additional illumination while cornering at low speed or prevent glare by adjusting the brightness of headlamps.
Conventionally, in order to fully the advantages provided by AFLS, projection-type headlamps have been designed to include a rotation axial member which is connected to a motor and a shield which is attached to the rotation axial member to project various beam patterns by being rotated along with the rotation axial member. Such projection-type headlamps, however, cause electromagnetic waves since the use a motor is required. Further, since additional control equipment is also required, it is difficult to fabricate the headlamps which results in increasing the manufacturing cost.
Conventional reflector-type headlamps generally have insufficient space therein to accommodate a number of reflectors that are needed to various beam patterns. In addition, the conventional reflector-type headlamps only provide some of the functions of AFLS merely by increasing the height of beams or tilting beams using a motor.

Adaptive front light system using LED headlamp


A process for deodorizing edible oil in a plant includes generating a vacuum in the plant and filling a degassing stage with edible oil which passes through the degassing and separating stages in succession and is treated concurrently with stripping steam; and heating the batch in the separating stages of the stripping column's upper section to 150 to 180° C., middle section to 230 to 260° C., and cooling the lower section to 90 to 120° C.; scrubbing and condensing vapors departing from the separating stages of the upper and lower sections with fatty acid to get mixed fatty acid distillate; indirectly heating a batch in a first separating stage in the stripping column middle section; and condensing that batch from separation stages vapors of the stripping column middle section and fractionating selectively into a first and second fatty acid phase, respectively rich and poor in sterols and tocopherols.

The technical deodorization of edible oil is performed both in a semi-continuous and in a fully continuous operation. In the semi-continuous operation, a distillation column is divided into at least five stages to be shut off against each other, which have a capacity of 5 to 8, preferably 7 t per stage. Each stage is equipped with a heating or cooling coil and supply conduits for injection steam (stripping steam). The stages have a common vapor discharge conduit, which is connected to a vacuum generating conduit via a vapor scrubber. By heating with high-pressure steam, a temperature of 240 to 260° C. is adjusted in the distillation column at a vacuum of 1.3 to 2.6 mbar and at a retention time of 20 to 40 min per stage, in dependence on the operating temperature. The flow of the edible oil through the distillation column is controlled automatically according to specified retention times. The batch of edible oil to be treated is supplied to the first stage, in which degassing and in part heating takes place. Thereupon, the edible oil passes into the second stage in which it is brought to the temperature of 240 to 260° C., at these temperatures flows through the third and fourth stages, and then passes into the fifth stage acting as cooling stage, in which cooling down to a temperature of about 100° C. is effected. The vapors discharged from the stages are collected in the vapor discharge conduit and passed into a vapor scrubber in which the vapors are constantly washed with circulating and sprayed fatty acid. In the vapor scrubber, the major part of the entrained organic substances is accumulated in a mixture of free fatty acids, sterols and tocopherols. The deodorized edible oil is withdrawn from the bottom of the stage acting as cooling stage (Singer, M.: Gewinnung und Verarbeitung der pflanzlichen Fette und Ole; Verlag für chemische Industrie, H. Ziolkowsky K G, Augsburg 1992, pp. 234-238). The disadvantage of this process consists in that the fatty acid obtained during the deodorization cannot be condensed in pure-grade form.

AIR LIQUIDE GLOBAL E&C SOLUTIONS GERMANY GMBH


The invention relates to a lithograph for producing digital holograms in a storage medium (4), having a light source (6, 10) for producing a write beam (12) with a predefined beam cross section, having a writing lens (14) for focusing the write beam (12) onto the storage medium (4) to be written, the writing lens (14) being arranged in a lens holder (16), and having drive means for the two-dimensional movement of the write beam relative to the storage medium. The technical problem of writing computer-generated holograms as quickly as possible and with little effort by means of optical lithography is solved in that a first drive device (18) is provided for moving the lens holder (16) substantially at right angles to the write beam (12) and in that the aperture of the writing lens (14) is smaller than the beam cross section of the write beam (12).

The present invention relates to a lithograph for producing digital holograms in a storage medium. In particular, the lithograph has a light source for producing a write beam with a predefined beam cross section, a writing lens for focusing the write beam onto the storage medium to be written, the writing lens being arranged in a lens holder, and having drive means for the two-dimensional movement of the write beam relative to the storage medium. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of producing digital holograms in a storage medium.
Digital holograms are two-dimensional holograms which consist of individual points with different optical properties and from which, when illuminated with a coherent electromagnetic wave, in particular a light wave, images and/or data are reproduced by means of diffraction in transmission or reflection. The different optical properties-of the individual points can be reflective properties, for example as a result of surface topography, varying optical path lengths in the material of the storage medium (refractive indices) or color values of the material.
The optical properties of the individual points are calculated by a computer, and this thus involves what are known as computer-generated holograms (CGH). With the aid of the focused write beam, during the writing of the hologram the individual points of the hologram are written into the material, the focus being located in the region of the surface or in the material of the storage medium. In the region of the focus, focusing has the effect of a small area of action on the material of the storage medium, so that a large number of points of the hologram can be written on a small area. The optical property of the respectively written point in this case depends on the intensity of the write beam. For this purpose, the write beam is scanned in two dimensions over the surface of the storage medium with varying intensity. The modulation of the intensity of the write beam is in-this case carried out either via internal modulation of the light source, for example a laser diode, or via external modulation of a write beam outside the light source, for example with the aid of optoelectronic elements. Furthermore, the light source can be formed as a pulsed laser whose pulse lengths can be controlled, so that control of the intensity of the write beam can be carried out via the pulse lengths.
As a result of the scanning of the intensity-modulated write beam, an area with an irregular point distribution is thus produced, the digital hologram. This can be used to identify and individualize any desired objects.
Scanning lithographic systems are intrinsically widespread. For example, scanning optical systems are incorporated in conventional laser printers. However, these systems cannot be used for the-production of holograms, since the requirements for this intended application differ considerably from those in laser printers. In the case of good printing systems, the resolution is around 2500 dpi while, in the production of holograms, a resolution of about 25 000 dpi is required. In addition, in digital holography, only comparatively small areas are written. These are, for example, 1 to 5 mm2, other sizes also being possible. The accuracy of the write pattern in the case of a lithograph for the production of digital holograms of, for example, 1000×1000 points on an area-of 1×1 mm2 must be about ±0.1 μm in both orthogonal directions. Furthermore, the writing speed should be about 1 Mpixel/s, in order that in each case a hologram can be written in a time of about 1 s. The aforementioned magnitudes are exemplary and do not constitute any restriction of the invention.
Digital holograms can be produced by means of conventional scanning methods, in which the angle of the incident beam is varied by stationary optics. For example, scanning mirror lithographs with galvanometer and polygonal scanners operate on this principle. However, scanners of this type have the disadvantage that the implementation of this principle entails a great deal of optical and mechanical effort. This fact places tight limits on the maximization of the speed and the resolution of optical lithographs, since, for this purpose, objectives are needed which permit a large field angle and convert the deflection angle, preferably linearly, into an x deflection in the focal plane of the objective ("F-theta" objectives). Moreover, the objectives used have to be corrected with regard to the image curvature ("flat field" objectives), so that complicated multi-part optics have to be used which are an obstacle to a compact configuration of the lithograph. Furthermore, complex optics of this type place great demands on the mechanics of the lithograph, since the latter have to move a relatively large mass. This also results from the fact that it is not possible to select arbitrarily small scanning mirrors, since the aperture of the optical system always determines the resolution as well.
However, scanning optical systems are also known in which the scanning movement is not achieved via a moving beam but via moving optics. However, the scanning speeds and accuracies of the positioning of the write beam which permit a predefined point pattern of the digital hologram to be maintained for the writing speeds to be achieved are not achieved here either.

Lithograph with moving lens and method of producing digital holograms in a storage medium

Abstract: The inventon also relates to a method for the lithographic production of a hologram in a storage medium.


A multilayer flexible substrate includes a first structural layer including at least one resin sheet including an insulating layer, a wiring conductor provided on a principal surface of the insulating layer, and filled vias disposed in the insulating layer; and a second structural layer provided on a principal surface of a portion of the first structural layer and including at least one resin sheet including an insulating layer, a wiring conductor provided on a principal surface of the insulating layer, and a filled via provided in the insulating layer. The multilayer flexible substrate includes rigid regions and a flexible region that is more flexible than the rigid regions. In the multilayer flexible substrate, the filled via disposed in the flexible region has a higher porosity than the filled via disposed in the second structural layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer flexible substrate including two types of different regions: a rigid region and a flexible region that is more flexible than the rigid region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Increasingly downsized electronic devices, such as notebook personal computers and cellular phones, are requiring thin, flexible mounting boards to optimize limited mounting spaces. Such a mounting board is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-183526. With reference to FIG. 3, a multilayer wiring board 100 disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-183526 includes a laminate 103 including insulating substrates 101 and wires 102 alternately stacked, through-holes 104 disposed in the insulating substrates 101, and filled vias formed by filling the through-holes 104 with a conductor 105. The wires 102 are electrically connected to each other through the filled vias. The laminate 103 includes a bending portion 106 formed by partially reducing the thickness of the laminate 103.
The multilayer wiring board 100 includes a structure including rigid portions located at both ends of the multilayer wiring board 100 and the bending portion 106, which connects these two portions and is flexible. In this structure, the rigid portions are referred to as "rigid regions" and the bending portion 106, which connects the two rigid portions, is referred to as a "flexible region". A substrate having such a structure is referred to as a "multilayer flexible substrate". A multilayer flexible substrate is a type of circuit board.
When manufacturing such a multilayer flexible substrate, wires have been connected to each other through the same filled vias disposed in rigid regions and a flexible region. However, when the filled vias are disposed in the flexible region, there is a problem in that flexibility sufficient to bend the multilayer flexible substrate is not achieved because the filled vias reduce the flexibility of the flexible region.


A toner for developing an electrostatic image is disclosed. The toner contains an amount of not less than 0.1% by weight of an element selected from elements of the Groups of 1B, 2B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8, 3A and 4A of the fourth and fifth periodic of the long periodic table of the elements, and the isolation ratio of the element is not more than 10% by number.

Generally, in an electrophotographic method utilized for image formation by a copying machine, a static charge is uniformly formed on the surface of a photoreceptor having a photoreceptive layer composed of a photoconductive material. Then a electrostatic image corresponding to the image to be formed is made on the surface of the photoreceptor by imagewise exposing to light. The electrostatic image is developed by a developer to form a toner image. The toner image is transferred to a recording medium such as paper and fixed.
Many characteristics are required to the developer to be used for the electrophotographic method. For example, a coloring ability, suitable electrostatic, thermal, mechanical and chemical properties, a suitable fluidity, an anti-blocking property and a powder property relating to the particle size distribution are required to the toner in the developer. The toner is comprised of a binder resin and a complex fine particle which is composed of a colorant and various materials for satisfying such the requirements.
When the image forming operation are repeatedly performed using such the developer, it is often observed that a charge providing member such as a carrier and a blade for forming a thin layer of developer was contaminated by a part of the materials constituting the toner, with the result that the static property of the toner is changed and a bad influence is occurred on the image quality. However, the material contaminating the charge providing member is various since the toner is constituted with various kinds of material. Accordingly, any simple relation cannot be found between the amount of the contaminating material and the variation of the charging property. As a result of that, effective countermeasure cannot be taken in the present condition.

Toner and developer for developing electrostatic image and image forming method


A speed reducer comprises a transmission shaft, an eccentric wheel, a first wheel assembly, a rotating wheel and a second wheel assembly. The first wheel assembly comprises a first wheel disc and at least one first roller. The at least one first roller is disposed on the inner wall of first wheel disc. The rotating wheel comprises a main body comprising an outer ring structure and a concave structure. The outer ring structure comprises at least one first tooth. The at least one first tooth is in contact with the corresponding first roller. At least one second roller is disposed within the concave structure. The second wheel assembly comprises a second wheel disc and at least one second tooth. The at least one second tooth is disposed on an outer periphery of the second wheel assembly. The at least one second tooth is in contact with the corresponding second roller.

Generally, a motor is operated at a high speed and a low torsion force. In other words, it is difficult for the motor to drive a large-sized load. For allowing the motor to drive a heavy object, a speed reducer is used for reducing the rotating speed of the motor and increasing the torsion force.
Conventionally, the speed reducers are classified into several types, including RV reducers, harmonic drive reducers and cycloid speed reducers. For example, the RV-E series reducer is a two-stage speed reducer produced by Nabtesco. The RV-E series reducer comprises a first speed reduction stage with a spur gear reduction mechanism and a second speed reduction stage with a differential gear reduction mechanism. The gears of the first speed reduction stage and the second speed reduction stage are made of metallic material. The RV-E series reducer is a two-stage reduction design to reduce vibration and inertia while increasing the reduction ratio. The RV-E series reducer provides high-end performance in highly rigidity and high reduction ratio configurations, and the rolling contact elements of the RV-E series reducer have high efficiency and long life. However, since the RV-E series reducer has larger volume and weight and has many components to be assembled, the cost of the RV-E series reducer is high.
The harmonic drive reducer comprises a wave generator, a flexible element (e.g., a flexible spline) and a rigid gear. The elastic deformation of the flexible element can be controlled to result in a pushing action so as to transmit motion and power of mechanical transmission. The harmonic drive reducer has smaller size, lighter weight and higher precision when compared with the RV reducer. However, since the rigidity of the flexible element of the harmonic drive reducer is lower than the metallic element, the harmonic drive reducer is unable to withstand high impact and has a problem of causing teeth difference friction. In other words, the use life of the harmonic drive reducer is shorter. Moreover, since the input speed of the harmonic drive reducer is not high and limited, the reduction ratio of the harmonic drive reducer is lower.
Conventionally, a cycloid speed reducer comprises an eccentric shaft and two cycloid wheels. Each of the two cycloid wheels comprises a plurality of teeth. Moreover, the two cycloid wheels are linked with a power input shaft and a power output shaft, respectively. During operations of the cycloid speed reducer, one cycloid wheel is rotated with the power input shaft through the eccentric shaft, and the power output shaft is rotated with the other cycloid wheel. Through the corresponding teeth, the two cycloid wheels are correspondingly rotated. The conventional cycloid speed reducer has many benefits such as high transmission ratio, compact structure, high loading capability and high transmission efficiency. However, the conventional cycloid speed reducer still has some drawbacks. For forming the teeth, it is necessary to form a concave structure in a surface of the main body of the cycloid wheel. Then, the concave structure is machined to form inner teeth. As known, it is difficult to machine the teeth.
For overcoming the above drawbacks, there is a need of providing a cycloid speed reducer with the characteristics of a RV reducer and a harmonic drive reducer and capable of achieving high reduction ratio. Moreover, the teeth can be machined more easily.


A quadrature modulator including two mixers to which two carrier signals are applied and to each of which a modulating signal is applied, output signals of the mixers being applied to a combiner to constitute a modulated signal. A defect estimator for the modulator detects a first signal representative of the instantaneous power of the modulated signal, generates a second signal representative of a reference envelope obtained from the modulating signals, and corrects the amplitude of one of the first and second signals in accordance with the mean amplitude difference observed between this amplitude corrected signal and the other signal. A processor supplies from the observed amplitude difference between the amplitude corrected signal and the other signal, at least one signal relating to the defect.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of transmitters of signals with 2.sup.n phase states obtained by phase shift keying with M states or by amplitude and phase modulation with M states.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The invention is more precisely concerned with a malfunction estimator for a quadrature modulator including two mixers to which two carrier signals are applied and to each of which a modulating signal is applied, the output signals of the mixers being applied to a combiner to constitute a modulated signal. The carriers signals are in principle in phase quadrature and are either intermediate frequency signals or carrier frequency signals.
The invention concerns an estimator that can be used in a control loop to modify the phase difference between the carrier signals (quadrature estimator) and/or to eliminate residual unmodulated carrier signals in the modulated signal (residual carrier estimator) and/or to modify the amplitude of the output signals of the mixers (balance estimator for estimating the relative amplitude of the two channels). The invention is of particular benefit in monitoring a modulator stage operating in a wide band of frequencies and for high order modulation (high values of n).
In the case of modulation with 2.sup.n phase states, if a Cartesian coordinate type representation in a signal space is required, the phase states can be uniformly distributed relative to axes corresponding to orthogonal carrier signals X and Y. There is obtained in this way a constellation that corresponds to the vector representation of the carrier signal states whose projections on the X and Y axes give the coordinates of the end of the vector represented.
However, a constellation can be off-center and/or phase-shifted relative to these axes, which degrades transmitter performance.
FIG. 1 shows a modulator stage of a prior art transmitter of signals with 2.sup.n phase states. A stage of this type is described in French patent No. 2 641 923 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,037).
Two modulating signals X and Y to be transmitted to a receiver are applied to digital/analog converters 10 and 11 the outputs of which are respectively connected to inputs of variable gain amplifiers 12 and 13 that receive on another input two control voltages V1 and V2. The output signals X, Y of the amplifiers 12 and 13 constitute signals that are applied to two mixers 14 and 15 each receiving on their other port a carrier signal P1, P2, these carrier signals in principle having a relative phase of 90.degree.. This relative phase angle can be adjusted by means of a voltage V3 applied to a variable 90.degree. phase-shifter 16 receiving a carrier signal P from a local oscillator, like the mixer 15. The output signals of the mixers 14 and 15 are applied to a combiner 17 supplying a modulated signal SM to be transmitted with 2.sup.n phase states. The signal SM can be an intermediate frequency signal or a microwave frequency signal.
FIG. 2 shows the constellation of the signal SM. This signal corresponds to that of an ideal QPSK (Quaternary Phase Shift Keying) signal.
The crosses, corresponding to transmitted symbols, represent the various phase states of the signal SM. The constellation is centered, i.e. the projections of the vectors corresponding to the various states onto the X and Y axes are in pairs with the same amplitude and opposite phase.
However, the phase quadrature relationship of the carrier signals applied to the FIG. 1 mixers may not be strictly complied with, these carrier signals then having a relative phase of 90.degree..+-..alpha., where .alpha. corresponds to an unwanted angular offset. If any such angular offset exists, the constellation of the signal SM is as shown in FIG. 3, for example.
A quadrature error is due to a time-delay either between the carrier signal access paths or between the two modulated carrier signals. The quadrature error depends on the frequency of the carrier signal. The quadrature error renders the constellation asymmetrical which degrades the qualities of the transmission link between the transmitter equipped with the modulator stage and a receiver receiving the signal SM. The voltage V3 is used to compensate the quadrature error.
FIG. 4 shows a QPSK constellation of a signal SM from a modulator stage suffering from asymmetry of its mixers. Asymmetry of the mixers causes residual unmodulated carrier signals in the modulated signal and the energy is unequally distributed. The voltages V1 and V2 are modified to remedy this.
The function of a residual carrier signal estimator is to provide a signal for eliminating these carrier signals in the modulated signal. Conventionally, if the carrier signals are microwave (direct modulation) signals, the cooperation of the estimator and of the modulator eliminates the carrier in the transmitted signal. The device is then a carrier elimination device.
Generally speaking, residual carrier signals in the modulated signal gives rise to a line at the frequency of the carrier signals at the center of the modulated spectrum. This can be caused by:
an imbalance of the mixers, allowing a fraction of the carrier signals to pass for a modulating signal of 0 volt; PA1 defective isolation of the mixer outputs from the local oscillator. PA1 as the processing is digital, a limitation is imposed by the maximal operating frequency of the microprocessor; correction of the constellation therefore takes some time; PA1 the quantizing of the modulated signal SM by the analog-digital converter leads to a lack of precision and it is not possible to effect a very fine adjustment of the quadrature, for example; PA1 the cost of analog-digital and digital-analog converters increases with the digital bit rate; PA1 its implementation is complex; PA1 it is designed to operate at a given digital bit rate, at a given carrier frequency and for a given type of generator. PA1 means for detecting the instantaneous power of the modulated signal; PA1 means for multiplying the detected instantaneous power by at least one of the modulating signals; PA1 means for integrating the result of this multiplication, the integrator means supplying a signal indicative of the malfunction of the modulator. PA1 means for detecting a first signal representative of the instantaneous power of said modulated signal; PA1 means for generating a second signal representative of a reference envelope obtained from said modulating signals; PA1 means for correcting the amplitude of one of said first and second signals in accordance with the mean amplitude difference observed between this amplitude corrected signal and the other signal; and PA1 processing means supplying, from the observed amplitude difference between said amplitude corrected signal and said other signal, at least one signal relating to said defect.
The patent mentioned above describes an estimator for preserving a constellation of the SM signal like that shown in FIG. 2.
The estimator described in the above patent application is of the digital type and takes account of the modulating signals X and Y and the modulated signal SM. The modulated signal SM is subjected to amplitude detection and is digitized for comparison with the signals X and Y. A microprocessor controls counters-downcounters followed by digital-analog converters the outputs of which constitute the control voltages V1 through V3.
However, the above estimator has a number of drawbacks:
French patent No. 2 729 261 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,691) describes a quadrature modulator malfunction estimator including two mixers to which two carrier signals are applied and to each of which a modulating signal is applied, the output signals of the mixers being applied to a combiner to constitute a modulated signal. This estimator includes:
If the modulator malfunction is residual carrier signals in the modulated signal, the multiplier means multiply the instantaneous power by each of the modulating signals to supply, after integration, two signals representative of the residual carrier signals in the modulated signal.
If the modulator malfunction is a quadrature error between the signals from the mixers, the multiplier means multiply the detected instantaneous power by the modulating signals to supply, after integration, a signal representative of the relative phase of the signals from the mixers.
One of the problems with the estimators described in the above patent application is that there convergence times to obtain an accurate estimate are long. In other words, the integration times are long.
Nor is there any provision for estimating the imbalance of the modulator. Accordingly, a constellation like that shown in FIG. 5, which is a constellation of a QPSK modulated signal from a modulator with imbalance (amplitude difference between the X and Y channels) cannot be corrected.
One object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks.
To be more precise, one object of the invention is to provide a fast estimator for estimating a malfunction of a quadrature modulator, the malfunction being residual carrier signals in the modulated signal or a quadrature error between the signals from the mixers or an imbalance. It must be possible to use the estimator in a quadrature modulator operating in a wide band of frequencies.

Quadrature modulator malfunction estimator and modulator stage using it

Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale D'Electricite


Disclosed herein are methods of making a negative pattern of carbon nanotubes or a polymerized carbon nanotube composite having an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) by modifying the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes with polymerizable functional groups such as oxirane and anhydride groups and subjecting the surface-modified carbon nanotubes either to a photolithography process or to a heatcuring process. By virtue of the present invention, desired patterns of carbon nanotubes can be easily made on the surfaces of various substrates, and polymerized carbon nanotube composites improved in hardening properties can be made without additional polymers.

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) from Korean Patent Application No. 2003-11898 filed on Feb. 26, 2003, which is herein incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of making a patterned film or a carbon nanotube composite using carbon nanotubes having polymerizable moieties on their surfaces. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods of making a carbon nanotube negative pattern or a polymerized carbon nanotube composite having interpenetrating polymer network by modifying the surfaces of the carbon nanotubes with polymerizable functional groups such as oxirane and anhydride groups and then subjecting the surface-modified carbon nanotubes either to a photolithography process or to a heatcuring process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Carbon nanotubes were found from electronmicroscopic observation by Dr. Iijima at Maijo University, Japan in 1991. Since then, carbon nanotubes have received profound studies. Typically, a carbon nanotube is like a hollow cylinder made of a graphite sheet, whose inner diameter ranges from 1 to 20 nm.
Graphite has been known to have a peculiar structure. That is, the covalent bonds between carbon atoms constituting graphite are arranged in an unusual style, so that graphite has a shape of rigid, flat hexagonal sheet. The upper and lower regions of the sheet are filled with dispersed free electrons, which keep translating in a parallel motion with the sheet. The graphite sheet rolls up in a spiral to generate a carbon nanotube, wherein curvatures of graphite sheet are coupled with those of the others. Electric properties of the carbon nanotube are in functional relation with the structure and diameter thereof (Phys. Rev. (1992) B46:1804 and Phys. Rev. Lett. (1992) 68:1579). Thus, an alteration of either helicity or chirality of the carbon nanotube results in a change of motion of the free electrons. Consequently, the free electrons are allowed to move freely as in a metallic material, or they have to overcome a barrier as in a semiconductive material. In this connection, the range of the barrier varies in concordance with the diameter of the carbon nanotube, and it may be 1 eV in case of the smallest tube. It is amazing that the identical material can have so various electric properties ranging from a conductor to a nonconductor according to its structure and diameter. These special characteristics of carbon nanotubes, including mechanical rigidity, chemical stability, variableness of electric conductivity and elongated hollow cylinder-like shape, makes the carbon nanotube useful for the production of flat-panel display (FPD), transistor, energy storing material, electronic devices of nano-size, and so on.
Recently, a method of arranging carbon nanotubes on a gold substrate was reported by Zhongfan Liu at Beijing University, the People's Republic of China, wherein every end of the carbon nanotube was modified with sulfur (Langmuir (2000) 16:3569). Another method was reported by Smalley at Rice University, U.S.A., wherein the method comprises the steps of: forming a self-assembled monolayer of trimethylsilyl groups on a silicon substrate; patterning the monolayer using electron beam; attaching amine groups to the pattern; and attaching carbon nanotubes to the amine groups (Chemical Physics Letters (1999) 303:125). However, this method is problematic in that the self-assembled monolayer of trimethylsilyl groups is unstable and susceptible to the circumstances.
Meanwhile, there has been reported a method of producing a polymer matrix composite by blending. 10–100 parts by weight of carbon nanotubes with 100 parts by weight polyvinyl alcohol, wherein thermal properties of the composite increased in proportion to the carbon nanotube content ((Adv. Mater. (1999) 11:937). However, this method is problematic in that such blending is insufficient to achieve good interface adhesiveness between carbon nanotubes and polyvinyl alcohol, so a surfactant is additionally needed. In this connection, there has been reported an example of enhancing the interface adhesiveness between carbon nanotubes and epoxy resins by the use of a certain surfactant (Chem. Mater. (2000) 12:1049).

Method of making carbon nanotube patterned film or carbon nanotube composite using carbon nanotubes surface-modified with polymerizable moieties


An Angular-rate detecting apparatus includes four mass portions connected by at least one support beam, and the mass portions have respective individual vibration generators disposed thereon. The individual vibration generators excite the normal vibration mode by vibrating pairs of the mass portions adjacent to each other in opposite phases. Thus, the mass portions are forcibly vibrated in the normal vibration mode. Angular rate detectors detect displacements of inner frames of central mass portions as an angular rate about an axis perpendicular to a detection direction and also to a vibration direction when the inner frames are displaced in the detection direction while vibrating in the vibration direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an angular-rate detecting apparatus for detecting an angular rate of a rotating body.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known angular-rate detecting apparatus is an angular rate sensor which detects a displacement of a mass portion due to a Coriolis force as an angular rate by utilizing the principle that a mass portion vibrating in a given direction undergoes a Coriolis force in accordance with an angular rate (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-81939).
Such an angular rate sensor according to the known art includes three mass portions that are juxtaposed to one another on a substrate, and these mass portions are connected by support beams so as to be vibratable in the X-axis direction. Also, each support beam has fixing portions, each disposed between two of the mass portions so as to fix central longitudinal portions of the support beam to the substrate.
Also, the central mass portion includes a vibration generator disposed thereon, generating an electrostatic force between the mass portion and the substrate when an external drive signal (voltage) is applied to the generator. In this case, when the vibration generator vibrates the central mass portion with the electrostatic force in the X-axis direction, the outside mass portions adjacent to the central mass portion are vibrated in reverse phase. With this structure, according to the known art, the mass portions are kept in a constant resonant state while two of the mass portions adjacent to each other vibrate in reverse phase with the fixing portions functioning as nodes.
When a torque, for example, about the Y-axis is applied to the sensor while these mass portions are vibrating, each outside mass portion is displaced in the Z-axis direction since it undergoes a Coriolis force in accordance with its vibrating state. In this case, the outside mass portion has an angular rate detector disposed thereon in which the capacitance between the outside mass portion and the substrate varies in accordance with the displacement in the Z-axis direction. Thus, the angular rate detector detects the displacement of the outside mass portion as an angular rate about the Y-axis as a variance in capacitance.
In the meantime, according to the known art, the mass portions are kept in a constant resonant state while the central and outside mass portions are vibrated in opposite phases. However, each mass portion has not only a vibration mode in which two of the mass portions adjacent to each other vibrate in opposite phases (hereinafter, this vibration mode is referred to as the normal vibration mode) but sometimes also has a plurality of vibration modes. For example, when a large number of mass portions are connected, the number of vibration modes other than the normal vibration mode (that is, the number of vibration modes in which any two of mass portions adjacent to each other do not vibrate in opposite phases) increases.
Accordingly, in the known art, a vibration mode other than the normal vibration mode is likely to be excited, for example, at the time of starting up the sensor, as a result, a period of startup time from startup of the sensor to excitation of the normal vibration mode is longer or a drive signal at a high signal level (a high voltage) is needed to be inputted into the vibration generator in order to excite and maintain the normal vibration mode, thereby causing a problem of deterioration in performances at the time of startup or an increase in power consumption.
Also, when each mass portion vibrates continuously in a vibration mode other than the normal vibration mode, the amplitude and the vibration frequency of the vibration becomes unexpectedly unstable, thereby causing another problem of deterioration in detection accuracy or reliability required as a sensor.


A foldable wheelchair (21) and foldable wheelchair frame assembly (26, 126) including a pair of side frames (24, 124, 224, 324), a cross-bracing frame assembly (36, 136) coupling the side frames (24, 124, 224, 324) together for movement transversely between a spaced apart deployed position and a proximate folded position. A variable length link assembly (61, 161, 261, 361) is mounted into and forms a part of the cross-bracing frame assembly (36, 136) in a position between at least one of the side frames (24, 124, 224, 324) and a remainder of the cross-bracing frame assembly. The extensible link assembly (61, 161, 261, 361) being formed for variation of the overall length in a direction extending transversely between the side frames (24, 124, 224, 324) during movement of the side frames (24, 124, 224, 324) between the deployed and the folded positions so as not to force the side frames (24, 124, 224, 324) into unparallel motion which causes the upholstery to bind the folding mechanism. The extensible link assembly (61, 161, 261, 361) is preferably and over-center linkage that is resiliently biased to the extended position. A method of providing a foldable wheelchair frame assembly (26, 126) is also disclosed.

Wheelchairs have become more portable and lightweight over the years to meet the needs of the active lives of their users. Portability has been improved by providing for so-called "folding" frame wheelchairs, which increase wheelchair portability over rigid or non-folding frame wheelchairs. One of the most popular approaches to providing a foldable or collapsible wheelchair is to couple the side frames of the chair together by a cross-bracing assembly in which the cross-bracing members, which are almost always tubes, are pivotally coupled together proximate their midpoints in an "X" shape. The X-tubes of the cross-bracing assembly are also pivoted at their ends to the top and bottom members of the side frame assemblies so that the X-tubes can pivot like a pair of scissors and bring the wheelchair side frames together in a compact configuration. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,890, 4,861,056, 5,915,709, 5,328,183 and 5,253,886 are all typical examples of X-tube cross-bracing assemblies which are employed to allow movement of the side frames of the wheelchair to a folded or collapsed position. There are many other examples in the patent literature of X-tube folding wheelchair frames.
Several problems have bee encountered in connection with X-tube folding wheelchair designs. More particularly, the pivotal coupling of the cross-bracing tubes or members causes arcuate movement of the side frames, which in turn, forces tilting or splaying of the side frames during movement. If too much tilting (usually an outward splaying of the top of the side frames) occurs, the backrest upholstery mounted between the side frames is strained as the side frames are forced outwardly, and the upholstery can bind and stop folding of the X-tube frame assembly, preventing it from reaching the fully deployed or open position. This problem is often overcome by providing backrest upholstery which is relatively loose so as not to bind the X-tube frame assembly as it pivots in a scissors-like action. Loose backrest upholstery, however, has the substantial disadvantage of being very poor for user posture and positioning, and therefore, employing loose backrest upholstery is not a good "solution" to accommodating the arcuate movement of the side frames induced by X-tube cross bracketing assembly during folding and unfolding.
An additional problem in conventional X-tube folding wheelchairs is that seat rails or tubes are provided on the upper ends of the X-tubes of the cross-bracing assembly. These seat rails typically carry sling seat upholstery that has a transverse length dimension across the chair such that the sling seat goes into tension as the chair folds open to the fully deployed position. The tension of the seat upholstery maintains a pre-load on the folding X-tube cross-bracing assembly, which increases the stability and rigidity of the folding chair when it is in the deployed condition. While this technique for rigidifying the folding wheelchair frame is initially relatively effective, sling seat upholstery typically will stretch over time, and the pre-loading effect will be reduced or even eliminated.
Most typically, the seat rails carried by the upper ends of the X-tubes of the cross-bracing folding assembly fold down to a position superimposed over the upper frame member or tube of the side frames, as for example, can be seen in the assemblies of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,890 and 4,861,056. This over and under design, however, results in a higher positioning of the seat upholstery and some additional weight in the overall wheelchair frame due to lengthier cross-bracing X-tubes which are required. Moreover, positioning the seat rails carried by the X-tubes over the uppermost side frame tubes interferes with the ability to have the backrest upholstery supporting frame members fold or pivot downwardly over the seat side frames to further reduce the bulk of the wheelchair.
Folding wheelchairs have been developed, however, that employ X-tube cross-bracing frame assemblies and seat upholstery supporting rails that fold to a side-by-side position in relation to the top side frame member instead of the over and under configuration set forth above. Such prior art side-by-side folding wheelchair frame assemblies are commercially available under the trademark STAR OX, through a Japanese manufacturer, and the trademark TI SPORTS, through a United States manufacturer. These designs enable X-tube folding wheelchairs to be lower and somewhat lighter, but again the folding linkage forces arcuate motion of the side frames.
Various attempts have been made to overcome the disadvantages which are encountered in connection with X-tube folding wheelchair assemblies so as to eliminate binding, reduce the forces required to open and close the chair and make the opening and closing more smooth and uniform in its operation.
One approach to solving these problems has been to provide vertically extensible frame members in the side frames of the wheelchair in order to try to accommodate folding without binding. Typical of this approach are the frame assemblies shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,042,250, 4,542,918 and 5,253,886. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,250 to Rodaway, for example, a series of vertically telescoping side frame members have been employed. This approach, however, is relatively complex and requires numerous parts which must be telescoped and slid vertically together over substantial distances. U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,918 to Singleton is similar in its approach to the patent to Rodaway in that there are vertically telescoped side frame tubes that attempt to accommodate the scissors action of the X-tube cross-bracing frame members. This approach is also taken in U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,886 to Weege.
Another approach was taken in the frame assembly of U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,783 to Kuschall. The cross-bracing assembly that couples the side frames together has been extensively modified, and a second pivoting cross-bracing frame added. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,133 to Stevens, a complex cross-bracing assembly is provided in which the components scissor in a fore-and-aft direction to accommodate frame folding, rather than having the X-tubes oriented for scissoring in a vertical direction. The complexity of this solution and its attendant weight are substantial.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,275, hinged cross-bracing links are employed to enable folding, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,183 to Counts, the X-tubes are pivotally coupled at their upper ends to fixed length links that also receive pins so as to limit X-tube pivoting and support the seat assembly in the open or deployed position.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a foldable wheelchair, a wheelchair frame assembly and a method which do not force the side frames to fold in an unparallel manner, and accordingly, which have smoother folding characteristics that eliminate binding of the X-tube cross-bracing frame members by the upholstery during folding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved wheelchair folding mechanism and method which improves the overall rigidity of the wheelchair frame and eliminates the dependence on tensioning of the upholstery to achieve frame rigidity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foldable wheelchair, wheelchair frame assembly and method which eliminate the need to employ slack backrest upholstery in order to accommodate folding and unfolding.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a foldable wheelchair, foldable wheelchair frame assembly and method which reduce the weight and size of the wheelchair frame, which are economical to manufacture and which accommodate frame size modifications, all while having an overall aesthetic appearance.
The foldable wheelchair, wheelchair frame assembly, and the method of the present invention, have other objects and features of advantage which will become apparent from, or are set forth in more detail in, the accompanying drawing and the following Best Mode of Carrying Our the Invention.

Foldable wheelchair with extensible link assembly and method


Deep reinforcement learning techniques are provided for resource allocation in a shared computing environment. An exemplary method comprises: obtaining a specification of a workflow of a plurality of concurrent workflows in a shared computing environment, wherein the specification comprises a plurality of workflow states and one or more control variables for the workflow in the shared computing environment; evaluating values of the control variables for an execution of the concurrent workflows using a reinforcement learning agent by (i) observing the states, including a current state, and (ii) obtaining an expected utility score for combinations of the control variables for the execution of the concurrent workflows given an allocation of resources of the shared computing environment corresponding to the combination of control variables in the current state; and providing an allocation of the resources of the shared computing environment reflecting the combination having the expected utility score that satisfies a predefined score criteria.

Modern industrial systems rely heavily on automated workflows to execute tasks, such as data mining, pattern recognition and image processing. Such workflows are typically executed in a shared infrastructure. The sharing of the infrastructure resources is a non-trivial task, which typically requires the orchestration of virtual machines whose setup directly impacts the time and the cost to execute the workflows. This problem is particularly relevant in the context of Infrastructure and Platform as a Service providers, where providing scalability and efficient resource allocation for the execution of these workflows is necessary in order to save costs.
One way to cope with the challenge of automated workflow execution in shared infrastructures is to charge users based on an amount of resources allocated to each workflow. One strategy comprises pre-allocating resources to each workflow before its execution, according to user-defined specifications. Nonetheless, a non-automated strategy for resource allocation is not optimal for the execution of automated workflows.
A need therefore exists for improved techniques for allocating resources for workflow execution in a shared computing environment.

Deep reinforcement learning for workflow optimization


Provided are methods for sensitizing gastrin-associated tumors and/or cancers in subjects to inducers of humoral and cellular immune responses. In some embodiments, the methods relate to administering compositions that have anti-gastrin antibodies, gastrin peptides, and/or nucleic acids that inhibit expression of gastrin gene products to subjects. Also provided are methods for preventing, reducing, and/or eliminating the formation of fibroses associated with tumors and/or cancers, and methods for treating gastrin-associated tumors and/or cancers that include administering to subjects in need thereof a first agent that provides and/or induces an anti-gastrin humoral or cellular immune response in the subject and a second agent that includes one or more stimulators of cellular immune responses against the tumors and/or cancers.

Pancreatic cancer, generally referred to as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a complex disease involving the successive accumulation of genetic mutations in several cell growth regulatory pathways. What begins as relatively benign lesions in a pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN; Hruban et al., 2008) progresses into a diversity of abnormal gene expression patterns, genomic instability, and ultimately invasive cancer that is resistant to treatment.
Histologically, PDAC is generally well-differentiated and is primarily defined by acinar-ductal metaplasia, the presence of immunosuppressive inflammatory cells, lack of cytotoxic T-cells, and the presence of a dense fibrotic stroma. These manifestations can vary greatly in extent and can occur without overt clinical symptoms, which makes early diagnosis of PDAC a rarity. The PDAC tumor stroma consists of mesenchymal cells such as fibroblasts and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), extracellular matrix proteins, peri-tumoral nerve fibers, endothelial cells, and immune cells. The specific mechanisms influencing the stromal cells to produce the abundant desmoplastic effects involve growth factor activation, collagen and extracellular matrix synthesis and secretion (Zhang et al., 2007), as well as the expression of numerous regulators of vascular and cytokine-mediated processes (Hidalgo et al., 2012).
Invasive PDAC constitutes the vast majority (>85%) of carcinomas of ductal lineage. PDAC is characterized by uncontrolled infiltration and early metastases. The presumed precursors of ductal adenocarcinoma are the PanIN microscopic lesions that undergo intraductal proliferative changes and ultimately a series of neoplastic transformations from PanIN-1A to PanIN-3 and full-blown malignant carcinoma.
Important characteristics of PDAC are aberrant expression of the gastrin/cholecystokinin receptor (CCK-B) on the surface of tumor cells (Smith et al., 1994) as well as the expression of high levels of gastrin by the tumor (Prasad et al., 2005). Both gastrin (Smith, 1995) and cholecystokinin (Smith et al., 1990; Smith et al., 1991) proteins stimulate pancreatic tumor growth through an autocrine mechanism (Smith et al., 1996a; Smith et al., 1998b), and inhibition of either gastrin expression (Matters et al., 2009), or blockage of CCK-B receptor function (Fino et al., 2012; Smith & Solomon, 2014) inhibits cancer growth.
In spite of impressive success in the treatment of many cancers over the years, tragically there has been little to no success in the market approval of breakthrough therapeutics for PDAC (see Hidalgo, 2010; Ryan et al., 2014), which carries the poorest prognosis of all gastrointestinal malignancies (Siegel et al., 2016). The current five-year survival rate for PDAC is approximately 6%, the lowest of any cancer (Siegel et al., 2016).
The poor outcome of PDAC has not changed for the past 30 years. A multidisciplinary diagnosis followed by surgery and chemo- and radiation therapy is the first-line treatment approach. However, therapies based on the small molecule chemotherapeutics gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil do not produce satisfying outcomes and mean survival with these regimens remain less than 1 year (Hoff et al., 2011, Conroy et al., 2011).
Contributing factors to the poor survival rates include the inability to diagnose this disease in the early stages, the heterogeneity of cellular and anatomical tumor cells, the high rate of metastasis, and the presence of a dense fibrotic microenvironment that inhibits drug penetration and exposure (Neesse et al., 2013). Inaccessibility of the tumor results in a relative resistance of PDAC to standard chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents (Templeton & Brentnall, 2013) and contributes to the poor prognosis for this fatal disease.
The host immune response is another key factor contributing to the recalcitrant and aggressive nature of PDAC. Immune cells, which are so prominent in the microenvironment of PDAC, do not support anti-tumor immunity (Zheng et al., 2013). Rather, these cells (including macrophages, T-regulatory (Treg) cells, and neutrophils), actually promote tumor growth and invasion. In fact, one of the hallmarks of PDAC is its ability to evade immune destruction (Hanahan & Weinberg, 2011).
Cancers, including PDAC, employ many tools to escape and/or defeat attack from the patient's immune system (Pardoll, 2012; Weiner & Lotze, 2012). Components of the tumor metabolic milieu have been shown to regulate these responses (Feig et al., 2012; Quante et al., 2013). A major breakthrough in cancer therapeutics came with the discovery of immune checkpoint pathways that are often regulated by tumor cells as a mechanism of immune resistance (Leach et al., 1996). Antibodies that target proteins in the checkpoint pathways, such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), have been developed and have been shown to be clinically effective in reversing immunoresistance in some cancers, such as melanoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and renal cancer (Pardoll, 2012). However, PDAC is characterized by a tumor microenvironment that has a predominance of immune-suppressing T regulatory (Treg) cells, lacks CD8+ tumor-infiltrating effector T cells (Feig et al., 2012; Vonderheide & Bayne, 2013; Zheng et al., 2013), and is poorly vascularized. The fibrotic nature of the dense stromal environment as well as the lack of accessibility through the bloodstream explains in part the observation that PDAC responds only modestly, at best, to anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies (Brahmer et al., 2012, Zhang, 2018).
The expression level of the checkpoint ligand PD-L1 on the surface of PDAC cells is believed to be another determinant of response to immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy (Zheng, 2017). Some studies have suggested that a low level of PD-L1 expression correlates with the lack of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (Soares et al., 2015), and that stimulation of PD-1 or PD-L1 expression can help to facilitate the effectiveness of anti-checkpoint protein antibodies (Lutz et al., 2014). In other studies of PDAC, PD-L1 was found to be highly expressed in a majority of tumor cells as well as in many tumor samples (Lu et al., 2017). Thus, the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy could potentially be enhanced by considering the status of PD-L1 in the tumor and in seeking methods for regulating PD-L1 expression to accompany PDAC-targeted therapy.
Currently, clinical trials for treatment of PDAC include combining antibody immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, radiation, chemokine inactivation (olaptesed), cyclin dependent kinase inhibition (abemaciclib), TGF-β Receptor I kinase inhibitors (galunisertib), focal adhesion kinase inhibitors (defactinib), CSF1R inhibitors (Pexidartinib), vitamin D, and Poly ADP ribose polymerase inhibitors (niraparib). These studies are aimed at combining agents that might improve the physical penetration of and/or the immune cell presence in the PDAC tumor microenvironment, as well as to improve the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment. In a recent report (Smith et al., 2018), inhibition of CCK-B receptor function reduced PDAC fibrosis and improved the effectiveness of antibody therapy using an anti-PD-1 antibody (Ab) and an anti-CTLA-4 Ab.
Given the complexity of the PDAC tumor, a deeper understanding is needed of how novel strategies can be used to modify the immune phenotype of the PDAC microenvironment across the heterogeneity of patients and to make the tumor more responsive to both chemo- and immune-based therapies.
Gastric cancer is another devastating cancer, and gastric adenocarcinoma in particular has one of the poorest prognoses of all cancers, with a 5-year survival of up to 30% (Ferlay et al., 2013). Early detection of this malignancy is elusive and requires intentional screening practices, which are not commonly utilized. Most diagnoses are already in advanced stage with median survival of 9-10 months (Wagner et al., 2010; Ajani et al., 2017). The current standard of care for gastric cancer includes surgery when appropriate, followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy with DNA synthesis inhibitors like 5-fluorouracil and/or DNA damaging agents such as cis-platinum.
Targeted therapies have also begun to emerge for the treatment of some gastric cancers. Tumors that express the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (EGFR2) can be treated with trastuzumab (sold under the tradename HERCEPTIN® by Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, Calif., United States of America) in combination with chemotherapy. Some gastric cancers are also responsive to anti-angiogenesis drugs such as ramucirumab (sold under the tradename CYRAMZA® by Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Ind., United States of America). Additional targeted therapies are urgently needed to improve the dismal prognosis for this prevalent malignancy.
Gastric adenocarcinomas typically overexpress gastrin as well as the receptor for gastrin, called the CCK-B receptor (Smith et al., 1998a; McWilliams et al., 1998), and gastrin-mediated proliferative effects upon binding to CCK-B lead to an uncontrolled autocrine cycle of growth and expression in these tumors. Blocking the function of gastrin as a means of therapy for this cancer has been a focus of research for many years (reviewed in Rai et al., 2012). Among the candidates for targeted therapy, the gastrin vaccine Polyclonal Antibody Stimulator (PAS) has shown significant promise in improving survival in gastric cancer in Phase 2 clinical trials and in pancreatic cancer in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials. PAS vaccination has been shown to elicit a humoral immune response as demonstrated by the production of neutralizing antibodies to gastrin. By eliminating gastrin, the vaccine slows tumor growth and has potential to provide long-term tumor killing activity.
Cancer vaccines that raise an immune response against specific tumor antigens are an attractive treatment strategy when the immune-mediated immobilization or inactivation of the target antigen does not have deleterious effects elsewhere in the body. Peptide vaccines have the potential advantage of narrowing the specificity of the immune response, but they can sometimes have the disadvantage of eliciting a weak immunogenicity. Careful selection of peptide composition as well as incorporation of adjuvant molecules and delivery systems can be necessary to insure a robust response as well as to initiate induction of the desired immunity pathway. Peptides as short as 9-11 amino acids can generate a specific CD8+ T cell-mediated response, though a change of even one amino acid in the epitope can prevent the response (Gershoni et al., 2007).
The choice of epitopes to be included on the peptide requires the consideration of type of immune response desired, including MHC class II epitopes to induce CD4+ helper T cells and MHC class I CD8 epitopes to induce helper T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Li et al., 2014).
The combination of a gastrin peptide vaccine, such as PAS, combined with an immune checkpoint inhibitor represents a novel approach to improving outcome in cancers that are subject to growth stimulation by the gastrin peptide hormone.

Compositions and methods for inducing humoral and cellular immunities against tumors and cancer


A pushing pulse is delivered from an ultrasound transducer array having a plurality of elements to a target region within a medium to displace the target region to a displaced position. A tracking pulse is delivered from the ultrasound transducer array to the target region, and a plurality of tracking signals are received from locations in the target region, each tracking signal being responsive to the tracking pulse.

The early detection of diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, may significantly improve patient survival. For example, present methods of breast cancer detection include screening mammography and palpation, either by patient self-examination or clinical breast exam. Palpation relies on the manual detection of differences in tissue stiffness between breast lesions and normal breast tissue. The success of palpation is due to the fact that the elastic modulus (or Young's modulus) of malignant tumors is often an order of magnitude greater than that of normal breast tissue. That is, cancerous lesions feel "hard" or "stiff" as compared to normal breast tissue. See T. Krouskop et al., Ultrasonic Imaging 20, 260-274 (1998); A. Saravazyan et al., Acoustic Imaging 21, 223-240 (1995).
As another example, atherosclerosis is a medical condition that involves the stiffening of the arteries, which can occur prior to and in addition to the formation of focal lesions. A human artery has three layers. The innermost layer is relatively thin compared to the other two layers and is commonly referred to as the endothelium layer or intimal layer. The middle layer is a smooth muscle layer (media layer), and the outer layer is a connective tissue layer (adventita). Atherosclerosis can be caused by plaque build up between layers in the arteries, which can lead to conditions that include blockages in blood flow, poor circulation, myocardial infarction, aneurisms, and stroke. The development of atherosclerosis can be influenced by factors such as diet, exercise, smoking habits, and other medical conditions such as diabetes. Treatments for atherosclerosis include drug therapy, changes in diet, increased exercise programs, and smoking cessation.
Focal lesions, which protrude into the blood vessel, may be detected by a variety of methods, including cardiac catheterization, intravascular ultrasound, conventional B-mode and Color Doppler ultrasound, and electron beam computed tomography. However, atherosclerosis may occur prior to the formation of focal lesions and does not necessarily involve plaque protrusions that could be detectable using conventional testing methods. Atherosclerosis may also be characterized by increased blood pressure. However, blood pressure levels do not directly correlate to degrees of atherosclerosis, and elevated blood pressure levels may not exist in a subject without atherosclerosis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,928 to Greenleaf uses sound waves to vibrate tissue and monitors the response of the vibrating tissue. A disadvantage of such an approach is that different transmit and detection systems may be required, and multiple pushing cycles at a single location may be required. Moreover, ultrasonic stimulated acoustic emissions may not result in a form feasible for actual clinical diagnosis.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods, systems, and computer program products for ultrasound measurements using receive mode parallel processing


The invention relates to a method and system for treating an aqueous liquid containing dissolved minerals and dissolved hydrocarbons. Method steps and apparatus for treating a waste water feed stream are disclosed which utilize a warm lime softening system in fluid communication with the waste water feed stream, wherein sludge from the warm lime softening system is recycled to improve lime utilization and enhance silica and boron removal without the addition of an external source of magnesium. In addition, a microfiltration system and/or an air stripper system may be used in fluid communication with at least one reverse osmosis system to produce a treatment water that meets state and federal guidelines for surface discharge.

As oil supplies diminish the need for improved recovery methods continually increases. One of the predominant methods used to improve viscous or heavy crude oil recovery involves injecting steam into the oil well, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,172. Injecting steam into a well results in recovery of an oil/water mixture, where the water is typically removed from the oil and then contaminated produced water is lightly treated and recycled as poor quality steam back into the formation. This eventually results in an increase of the injection pressures over time as the recycled water builds up in the formation and eventually blocks the movement and recovery of known oil reserves in the formation. As a result, the produced water eventually has to be disposed of to decrease the volume of water in the formation and in turn improve production. However, disposal of this produced water is problematic due to the presence of a large number of solutes, including minerals and organic compounds, which requires that the produced water be injected underground at a remote site or treated for surface discharge.
With increasing water quality standards, surface discharge of the produced water has become even more problematic and has produced a need for methods to treat the produced water prior to discharge. In addition, the loss of drinking and/or irrigation water in arid regions presents a motivation to reclaim the produced water to a purity level allowing above ground disposal.
Unfortunately, the solutes present in produced water vary depending upon its origin and the particular characteristics of the oil well site. This has made the standardization of water treatment facilities difficult, if not impossible. California has imposed standards for irrigation water that require removal of certain elements or compounds to levels below those of the initial source water, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,185. In light of these difficulties, there is a need in the art for a water treatment method that removes the various solutes to levels that are acceptable for surface discharge under various state and/or federal regulations, particularly the California regulations.

Water treatment process for oilfield produced water