An ink jet head includes an electroviscous fluid chamber provided at a part of a sidewall of an ink chamber, and having electroviscous fluid sealed therein, an elastic film provided between the ink chamber and the electroviscous fluid chamber for transmitting pressure between the ink chamber and the electroviscous fluid chamber, a pair of electrodes provided at a part of a sidewall of the electroviscous fluid chamber corresponding to the ink chamber for applying an electric field to the electroviscous fluid, a pressure generation device for discharging ink from the ink chamber, and a control device for controlling ink discharge by applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes to alter the viscosity of the electroviscous fluid in response to record information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ink jet heads of ink jet printers, and more particularly, to an ink jet head utilizing electroviscous fluid for control of ink discharge.
2. Description of the Background Art
A typical conventional ink jet head forming an image by discharging droplets of recording liquid is called a XEYSER type ink jet head, and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398. According to this head, an electric signal is applied to a piezo oscillator attached to a recording head including an orifice to reduce the volume within an ink chamber, whereby pressure is generated to discharge ink. This head must have a plurality of piezo oscillators attached corresponding to each of a plurality of discharge channels. It is difficult to reduce the size of a piezo oscillator. Therefore, this head had a problem that down-sizing is difficult and print out at high density was inhibited.
In order to solve the above problem, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2-172746 discloses a head that utilizes electroviscous fluid for controlling ink discharge. Here, this electroviscous fluid is a liquid having dielectric solid particles and dielectric compounds dispersed within an electrical insulative liquid, and exhibits the Winslow effect in which the viscosity is altered suddenly by having a voltage applied.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional ink jet head utilizing electroviscous fluid for control of ink discharge. Referring to FIG. 1, an ink jet head includes a main body 529 with a cavity 526 for accommodating recording liquid 527 which is a mixture of ink and electroviscous fluid. Main body 529 includes sidewall pairs of 528A, 528B, . . . , 528E, each forming channel nozzles 522A, 522B, . . . 522E with orifices 521A, 521B, . . . , 521E for discharging droplets 523, a piezo-electric element provided within cavity 526 for generating a pressure wave to recording liquid 527, and control electrode pairs 524A, 524B, . . . 524E provided at respective sides of orifices 521A, 521B, . . . 521E for applying an electric field to recording liquid 527.
The pressure generated within cavity 526 by the deflection deformation of piezo oscillator 525 is conveyed to recording liquid 527 including ink mixed with electroviscous fluid. Recording liquid 527 arrives at each of channel nozzles 522A-522E to be discharged from orifices 521A-521E as droplets 523. Control electrodes 524A-524E in the proximity of the orifices apply a voltage to recording liquid 527 in a non-recording channel, whereby the viscosity of ink in the proximity of the orifice is increased to prevent discharge.
According to this technique, the recording head can be formed of a plurality of piezo oscillators fewer in number than the ink discharge channels. Therefore, reduction in size of the recording head and print out at high density can be realized.
However, this technique has the following problems since the electroviscous fluid per se is used as the recording liquid. In other words, the electroviscous fluid is mixed with ink and consumed. Therefore, the characteristics as electroviscous fluid and the characteristics as ink both must be achieved. It is for this reason that the characteristics as ink becomes unstable. As a result, clogging occurs to prevent printing of a favorable quality. Degradation in the dispersibility of the colorant causes generation of precipitation and clogging. Also, the colorant adheres to the electrode by application of a voltage to the recording liquid. Furthermore, the running cost of the recording liquid is high since the electroviscous fluid is consumed together with the ink.

Ink jet head utilizing electroviscous fluid for control of ink discharge


A system and method that facilitates multiple systems of communicating devices, i.e., a master device and one or more implantable slave devices, to coexist on a common, e.g., RF, communication channel having a limited temporal bandwidth while maintaining the required update rate between each master device and its associated slave devices. In embodiments of the present invention, master devices periodically transmit one or more beacon messages that are suitable for identification by other such master devices at a communication range greater than the communication range that may cause interference between systems and thus enabling one or more systems to cause the position of its frame periods to be interleaved with the frame periods of other such systems in anticipation of systems moving in closer proximity and actually interfering with each other.

The present invention generally relates to systems for monitoring and/or affecting parameters of a patient's body for the purpose of medical diagnosis and/or treatment. More particularly, such systems are characterized by a plurality of devices, preferably battery powered, configured for implanting within a patient's body, each device being configured to sense a body parameter, e.g., temperature, O2 content, physical position, electrical potential, etc., and/or to affect a parameter, e.g., via nerve and/or muscle stimulation.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,284 entitled "System of Implantable Devices For Monitoring and/or Affecting Body Parameters" and U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,452 entitled "Battery Powered Patient Implantable Device", each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, describe devices configured for implantation within a patient's body, i.e., beneath a patient's skin, for performing various functions including: (1) stimulation of body tissue and/or sensing of body parameters, and (2) communicating between implanted devices and devices external to a patient's body. Depending upon the ailment affecting the patient, it may be desirable to communicate with a number of different devices, e.g., from one to thousands, while maintaining an update rate, e.g., on the order of every 1 millisecond to every second, sufficient to control and/or monitor the body parameter(s) at issue. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,472,991 entitled "Multichannel Communication Protocol Configured To Extend The Battery Life Of An Implantable Device", incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes an exemplary communication protocol for communicating between a master device (referred to as a system control unit (SCU) in the referenced patent) which may be implanted or in proximity to a patient that communicates with a plurality of slave devices, preferably implantable, across a common communication channel during a frame period, preferably of fixed duration. The frame periods are essentially sequential and temporally contiguous and as such there is only one repeatable frame period available that occupies the entire temporal bandwidth of the common communication channel. Fortunately, while this exemplary communication protocol allocates time slots for a large number of implantable slave devices, most systems will not be populated to that predefined maximum amount. This allows for a gap within the frame period that is specified relating to the actual number of implantable slave devices in the system or the system configuration. Unfortunately, when multiple systems of devices, i.e., a master device and associated slave devices, are in close proximity, i.e., within an interference communication range of each other, interference between the master or slave devices in different systems may cause one or more devices or systems to perform improperly since there is a statistical probability that two or more devices may transmit during the same or overlapping time slots and consequently result in difficulty in receiving by individual receivers. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method that facilitate multiple systems to coexist on a common communication channel while maintaining the required update rate.

System and method for sharing a common communication channel between multiple systems of implantable medical devices

Alfred E. Mann Foundation for Scientific Research


An evaporator for a transport refrigeration system configured to be mounted in a conditioned space and having a downwardly facing intake and an air discharge end adapted to discharge conditioned air horizontally. The evaporator includes a structural frame for mounting the unit. The structural frame includes first and second lateral supports extending on opposite sides of the evaporator and at least one horizontal transverse member interconnecting the lateral supports. The evaporator fan is structurally supported by the transverse member at a location in fluid flow communication with the air intake. The evaporator coil extends between the lateral supports intermediate the air discharge end and the location of the evaporator fan. The lateral supports serve as tube sheets of the heat exchanger. An outer cover for the evaporator includes a bottom portion configured to underlie all portions of the heat exchange coil and refrigeration circuit and includes an opening in fluid flow communication with the evaporator fan. The bottom portion further includes a front edge, which defines the lower portion of the air discharge opening and a rear edge which cooperates with a wall of the conditioned space to partially define the back of the evaporator. A pair of side covers are configured to be installed on right and left sides of the evaporator to enclose portions of the refrigeration circuit that extend outwardly from the lateral supports. The configuration of the bottom portion of the cover allows it to collect and dispose of all condensate from the coil and components of the refrigeration circuit.

Transport refrigeration systems for straight trucks and vans commonly utilize separate condenser and evaporator sections or units, with the condenser unit being mounted on the nose or front wall of a straight truck or on a roof of a van, and with an evaporator unit being mounted in a conditioned space of the associated vehicle. Evaporator units for such air conditioning systems have typically been ceiling mounted sheet metal boxes which house the evaporator coil, fan and other associated components.
Such sheet metal boxes typically occupy a large volume of valuable cargo space within the conditioned space of the vehicle. Further, when it is desired to make adjustments to certain components of the refrigeration system, it is necessary to shut down the system in order to safely open the sheet metal box to gain access to components such as the compressor pressure regulating valve ("CPR") and/or the thermostatic expansion valve ("TXV") of the system. In some situations, evaporators are partially disassembled while in operation thereby exposing technicians to dangerous conditions including contact with the evaporator fan. Other drawbacks of prior art systems include their inability to collect condensation from the evaporator coil and thus prevent it from falling on goods stored within the conditioned space. Other problems associated with water collection include the projection of condensate from the evaporator into the conditioned space as a result of the high rate of air flow within the evaporator and across the evaporator coil.


Embodiments include a method for adjusting a signal control plan for a traffic signal at an intersection based on local environmental conditions is provided. The method includes operating the traffic signal based on a standard signal control plan, receiving an indication of an adverse environmental condition, and determining if the standard signal control plan should be adjusted based on the indication of the adverse environmental condition. Based on determining that the standard signal control plan should be adjusted based on the indication of the adverse environmental condition, the method includes creating a modified signal control plan based on the adverse environmental condition and the standard signal control plan and operating the traffic signal based on the modified signal control plan.

The present invention relates generally to traffic management system and more specifically to, adjustment of a traffic signal control plan based on local environmental conditions.
In general, traffic management systems are utilized to control the operation of traffic signals along arterial roads. The goal of the traffic management system is to maximize vehicle throughput on the arterial road while minimizing delays. Traffic signal controllers are used to control the operation of traffic signals along the arterial roads and to adjust the signal phasing and timing based on the time and day of the week. The traffic signal controller operates a traffic signal based on a signal control plan that dictates the signal phasing and timing.
While existing traffic management systems adjust signal phasing and timing based on the time and day of the week, these are not the only factors that affect traffic patterns and driver behaviors. One factor that has a large impact on traffic patterns and driver behaviors is the weather. However, existing traffic management systems are not designed to take into account the weather when adjusting signal phasing and timing.

Adjustment of a traffic signal control plan based on local environmental conditions


This patent presents an attitude determination and control system based on a Quaternion Kalman Filter (QKF) with an extendable number of sensors and actuators. Furthermore, it is compatible with the spherical motor as its attitude actuator. The system includes a processor with a QKF, at least one direct attitude actuator, and at least two environmental sensors. Firstly, system dynamics calculates a first propagation attitude determination result. Next, update the first propagation with the attitude sensor measurements. Then, control the satellite's attitude via the attitude actuator closer to the attitude command provided by the user. The proposed system dynamic model could adjust the number of actuators and sensors freely without reprogramming the algorithms for new missions with new configurations on the actuators and sensors. Moreover, if some components fail, the algorithm can automatically remove those related sequences to avoid the overall failure of the system.

Satellites usually equip with payloads having pointing requirements, for instance, antennas, solar cells, or cameras. In general, these payloads are "fixed" on a satellite and cannot move or rotate by themselves. Therefore, they are only allowed to have linear or rotational movements together with the satellite. For example, to point the antennas at a specific ground receiving station, the satellite has to perform an attitude compensation procedure which includes the following steps: (1) determining the attitude of the satellite and (2) adjusting the attitude of the satellite closer to the commanded attitude using actuators. Here in this document, "Attitude" refers to the rotational relationship between an inertial reference frame and the reference frame adhered to the satellite. Moreover, they usually are expressed in the form of quaternions.
The inertial reference frame may be an Earth-Centered, Inertial (abbreviated as "ECI") coordinate frame or an Earth-Centered, Earth-Fixed (abbreviated as "ECEF") coordinate frame which is represented by the Cartesian coordinate system, the cylindrical coordinate system, the spherical coordinate system, or the like. For example, a Cartesian coordinate system can be defined by a given origin, an X-axis unit vector, and another Y-axis unit vector that is orthogonal to the X-axis unit vector. Finally, the right-hand rule determines the Z-axis unit vector.
The following two methods may be applied to obtain the attitude: (1) using an attitude measurement device or (2) using algorithms to perform calculations according to an environmental referencing object in the space like the sun or earth magnetic field.
The attitude can be directly obtained by using the attitude measurement device. The attitude measurement device, for example, may be a star tracker.
The attitude can also be obtained by using algorithms to perform calculations according to the environmental referencing objects measured by environmental sensors. These environmental sensors, for example, may be sun sensors and magnetometers. The environmental reference objects may be the sunlight or the earth's magnetic field.
The angular momentum stored in the angular momentum exchange device (such as a reaction wheel or a control moment gyro, namely the indirect attitude actuator) inside the satellite has to be known as an input of the attitude determination and control algorithms. In other words, angular momentum stored in the satellite makes a difference in the power or the torque needed for a satellite to change its attitude. For example, in two conditions that 1) an angular momentum exchange device of the satellite is functioning and storing a certain amount of angular momentum (hereinafter referred to as "1st condition") and 2) an angular momentum exchange device of the satellite is in the IDLE mode without storing any angular momentum (hereinafter referred to as "2nd condition"). The satellites require different torque to attend to the commanded attitude even the initial attitude is the same. Such angular momentum stored has to be checked by rotational speed sensors in the angular momentum exchange device.
The conventional integrated satellite attitude determination and control system (ADCS) has several written attitude determination modes. However, each mode has an unchangeable number and type of 1) environmental sensors, 2) the attitude measurement unit, and 3) the inertia measurement unit. If the sensors designated by the mission requirement varied, the supplier must reprogram the attitude determination algorithm accordingly.
Moreover, sensors may fail after a period of operation. If the system still solves for the attitude using the same algorithm, the system may face malfunctions. To keep the robustness of a system, an expandable algorithm with the capability to accommodate a different number of sensors is a solution for prolonging a satellite's lifespan.
Consequently, the conventional attitude control system can't be expandable to have several environmental sensors. On the one hand, they can't add or remove the inertia measurement unit (such as a gyroscope) or the attitude measurement unit (such as a star tracker) from the determination algorithm flexibly. On the other hand, they also fail to add or remove different kinds of direct attitude actuators, indirect attitude actuators, or combinations thereof from the system. As a result, the attitude determination algorithm has to be reprogrammed every time after the attitude measurement units, the direct attitude actuators and the indirect attitude actuators configuration is designated according to the client's requirements and budgets. Therefore, this traditional-style causes more delivery time of the system and the inconvenience of the client. Furthermore, upon the satellite runs along the earth orbit, some of the sensors fail subsequently, the algorithm can't be updated automatically, thereby causing a wrong determination of the satellite's attitude.

Attitude determination and control system and method thereof


A process for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising a source, a drain, and a gate electrode having an increased effective gate length. A semiconductor device is fabricated by a process comprising the following steps: forming active areas separated by field oxide regions; forming a lightly doped region in each active area; forming a heavily doped p-Si (or a-Si) layer; depositing and patterning several dielectric layers to form a gate area surrounded by vertical spacers; forming a groove in the gate area and the substrate; forming a gate oxide layer in the groove and driving dopants in the doped p-Si (or a-Si) layer into the substrate to form the source and the drain; and forming a gate electrode in the groove.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to processes for fabricating semiconductor devices having gate electrodes, and in particular to a new process for fabricating a deep-submicron metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) with a gate having an increased effective gate length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A Under conventional MOS manufacturing processes, transistors must be separated from each other to prevent operational interference and short circuits between them. This isolation is typically accomplished by providing a field oxide (FOX) region between transistors. A typical manufacturing process for making this field oxide region is the local oxidation of silicon (LOCOS) process. In this process, comparatively thick oxide layers, partly or wholly inset in the silicon substrate, may be obtained through the use of an oxidation-resistant silicon-nitride-containing masking layer.
As shown in the cross-section taken through a partial perspective view of a semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1A, an active area 12 is defined by a circumscribing field oxide region 10 after fabrication using the LOCOS process. A gate oxide layer 16, a polysilicon layer 18, and a phosphosilicate glass (PSG) layer 20 are sequentially deposited on top of the substrate 14 and the field oxide region 10.
Next, as sown in FIG. 1B, these layers are photolithographically patterned using well-known techniques not illustrated herein to define the gate structure 22 of what is to be a MOSFET device. The structure is subsequently subjected to a low-concentration N.sup.- /P.sup.- ion implantation process as suggested by the arrows 24. The structure is then heated in a thermal diffusion furnace and, as a result of heating and annealing, the implanted ions form lightly doped source and drain regions 26 and 28, respectively. Care is taken to insure that the concentrations of the implanted ions are sufficiently low to avoid the hot electron effect and the short channel effect in the lightly doped regions.
Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, a silicon nitride (Si.sub.3 N.sub.4) layer 30 is deposited on the structure and thereafter etched using an anisotropic etching process to form a vertically extending barrier 32 circumscribing the gate structure 22; see FIG. 1D. As illustrated in FIG. 1E, after the barrier 32 is formed, the remaining PSG layer 20 is selectively removed by the application of hydrofluoric acid (HF). Next, the structure is subjected to a high-concentration N.sup.+ /P.sup.+ ion implantation process as indicated by the arrows 34, and the device is again heated in a thermal diffusion furnace at approximately 900 to 1000.degree. C. to drive the implanted ions into the substrate 14 through the original source and drain regions 26 and 28 to form a heavily doped source 36 and a heavily doped drain 38. Note, however, that the N.sup.- regions beneath the barrier 32 survive as indicated at 26' and 28'. Meanwhile, the crystal structure of the surface regions of the silicon substrate damaged by the ion implantation process is restored through an annealing process.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 1F, a silicide layer 40 (e.g., a titanium silicide (TiSi.sub.x) layer), which covers the gate 18, the source 36 and the drain 38, is formed through vacuum deposition and rapid thermal nitridation (RTN) processes, thus completing the MOS manufacturing process.
Under the aforesaid conventional MOS manufacturing process, it is very difficult to generate a gate length of very fine dimensions. As known to those skilled in the art, the gate structure 22 in FIGS. 1B-1F is defined by a photoresist pattern of an equal length. As the critical dimensions of the semiconductor process technology become smaller and smaller, it becomes more and more difficult to build a photoresist pattern that would not easily peel off from the substrate during processing. This difficulty, if not resolved, would significantly limit the future development of deep sub-micron (e.g., quarter-micron or less) semiconductor structures.
Moreover, the aforesaid conventional technology utilizes ion implantation and thermal diffusion process to drive high-concentration ions into the substrate to form the source and drain. Because it is difficult to control the depth of implantation and diffusion, the ions may be diffused too deeply into the sub-micron MOS device, causing irreversible device defects and savaging the entire MOS manufacturing process.
Another significant disadvantage of the aforesaid conventional MOS manufacturing process is that it entails a difficult alignment task for the subsequent interconnection process because of the very narrow source-to-drain contact region.

Method for fabricating MOSFET having increased effective gate length


An amplifier circuit having a programmable configuration which is selectable by a user. The amplifier circuit includes a pair of two-input differential input circuits. Each two-input differential input circuit has first and second input terminals, wherein the first input terminal of the first two-input differential circuit is connected to a first circuit input and the first input terminal of the second two-input differential circuit is connected to a second circuit input. The amplifier also includes programmable circuitry for selectively connecting the second input terminals of the first and second two-input differential circuits to either second or third circuit inputs, respectively, or to the fourth and first input terminals, respectively.

In the past, analog signal processing circuits have been provided by discrete components. In such arrangements the topology of the circuit and the values of the components to be chosen at the outset have to be "correct" for the particular application. Such circuits have a disadvantage that where changes in circuit requirements occur, it may be difficult to reconfigure the circuit to have a different topology.
More recently, analog integrated circuits have been provided. Such circuits aim to include many or all of the required integers within the integrated circuit. However, the cost of making an integrated circuit for each different possible application would be prohibitive, and accordingly it has become known to provide multi-purpose analog integrated circuits otherwise known as integrated circuit analog systems which have circuit portions which can be selectively enabled or disabled to customize the circuit for a particular application, and which have circuit elements which can be programmed to provide, for example, a desired impedance.


Improved techniques of managing a data storage system involve selectively inserting block virtualization structures (BVS) in access paths between data blocks of a file system and block pointers pointing to the data blocks. A BVS provides metadata for supporting deduplication of data in that data block. In some arrangements, a file system may support selective insertion of such a BVS between a block pointer and data block according to a specified criterion. For example, such a file system might support insertion of BVS's between block pointers and those data blocks storing cold data for which access latency is not important to overall performance of the data storage system.

Data storage systems are arrangements of hardware and software that include storage processors coupled to arrays of non-volatile storage devices. In typical operation, storage processors service storage requests that arrive from client machines. The storage requests specify files or other data elements to be written, read, created, or deleted, for example. The storage processors run software that manages incoming storage requests and performs various data processing tasks to organize and secure the data stored on the non-volatile storage devices.
Some data storage systems use file systems for organizing data in files. A file system organizes data of a file and provides a map that indicates where particular files' data are stored. The file system stores file data in discrete units called "data blocks" and provides each data block with a physical address in the file system. Each file has an inode that is located in an inode table of the file system and is accessed using the inode. The file system stores the physical addresses of the blocks storing data used by a file in a data structure called an inode and the file's indirect blocks.
The inode of a file has metadata and includes and/or points to block pointers that point to the data blocks where the file data are stored. A block pointer of an inode may either point directly to a data block or indirectly using an indirect block. An indirect block points indirectly to a data block using pointers to other data blocks or to other indirect blocks, which in turn point to data blocks.
Some file systems provide deduplication services to better utilize storage resources on the non-volatile storage devices. For example, a deduplication program may operate in the background to deduplicate data stored in the non-volatile storage devices. Deduplication enables a data storage system to store more data in the same amount of non-volatile storage by freeing duplicate blocks and using pointers to establish block sharing.
File systems that provide deduplication services may support block virtualization structures (BVS's). Block virtualization structures refer to any metadata that decouples a block pointer, direct or indirect, from the block pointed to by the block pointer. Block virtualization can share a block by pointing to another like data structure which points to the data block. From the inode's perspective, the inode is still pointing to the same location before and after deduplication. Some file systems require BVS's to provide deduplication services.

Selective application of block virtualization structures in a file system


This disclosure presents systems and processes to collect elemental composition of target fluid and solid material located downhole of a borehole. Waveguides can be utilized that include capillary optics to deliver emitted high energy into a container or a conduit and then to detect the high energy. A source waveguide can be used to emit the high energy into the target fluid and a detector waveguide can collect resulting measurements. Each waveguide can include a protective sheath and a pressure cap on the end of the capillary optics that are proximate the target fluid, to protect against abrasion and target fluid pressure. In other aspects, a pulsed neutron tool can be utilized in place of the waveguides to collect measurements. The collected measurements can be utilized to generate chemical signature results that can be utilized to determine the elemental composition of the target fluid or of the solid material.

When developing a borehole, such as when performing drilling operations, hydrocarbon production operations, scientific operations, or other types of operations, it may be beneficial to identify the elemental composition of the fluid from the formation or in the borehole. Changes in the fluid composition can be detected and that information can be utilized by other systems, such as to adjust an operation plan. The fluid can also be transported to a surface location, the fluid pressure can be reduced and various high energy techniques can be applied to detect the fluid composition. It would be beneficial to be able to perform the detection process downhole to minimize the delay from fluid collection to elemental detection and further allow real time operational decisions regarding the drilling or production process to be made. The pressure the downhole fluid experiences may require a container or a conduit, such as a fluid pipe, having a container or a conduit wall of at least a thickness that may effectively block high energy radiation from sufficiently penetrating the container or the conduit wall, thereby not allowing elemental composition detection. An apparatus and system that can effectively detect elemental composition using high energy sources when the fluid is under pressure would be beneficial.

Detecting downhole fluid composition utilizing photon emission


A new and novel sensor having a simple structure with high detection sensitivity. The sensor (S1) includes the following from measuring light (L1) input side in the order listed below: a first reflector (10) having semi-transmissive and semi-reflective properties; a translucent body (20); and a second reflector (30) having perfect reflection properties, or semi-transmissive and semi-reflective properties. The first reflector (10) and/or second reflector is brought into contact with a specimen, and the average complex refractive index varies with the specimen. Absorption properties for absorbing light having a particular wavelength are produced by these components, the properties of the measuring light (L1) are changed by the optical properties including the absorption properties, the output light (L2) is outputted from the first reflector (10) and/or second reflector (30), and the physical properties of the output light (L2) that vary according to the optical properties are detected.

As one of the sensors used for biomolecular analysis or the like, a sensor that makes use of the phenomenon in which the light intensity of the reflected light having a particular wavelength is attenuated by surface plasmon resonance is proposed, and a surface plasmon sensor basically constituted by a prism-shaped dielectric block, and a metal film formed on the block, and brought into contact with the specimen is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6 (1994)-167443. In the sensor, total reflection occurs at the interface between the dielectric block and the metal film. When testing a specimen, measuring light is irradiated on the sensor such that total reflection attenuation occurs by the surface plasmon resonance, and the intensity of the reflected light totally reflected at the interface is measured to detect the total reflection attenuation. In this way, measurement of the refractive index or density of the specimen, identification of the specimen, or the like is performed.
The plasmon sensor described above is expensive, since it requires the prism-shaped dielectric block. Further, it has many structural constraints, so that down-sizing of the sensor or simultaneous analysis of multiple specimens is difficult. Consequently, a different type of sensor that makes use of the phenomenon in which the light intensity of the reflected light having a particular wavelength is attenuated by local plasmon resonances is proposed, and a local plasmon sensor having microscopic metal relief structures on the surface of the substrate for effectively inducing local plasmon resonances is disclosed as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-232027, or nonpatent literature, "Local plasmon sensor with gold colloid monolayers deposited upon glass substrates" by Takayuki Okamoto and Ichirou Yamaguchi, OPTICS LETTERS, Vol. 25, No. 6, pp 372-374, Mar. 15, 2000.
The local plasmon sensor described above has a simpler structure, and is less expensive with less structural constraints compared with the surface plasmon sensor, since no prism-shaped dielectric block is required. The local plasmon sensor, however, has less favorable detection sensitivity than the surface plasmon sensor so that accurate analysis is difficult.

Sensor, multichannel sensor, sensing apparatus, and sensing method


The invention relates to a method of releasing an ensemble of nanofibers from a dielectric substrate as well as to applications of the method. The organic nanofibers are grown on the substrate and can be released by first providing a polar liquid to a surface of the substrate and subsequently supplying energy to the combined system of nanofibers and liquid. The release may preferably be followed by transferring the released nanofibers to another substrate for application of the nanofibers, including alignment and/or structuring of the nanofibers. The applications includes light emitting, guiding and sensing applications.

The ongoing rapid miniaturisation of optoelectronics has led to an increased interest in generation, characterisation and interconnection of optoelectronic elements with characteristic dimensions in the sub-micrometer or nanometer length scale regime. The requirements of the optically active element(s) in a sub-micro- or nanoscale optoelectronic component include such features as an easy optical tunability, a strong luminescence efficiency, flexibility in the molecular basis elements and that light should be generated or propagate in a predefined way. Organic optically active elements may fulfil such requirements.
A difficulty is that normally it is impossible, inconvenient or economically unfeasible to form the organic sub-micro- or nanoscale optically active elements and components directly on a desired substrate.
A solution to this is to form the optically active element on a different substrate—a formation substrate or template—and subsequently transfer the element to the desired substrate. Known techniques for releasing and transferring sub-micro- or nanoscale elements include ablation, adhesive lift-off techniques, removing the formation substrate from the backside by milling, such as ion milling, chemical dissolution of the formation substrate. However, these methods may require multiple steps and may produce excessive waste materials or may simply not work, e.g. because the optically active elements are not transferred in an unaltered way.
WO 01/92150 describes a method for transferring carbon nanotubes to a substrate. The method can be understood from FIGS. 2 through 6 as follows:                FIGS. 2+3: A lump of carbon nanotubes 1a is dissolved in a solvent 4 by the application of a supersonic wave 5, to create a carbon nanotube-solution 6. The supersonic wave has:                    frequency [20-200 kHz]            amplitude [0.5-50 μm]            for a time of [0.1-10 hours]                        FIG. 4: The carbon nanotube-solution 6 is filtered through filer 7 whereby a carbon nanotube thin film 1 is created on filter 7.        FIGS. 5+6: A binder layer 3 is formed on the thin film 1, and the structure is turned upside-down on a substrate 2. The filter 7 can now be torn off and the binder layer 3 can be dissolved by heat treatment, resulting in the formation of a carbon nanotube thin film 1 on substrate 2.
Hence WO 01/92150 relates to the transfer of a lump of carbon nanotubes to a substrate.
The inventors of the present invention have appreciated that an improved method of releasing sub-micro- or nanoscale elements from a substrate, and thereby facilitating transferring of sub-micro- and nanoscale elements is of benefit, and has in consequence devised the present invention.


An ultrasonic probe has a housing, a base pivotally mounted within the housing, an extension formed upon the base, and a scanning ultrasonic transducer disposed upon the distal end of the extension. The extension is preferably configured such that the scanning transducer moves along an arc of approximately 50 degrees having a radius of approximately 40 mm and is thus suitable for imaging elongate anatomical structures such as portions of the peripheral vascular system. A doppler ultrasonic transducer fixedly disposed within the housing proximate the scanning ultrasonic transducer measures fluid flow within the elongate anatomical structure. The doppler ultrasonic transducer is disposed at one end of the arc along which the scanning ultrasonic transducer travels such that the radiation path of the doppler ultrasonic transducer is periodically obscured by the scanning ultrasonic transducer. The doppler ultrasonic transducer measures fluid flow through the elongate anatomical structure when the scanning ultrasonic transducer is not within the radiation path of the doppler ultrasonic transducer.

In the field of ultrasonic diagnostics, acoustic images of anatomical structures are utilized in the diagnosis of various medical disorders. In order to produce real-time images of the anatomic structures, beams of ultrasonic energy from a probe are transmitted into the body tissue of a patient and echoes received by the ultrasonic probe are rapidly processed into an image format suitable for display. It is desirable that the probe produce an image over a wide field of view using a sector scan format. A sector scan format generates an image by repeatedly transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy in radial directions away from the probe to define a fan-like pattern. The ultrasonic beam is directed by mechanically moving an ultrasonic transducer such that it is swept through an arc about a pivot axis to produce the fan-like sector scan pattern.
The prior art is replete with examples of ultrasonic transducer probe assemblies, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,419 entitled "Ultrasonic Transducer Probe" issued Apr. 17, 1979 to R. Connell et al.; U.S. Pat No. 3,955,561 entitled "Cardioscan Probe" issued May 17, 1976 to R. Eggleton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,118 entitled "Ultrasonic Transducer" issued Dec. 20, 1983 to J. Dow et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,388 entitled "Ultrasonic Transducer and Drive System" issued on Oct. 30, 1984 to T. Matzuk; U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,703 entitled "Ultrasonic Transducer and Integral Drive Circuit Therefor" issued on Aug. 23, 1983 to T. Matzuk; U.S. Pat No. 4,092,867 entitled "Ultrasonic Scanning Apparatus" issued on Jun. 6, 1978 to T. Matzuk; U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,792 entitled "Self-Contained Ultrasonic Scanner" issued Jan. 27, 1981 to T. Matzuk; U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,425 entitled "Ultrasonic Scanning Transducer" issued on Aug. 16, 1983 to T. Matzuk; U.S. Pat No. 4,841,979 entitled "Ultrasonic Prostate Probe Assembly" issued on Jun. 27, 1989 to Dow et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,155 entitled "Ultrasonic Transducer Probe Assembly" issued On Apr. 3, 1990 to Dow et al.
Although all of the above-referenced patent disclosures address various problems associated with the use of ultrasonic transducer imaging, none have addressed the particular problems associated with the use of an ultrasonic transducer probe for the imaging of elongate anatomical structures such as blood vessels in the peripheral vascular system. More particularly, none of the cited patent disclosures address the problem of measuring fluid flow through such an elongate anatomical structure while simultaneously providing real-time imaging of the structure.
It would be desirable to provide real-time imaging of portions of the peripheral vascular system and simultaneous measurements of the flow of blood therethrough. More particularly, it would be beneficial to provide real-time imaging of the carotid artery while simultaneously measuring the flow of blood therethrough in order to determine the presence of any pathologies, abnormal structures or conditions, and/or any indication of problems elsewhere within the vascular system, i.e., as provided by the blood flow rate.
Prior art ultrasonic probe assemblies have been ineffective in providing a satisfactory means for real-time imaging of elongate anatomical structures such as portions of the peripheral vascular system due to the sharp radius of curvature followed by the ultrasonic transducers thereof and additionally due to their inability to provide simultaneous blood flow measurements. The use of such a sharp radius of curvature is inherent in prior art devices due to the mounting of the ultrasonic transducer in immediate proximity to the pivot axis thereof. That is, the radius of the arc traveled by the ultrasonic transducer in such prior art devices is typically approximately 5-10 centimeters in length. Thus, the path traveled by the ultrasonic transducer is sharply curved and consequently suitable only for the imaging of comparatively small areas.
As such, although the prior art has recognized to a limited extent the problem ultrasonically imaging portions of the human anatomy, the proposed solutions have to date been ineffective in providing a satisfactory remedy.

Ultrasonic peripheral vascular probe assembly


A heating system and method for heating the interior of a vehicle, such as a motor vehicle, which has an air-air heat exchanger having a heat storage medium, and which is configured to transfer heat between exhaust air, drawn out of the interior, and intake air, supplied to the interior from the vehicle environment, between the exhaust air and the heat storage medium, and between the intake air and the heat storage medium.

Current and future vehicle drive systems may generate only a small amount of waste heat, owing to their improved efficiency. Electric drive systems, especially, may provide only a small amount of usable waste heat, or in some cases even none, following a cold start, because of their high efficiency.
For interior comfort and for keeping the windows mist-free, or de-icing the windows (defrost function), electrical, ancillary heating systems are commonly installed in the vehicle. These ancillary heating systems frequently result in a greater fuel consumption, insofar as the electrical energy is generated by conversion of chemical energy contained in the fuel, e.g., in conventional internal-combustion engines. In the case of electric drives, the energy demand of the ancillary heating systems is for the most part covered by the electrical energy stored in the traction battery.
It may be desirable to improve the efficiency of heating systems in a vehicle and increase the driving range.

Heating system and method for heating the interior of a vehicle and motor vehicle


Systems and methods are described herein for maintaining stability of a power grid by providing a continuous power system data stream. Power system data including one or more data packets is monitored to identify reliability of data transmission. A predicted data packet is continually generated, characterizing predicted power system data of the power grid based on filtering of the one or more past and most recent non-missing and reliable data packets. A substitution factor of the one or more data packets is determined. The predicted data packet is selectively substituted in place of the one or more data packets based on the substitution factor.

Power systems can generate and distribute electricity to a number of energy consumers or loads. Power generation can result from the conversion of non-renewable and/or renewable resources into electrical energy. Power from such resources can be monitored by one or more controllers through various data streams. Data packets within the data streams can be unreliable at times due to intermittent data transmission and/or invalid data. Such unreliability can lead to instability of the power grid, and in extreme cases, cause power outages.

Maintaining power grid stability using predicted data


A capacitor includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a separator placed between the first and second electrodes, and an electrolyte. The first electrode includes a first collector made of metal foil, a first electrode layer containing carbon formed on the surface of the first collector, and a first protector covering the cross section of the first collector. The second electrode includes a second collector made of metal foil, a second electrode layer containing carbon formed on the surface of the second collector, and a second protector covering the cross section of the second collector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates particularly to a capacitor with high long-term reliability and its producing method among those used for various types of electronic devices, regeneration for a hybrid vehicle, storing power, and others.
2. Background Art
FIG. 13 is a partial cutaway perspective view illustrating the structure of an electric double layer capacitor as an example of a conventional capacitor. FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the substantial part of a capacitor element included in the capacitor shown in FIG. 13. The capacitor includes capacitor element 31, case 39, and sealing member 40.
Capacitor element 31 is formed of positive electrode 32 and negative electrode 33 wound with separator 34 placed therebetween. Positive electrode 32 and negative electrode 33 are structured by forming polarizable electrode layers 36 containing carbon on both sides of collector 35 made of aluminum foil. Positive electrode 32 and negative electrode 33 have leads 37, 38 connected thereto, respectively.
Capacitor element 31, after being impregnated with an electrolyte solution (not shown), is inserted into case 39. Case 39 made of metal is cylindrically shaped and has a bottom. Next, leads 37, 38 are inserted into holes provided in sealing member 40 made of rubber, respectively. In such a state, sealing member 40 is placed at the opening of case 39. After that, the outer circumference of the opening of case 39 is drawn inwardly, and the open end of case 39 is curled toward sealing member 40 to seal case 39. The electrolyte solution is prepared from mainly propylene carbonate (PC) used as the solvent with tetraethylammonium salt or the like as the solute.
However, when the above-described conventional capacitor is left in an open state between leads 37, 38 after being charged, the voltage gradually decreases due to a self-discharge phenomenon inherent in the capacitor. Such a voltage drop generally causes no problem at all. However, using the capacitor for starting an engine of a vehicle, for example, will cause a large trouble such as failing to start the engine due to the voltage drop.

Capacitor and method of producing the same


A user may check-in to an international flight and receive an electronic boarding pass using captured travel document information. If the travel document information has not been captured, the travel document information may be captured from a travel document by one of visual image capture or wireless communication. Visual image capture includes capturing an image of the travel document, performing optical character recognition (OCR) on the image of the travel document to extract text; and storing the extracted text on a computer-readable medium. Wireless communication includes receiving travel document information from a wireless communication device included in the travel document. The captured travel document information is compared to a list of registered passengers to determine if the passenger associated with the travel document is registered for the international flight. If the passenger is determined to be registered for the first international flight an electronic boarding pass is generated.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to online checking-in for international flights and, more particularly, to the use of electronically stored travel document information to expedite the check-in process.
2. Brief Description of Related Technology
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventor, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
As smartphones with high resolution displays have become more and more popular, airlines have begun providing electronic boarding passes for travelers to use in lieu of printed boarding passes. In addition to saving paper, these electronic boarding passes enable a tech savvy traveler to avoid having to wait in a line to receive a printed boarding from airline personnel or an airline kiosk and minimize the amount of items he or she must carry to travel. The electronic boarding passes may completely replace the printed boarding passes, allowing travelers to pass through security and board the airplane by having security or airline personal scan an icon (typically a two dimensional barcode) on the display of the smartphone to authenticate the electronic boarding pass.
However, electronic boarding passes for international flights present challenges. If an airline transports a person without proper travel documentation across an international border, the airline may be forced to transport that person back to his or her country of origin and pay a fine to the US government or a foreign government. In particular, if the airline neglects to verify the person's travel documents either visually and/or electronically, the airline may be fined. Accordingly, in the past electronic boarding passes have been impractical because the traveler would still have to present his or her travel documents to airline personnel or an airline kiosk for verification.

Expedited international flight online check-in


The present invention is directed to a method for treating tuberculosis in a mammal which comprises administering to the mammal a therapeutically effective amount of an inhibitor compound that inhibits an enzyme in the branched chain amino acid biosynthetic pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for treating tuberculosis in a mammal which comprises administering to the mammal a therapeutically effective amount of an inhibitor compound that inhibits an enzyme in the branched chain amino acid biosynthetic pathway in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
2. Description of the Background
The disclosures referred to herein to illustrate the background of the invention and to provide additional detail with respect to its practice are incorporated herein by reference and, for convenience, are referenced in the following text and respectively grouped in the appended bibliography.
Tuberculosis (TB) kills 2.5 million people annually and the World Health Organization estimated that, at the current rate of increase, there will be 4 million tuberculosis deaths worldwide per year by the year 2005 (Bloom and Murray, 1992). In addition, the percentage of clinical tuberculosis isolates that are resistant to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin has increased substantially (Collins, 1993; Jacobs, 1994). Outbreaks of drug-resistance tuberculosis have occurred in correctional facilities, hospitals, and urban areas in the United States. Most of the drug-resistant tuberculosis has occurred in patients who are co-infected with HIV and the mortality rate associated with these infections is as high as 90% (Collins, 1993; Dunlap and Kimerling, 1994). The rise in tuberculosis cases in the United States is also attributed to an increase in immigration from areas of the world in which tuberculosis infection rates are high (Dunlap and Kimerling, 1994; Hutchins and Hershfield, 1993). A major part of the strategy to overcome the worldwide tuberculosis problem will be the development of new therapeutic agents to treat this disease (Collins, 1993).
Historically, antimycobacterial drugs were discovered by screening compounds for inhibition of growth of the bacteria. The search for the target site of these compounds occurred after they were shown to be useful antibiotics. For example, isoniazid was introduced as an antimycobacterial drug in 1952 but its target site was not elucidated until 1995 (Dressen et al., 1995). Furthermore, the mechanism of toxicity of isoniazid is still not understood because it is converted by the bacteria to a toxic metabolite that has not been identified (Dressen et al., 1995; Zang and Young, 1993). The target sites of two other first-use drugs, ethambutol (Silve et al., 1993; Takayama and Kilburn, 1989; Wolucka et al., 1994) and pyrazinamide (Heifets et al., 1989) are not yet defined.
Using transposon mutagenesis, McAdam et al. isolated two leucine auxotrophic strains and one methionine auxotrophic strain of M. bovis (BCG) (McAdam et al., 1995). Infection of mice with the auxotrophic strains was compared with the parent strain. On day 30 of infection, there were 100-fold more colony-forming units (cfu) of BCG in the spleens and lungs of mice infected with the parent strain than in mice infected with the leucine auxotrophic strains. Conversely, the numbers of colony forming units measured in mice infected with the methionine auxotrophic strain were comparable to the parent strain. Both of the leucine auxotrophic strains contained transposon insertions in the leuD gene, which encodes a subunit of isopropylmalate isomerase (IPMI) (see FIG. 1).
The discovery that the phytotoxic effect of sulfonyl urea herbicides is due to inhibition of the first step in branched chain amino acid synthesis focused a great deal of research on this pathway for development of new herbicides (Hawkes et al., 1989; Schloss, 1994; Schloss et al., 1988). This effort has led to discovery of a large number of branched chain amino acid pathway inhibitors, some of which are produced in large quantity for commercial use.

Method for treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis

University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey


A spare brake beam for railway cars which can be quickly and easily installed in a train car without the necessity of cutting the car from the train nor dismantling the car nor the truck.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to brake beams for railway cars, and more particularly to a spare brake beam which allows a quick installation thereof.
B. Description of the Related Art
There are well known brake heads assemblies for railway cars by which a brake shoe is pressed against a wheel in order to decrease or stop the rotational speed of the wheel and railway car.
Generally, the brake head assembly is held by a structure called "brake beam" mounted transversely in the bogie of a railway car and is linked to a lever, which applies a force in order to press the brake shoe against a wheel.
The brake beam generally comprises, a generally "V" shaped tension member a compression member having its ends coupled to the ends of the tension member, a brake head subassembly linked to the each end of the compression member, two end extensions each coupled to an end of the compression member by which the brake beam is coupled to the bogie of a railway car and a fulcrum coupled to the compression member and tension member, so that the fulcrum remains between the tension and compression members. The end extensions of the brake beam are coupled to both pocket guides of the trucks
The main reasons for replacing a Brake Beam out of a freight car are the following:                A worn out condition.        A broken brake beam        A bent brake beam        A missing brake beam
When it is necessary to install a new brake beam, the damaged car must be decupled from the train, and taken to a repairing facility which could be many miles away.
Once in the facility, the car must be jacked up, then the truck must be disconnected and retired from under the car, proceeding to the dismantling of side frames and corresponding wheel set, in order to decuple the brake beam end extensions from the pocket guides and then remove the damaged brake beam, for reapplication of the new brake beam, proceeding then to reinsert wheel set and side frames, push truck under the car, reconnect and lower the car body on top.
The above referred operation is a main cause for car repair personnel injuries, it's very complex, it's costly and time consuming since it may take from 3 to 7 days to replace a brake beam. And worst, the owner of the car and the transport company, looses money for each minute the car is inactive, besides angry customers since usually the car that is cut from the train is completely loaded, facing penalties or damaged perishable goods.
In order to reduce the time and effort necessary to replace a brake beam, applicant developed a spare brake beam which can be quickly and easily installed in a train car without the necessity of cutting the car from the train nor dismantling the car nor the truck.
Applicant's spare brake beam includes: an interlocking member each coupled at an end of the brake beam compression and tension members inside its hollow cross section and having a brake beam coupling section directly coupled to the brake beam main body and an end extension coupling section; a removable end extension having a pocket guide coupling section and a brake beam coupling section linked to the end extension coupling section of a linking member, linked to the brake beam main body.
Thanks to applicant's spare brake beam it is not necessary to dismantle the car for replacing the brake beam and therefore the operation can be carried out without cutting the car from the train thus saving money on labor and materials.
Furthermore, the brake beam replacement operation can be completed in matter of minutes, saving time on all type of freight cars using a standard Brake beam, being particularly beneficial on intermodal or premium service trains and avoiding penalties and costs related with previous mounting systems.
Thanks to the spare brake beam of the present invention, it is possible to replace any kind of brake beam which is found at a damaged condemnable condition under a car in service, by a simple torch cut off process of the damaged beam under the car, pulling then the damaged component from the car bottom, which activity is simple and familiar to must skilled in the car repair art, and be then able to install the spare brake beam of the present invention, as an spare brake beam, right there and then, without the dismantling of the train, car nor truck, with simple common tools and skills.
Finally, since it is no longer necessary to dismantle the car for changing a brake beam, there are avoided the related and common accidents and personal injuries to the maintenance staff.

A. Stucki Company, a Delaware Corporation


Electromagnetic energy transfer is facilitated. In accordance with an example embodiment, a first resonator transmits electromagnetic energy using an electromagnetic wave, based on frequency matching and alignment of an electromagnetic field with a second resonator within a distance of one wavelength of the electromagnetic wave from the first resonator. An electromagnetic energy reflector adjacent the first resonator redirects reflected portions of the electromagnetic wave back towards the first resonator.

Wireless energy transfer has seen a strong interest in recent years. For example, wireless energy transfer has been implemented for hand-held type devices, such as computing or gaming devices, for charging a battery. Respective high-quality factor (Q-factor) LC resonators can be used to achieve such transfer, in which each resonator includes an inductor and a capacitor.
While such energy transfer has been useful for certain applications, power transfer has been challenging in a variety of applications. For example, such energy transfer must be effected in a safe manner, and often requires minimization of interference. Further, when transfer is not in free space (e.g., reflective/conductive bodies may interfere), the transfer can be challenging to effect. Transferring energy in complex electromagnetic environments can be challenging. These and other matters have been challenging to address.

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Statistical propylene copolymer containing 0.2-0.9% by weight monomeric units derived from ethylene; 13-21% by weight monomeric units derived from .alpha.-olefin having 4-10 carbon atoms, and 78.1-86.8% by weight monomeric units derived from propylene. The copolymer has a melting point of 115-125.degree. C.; a proportion of polymer soluble in boiling heptane greater than or equal to 95% by weight, and a proportion of polymer soluble in cold xylene (25.degree. C.) greater than 40% by weight.

The present invention pertains to propylene polymers, and more specifically to copolymers having both a low sealing temperature and a relatively high melting point. The present invention also pertains to a process for preparing said copolymers.
It is a known practice to use statistical propylene copolymers containing 1-butene and that can contain ethylene for the production of films.
Accordingly, patent publications EP-A-0145014 and EP-A-0146968, for example, describe the production of drawn films using terpolymers containing 8-30% molar of .alpha.-olefins having at least 4 carbon atoms and less than 3% molar of ethylene and which must contain at least 7% by weight of polymer insoluble in boiling heptane. These patent publications describe in particular copolymers which are produced by using a catalytic system containing a titanium trichloride-based solid, an alkylaluminum chloride and a methacrylic acid ester. The polymers, which contain relatively high quantities of chlorinated residues coming from the catalytic system, make it possible to prepare films having satisfactory optical and mechanical properties as well as advantageous sealing properties. According to these patent publications, films prepared by using polymers containing a smaller proportion of polymer insoluble in boiling heptane are not sufficiently resistant to scratching or have a low contact blocking ("anti-blocking" property). The example embodiments disclose binary propylene and butene copolymers and a terpolymer containing 0.9% by weight ethylene, 16% by weight butene, and a proportion of 15.8% by weight which is insoluble in boiling heptane, whose solubility in cold xylene amounts to 32.7% by weight.
Patent Publication EP-A-0577407 describes propylene copolymers containing ethylene and an .alpha.-olefin containing 4-10 carbon atoms. According to this patent publication, the proportion of polymer soluble in cold xylene must be sufficiently small for the polymer to present a satisfactory compromise between rigidity and sealing temperature. In this case, the patent publication recommends that for terpolymers containing less than 1.5% by weight ethylene, the proportion soluble in cold xylene not exceed 12% by weight.
It was noted that in certain cases the implementation of the polymers involves a number of problems. Specifically, it has been observed in the production of mono- or bi-drawn films that the polymers adhere to the drawing rollers.

Propylene polymers and process for the preparation thereof


A positive flow control system is provided that uses open-centered control valves in a series connection to provide priority between different fluid circuits and to provide requested flow regardless of the load pressure while minimizing unused or wasted flow. This is accomplished by providing a restriction in the last open-centered control valve to controllably restrict the flow therethrough when the valve is in its neutral position and having the source of pressurized fluid at a minimum displacement position that substantially matches the rate of flow across the restriction. A controller controls the displacement of the source of pressurized fluid and the displacement of the respective open-centered control valves in proportional to the respective input commands. Initial movement of the last open-centered control valve closes off the restricted flow thereacross to the reservoir prior to the source of pressurized fluid being communicated to the associated actuator. The subject system provides priority control and an effective control of wasted fluid while providing the needed flow rate regardless of the load without needing a special control arrangement for priority or separate bypass valve to control wasted flow.

Positive flow control systems are known that use closed-centered valves connected in parallel in combination with a separate by-pass valve to control the flow of fluid in the system in response to the operator's input command. These known positive flow control systems do not permit priority control without providing special controls. Furthermore, an extra bypass valve is required to control the flow from the pump whenever the control valves are in their closed positions. Even though the pumps may be flow/pressure compensated, it is desirable to maintain some minimum flow and pressure in order to have a supply of pressurized fluid for the system's control, for example; pilot control fluid, lubrication fluid or make-up fluid. It is also known, to place open-centered valves in an interrupted series relationship in order to provide priority flow to a desired function. For example, it may be desirable to ensure that the tilt actuator of a wheel loader have priority over the lift actuator. In these known open-centered systems, whenever the control valves are in their centered positions, all of the flow from the pump is passed therethrough to the reservoir. In earlier systems the pump may have been at maximum displacement and all of the energy needed to produce the flow is wasted. In subsequent systems, a flow restriction has been placed in the tank line downstream of the last control valve in the series in order to control the rate of flow to the reservoir. In order to offset the high increase in system pressure due to the addition of the restriction, the pressure drop across the restriction was sensed and used to control the displacement of the pump. This type of system has normally been referred to as negative flow control. Negative flow control systems rely on the exhausted flow in the system to control the flow rate from the pump. These types of systems still permit a large amount of fluid flow to return to the reservoir as the open-centered control valve is being moved to an actuated position.
It is desirable to minimize the volume of fluid flow that is permitted to be passed to the reservoir in order to minimize horsepower losses. It is also desirable to minimize flow losses while also providing priority to selected functions without the need for complicated controls.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.


A multitrack architecture for computer-based editing of multimedia sequences is disclosed herein. The multimedia sequences are formed of a plurality of collated segments representing audio or video scenes. The architecture contains sequence tracks for ordering the segments of the multimedia sequence and process tracks for applying transformations and/or animations to some of these segments. The output of the process tracks may be supplied to other process tracks and/or to a sequence track. Scope controls are provided to determine which portion of the output of a process track is supplied to another process track and/or to a sequence track.

Many types of architectures for computer-based editing are found in the industry to manipulate or to edit sequences of video, audio or the like.
These conventional architectures may be divided into three broad categories: timeline, process nodes and animation curves architectures.
Timeline Architectures
Timeline editing involves the ordering of video and/or audio segments, each representing a single scene or a logical unit of video or audio data, into a multimedia sequence.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a display screen of a timeline editor. Timeline editors typically include a stack of horizontal bars 10-18 sub-divided into segments 20 which run along an x-axis 22 which is calibrated into time units.
Horizontal bar 10 is associated with a video channel while each horizontal bar 12 to 18 is associated with an audio channel. The video and audio channels are mapped onto particular playback devices. The order of the segments 20 on each horizontal bar 10 to 18 regulates the order in which these segments will be played on the playback device associated with each particular horizontal bar.
One of the advantages of timeline editing is that both the temporal arrangement of all the elements in a multimedia sequence as well as their relationship to the playback device is obvious to the user. Segments can be intuitively placed and reordered in time sequence as well as moved between playback channels.
One drawback of timeline editing is that it is impossible to modify the segments other than to modify their duration.
Process Node Architectures
Process node editing typically involves an arc and node graph, hereinafter referred to as a process node graph, in which each node can be either a source (input), a transformation (filter), or a sink (output). Each arc of a process node graph shows the passage of video or audio data from one node to another.
The purpose of the process node graph is to represent the construction history of a multimedia sequence. By following the arcs from the source(s) to the sink, the user may retrace the evolution of the segments being transformed or otherwise modified by each node.
FIG. 2 of the appended drawings shows a simple process node graph illustrating the transformation of video segments. Two sources 24 and 26, and three transformations 28, 30 and 32 are used to produce a desired sink 34.
The segment of source 24 is supplied to an input 36 of the first transformation 28, which is a color corrector, through an arc 38. The result of the first transformation 28 is illustrated in the color corrected segments 40 and 42 respectively connected to outputs 44 and 46 is the first transformation 28 through arcs 48 and 50.
The color corrected segment 40 is supplied to an input 52 of the second transformation 30, which is a horizontal flip, through an arc 54. The result of the second transformation 30 is illustrated in the flipped color corrected segment 56 connected to an output 58 of the second transformation 30 via an arc 60. The flipped color corrected segment 56 is supplied to a first input 62 of the third transformation 32 via an arc 64.
The color corrected segment 42 is supplied to a second input 66 of the third transformation 32 via an arc 68.
The segment of the second source 26 is supplied to a third input 70 of the third transformation 32 via an arc 72.
The function of the third transformation 32, called a keyer, is to superpose a portion of the segment supplied to its first input 62 to the segment supplied to its third input 70. The portion superposed is defined by the segment supplied to its second input 66 which acts as a matte.
The result of the third transformation 32 is illustrated by the keyed segment 74 connected to an output 76 of the third transformation 32 via an arc 78. The keyed segment 74 is supplied to the sink 34 via an arc 80. As illustrated, the keyed segment 74 is the superposition of a portion of segment 56 over segment 26. The portion of segment 56 superposed corresponds to the portion which is in spacial correlation with segment 42.
One of the advantages of process node editing is that the operator has the ability to return to any previous node in the editing history of a sequence and make changes without having to redo subsequent steps which are automatically updated.
Another advantage is that the operator is able to specify many-to-many relationships between processes. For example, a single source could be shared between several different transformations such that a change to the source would be picked up by all the transformations simultaneously without any intervention from the user. For example, if source 24 is changed in FIG. 1, the entire process node graph illustrated will be modified accordingly.
A drawback of the process node architecture is the impossibility to manage the global timing of a sequence without a separate timeline editor.
Animation Curve Architectures
Animation curve editing typically involves a series of spline curves associated with a segment and placed on an x-y grid with each curve representing an animatable attribute of the segment. For example camera position, shininess, field of view, blurring, shadow, scaling, transparency, displacement, level, pan, and audio filtering are animatable attributes of video and/or audio segments.
FIG. 3 of the appended drawings shows a simple animation curve screen of an animation curve editor illustrating three spline curves 82, 84 and 86 of a segment.
As illustrated, the x-axis 88 of the x-y grid is calibrated in time units and the y-axis 90 is used as a gauge of intensity of the animatable attribute associated with the spline curves.
Each spline curve 82, 84 and 86 is formed of a plurality of vertexes 92 each indicating a keyframe value of the attribute represented by the curve. These vertexes are interconnected by interpolated lines 94. It is to be noted that the functions used to compute the interpolated lines 94 may vary.
A user may modify the shape of any of the spline curves to thereby modify the way the attribute controlled by this particular spline curve is applied to the segment.
One advantage of animation curve editing is that the user has detailed control over the timing and intensity of a wide range of attributes of the segment being composed. In the case of video, for example, control can be exercised over the spatial positioning of elements in a scene or their surface characteristics. In the case of audio, the volume level or panning, for example, can be controlled.
Producing a Multimedia Sequence
Some of the conventional editing packages found on the market provide separate editors each having an architecture adapted to handle one of the three types of editing generally described hereinabove.
To produce a multimedia sequence using one of these conventional editing packages, assuming that video and audio scenes have already been properly transferred to appropriate audio and video segments, a user has to perform many different manipulations.
The first step is to modify some of the animation curves of the segments to obtain the desired animated segments. This step is performed with the help of the animation curve editor.
The second step is to supply the animated segments to a process node editor to apply various effects to the animated segments. It is to be noted that, since there is no link between the animation curve editor and the process node editor, the user, after having done some transformations to the animated segment and wishing to modify the animation, must return to the animation editor and therefore must subsequently redo all the previously done transformations.
The third step is to supply the sink of the process node editor, containing the resulting transformed and animated segment to the timeline editor to be able to modify the timing of the segment and its position relative to other segments.
As previously discussed, the user, when noting that there is a problem with either the animation or the transformations, must return to the appropriate editor, correct the problem and then redo all the steps leading to the desired segment of the sequence.
The three steps must be repeated for each segment of a multimedia sequence.
It is to be noted that the user, wishing to modify the length of a segment of a multimedia sequence that has been done according to the three steps defined hereinabove, must return to the animation curve step to select a different length of data and then redo all the subsequent steps.
It is to be noted that the period of time involved with the steps of applying the sink of the process node editor to the timeline editor may be quite long with conventional process node editors that have to produce the entire processed segment from the animated segment and the applied transformations (a step usually called rendering).
Modified Timeline Architecture
A modified timeline architecture has been designed to benefit from some of the advantages of the process node architecture while keeping some of the advantages of the timeline architecture. It is to be noted that in current practice, these enhancements only apply to the editing of video segments; audio media editing is still handled according to the conventional timeline architecture described hereinabove.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a display screen of a modified timeline editor. In a modified timeline editor, more than one video track 96, 98, 100 and 102, are stacked. The segments of the top video track 96 can be specified as transformed segments of the other video tracks 98, 100 and/or 102. To use this feature, a localized transformation is applied to a segment of the video tracks placed below the top video track 96 and in time synchronization with it.
For example, in FIG. 4, segment 104 may be specified as a localized transformation of segment 106. This localized transformation will take place only in the time range specified by segment 104. Therefore, the length of the transformed segment 104 may be modified by moving its beginning and/or end onto the video track 96.
If the segment 104 is moved elsewhere on the video track 96, the localized transformation will be applied to the new segments placed in time synchronisation with the new position of the segment 104.
Conceptually, in the modified timeline architecture, the video tracks 96-102 can be thought of as a stack of transparent layers arranged from top to bottom. The resulting sequence can be visualized by looking down from the top through the layers.
The modified timeline architecture has several drawbacks, for example:
inputs to a localized transformation are implicit and dependent on the position of the localized transformation relative to the other video tracks; this characteristic can complicate the moving of segments when the inputs must remain fixed; PA1 unlike in the conventional process node architecture, it is not possible to specify many-to-many relationships between segments; PA1 managing large process histories can become cumbersome since two neighboring segments on one video track can both derive their inputs from the track below; it is difficult for the user to focus in on the construction history of a specific segment; and PA1 the modified timeline architecture does not work well when the duration of a segment is modified by a transformation applied to it. PA1 at least one sequence track having a sequence node; the at least one sequence track being formed of a plurality of segments of multimedia related data; the sequence node including a sequence for ordering the plurality of segments in the sequence track; PA1 at least one process track having a process node; the process node being configured so as to determine the function of the process track; PA1 at least one scope control means removably attached to a process track and permanently attached to a sequence node; the scope control means transferring data from the process track to which it is removably attached to the sequence node to which it is permanently attached; PA1 playback device supplied with the at least one sequence track. PA1 forming at least one sequence track having a sequence node; the at least one sequence track being formed of a plurality of segments of multimedia related data; the sequence node including a sequence for ordering the plurality of segments in the sequence track; PA1 forming at least one process track having a process node; the process node being configured so as to determine the function of the process track; PA1 providing at least one scope control means removably attached to a process track and permanently attached to a sequence node; the scope control means transferring data from the process track to which it is removably attached to the sequence node to which it is permanently attached; PA1 supplying tue at least one sequence track to a playback device.

Multitrack architecture for computer-based editing of multimedia sequences


A charger circuit and an intelligent charging control method thereof are disclosed. The charger circuit comprises a power circuit used to generate a charging voltage, a charging output switch, an MCU and an electrical appliance plug-in detection circuit, wherein the MCU is connected to a positive output terminal or a negative output terminal of the power circuit through a current sampling element to detect a charging current in a charging loop and is connected to a positive connecting terminal of a charging interface to detect a charging voltage in the charging loop. In this way, a charger is able to intelligently judge whether or not a to-be-charged electrical appliance is plugged into the charging interface, automatically charges the electrical appliance in a corresponding charging mode and effectively prevents overcharging of batteries of consumer electrical appliances, thus, prolonging the battery life and avoiding disasters caused by overcharging of the batteries.

The invention relates to a charger circuit, in particular to a charger circuit suitable for consumer electrical appliances with batteries and an intelligent charging control method thereof.
At present, when traditional chargers, such as standard chargers provided by manufacturers of various consumer electrical appliances with batteries, are used for charging batteries, the batteries will be charged all the time after the chargers are powered on. Nowadays, USB interfaces are usually used to supply power to most electronic devices and have basically identical voltages. In actual life, chargers with USB interfaces are sometimes used as power sources of various electronic devices and are kept in the power-on state to supply power, which will result in the following drawbacks: the battery life may be shortened due to imperfect charging management, and batteries may be damaged or even catch fires due to overcharging, which will in turn result in fire disasters. In addition, batteries are consumable devices of which the performance and electrical parameters will change drastically in service over time, and for this reason, it is more necessary to prevent overcharging of the batteries in the charging process to avoid hazards and to prolong the battery life.

Charger circuit and intelligent charging control method thereof


A precision fluid delivery system includes a peristaltic pump, a motor, and a controller. The peristaltic pump has a fluid inlet for communication with a fluid source and a fluid outlet for communication with a tire spraying system. The motor is coupled to and configured to drive the peristaltic pump. The controller is in communication with the motor, and operates the peristaltic pump for delivery of the fluid to a tire spraying system during a tire coating operation.

Pneumatic rubber tires are conventionally produced by molding and curing an uncured or green tire in a molding press, in which the green tire is pressed outwardly against a mold surface by means of an inner fluid expandable bladder. By this method, the green tire is shaped against the mold surface to define the tire's tread pattern and configuration of sidewalls. By application of heat, the tire is cured. Generally, the bladder is expanded by internal pressure provided by a fluid such as hot gas, hot water and/or steam which also participates in the transfer of heat for curing or vulcanization purposes. The tire is then usually allowed to cool in the mold, sometimes aided by added cold or cooler water to the internal surface of the bladder. The mold is then opened, the bladder collapsed by removal of its internal fluid pressure, and the tire removed from the tire mold. Such tire curing procedure is well known to those having skill in the art.
The use of synthetic rubber compounds in the manufacture of tires makes it necessary to apply suitable coatings to the rubber surfaces of the fabricated tire carcasses. The coatings ensure proper distribution of rubber during the curing operation and the production of finished tires with unblemished surfaces. The coatings are generally liquid in form, and are known as lubricants where applied to the interior surface of a green tire, and as anti-blemish paints where applied to the outer surface at the sidewall areas of the green tire.
The outside green tire paints allow the rubber to slip as it comes in contact with the metal mold, and the paints also serve as a release agent when the tire must separate from the mold at the end of the vulcanization cycle. Another function of the paint is to provide bleeding of air, which becomes trapped between the tire and the mold. Outside green tire paints also aid in the appearance of the finished tire.
Care must be taken that certain areas of the green tire are not coated, and that the lubricant employed at the interior of the carcass does not reach any exterior surface of the carcass. Also, applying the coatings manually by either spraying or brushing is time consuming and laborious. Automatic applications, are well known in the art, however, these prior art applications require presorting and separate applicators for tire size differences and outer spraying.
A known robotic tire spraying system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,943,201 to Hendricks, Sr., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The system analyzes individual green tires using an integrated vision system. The system controls the robotic spray position, the fan, fluid, atomizing air, and tire rotation speed for optimal spray coverage on both the inside and outside of green tires. The system includes a conveyor, an overhead mounted camera located over an infeed station, and a second camera located perpendicular to the green tire's tread and several feet away from the center of the tire. Pictures of the green tire in the station are used to estimate the center and radius of the tire and locate the angle of the bar code with respect to the center of the tire. Reference points are provided from the camera images and robot positions are calculated to control the spraying.
Another robotic tire spraying system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0078385. also to Hendricks, Sr. The system includes a downdraft spray booth for receiving a tire. A fluid delivery system is disposed in the spray booth, and includes at least one spray gun for delivering a coating to the tire. A robot transports the tire to the spray booth. Each of the spray booth, the fluid delivery system, and the robot are disposed on a platform, for convenient transport and installation of the system.
There is a continuing need for a precision fluid delivery system that minimizes overspray and provides uniform coverage of tires in tire spraying systems. Desirably, the precision fluid delivery system can be used to retrofit existing robotic tire spraying systems, and permits a fine adjustment of the tire spraying conditions in operation.


A substrate includes a power plane and a ground plane that are placed apart from and are substantially parallel to each other, and at least one signal line that is placed between the power plane and the ground plane. The ground plane includes a first conductive layer having a first conductivity. The power plane includes a second conductive layer having the first conductivity, and the power plane or the ground plane includes a third conductive layer having a second conductivity lower than the first conductivity. The third conductive layer faces the at least one signal line across a dielectric substance.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic system, and more particularly, to a substrate having a power plane and a ground plane and an electronic system having the substrate.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Parts of an electronic device or system may be assembled using a structure that includes conductive elements such as traces, terminals, vias, and the like. For example, the structure may be a planar structure such as a substrate or a printed circuit board (PCB).
For example, in a computer system, microprocessors and memory modules are coupled to a PCB such as a mother board. Because the microprocessors and the memory modules are electrically coupled to each other through the conductive elements (e.g., traces, terminals, and vias), the microprocessors and the memory modules can communicate with each other. The memory modules may each include a plurality of semiconductor device packages mounted on a PCB. This PCB allows the semiconductor device packages to communicate with each other.
A substrate having a planar structure may include conductive layers that are separated from each other by a dielectric substance. Some of the conductive layers may have conductive traces that run parallel with a surface of the substrate. The conductive traces may be formed on different layers. The conductive traces may be electrically coupled to each other through conductive vias that are perpendicular to a surface of the substrate. Generally, the substrate may include at least one power plane that provides a power voltage and at least one ground plane that provides a ground voltage.
A power transmission system can affect the performance of a high speed electronic system. Propagating waves may result when some of the semiconductor device packages in the memory modules perform simultaneous switching operations. The propagating waves may induce a drop in a power voltage that is applied to the semiconductor device packages that do not perform the switching operations. The propagating waves are sometimes referred to as simultaneous switching noise (SSN).
The power plane and/or the ground plane may operate as a waveguide or a transmission line with relation to a signal line. When the power plane and/or the ground plane operates as the waveguide or the transmission line, noise generated in the power plane and/or the ground plane may degrade a quality of a signal transferred through the signal line.
To suppress the noise generated in the power plane and/or the ground plane, and thus, prevent the degradation of signal quality, a capacitor can be added between the power plane and the ground plane, or the power plane and the ground plane can be made to have an electric band gap (EBG) structure.
However, the addition of the capacitor between the power plane and the ground plane may fail to suppress the noise at high frequencies because of a parasitic inductance of the capacitor. In addition, this technique may amplify the noise at frequencies, which cause a resonance between the capacitor and inductors that are placed between the power plane and the ground plane. The use of the power plane and the ground plane that have the EBG structure may fail to suppress the noise at low frequencies and may be expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a substrate with a structure that is capable of preventing quality degradation of a signal transferred through a signal line.

Substrate having a structure for suppressing noise generated in a power plane and/or a ground plane, and an electronic system including the same


A micromechanical sensor having an analyzer circuit and at least two detecting elements, each of the two detecting elements being connected to the analyzer circuit by at least one signal line. At least one signal line is connected to both detecting elements.

Micromechanical sensors according to the prior art have a certain number of signal lines per sensor unit, these lines connecting the actual pickup to an electronic analyzer. With advances in integration, multiple pickups are integrated into one micromechanical sensor to form a multichannel sensor, for example, or to perform a plausibility check on the results. The number of signal lines is many times greater here. Due to the further miniaturization of micromechanical function elements, the areas for connections such as signal lines and bond pads are taking up a growing amount of the total substrate surface area of a micromechanical sensor.

Micromechanical sensor having an analyzer circuit


On a mount member 6 at the side of the driving shaft, slide members 10a, 10b at the side of the driving shaft are each mounted and, on a mount member 8 at the side of the driven shaft, slide members 12a, 12b at the side of the driven shaft are each mounted. A torque transmitting member which is disposed therebetween comprises a disk portion 14a, an inner circumferential rib 14b, an outer circumferential rib 14c and an intermediate rib 14d extending between these ribs, and has through holes 16a, 16b and 18a, 18b having a pair of first and second inner slide surfaces slidable relative to a pair of outer slide surfaces of each slide member at the side of the driving shaft and the driven shaft. These first and second inner slide surfaces include a plane formed by the foregoing intermediate rib.. A shaft coupling according to the present invention can effectively cope with the eccentricity, angular deviation and the axial movement between the driving shaft side and the driven shaft side and which is simple in arrangement and lightweight while allowing a great torque to be transmitted.

In various mechanisms for transmitting a rotational torque, the end portions of two rotating shafts are coupled to each other by means of a coupling. For example, the output rotating shaft of a motor and the input rotating shaft of a pump are connected by means of the coupling. In this case, it takes a considerable amount of labor to carefully install the motor and the pump so that the output rotating shaft of the motor and the input rotating shaft of the pump fully align with each other. Further, even if the installation is carried out by paying ample attention to such an alignment, some eccentricity and angular deviation remain between both rotating shafts, and further vibrations take place to the motor or the pump when they are actuated. In order to absorb these by the coupling portion, a flexible coupling using a flexible member such as a spring or rubber has conventionally been used. In addition, an Oldham coupling has been used as one which can cope with the eccentricity or angular deviation.
With such a shaft coupling, in general, a proper mount member is each mounted to the end portions of the driving shaft and the driven shaft respectively to couple the mount members at the side of the driving shaft and the driven shaft respectively by means of a proper mechanism.

Shaft coupling having multiple rib connectors