Aluminum hydroxide aggregated particles which have an average particle diameter of not less than 40 μm, an average particle diameter as determined after pressing at 1,000 kg/cm2 of not more than 35 μm, and an L value of slurry obtained by mixing 20 ml of glycerol and 10 g of the aluminum hydroxide aggregated particles of not more than 69, are obtained by a process comprising the steps of:    (a) feeding a supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution to a vessel,    (b) adding aluminum hydroxide seeds to the supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution,    (c) stirring the seed-added solution in the vessel while continuously feeding an additional supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution into the vessel to hydrolyze the supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution,    (d) separating the aluminum hydroxide aggregated particles from the aqueous sodium aluminate solution, and    (e) continuously discharging the aqueous sodium aluminate solution out of the vessel.

This invention relates to a process for producing aluminum hydroxide powder which makes it possible to obtain a filler-containing resin composition having an improved transparency, aluminum hydroxide aggregated particles which are the material therefor, a process for producing the same, and a vessel used therefor.
Aluminum hydroxide powder is often used as a filler for resins, such as unsaturated polyester resin, in producing artificial marble and the like. When aluminum hydroxide powder is used as a filler for artificial marble and the like, the powder is required to be excellent in filling property for resins and, at the same time, not to impair the transparency of resulting resin compositions.
As to an industrial process for producing aluminum hydroxide, there has hitherto been known a process which comprises hydrolyzing a supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution in the presence of seeds. For example, JP 63-23131 B discloses a process which comprises connecting plural vessels in series, feeding a supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution continuously to the first vessel, hydrolyzing the supersaturated aqueous sodium aluminate solution in the presence of seeds, and allowing hydrolysis to proceed while sending the solution successively to the second vessel and the third vessel, to obtain aluminum hydroxide.
However, even when the aluminum hydroxide obtained by the above-mentioned process is filled in resins, it has been impossible to obtain a resin composition having a sufficient transparency.
The object of this invention is to provide aluminum hydroxide aggregated particles which can be suitably used for producing aluminum hydroxide powder which can give a resin composition that shows a high transparency when filled in resins or the like, a process for producing the aggregated particles, a vessel used therefor, and a process for producing aluminum hydroxide powder which uses the aggregated particles.
The reference numerals in the Figures signify the following.
1 concentrating region, 2 clarifying region, 3 vessel, 4 baffle plate, 5 stirring blades, 6 rotating shaft, 7 stirrer, 8 sweeper, 9 offtake port, 10 anticorrosive material, 11 straightening vane

Aluminum hydroxide aggregated particles producing vessel


A method for enhancing a digital image involves selecting an image as an original image to be enhanced, creating by a pixel mapping procedure at least two images altered from the original image in a first image attribute, each of the altered images differing in the first image attribute, displaying the altered images to a user, and selecting by the user one of the images displayed as preferable to the other images displayed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the area of digital imaging, and pertains more particularly to apparatus and methods for enhancing and improving digital images, in particular by unskilled consumers.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
Typically the visual enhancement of digital images is performed using software packages that involve a variety of photo-editing techniques and algorithms. These may involve the user in procedures such as defining the values of a set of control parameters, moving variable sliders, manipulating adjustable-curves, or pressing 'try-this' buttons that incorporate specialist algorithms. All these may work to a greater or lesser extent, but by virtue of their user—and/or their computational—complexity, they remain largely the province of the professional or advanced and experienced user, and beyond the technical capabilities of the greater proportion of potential users.
An additional drawback is implicit in the menu-driven approach to most photo-editing and enhancement software tool-sets. In fact both the statistical image-quality attributes, and hence their physical surrogates within the image pixel-parameters, are generally each interconnected to each other, since they are neither independent nor commutable. Thus both the magnitude of the image-manipulation due to the adjustment of a particular parameter, and the order in which it is applied to the digital image, is generally of unspecified hierarchal importance: each adjustment may partially undo the effects of one or more previous adjustments. Therefore, in general only a skilled operator with experience can establish comprehensive image-enhancement recipes minimizing such interacting problems, such recipes typically being based on experimentation with many digital images.
A further complication in many existing image enhancement methodologies arises from an attempt to provide global algorithms, either to embed in the hardware of acquisition devices or to incorporate in user software. The demands made on these algorithms, simultaneously adjusting all or many of the basic image-quality parameters, are such that they typically operate only conditionally on pixels, where these conditions are determined by various collective attributes of defined sets of other local pixels. All such conditional pixel operations themselves inevitably introduce their own image signature to the enhanced image, and this signature often shows in the form of new and undesirable image-quality defects introduced by the algorithms themselves. Some of the more obvious of these defects manifest themselves as image-contouring, haloes, pronounced 'ringing' and dark-lines at boundaries of image detail, post-enhancement local color-misbalances, the presence of image-regions of excessive noise, and so on. User attempts to optimize the visual image-quality may thus call for a delicate balancing act between enhancing natural image-quality parameters and the simultaneous introduction of new and unintended but inevitable image defects.
On the other hand, the number of consumer digital images existing for example from digital cameras and cell-phones, photo-scanners and the web, continues to proliferate at a very high, and increasing rate, and a majority of these images could readily be enhanced to the user's benefit and satisfaction, if a truly user-friendly enhancement methodology were readily available, which does not suffer from the drawbacks described above.
While there seems to be considerable content in the art concerning photo-editing techniques and algorithms, covering but not limited to brightness and darkness variations, tone and contrast adjustments, and the balance of the image color-components, and while these techniques and algorithms may involve a host of manipulations on the basic constituents of the digital image (for example, the pixel-histogram, its extent, distribution and other statistics, and the relative color components of the pixels), there is art known to the present inventor concerning a methodology whereby users are presented with a choice of automatically-selected enhancements to their pictures; wherein a first choice may lead naturally to a next best choice, and so on; and where a short series of such choices may lead rapidly to a picture optimized for image quality according to the personal visual preferences and criteria of the user.
One reason for the many difficulties described concerns complexity of components defining image quality and their statistical representation in pixel-array properties, and the very large number of combinations of these components. For each image, with its own peculiarities of scene composition and lighting, digital-acquisition devices must in effect make a technical estimate of the combination of those image-quality properties and combinations most likely to satisfy the user. Likewise, after-the-fact software packages typically make implicit assumptions of these same properties, and then present a system of controls whereby the user may attempt to obtain simultaneous preferential values of all these properties.
A quantitative estimation of the scale of the problem described above can be established as follows. If one considers quite basic image-quality variables of image brightness and darkness, tone and contrast, and contributions made by color components of the image, and if further one devises a linear scale for basic image variables, and within this scale defines increments of user image-quality discrimination, then for any image such an exercise leads to an estimated number of magnitude typically in excess of one-hundred-thousand possibilities for all combinations of these fundamental variations. Thus, just as image-acquisition devices (for example, digital camera or scanner) must in effect attempt a best technical guess at an optimum combination from amongst this very large number, so does any remedial software when the acquisition technology is sub-optimum in any or all of these image aspects. The chance of this guess being best is remote.
An entirely novel approach would be one of presenting the user with each of the very large number of possible images, and letting the user make an individual choice of the optimum preferred image-quality based entirely on personal preference. If this could be done efficiently, the practical need for a menu of enhancement techniques as described above would largely disappear. A practical reason this approach has not previously been pursued is implicit in the above estimation for the large number of practically distinguishable image choices (that is, typically in excess one-hundred thousand). Note that calculation of this number itself involves definition and separation, linear-visual-scaling, interval-determination and combinatory calculation of basic image variables. This exercise presents a formidable task in itself, and has no known coverage in the prior art for practical digital images, to the knowledge of the present inventor. One approach in an aspect of the present invention includes methodology for practical determination of a number of individual image combinations, or a number of possible image quality states for any single original digital image.
Having established a number of independent image quality states, the problem of presenting these states for user-selection seems at first consideration to be formidable. For example, automatically printing in excess of, say, one-hundred-thousand prints representing each state, and letting the user make a choice, would be clearly prohibitive in time and cost, while displaying them in electronic form, for example on a computer monitor, would seem not only to be costly in time but tedious and confusing to the user.
What is clearly needed is a simple, practical digital-image enhancement procedure, yet one that overcomes the existing problems and complications associated with conventional software systems, while at the same time removing obvious barriers to practical application.

Apparatus and methods for enhancing digital images


An operation method for application program preview interface which is stored in a storage unit and executed in a computer system. The operation method includes the steps of: displaying a plurality of operation modes on a first display area; selecting one of the operation modes in accordance with a first indicating signal; and displaying at least one selectable object on a second display area, wherein the selectable object is an application program opened or executed in the selected operation mode.

Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to a user interface and an operation method thereof and, more particularly to an application program preview interface and an operation method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
A user can control and operate more intuitively via a graphical user interface (GUI). With the development of science, a computer system has various functions, thus the icons representing different programs that displayed on the user interface increase gradually. For users to browse all opened (executed) programs, a program preview interface is provided for the user to browse each opened program or switch to one of the opened programs.
However, the conventional program preview interface only provides simple browse function and switch function, and the programs executed in various operation modes cannot be classified. Moreover, the user cannot manage and classify the running program completely and effectively on the conventional program preview interface.

Application program preview interface and operation method thereof


The present invention relates to a prediction filter that estimates the next sampled value from previously sampled values, and which provides an improved prediction filter that makes a prediction with little error, even for an input signal containing a frequency component close to one-half the sampling frequency. Concatenated delay circuits delay sampled values by a sampling time interval (T). Coefficient circuits multiply the outputs of the delay circuits by a certain value, and an adder sums the outputs of the coefficient circuits. Sampled values at time t=T, 0, -T, -2T, . . . are assumed to be y.sub.1, y.sub.0, y.sub.-1, y.sub.2, . . . and a predicted value at t=T to be<y.sub.1 >. These are used to generate new variables<y1>=y.sub.0, y.sub.0 =y.sub.-1, y.sub.-1 =y.sub.-2, . . . The new variables are then substituted into first- and second-degree prediction equations to produce a predicted value<y.sub.1 >, and the coefficient of each term of the equation for<y.sub.1 > is used as the multiplication factor of each coefficient circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a prediction filter that estimates a next sampled value from the sampled values that were sampled at the sampling frequency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional prediction filter is explained by referring to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows a configuration in the case of a first-degree prediction, in which a sampled value sampled at the sampling frequency is entered into the input terminal.
Designated 10, 11 are delay circuits that store sampled values and delay them by a sampling time interval T and output them to the next stage.
Designated 20, 21 are coefficient circuits that multiply the outputs of the delay circuits 10, 11 by a certain value and output the results.
Reference numeral 30 represents an adder that adds up the output values of the coefficient circuits 20, 21 to produce a prediction value.
The coefficients of the coefficient circuits 20, 21 have conventionally been determined as explained below.
Let sampled values at time t=T, 0, -T, -2T, . . . be y.sub.1, y.sub.0, y.sub.-1, y.sub.-2, . . . The prediction equation is given as EQU y=at+b (1)
Substituting y=y.sub.0 when t=0 into the equation (1), we obtain EQU y.sub.0 =b (2)
Substituting y=y.sub.-1 when t=-T into the equation (1) results in EQU y.sub.-1 =-aT+b (3)
Substituting the equation (2) into the equation (3) gives EQU aT=y.sub.0 -y.sub.-1 ( 4)
Thus, the prediction value<y.sub.1 > at t=T is obtained by substituting t=T into t. That is, EQU <y.sub.1 >=aT+b (5)
Substituting the equation (4) and (2) into the equation (5), we get EQU <y.sub.1 >=(y.sub.0 -y.sub.-1)+y.sub.0 =2y.sub.0 -y.sub.-1 ( 6)
That is, the sampled value y.sub.0 at t=0 is multiplied by 2 and the sampled value at t=-T is multiplied by -1 or inverted, and they are summed up to produce a prediction value<y.sub.1 >at t=T.
Therefore, the multiplication factor of the coefficient circuit 20 is set to 2 and that of the coefficient circuit 21 to -1.
When making prediction in the form of second-degree equation, the prediction equation is given by EQU y=at.sup.2 =bt+c (7)
y=y.sub.0 when t=0 is substituted in equation (7) to produce EQU y.sub.0 =c (8)
Substituting y=y.sub.-1 when t=-T into the equation (7), we obtain EQU y.sub.-1 =aT.sup.2 -bT+c (9)
Substituting y=y.sub.-2 when t=-2T into the equation (7) results in EQU y.sub.-2 =4aT.sup.2 -2bT+c (10)
From equation (8), (9) and (10), aT, bT and c are determined. EQU aT.sup.2 =(y.sub.2 -2y.sub.-1 +y.sub.0)/2 (11) EQU bT=(y.sub.-2 -4y.sub.-1 +3y.sub.0)/2 (12) EQU c=y.sub.0 ( 13)
The prediction value y1 at t=T is obtained as follows. t=T is substituted in equation (7) and we get EQU <y.sub.1 >=aT.sup.2 +bT+c (14)
Substituting the equation (11), (12) and (13) into equation (14) results in EQU <y.sub.1 >=3y.sub.0 -3y.sub.-1 +y.sub.-2 ( 15)
Therefore, in the case of prediction based on the second-degree equation, the configuration of the prediction filter in FIG. 2 is added with another stage of a delay circuit and a coefficient circuit, all stages connected to an adder, and the multiplication factors of the coefficient circuits are set, starting from the input side, to 3, -3 and 1.
In the above, we have described how the multiplication factors for the coefficient circuits based on the first-and second-degree equations are set. Similar setting is also done for the prediction based on the higher-degree equation.
In the conventional prediction filter, the coefficient circuit uses as a multiplication factor a coefficient determined as mentioned above.
As shown in FIG. 3, even when the input signal is superimposed with a signal component whose frequency is close to 1/2 the sampling frequency, we get EQU y.sub.0 =(y.sub.0)+.DELTA.y and EQU y.sub.-1 =(y.sub.-1)-.DELTA.y
and, as shown in equation (6), the prediction based on the first-degree equation is as follows. EQU <y.sub.1 >=2y.sub.0 -y.sub.-1 =2(y.sub.0)-(y.sub.-1)+3.DELTA.y (16)
The predicted value<y.sub.1 >, which is greatly different from the input signal value y.sub.1 (=2(y.sub.0)-y.sub.-1), is output from the adder 30.
In the case of the prediction based on a second-degree equation, the predicted value is given by equation (15). In this case also, the output predicted value is largely different from the input signal value.


The circuit configuration for the generation of clock signals for a semiconductor memory (14) that are edge-synchronous with the output signals of a clock generator (16) comprises an input stage (20) to which the output signals of the clock generator (16) are applied. It furthermore contains a phase detector (30) which receives the signals output by the input stage (20) and whose output signals control a voltage-controlled oscillator (34) which supplies the clock signals for the semiconductor memory (14). It also contains a conversion stage (42) which applies signals related to the output signals of the oscillator (34) to the phase detector (30), which controls the oscillator in such a way that the phase difference between the signals reaching it from the input stage (20) and the signals also reaching it from the conversion stage (42) becomes zero. The input stage (20) comprises an amplifier (44) containing a circuit component (62) capable of influencing the signal transit time. This circuit component (62) is controlled in such a way as to change the signal transit time in inverse proportion to the changes of the output signals of the clock generator (16).

The invention relates to a circuit configuration for the generation of clock signals for a semiconductor memory that are edge-synchronous with the output signals of a clock generator, comprising an input stage to which the output signals of the clock generator are applied, a phase detector which receives the signals output by the input stage and whose output signals control a voltage-controlled oscillator which supplies the clock signals for the semiconductor memory, and a conversion stage which applies signals related to the output signals of the oscillator to the phase detector, that controls the oscillator in such a way that the phase difference between the signals reaching it from the input stage and the signals also reaching it from the conversion stage becomes zero.
The essential components found on the motherboard of modern computers, apart from the processor (CPU), also comprise, among others, a clock generator which supplies all the clock signals required for the control of the component units. It is especially important for the coordinated operation of the processor and the semiconductor memories, which constitute the main memory, that both the processor and the main memory are controlled with as much edge-synchronization as possible by the corresponding clock signals. Only when this condition is fulfilled, can the correct processing of data as well as the correct interchange of data be guaranteed.
Since the voltage values of the clock generator output signals cannot be used directly for the control of the semiconductor memory components, constituting the main memory, these output signals are usually applied to the main memory via a PLL circuit, thus ensuring that these output signals are converted to the correct driving levels. The PLL circuit is the cause of a certain delay of the signals output by it with respect to the clock generator output signals reaching it. For a given voltage value of the clock generator output signals, the circuit can be optimized in such a way that the time delay due to the PLL circuit can still be tolerated and thus does not contribute to the deterioration of the data transfer process between the processor and the main memory.
The clock generators of modern motherboards are, however, conceived in such a way that they can supply output signals of different voltage values to suit the requirements of different processors that may be fitted to the motherboard. The consequence of these different output signal voltage values is that the requirements regarding the transit time differences that can be tolerated with respect to the time delay between the clock signals controlling the processor, and the clock signals controlling the main memory, can no longer be satisfied.
The invention rests, therefore, on the requirement of providing a circuit configuration of the type described in the foregoing which makes it possible that the requirement for an edge-synchronous control of the processor as well as the main memory can also be satisfied even when the voltage values of the output signals supplied by the clock generator change as a result of the need to adapt them to different processors.
According to the invention, this requirement is satisfied in that the input stage contains an amplifier which comprises a circuit component that influences the signal transit time, and that this circuit component is controlled in such a way that it changes the signal transit time in inverse proportion to the changes of the clock generator output signal voltage level.
As a result of the use of this special input stage, the circuit configuration according to the invention ensures that any change of the voltage level of the output signals supplied by the clock generator will not affect the signal transit time, so that, in conjunction with the function of the PLL circuit, the conditions of the edge-synchronicity demanded can be adhered to.

Generation of clock signals for a semiconductor memory that are edge-synchronous with the output signals of a clock generator


A crystal formation method is disclosed which is a crystal growth method comprising feeding two or more kinds of reactive starting gases alternately into a crystal formation treatment space having a substrate with a non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS) having small nucleation density and a nucleation surface (S.sub.NDL) having sufficiently small area for crystal growth only from a single nucleus, and larger nucleation density (ND.sub.L) than the nucleation density (ND.sub.S) of said non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS) being arranged adjacent to each other arranged therein, thereby permitting a monocrystal to grow selectively from said single nucleus, characterized in that when one of the starting gases is changed over to the other starting gas, the reaction vessel is once evacuated internally to 10.sup.-2 Torr or less.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for forming a crystal to be used for electronic materials, etc. according to the gas phase method.
2. Related Background Art
In the crystal formation methods in recent years, the Atomic Layer Epitaxy method having the characteristics of good controllability of crystal growth capable of effecting film growth one atomic layer and also suppressing the growth temperature at a lower level has been proposed (Usui, Sunakawa, Jap. J. Appl. Phys. 25 (1986), 212).
This is a technique in which a thin film is grown by feeding alternately reactive starting gases without mixing and allowing them to react on the surface of a substrate.
However, the above Atomic Layer Epitaxy method must use a monocrystal substrate, and therefore the cost is high, and there is also involved the problem that enlargement of area can be done with difficulty.
On the other hand, the experimental results about selectivity for crystal formation on any desired substrate are described in Classen, J. Electrochem. Soc. Vol. 127, No. 1, January 1980, 194-202.
The contents described in the above literature include preparation of two kinds of substrate having the surface comprising a material (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) on which formation of a film to be deposited can be easily done and the surface comprising a material (SiO.sub.2) on which formation of a film to be deposited can be difficultly done and confirmation on the trial basis of selectivity of formation of silicon crystal on those substrates.
The above literature suggests that a crystalline deposited film can be formed selectively on a desired substrate by utilizing selectivity for crystal formation as described in the above literature. However, even so, there is nothing suggested about the method for forming a monocrystal deposited film at a desired position on the surface of a desired substrate.
Also, from the contents of description in the above literature, nothing is suggested about formation of a polycrystal by controlling the grain sizes of crystals with good precision.
Accordingly, it has been earnestly desired to have a technique for forming a monocrystal with good controllability at a desired position on a substrate by using any desired substrate which can suppress the cost at a lower level.
As the technique earnestly desired as mentioned above, European Published Patent Application No. 0,244,081 filed by the assignee of the present application discloses formation at any desired position on the substrate by utilizing the selective nucleation method at a cost suppressed at a lower level and formation of a polycrystal by controlling the crystal grain sizes of monocrystals with good precision.
To show the crystal formation method utilizing the selective nucleation method disclosed in the above European Published Patent Application No. 02440821 as an example for better understanding of the present invention, the selective nucleation method, to show it conceptionally by way of example, is a method in which on a substrate having a non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS) having small nucleation density and a nucleation surface (S.sub.NDL) arranged adjacent to the non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS), having sufficiently small surface area for permitting crystal growth only from a single nucleus and larger nucleation density (ND.sub.L) than the nucleation density (ND.sub.S) of the non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS), crystal growth is effected originating from the single nucleus formed on the above nucleation surface (S.sub.NDL), and further the monocrystal is grown beyond the nucleation surface (S.sub.NDL) even to cover over the non-nucleation surface (S.sub.NDS).
The above method for forming a crystal has various excellent industrial advantages, but for utilization for various uses, it is desirable to further improve completeness of monocrystal quality, yield, productivity, bulk productivity, etc.
The present inventor, in view of the above points, aims at improving further the above method for forming a crystal so that it can be optimized for preparation of a crystal utilizable for formation of various electronic devices, optical devices, etc. of high performance and high characteristics.
As the results of further studies made by the present inventor according to the selective nucleation method, the present inventor has found that in the selective nucleation method, when the crystal growth treatment is performed by the gas phase method by use of reactive starting gases, the starting gases will react with each other in the gas phase, whereby two points antagonistic to each other exist, and that the measure for solving the problems obtained from these knowledges can give better embodiments of the present invention. These solving measures can apply the selective nucleation method for broader scope of uses.


The present disclosure relates to bearer establishment methods, user equipment, and base stations. One example method includes configuring, by user equipment (UE), a bearer for the UE by using a pre-stored configuration parameter, where the pre-stored configuration parameter includes an access stratum (AS) configuration parameter, and sending, by the UE, service data to a base station by using the bearer.

In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, user equipment (UE) establishes a bearer while connecting to a network, regardless of whether the UE initiates a service. If a service initiated by the UE needs transmission of relatively sparse data or the UE does not initiate any service, the established bearer is wasted.
To improve resource usage, in a 3rd-Generation (3G) mobile communications technology, it is proposed that UE establishes a bearer when the UE initiates a service. In the 3G mobile communications technology, the UE initiates a bearer activation request to a radio network controller (RNC) when initiating a service, and establishes a bearer by exchanging signaling with the RNC, an serving GPRS support node (SGSN), and a gateway (GW). In a process of establishing the bearer during initiation of the service, the UE needs to exchange signaling messages with multiple network devices. Consequently, bearer establishment delays and overheads are relatively large.

Bearer establishment method, user equipment, and base station


The present disclosure relates to a controller, a circuit and method for controlling a power converter using pulse width modulation (PWM). At least one logic block (13, 15, 16) of the controller is configured to remove a command (4) which is configured to control the other power semiconductor switch (2) in a half-bridge (1,2) so that the other power semiconductor switch (2) remains in a non-conductive state while an antiparallel diode (6) allows an electric current (5) to pass in one direction, called the diode's forward direction, while blocking current in the opposite direction. In case the diode (6) is conducting instead of the other power semiconductor switch during the duration of the state of the command, the switching command (4) for the latter is omitted. The controller is further configured to modify the dead time interval (Tdead) between switching from the power semiconductor switch (3) to another power semiconductor switch (4) or vice versa in order to avoid a discontinuity in the transfer function (25).

The state of the art in power converters provides an adjustable voltage and frequency to the output through a pulse width modulated (PWM, pulse width modulation) voltage source inverter drive. Power converters can be used in uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), electric motors, etc. The PWM command is used in the power converter for controlling power to electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches. The duty cycle of a switch (ratio of on-time to total cycle time) is varied to achieve a desired average output voltage, current etc., when averaged over time.
A typical power converter is a switching power converter. It has two or more power semiconductor devices such as power semiconductor switches. The power semiconductor switches can, for example, be implemented by insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT). A simple logical error—turning a transistor on at the wrong instant—can cause catastrophic failure in the right or wrong circumstances. When the state of the transistor must change due to requested PWM, the conducting transistor is turned off. Then, after a delay (called dead time), the other transistor is turned on. The delay is added to ensure that there is no possibility of both transistors conducting at the same time. Dead time is necessary to prevent short circuit of the power supply of the switching power converter.
Although the dead time is short, it causes deviation from the desired output. The deviations result in reduced output voltage, distorted machine currents, and torque pulsations. Dead time in the switching output stage also causes nonlinearity in the power circuit transfer function that may be difficult to remove.
Due to the dead time, it is also never possible to reach maximum modulation depth. The maximum actual duty cycle of PWM is limited by the dead time between the power converter commands. Dead time limits the time that the power converter can spend in an active state as a fraction of the total time under consideration. System requirements of the power converter for the minimum allowed command pulse also limits the duty cycle. Due to these constraints, the capacity of the power converter is not fully used. For example, an inverter having a 15 kHz switching frequency, 2 μS dead time, and 2 μS minimum pulse can reach a maximal modulation depth of only 94%. 6% of the theoretical modulation range is lost, which translates into a 6% loss of efficiency. This causes loss in maximum reachable output voltage mostly and additionally negative effect on output voltage waveform in closed loop system, for example due to an earlier saturation of the PWM command.
A known solution to improve the loss and performance has been to increase the DC bus voltage to compensate loss of modulation depth. This, however, increases the cost of the power converter system. The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

Converter controller with half bridge adaptive dead time circuit and method


An apparatus for electrostatically spray-coating a workpiece with conductive paint which includes a color changeover valve mechanism for selectively supplying conductive paint, cleaning liquid and air. A flush valve mechanism is provided for selectively supplying the cleaning liquid and the air. A first directional control valve includes an outlet and inlets. The inlets are connected to feed lines extending from the color changeover valve mechanism and the flush valve mechanism, respectively. A block line is made of an insulating material and has a first end connected to the outlet of the first directional control valve. The block line includes a second end in communication with the first end. A second directional control valve is provided having outlets and an inlet. The inlet is connected to the second end of the block line. An intermediate reservoir is connected via a feed line to one of outlets of the second directional control valve. A waste-liquid tank is connected via a first discharge line to a second outlet of the second directional control valve. A spray gun is connected via a delivery line to the intermediate reservoir. A second discharge line is branched from the delivery line via a changeover valve. A discharge line cleaning mechanism is provided for selectively supplying at least cleaning liquid and air to the second discharge line. A high voltage is applied to the conductive paint between the second directional control valve and the spray gun.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for directly applying a high voltage to conductive paint so as to electrostatically spray-coat an object or workpiece with the paint.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrostatic spray coating or painting apparatus for applying a high voltage to conductive paint so as to electrostatically spray-coat an object or workpiece such as a vehicle body to be coated, with conductive paint, has heretofore been provided with an insulation mechanism for electrically insulating a color changeover valve mechanism as a paint feed source and an intermediate reservoir from each other. As a typical example, there is known a device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,729, for example.
In the prior art shown in FIG. 1, there is disposed an insulation mechanism 6 between a color changeover valve mechanism 2 and an intermediate reservoir 4. When conductive paint is applied to an object or workpiece from a spray gun 8, the insulation mechanism 6 is activated to electrically insulate the color changeover valve mechanism 2 and the intermediate reservoir 4 from each other. The insulation mechanism 6 has an electrically-insulated line 10, which has a paint inlet and a paint outlet to which two-way changeover valves 12a, 12b are respectively connected. The insulated line 10 has upper and lower end portions to which two-way changeover valves 14a, 14b for introducing cleaning fluid or liquid into the insulated line 10 and for discharging the same therefrom, respectively, and two-way changeover valves 16a, 16b for introducing air into the insulated line 10 and for discharging the same therefrom, respectively, are connected.
In the prior art referred to above, however, the insulation mechanism 6 includes six two-way changeover valves 12a, 12b, 14a, 14b, 16a and 16b, and lines connected to given positions of the insulated line 10, for disposing the two-way changeover valves 14a, 14b, 16a and 16b. Therefore, the prior art has the following problem. More specifically, it is necessary to electrically insulate the two-way changeover valve 12a from the two-way changeover valve 12b and to reliably electrically separate the two-way changeover valve 12b from the two-way changeover valves 14b, 16b. Further, the insulation mechanism 6 and the entire structure of the electrostatic spray-painting apparatus with the insulation mechanism 6 incorporated therein are both extremely large and complex in addition to an increase in the number of changeover valves (two-way changeover valves) to be used. It is also hard to clean a path between the two-way changeover valves 12a and 14a and a path between the two-way changeover valves 12b and 16b. Further, cleaning liquid tends to remain in these paths, thereby requiring much drying time and providing unstable electrical insulation.
As this type of art, there is also known a paint color changeover system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-2885, for example.
According to the disclosure, water-based conductive paint is first introduced into an intermediate reservoir from a paint feed source via an electrically-insulated line (insulated portion). Thereafter, the insulated line is washed and then dried to produce an electrically-insulated state (referred to as a "voltage block"). Thus, under the condition that current is being prevented from leaking to the paint feed source, the conductive paint is supplied to a spray gun from the intermediate reservoir, and a high voltage is directly applied to the conductive paint so as to electrostatically spray-coat an object or workpiece with the so-processed conductive paint.
In the disclosure referred to above, when it is desired to clean the insulated line, deionized water is used to prevent the current from leaking. It is, however, not possible to completely prevent the current from leaking even when deionized water is used. When the deionized water remains in the insulated line in the form of a thin film, current leakage is induced. Therefore, a high voltage cannot be applied to water-based coating or paint unless the deionized water employed in a cleaning process is completely dried. Thus, the formation of the voltage block will take much time, thereby impairing the efficiency of the entire spray painting process.
In order to produce the voltage block, either water or a solution obtained by mixing water with 5%-10% hydrophilic solvents is used as a cleaning liquid. However, the insulated line is washed with the cleaning liquid composed principally of the water, thereby causing a problem in detergency.
In the above disclosure as well, the insulated line is cleaned and then dried to produce the voltage block. Therefore, resin components in the water-based conductive paint tend to remain in the inner wall of the insulated line and adhere thereto when the process for producing the voltage block is repeatedly carried out. As a consequence, an undesired flow of electricity over or through the resin components adhered to the inner wall thereof is produced, and hence a voltage blocking effect is insufficient or incapable of being completely achieved. In addition, the resin components are separated from the inner wall so as to be delivered from the spray gun. As a consequence, there is risk that the resin components may be applied to the object or workpiece, thereby causing the problem of a painting failure.

Apparatus for electrostatically spray-coating workpiece with paint


A display driver includes an instruction signal generation circuit which generates a data-fetch-start-instruction-signal; a data latch which fetches display data at data fetch timings including a fetch start timing that is determined by the data-fetch-start-instruction-signal; and a data line drive circuit which drives the data lines, based on the display data fetched into the data latch. The instruction signal generation circuit includes a fetch-start-timing-setting-register into which is set data for determining the fetch start timing of the display data, and the instruction signal generation circuit generates the data-fetch-start-instruction-signal that changes when a period corresponding to the data set in the fetch-start-timing-setting-register has elapsed, with reference to a reference timing.

The present invention relates to a display driver and a display device.
A display panel exemplified by a liquid-crystal display (LCD) panel is used in a display device that forms a display section of various types of information device. This display device comprises the display panel, a scan driver for driving a plurality of scan lines of the display panel, and a signal driver for driving a plurality of data lines of the display panel (generally speaking: a display driver).

Display driver and electro-optical device


The present invention provides:. a diagnostic kit for liver diseases such as hepatitis C and alcoholic cirrhosis to be applied to a human serum sample, which contains an antibody capable of recognizing a human cytochrome P450; and PA1 a process for determining the concentration of a cytochrome P450 in a human serum for diagnosis of hepatitis C and alcoholic cirrhosis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a diagnostic kit for hepatitis C and alcoholic cirrhosis.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Activities of enzymes such as GOT (glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase), GPT (glutamic-pyruvic transaminase), .gamma.-GTP (.gamma.-glutamyl transpeptidase) and the like have been measured as biological markers of human liver complaints with certain kits for diagnosis.
These enzyme activities, however, were not always satisfactory to specify a disease, since they did not distinguish liver diseases, such as viral hepatitides hepatitis A, hepatitis B, non-A non-B hepatitise, alcohol-induced hepatic injury and drug-induced hepatic injury.
Hence a further marker to specify certain liver diseases or a kit therefor have been desired.


An easily producible turbine nozzle for a gas turbine engine is provided, which is capable of preventing flutter of the turbine nozzle during operation of the gas turbine engine. The turbine nozzle comprises airfoils stacked along the stacking axis. The high curvature portions on suction surface in airfoil section successively formed along the stacking axis of the airfoil describe a parabola line that curves toward the pressure side of the airfoil when seen from the front or rear of the turbine nozzle. The high curvature portions on suction surface in airfoil section curve most at the center along the stacking axis of the airfoil from a straight line that connects with a first intersection between the parabola line and an inner band in the turbine nozzle and with a second intersection between the parabola line and an outer band in the turbine nozzle. The maximum curvature falls within a range from 0.02 to 0.03-fold of the stacking axis of the airfoil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a turbine nozzle for a gas turbine engine and more particularly to a turbine nozzle having curved airfoil that describe a parabola line toward the pressure side along the airfoil stacking axis.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional or inventive turbine nozzle is employed in a gas turbine engine, which is described first with respect to its brief configuration.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a brief configuration of a gas turbine engine 1.
The gas turbine engine 1 is employed, for example, as a jet engine in an airplane. It is an engine configured to jet a high-temperature high-pressure combustion gas to provide a propelling force or a rotating force.
The gas turbine engine 1 comprises an engine outer cylinder 3 and, inside the engine outer cylinder 3, a hollow engine casing 5 arranged integrally and substantially coaxial with the engine outer cylinder 3 as base. An annular engine flow path 7 is formed in the engine casing 5. An annular by-pass flow path 9 is formed between the engine outer cylinder 3 and the engine casing 5.
At an inner front portion in the engine casing 5 (an upstream portion seen from the direction of gas flow), interposing the engine flow path 7, a front support frame 11A is formed integrally with the engine casing 5. At an inner rear portion in the engine casing 5, interposing the engine flow path 7, a rear support frame 11B is formed integrally with the engine casing 5. The front support frame 11A and the rear support frame 11B support a low-pressure turbine shaft 13 rotatably via bearings. In addition, the front support frame 11A and the rear support frame 11B support a hollow high-pressure turbine shaft 15 rotatably via bearings and coaxially with the low-pressure turbine shaft 13.
At the front end of the low-pressure turbine shaft 13, a fan 17 is provided to send air into the engine flow path 7 and the by-pass flow path 9.
At a location upstream from the engine flow path 7, a low-pressure compressor 19 is provided. The low-pressure compressor 19 is employed to compress air at low pressure and send it to downstream (seen from the direction of gas flow; and the right side in FIG. 1).
The low-pressure compressor 19 includes an annular airfoil support member 21 located downstream from the fan 17 and arranged integrally with the low-pressure turbine shaft 13. In addition, a row of multi-stage moving airfoils for low-pressure compression 23 is provided at the perimeter of the airfoil support member 21 along the engine flow path 7. Finally, a row of multi-stage stationary airfoils for low-pressure compression 25 is provided inside the engine casing 5 along the engine flow path 7 so as to alternatively interleave with the row of multi-stage moving airfoils for low-pressure compression 23.
At a location downstream from the low-pressure compressor 19 in the engine flow path 7, a high-pressure compressor 27 is provided. The high-pressure compressor 27 is employed to high-pressure compress the air, which has been low-pressure compressed by the low-pressure compressor 19, and send it to downstream.
The high-pressure compressor 27 includes a row of multi-stage moving airfoils for high-pressure compression 29 provided along the engine flow path 7 on the high-pressure turbine shaft 15. In addition, a row of multi-stage stationary airfoils for high-pressure compression 31 is provided inside the engine casing 5 along the engine flow path 7 so as to alternatively interleave with the row of multi-stage moving airfoils for low-pressure compression 29.
At a location downstream from the high-pressure compressor 27 in the engine flow path 7, an annular combustion chamber 33 is formed. The combustion chamber 33 is employed to burn a fuel in a compressed air to produce a high-temperature high-pressure combustion gas.
At a location downstream from the combustion chamber 33 in the engine flow path 7, a high-pressure turbine 35 is provided. The high-pressure turbine 35 is configured to rotationally drive the high-pressure turbine shaft 15 in response to a rotating force caused by expansion of the high-temperature high-pressure combustion gas from the combustion chamber 33.
The high-pressure turbine 35 includes a row of multi-stage moving airfoils for high-pressure turbine 37 arranged on the high-pressure turbine shaft 15 along the engine flow path 7 and operative to rotate in response to the high-temperature high-pressure combustion gas. In addition, a row of multi-stage stationary airfoils for high-pressure turbine 39 is provided inside the engine casing 5 along the engine flow path 7 so as to alternatively interleave with the row of multi-stage moving airfoils for high-pressure turbine 37.
At a location downstream from the high-pressure turbine 35 in the engine flow path 7, a low-pressure turbine 41 is provided. The low-pressure turbine 41 is configured to rotationally drive the low-pressure turbine shaft 13 in response to a rotating force caused by expansion of the high-temperature high-pressure combustion gas from the combustion chamber 33.
The low-pressure turbine 41 includes a row of multi-stage moving airfoils for low-pressure turbine 43 arranged on the low-pressure turbine shaft 13 along the engine flow path 7 and operative to rotate in response to the high-temperature high-pressure combustion gas. In addition, a row of multi-stage stationary airfoils for low-pressure turbine 45 is provided inside the engine casing 5 along the engine flow path 7 so as to alternatively interleave with the row of multi-stage moving airfoils for low-pressure turbine 43. A turbine nozzle in the art or a turbine nozzle according to the present invention includes the row of stationary airfoils for low-pressure turbine 45.
The turbine nozzle is formed from nozzle airfoils (stator vane; hereinafter also referred to as simply "vane") arrayed in annular. In further detail, the turbine nozzle is formed from a plurality of stator vane, an annular inner band and outer band. For convenience of assembling and disassembling on maintenance, the turbine nozzle as a plurality of nozzle segment generally, may also be referred to as the turbine nozzle in the specification of the present application.
There are two methods to improve the stability to flutter for the vane. One is to increase the natural frequency on the lower order mode of airfoil. The other is to locate the torsional center (torsion center) of lower order modes for airfoil to a stable position.
Generally it is required to change airfoil shape, such a thickness, chord length etc, in order to implement the above methods.
Changing the sectional shape of the airfoil, may have a large influence on aerodynamic performance. In recent design of a high-efficiency turbine. (a low margin (design margin) is remained to change the sectional shape of the airfoil.) Therefore, it may be required to redesign the aerodynamic design in order to change airfoil shape, it is also required to satisfy the mechanical requirements (for example, a mechanical strength) simultaneously. Accordingly, it is difficult in some cases to change the sectional shape of the airfoil.
As disclosed in a patent publication 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-196303), there has been known a configuration with stacking of airfoils instead of changing the sectional shape of the airfoil. In this case, the middle portion along the stacking axis of the airfoil is protruded toward the pressure side of the airfoil to curve the airfoil. The stacking is herein defined as to stack the sectional shapes along the stacking axis to construct the shape of the airfoil.
The airfoil disclosed in the patent publication 1 is not provided with indication of specific features of the curve (for example, the shape of the curve and the degree of the curve). Therefore, some feature of the curve can not improve the stability to flutter for vane sufficiently during operation of the gas turbine engine 1 and may make it difficult to produce the turbine nozzle.

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.


A casing of an electronic key communicating apparatus is formed by sealing with epoxy resin a printed circuit board, a front surface of which a circuit component and end portions of each terminal are mounted on. A rear surface of the circuit board is used as a part of an outer surface of the casing. The circuit board includes a recess line portion to surround a button battery. The terminals are mounted on the printed circuit to cross the recess line portion. This structure allows a slide type mold to be used, decreasing the thickness of the casing and enhancing productivity.

A conventional electronic circuit apparatus such as a communicating apparatus in a vehicular electronic key system has a casing to contain a battery and a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted (Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1: JP-2004-52471 A
A main body of the casing is formed of a flat card-shaped box having a bottom to include a circuit-board containing portion and battery containing portion, which contain the circuit board and battery, respectively. The circuit board and battery are hermetically enclosed in the main body of the casing using a covering sheet, i.e., a lid. Each terminal, an end portion of which is soldered on the circuit board, is extended into the battery container to be pressed to contact the battery; therefore, each terminal is previously deformed to bend towards a battery position where the battery is to be inserted.
In the conventional electronic circuit apparatus, both the front and rear surfaces of the circuit board are enclosed within the casing, increasing the thickness of the casing or the apparatus to possibly worsening portability.
To decrease the thickness of the apparatus, the following method can be adopted: one surface of a circuit board, on which an electronic component is mounted, is sealed with resin to form a casing; the other surface of the circuit board having no electronic component mounted is used as an outer surface of the casing. Here, when the casing is molded with resin, a mold for forming a battery containing space is required.
However, since the above terminal needs to be previously deformed to bent towards the battery position, the mold for forming the battery containing space cannot be a slide type mold, which will be prevented from moving by the bent terminal. Consequently, the mold becomes complicated.
Each terminal needs to be soldered on the circuit board at its end portion and to contact the battery at the other end portion; therefore, the terminal is considerably extended from the circuit board where the end portion is soldered. This makes it difficult for the circuit board to securely support the terminal. Consequently, the terminal is soldered on the circuit board by hand, instead of being automatically mounted. The number of production processes for producing the electronic circuit apparatus increases, posing a problem.

Electronic circuit apparatus and production method thereof


A seamless application integration apparatus and method are provided. The seamless application integration apparatus includes a seamless integration server that is installed in a host virtual machine so as to provide a seamless application integration (SAI) environment in a virtualization system that comprises the host virtual machine and at least one guest virtual machine. The apparatus also includes a dynamic reconfiguration unit determines whether a seamless integration client that corresponds to the seamless integration server has been installed in the guest virtual machine, and that may install the seamless integration client in the guest virtual machine according to the determination result.

1. Field
The following description relates to the seamless integration of applications in a system that utilizes virtualization technologies.
2. Description of the Related Art
A system virtualization technology enables various operating systems to be run on a single physical device using a single hardware of the physical device that acts as numerous pieces of virtualized hardware. Through the use of virtualization various types of operating systems may run independently from one another in a virtual environment provided according to the system virtualization technology. Accordingly, a user is able to seamlessly run an application without the need to recognize an operating system on which the application is running.
A virtualized system includes a plurality of domains that each correspond to a respective operating system. In this example, domains may be classified into main domains that are capable of accessing system hardware and sub-domains that are incapable of accessing the system hardware. While in use a user may experience the appearance that a sub-domain is running as a main domain, according to a system virtualization technology.
As such, to provide a seamless application integration environment, each domain of a system may have a seamless application integration module installed therein. However, if an operating system of a sub-domain migrates from another system, the sub-domain may not have a seamless application integration module installed therein. In addition, if the seamless application integration modules in the respective domains are not matched with one another, or if a runtime environment of each domain changes, it may be difficult to offer an appropriate seamless application integration environment to a user.

Seamless application integration apparatus and method


Disclosed is a motor for driving lenses. The motor includes a case, a yoke fixed in the case, a magnet fixed in the yoke, a carrier equipped with lenses and installed in the magnet such that the carrier moves up and down within the magnet, a coil coupled with the carrier, in which the coil cooperates with the magnet to move up and down the carrier, a spring unit including first and second springs having arc shapes and being separated from each other while forming a ring shape as a whole, a spacer supporting the outer peripheral surface of the spring unit, and a terminal provided on the spacer, in which one side of the terminal protrudes downward by passing through a bottom of the case to make connection with the spring unit and a main PCB of a product.

As digital appliances have been diversified, digital devices equipped with cameras or MP3 players are developed and extensively used. In addition, a motor for driving lenses of the camera installed in the digital device is also developed and extensively used.
The motor for driving the lenses adjusts the position of the lenses by using a carrier that moves as current is supplied to/removed from a coil. The coil receives external power through a spring electrically connected to both the coil and a main printed circuit board (PCB).
Recently, many users request for small-sized digital appliances. In this regard, studies are being pursued to provide digital appliances having small size and capable of stably supplying current to the coil.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A system and method for initializing a register file during a test period for an integrated circuit, wherein the register file has one or more input ports. A counter, when enabled, is initialized and counts at each write cycle of the register file and outputs a current count value to the input ports of the register file to pre-load the register file to a known state.

Moore's law, which is based on empirical observations, predicts that the speed of integrated circuits (IC's) doubles every eighteen months As a result, IC's with faster microprocessors and memory are often available for use in the latest electronic products every eighteen months. Although successive generations of IC's with greater functionality and features may be available every eighteen months, this does not mean that they can then be quickly incorporated into the latest electronic products In fact, one major hurdle in bringing electronic products to market is ensuring that the IC's, with their increased features and functionality, work as intended.
IC's are designed to operate in either a test mode or an operation mode, To facilitate the configuration of the IC in a test mode, test logic is embedded on the IC which exchanges data through test pins on the IC using a standard test interface such as Joint Testing Action Group (JTAG) or a real time data exchange (RTDX) type of interface developed by Texas instruments, Inc. This test logic is typically referred to as design-for-test (DFT) technology.
One such DFT technology is a scan design which creates one or more scan chains by serially tying together internal logic such as a set of registers and flip-flops in the IC. During the test mode of operation for the integrated circuit scan data is loaded into the internal logic of the IC through the test interface. After loading the test data, the IC is instructed to perform whatever operations would be caused by the scan data being loaded into the internal logic to create a scan signature. The scan signature is then read out from the test interface and compared with expected results to determine the operability of the IC. As the amount of internal logic has increased proportional to the increases predicted by Moore's Law, the size of scan chains and scan signatures has caused scan testing to become a lengthy and costly part of the IC development. As such, the development of scan compression DFT techniques has been used to shorten the amount of time testing takes and reduce the amount of data exchanged between testing equipment and an IC.
Uninitialized register files can cause a problem for DFT techniques that use scan compression because the output of the register file is not known. This unknown output value corrupts the signature that is calculated by the scan compression logic, thus invalidating the test.
Some testing equipment is very inefficient at masking and removing unknown values. Uninitialized register files can also cause a problem for this test equipment and can increase test time and in turn increase test costs.

Register file initialization to prevent unknown outputs during test


A device for holding a laptop that connects to luggage. The device is easy to store and set up having two rigid members, spacer bar, flexible strap and flexible strap closure.

Laptop computers are fantastic for portable use. Many people use them on their lap as the name suggests, however, this is not comfortable or ergonomically sound for long use. Many people use them on tables or special stands. When traveling with traveling case such as luggage it is very advantageous to have a place to put the laptop. It would be convenient to have a portable work surface for use with a luggage carrier that is light weight as well as easy to set up, disassemble and store.


Disclosed are a button for a control panel assembly and a clothes handling apparatus having the same. In a control panel assembly comprising a control panel having button holes to mount a plurality of buttons and a display window, at least one of the buttons comprises a pressing portion having an optical diffusion portion for diffusing light occurring from a light source disposed at a back of the buttons; a mounting portion for fixing the buttons to a back of the control panel; and a supporting portion for connecting the pressing portion and the mounting portion to each other, and providing an elastic force to the pressing portion. According to this configuration, a larger amount of light occurring from the light source is emitted to a front of the buttons, and a user's convenience is enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control panel assembly, and more particularly, to a button for a control panel assembly having an optical diffusion unit of a lattice structure for forwardly diffusing light occurring from a light source, and a clothes handling apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a clothes handling apparatus includes a washing machine, a clothes drier, a refresher, etc.
Among the various clothes handling apparatuses, a drum type washing machine will be explained.
The drum type washing machine serves to perform a washing process by using a frictional force between laundry and a drum that rotates by receiving a driving force of a motor, under a state that detergent, washing water and laundry are input into the drum. Demands for the drum type washing machine are increased since laundry is scarcely damaged, laundry is not entangles to each other, and effects such as biting and rubbing are obtainable.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a general drum type washing machine, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of buttons of a control panel of FIG. 1.
The drum type washing machine comprises a cabinet 10 that forms the appearance thereof, a tub (not shown) installed in the cabinet 10, and a drum 30 rotated in the tub and having laundry inputted thereinto.
A front cover 16 is mounted to a front surface of the cabinet 10, and a door 14 for opening and closing the drum 30 is mounted to an approximate middle portion of the front cover 16. At an upper part of the front cover 16, attached is a control panel 60 mounted with a manipulating portion for inputting washing conditions, a display portion 58 for displaying the current operation status of the drum type washing machine, etc. Each kind of a control substrate 56 and a control frame 55 is mounted in the control panel 60.
The manipulating portion for inputting washing conditions is implemented as a button 70, or a dial knob 54 rotated by a user's hand.
Referring to FIG. 2, the control panel 60 includes a display portion mounting hole 61 for mounting the display portion 58, and a button mounting hole 62 for mounting the button 70.
The button 70 includes a pressing portion 72 directly pressed by a user, and an elastic portion 73 for restoring the pressed pressing portion 72 to the original position. The button 70 is fixed by a fixing hook 63 formed in the control panel 60.
Recently, a button illuminated when pressed to inform a user of the pressed state is spotlighted.
However, when light occurring from a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) disposed at a back of the button 70 passes through a flat surface of the button 70, the amount of light is reduced to cause a user not to precisely detect the pressed state of the button 70. As a result, the control panel 60 has a degraded appearance.
Furthermore, when the button 70 is fixed to the fixing hook 63 of the control panel 60 with a non-uniform force, the button 70 is not properly mounted. Besides, while the button is mounted to the fixing hook 63 and the drum type washing machine is used, the fixing hook 63 may be damaged to cause the button 70 to be detached from the original position.
Furthermore, the button does not match a drum type washing machine having a cabinet formed of stainless steel and providing a sophisticated image.

Button for control panel assembly and clothes handling apparatus having the same


In order to produce a one-part contact element (1) for connection of an ignition cable to a spark plug connector which is inexpensive and enables a non-releasable connection, an embracing tongue (11) is formed on one of two oppositely arranged edges (9, 10) of a sleeve (8) and on the side edge (22) of a bent-up catch (12) of the tongue (11) facing the spark plug connector is stamped out a recess (17) delimited by side edges (25, 26).

Such a one-part contact element is known from the EP 0 133 094 B1. This describes a connecting terminal whose one end region is to be connected to a connecting cable, while the other connecting region serves to receive a plug pin, e.g. from a spark plug or a spark plug connector. For joining to the end of the connecting cable, a ferrule situated in the end region of the connecting terminal is clipped onto the insulating sheath and the insulation-free end of the cable and crimped onto it. This ferrule is followed by a helically wound bush which can be clipped onto a contact pin of the operational element (spark plug, spark plug connector). For this purpose the contact pin of the operational element has a groove into which can snap a hook projecting from outside through apertures in the windings of the contact bush. During the clip-on process the contact bush springs up so that, after the snapping in, it can again return to its original circumference.
Such an arrangement is advantageous as it ensures a secure contact between the connecting cable and the electric operational element and the one-part connecting terminal allows for economical manufacture.
The drawback however is that because of the releasability of the catch, it cannot be used as a contact element between an ignition cable and a spark plug connector. Non-releasable contact elements are used in prefabricated spark plug connectors for connecting the ignition cable, i.e. spark plug connectors which are encased in a spray coated insulation layer. The link between the contact bush and the spark plug connector must therefore be so resistant that when the plug arrangement constructed in this way is subjected to tensile forces, only the spark plug connector becomes separated from the spark plug, as required for servicing.
In the DE 8313411 U1 is disclosed an arrangement in which a bush can be clipped to a contact pin of a spark plug connector and is non-releasably snap-corrected thereto. For this the contact pin of the operational element has a snap-in groove into which can snap a spring washer of the connecting bush of the connecting cable. The spring washer is trapezoidal in design and a substantial part of its circumference lies outside in a groove of the connecting bush. The straight segment of the spring washer penetrates a radial opening of the bush and projects with one part of its circumference beyond the inner sheath of the bush. The segment serves for snap connection in a corresponding groove of the contact pin. During the manufacture of the contact bush, the spring washer is received in the arrangement as a separate part. This multiplicity of parts in the contact bush increases the manufacturing cost and is therefore undesirable.

Delphi Automotive Systems Deutschland GmbH


A fuel injector includes an injector housing, an outlet check, an injection control valve assembly, and a valve seat orifice plate integrating a valve seat and various orifices for outlet check control. In the valve seat orifice plate a drain orifice extends between a valve seat surface and a check control chamber formed between a closing hydraulic surface of the outlet check and the valve seat orifice plate. First and second re-pressurization orifices extend between an outer surface of the valve seat orifice plate and the check control chamber.

Many modern internal combustion engines, notably compression-ignition engines, employ a highly sophisticated electronically controlled fuel system including fuel injectors having direct-operated outlet checks. The direct-operated outlet check will typically include a closing hydraulic surface exposed to fluid pressure in a control chamber. Pressure is relieved in the control chamber to initiate an injection event, and restored to the control chamber to end fuel injection. Various orifices are conventionally used in an orifice plate to control, or assist in controlling, the variations in pressure in the control chamber to optimally actuate the outlet check. A control valve is employed to selectively connect the control chamber to low pressure.
Engineers have experimented in many ways over the years with the arrangement and sizing of the various orifices in the orifice plate. In one known system, the control chamber is supplied with pressurized fuel by way of a so-called "Z-orifice" in an orifice plate, and connected to low pressure by way of a so-called "A orifice" in a piece separate from the orifice plate. An "F-orifice" is employed in some systems to assist, along with the Z-orifice, in re-pressurizing the control chamber. Various different operational and performance characteristics can be obtained by varying the use, arrangement, and geometry of the various orifices. U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,878 to Ibrahim et al. is directed to a fuel injector with needle control system that includes F, A, Z, and E orifices. The disclosure in Ibrahim et al proposes a common rail fuel injector employing the various orifices, and teaches different performance characteristics that can be achieved by adjusting their respective sizes.

Fuel injector having valve seat orifice plate with valve seat and drain and re-pressurization orifices


In a non-aqueous lithium ion secondary battery comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode which are capable of reciprocally receiving and releasing lithium ions, a non-aqueous electrolyte solution containing a lithium salt in a non-aqueous solvent and a separator in a sealed case, the negative electrode comprises an amorphous calcogen compound or an amorphous metal oxide, and the non-aqueous electrolyte solution further contains at least one amine compound selected from the group consisting of a carbazole compound, a phenothiazine compound, a phenoxazine compound, an acridine compound, a dibenzoazepine compound and a phenazine compound. If the non-aqueous solvent comprises a non-cyclic carbonate compound and a cyclic carbonate compound, the amine compound can be a triarylamine.

As a material of negative electrode of a non-aqueous lithium secondary battery, a lithium metal or lithium alloy has been generally employed. The lithium metal or lithium alloy, however, has a disadvantageous feature in that a lithium metal deposits on the electrode in the branched or tree-like form to give dendrite and produces an internal short circuit or easily ignites due to extremely high activity of the deposited dendrite.
In order to obviate such troubles, a fired carbonaceous material which can reciprocally receive and release lithium ions was developed and has been employed in practice for preparing a negative electrode. This material has a disadvantageous small density and therefore it only gives a relatively low capacity. Further, since the fired carbonaceous material per se has electroconductivity, a lithium metal may deposition the carbonaceous negative electrode in the course of over-charging or rapid charging.
EP-A-615,296 and Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. H5-174818, No. H6-60867, No. H6-275267, No. H6-325765 and No. H6-338324 disclose that a non-aqueous lithium ion secondary battery showing a high capacity and giving a discharge potential as high as 3 to 3.6 volts can be prepared by the use of an oxide of Sn, V, Si, B or Zr or an oxide of a combination of these metals as the electrode forming-material. In more detail, the negative electrode comprising the oxide of Sn, V, Si, B or Zr, or the oxide of combination of these metals can give a non-aqueous secondary battery which has a discharge potential as high as 3 to 3.6 volts and a large discharge capacity, and produces almost no dendrite under the practically confronting conditions resulting in enhancement of safety.
Journal of Power Sources, 39(1992), 163-178, discloses that highly stable solutions of 1,3-dioxolane with LiClO.sub.4 or LiAsF.sub.6 preferably erployable for secondary lithium batteries may be prepared by the use of tertiary amine derivatives such as trialkylamines such as triethylamine, tripropylamine, tributylamine and trioctylamine and triarylamines such as tribenzylamine, triphenylamine, trimethylpiperidine and trimethylmorpholine.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. H6-333598 discloses that a lithium secondary battery which employs an electrolyte solution containing a trialkylamine or a triarylamine shows good charge-discharge cycle characteristics.

Non-aqueous lithium ion secondary battery


A method of fabricating a two dimensional nano-structure array of features comprising the steps of providing a substrate (10); forming an intermediate layer on said substrate (20), said intermediate layer having at least two selectively located regions (21, 22) of different uniform thickness; placing at least one layer of elements (30) over said intermediate layer, said elements placed in a close-packed arrangement forming an array of voids (33) between said elements; etching the intermediate layer through said voids, and so forming the array of features (51, 52) in said intermediate layer corresponding to the voids.

The fabrication of nano-scale optical devices requires the formation of arrays of individual features representing light sources or photo detectors within such devices. It follows that the density of such features will determine the sensitivity of the device and so requiring the mass scale fabrication of said features in order to improve performance.
However, to increase flexibility and broaden the application of use, such devices require the fabrication of different features within the same device. For instance, to create multi-wavelength light sources and wide spectral responsivity photodetectors. Customizing the fabrication process to include regions of features of varying size is a time consuming and relatively expensive process compared to the fabrication of a device having uniform features. Alternatively, substrates having uniform features but varying in size between said substrates may be combined to form an overall device. However, this may affect the density of the overall device and so lead to a loss of resolution.
It would therefore be useful to fabricate a device having features that vary in size and shape but at a lesser cost than the customized fabrication processes of the prior art.

Method of fabricating periodic nano-structure arrays with different feature sizes

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A lamp mounting apparatus engages a temporal fastening pin with a temporal fastening clip to prevent a positioning surface of a lamp unit from moving in such a direction as to depart from a flange, so that the lamp unit can be kept positioned.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lamp mounting apparatus that can improve appearance quality of a vehicle.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In the case where a lamp unit is disposed adjacent to an outer panel member that defines a part of the outer surface of a vehicle, the lamp unit is positioned with respect to the outer panel member and then fixed to the vehicle body at a predetermined location thereof using bolts or the like so that the appearance quality of the vehicle can be improved. Accordingly, the lamp unit is provided with a positioning projection, and the outer panel member is provided with a positioning opening. The lamp unit is also provided with a temporal fastening member that temporarily fastens the main body of the lamp unit to a frame member of the vehicle in a state in which the lamp unit is positioned with its positioning projection being inserted into the positioning opening.
For example, a lamp mounting apparatus that keeps a lamp unit positioned has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-48856.
This lamp mounting apparatus, however, positions the lamp unit on an outer panel member only in the direction of the vehicle width, and hence the lamp unit cannot be positioned in a satisfactory manner.

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


Disclosed are a process for the preparation of a dihydroxyamino compound in which water and discoloring ingredients are removed while preventing decomposition of a dihydroxyamino compound by distilling a crude reaction liquid containing an epoxy compound and an amino compound at a specified temperature and pressure, a process for improving a yield of a dihydroxyamino compound having high purity by recirculating an aqueous solution of an amino compound recollected from a crude reaction liquid into a reaction step, and a process in which there are prevented discoloration and a yield decline of a dihydroxyamino compound.

A dihydroxyamino compound is industrially useful and, for example, 1-amino-2,3-propanediol which is one of the dihydroxyamino amino compound is an industrially interesting product as a starting material for a non-ionic X-ray contrast agent (for example, Belgian Pat. No. 855,580), and the demand thereof recently has increased.
For example, JP-A-62230754 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,379 or DE3609978) discloses a process for the preparation of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol by way of an amine compound from glyceryl aldehyde and ammonia. Further, Swiss patent CH 253256 discloses a process for the preparation of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol by way of an imide compound from acetone-alpha-chlorohydrin and ammonia. Still further, "M. Fedoronko et al., Electroreduction of triose oximes, Chem. Papers 43(2), 335 to 341 (1989)" discloses a process for the preparation of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol by an electroreduction method.
In the processes, it is theoretically thought that 2-amino-1,3-propanediol is not absolutely produced as a by-product, and the processes do not state it at all.
However, until now, the processes have not been industrially put into practice because of high costs in starting raw materials and complicated processes.
Therefore, at present time, 1-amino-2,3-propanediol has typically been industrially produced by a reaction of glycidol or an epihalohydrin with ammonia.
A process for the preparation of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol produced by a reaction of glycidol or an epihalohydrin with ammonia is disclosed in, for example, "Ber. Deutsche Chem. Ges.", Vol. 32, pages 750-757, 1899 (L. Knorr et al) and "Journal of Organic Chemistry", Vol. 27, pages 2231-2233, 1962 (K. Baum et al) and, further, JP-A-56161355 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,615), JP-A-56161356 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,323), JP-A-56161357 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,697), JP-A-04352748 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,576 or EP 0470004), JP-A-03041056, JP-A-03041057, JP-A-03063251, JP-A-03086851, and JP-A-08012628, etc.
In the processes by the reaction of glycidol or the epihalohydrin with ammonia, it is thought that a reaction mechanism is a ring-opening addition reaction to epoxy group by attack in which electron pair in nitrogen atom of ammonia attacks a carbon atom in epoxy group which is short in electron.
In the processes, 2-amino-1,3-propanediol which is unpreferred for 1-amino-2,3-propanediol is by-produced by a side reaction that ammonia attacks the second carbon from the terminal without an attack to the carbon at the terminal, and impurities such as bis (2,3-dihydroxypropyl) amine are produced by a reaction of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol with glycidol. It is difficult to avoid the side reaction in view of characteristics in the reaction.
It is to be noted that in the processes by the reaction of the epihalohydrin with ammonia, the epihalohydrin produces glycidol in a reaction step of the process.
In the processes described in the above publications, an exceedingly large amount of ammonia is employed in order to increase an yield of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol. A recently commercially supplied 1-amino-2,3-propanediol contains 0.3-0.5% by weight of 2-amino-1,3-propanediol as impurities which are unpreferred in a succeeding step.
However, JP-A-56161355, JP-A-56161356, and JP-A-56161357, JP-A-03063251, JP-A-03041056, JP-A-03041057, and JP-A-03086851 do not specifically state a separation of 2-amino-1,3-propanediol at all.
In the JP-A-04352748 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,576 or EP 0470004), there is disclosed a process for the preparation of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol containing less than 0.3% by weight of 2-amino-1,3-propanediol by a continuous distillation of a crude liquid of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol with a distillation column equipped with a packing having low pressure loss and a thin-layer evaporator or a scraping-type thin layer evaporator, as a result of finding that 2-amino-1,3-propanediol has, though exceedingly slight, higher boiling point than 1-amino-2,3-propanediol.
However, it is desired that 1-amino-2,3-propanediol is more efficiently separated in the process from a viewpoint of apparatuses, efficiency in using raw materials, and quality of a product.
Further, the JP-A-08012628 proposes that distillation is carried out with a batchwise distillation equipment while streaming an inert gas. However, since 1-amino-2,3-propanediol is thermally unstable, it is not thought that the batchwise distillation is more advantageous than a continuous distillation because of a long holding time of period.
In the circumstances, there has been desired a process in which the content of 2-amino-1,3-propanediol in 1-amino-2,3-propanediol can be efficiently decreased to less than 0.3% by weight.
In the above-mentioned reaction, since the exceedingly large amount of the amino compound is employed in a state of an aqueous solution in order to improve a yield of 1-amino-2,3-propanediol, a large amount of ammonia and water are unavoidably contained in a crude reaction liquid.
Further, discoloring ingredients are readily produced by side reactions in a step for removing ammonia and water from the crude reaction liquid.
JP-A-03086851 discloses that temperature at a bottom portion of an evaporator is controlled in a specified range, and holding time of period is controlled within 1 hour in a reduced distillation step when refined, whereby, there is improved discoloration in a dihydroxyamino compound which is a desired product.
In the processes, refining conditions are limited, and it is difficult to obtain a sufficient yield.
Still further, there is not detailedly described a method for removing discoloring ingredients. Particularly, in the case that the dihydroxyamino compound is employed as a raw material for an X-ray contrast agent, discoloration degree and water content become problematic.
In general, the discoloration degree is roughly controlled in less than 50 of APHA as a target value, and water content is roughly controlled in less than 0.2% by weight as a target value.
However, as described above, there has not been known a method for improving a color hue and water content.
In the situations, there has been desired a development of a method for refining a dihydroxyamino compound without discoloration from a crude reaction liquid.
Also, there are industrially important an improvement in yield of the dihydroxyamino compound and effective recollection and recirculation of unreacted amino compound.
JP-A-03063251 discloses that an ammonia aqueous solution is employed as an amino compound, however, there is not detailedly described recollection of unreacted ammonia. In the processes described in JP-A-56161355, JP-A-56161356, and JP-A-56161357, ammonia is employed as an amino compound, and liquefied ammonia is employed in place of an ammonia aqueous solution in order to reduce the volume of ammonia.
Accordingly, in order to recirculate ammonia into a reaction system, unreacted ammonia must be recollected as liquefied ammonia or as an aqueous solution through a scrubber, etc.
Boiling point of ammonia is -34.degree. C. at ordinary pressure, and in order to recollect ammonia by distillation, temperature of a coolant must be adjusted to less than the boiling point of ammonia, whereby, plant costs and running costs increase, resulting in that it is unpreferred from viewpoint of economy.
Further, there is also thought a process in which distillation is carried out under pressurization in order to elevate the boiling point of ammonia and to elevate the temperature of the coolant.
However, the process requires a distillation column which can resist pressurization, unpreferably resulting in that plant costs increase, and the process requires an apparatus for storing liquefied ammonia.
Still further, in the process for recollecting distilled ammonia as an aqueous solution through a scrubber, etc., recollected ammonia must be converted from an aqueous solution into liquefied ammonia in order to recirculate into a reaction step, unpreferably resulting in that plant costs and running costs become considerably high.
In the circumstances, there has been desired a development of a process in which an amino compound is efficiently recollected from a crude reaction liquid, and recollected amino compound can be recirculated without any special treatments, resulting in that a dihydroxyamino compound can be efficiently prepared.
In addition, JP-A-56161355, JP-A-56161356, JP-A-56161357, JP-A-03041056, and JP-A-03041057 do not state color hue in the dihydroxyamino compound which is a product at all.
In the circumstances, there has been desired a development of a process in which a colorless dihydroxyamino compound is efficiently prepared from a crude liquid after removing low-boiling-point ingredients such as an unreacted amino compound and water from a crude reaction liquid.
The present invention aims at providing a process for efficiently preparing a dihydroxyamino compound in which discoloration is prevented. As a target discoloration value, it is important that an APHA value is less than 50.

Process for the preparation of a dihydroxyamino compound


A system and method to diagnosis an actuator of a flight control system. The system and method includes interfacing a diagnostic computer to the flight control system, commanding movement of an actuator with the diagnostic computer via the flight control system, measuring performance of the actuator via the diagnostic computer, and comparing the measured performance of the actuator with allowable performance values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to diagnostic systems, and more specifically, to a diagnostic system for mechanical flight controls.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional aircraft include control systems that require regular inspections to verify proper functionality and structural integrity. The inspection process requires a skilled mechanic to remove multiple panels and other operably associated structures and devices to gain access to the flight control system components. Typical inspections are very time consuming and put the aircraft at risk of foreign object damage/debris during the disassembly and reassembly process.
Current inspection processes include: first, disassembling the aircraft to expose the flight control components; second, performing a visual inspection of the components, thus checking for structural integrity and functionality; replacing any damaged components; and then reassembling the aircraft.
Although great strides have been made in the field of aircraft diagnostic procedures, considerable shortcomings remain.
While the system and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

Automated diagnostic inspection of mechanical controls


An air freshening apparatus comprises a plant pot-shaped main body, an end cap body and a scent-emitting composition. The plant pot-shaped main body has a cavity therein defining an open end portion of the plant pot-shaped main body and a closed end portion of the plant pot-shaped main body. The scented air passage extends through the closed end portion of the plant pot-shaped main body. The end cap body is rotatably mounted on an exterior portion of the plant pot-shaped main body. The end cap body has a scented air passage extending therethrough and the end cap body is movable between a position where the scented air passages are at least partially aligned and a position where the scented air passages are fully misaligned. The scent-emitting composition is disposed within the cavity of the plant pot-shaped main body.

Air fresheners, candles and odor neutralizing sprays can be found in virtually every type of enclosed environments. As people spend more time in the homes, cars and offices, they have a desire for those enclosed environments to smell clean and pleasant. In addition to products that masks or eliminates odors, consumers often have the desire for air freshening products that neutralizes and eliminates offending smells. While there are a wide variety of air freshening products on the market today, consumers continue to search for air freshening products that make a unique and/or desirable statement about their lifestyle in addition to providing air freshening functionality. Evidence of this desire can be found in the sheer number of different styles, colors, designs and scents of air freshening products currently on the market.
Air fresheners for automobiles were initially little more than a cardboard placard that had been impregnated with a scented composition. Eventually, these began to be offered in a myriad of different shapes and were decorated with indicia such as, for example, pictures. Today, air fresheners for automobiles are available in a wide variety of configurations such as, for example, air freshening units with powered fan devices that blow scented air throughout the automobile and air freshening units with powered heating devices that gently warm a scent pad such that scent is emitted from the pad into the air.
Air fresheners for home use were simply solid masses of scent-emitting compositions or a volume of liquid scent emitting composition. Air fresheners for home include a myriad of apparatus that delivery scented air by means for spraying a mist, blowing scented air, heating a scent-emitting composition, etc. Whether the intended application is an interior of an automobile or an interior space of a home or office, the widespread appeal of air freshening apparatuses and the desire for unique and innovative implementations of air freshening apparatuses is clear undeniably clear.
Therefore, a new configuration of air fresher that is unique with respect to known air freshening products would be desirable and useful.

Plant pot shaped air freshening apparatus and system comprising same