The invention is a fan drive attachment assembly for a motor vehicle that uses a tapered coupling to assemble the drive hub and fan drive together.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fan drive attachment assembly for a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Current fan drive attachment assemblies in motor vehicles, such as for a water pump or a fan drive bearing assembly, use a drive hub with a cylindrical drive shank and fan drive with a fan shaft. The fan shaft and drive shank are designed to frictionally fit together, generally through screwing the drive shank into a cylindrical axial bore in the fan shaft.
Unfortunately the drive shank and fan shaft easily misalign, causing the drive hub and fan drive to misalign. Any misalignment between the drive hub and the fan drive can generate excessive shaking forces while the fan is running. This shaking reduces the life of the fan drive or the fan drive bearing.
There are two different ways the drive shank and fan hub misalign. The first way to misalign is radial runout. Radial alignment of the fan drive with the drive hub is typically controlled by a threaded engagement between the drive shank and the fan shaft. Thread clearance can allow parallel alignment of the drive hub and the fan drive to be parallel, but not on the same axial line.
The second type of misalignment is axial misalignment. Current fan drive attachment assemblies require the mounting faces of the drive hub and fan drive to be parallel to the centerline of the drive hub and the fan drive. Machining error, debris, such as paint, rust, and the like, can cause angular misalignment of the fan drive as it is installed. Misthreading during insertion could also cause an angular misalignment.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to design a fan drive attachment assembly to reduce the possibility of misalignment of the drive hub and fan drive, yet is easy to assemble.

International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC


A supplemental arc maintenance electrical supply for a high density discharge (HID) lamp (L) for applying a high frequency supplemental arc voltage to maintain the arc during a period of unstable or intermittent AC supply in addition to or in lieu of the voltage or current being supplied to the lamp by the HID ballast (12). AC supply instability is identified in less time than the unstable or intermittent power will cause the lamp to arc to extingish and energize a supplemental arc maintenance electrical supply to maintain the arc of the lamp during the period of instability or interruption, so long as its internal, rechargeable battery is operational. The monitoring system (18) also recognizes the re-establishment of a stable (as by being a persistently repeating cycle but not necessarily a sinusoidal AC supply) repeating electrical power supply which is also of sufficient energy level to maintain operation of the HID lamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the maintenance of the arc in a high intensity discharge lamp during normal and emergency operation, as when there is an instability or a failure in the A-C power normally supplied to the ballast powering the lamp.
2. General Background of the Invention
High intensity discharge (HID) and other arc discharge lamps exhibit the undesirable characteristic of an extinguished arc which renders the lamp useless immediately after a momentary instability or failure in the AC power supplying the lamp. Should the normal, stable power supplying such a lamp be interrupted for as little as a four millisecond period, the arc of the lamp will extinguish. Following the extinguishing of an arc in such as a HID lamp, the remaining high temperature of the arc tube and high pressure of the gas within the tube render the restriking of the arc difficult without extraordinary means incorporated into the lamp and its ballast. This delay of the ability to restrike the lamp and have it reach full lumen output after unwanted arc extinguishing may last as long as 15 minutes.
One means of solving the restrike problem is to incorporate means within the lamp to develop a very high voltage pulse from a special igniter within the lamp. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,355,261; 5,801,494; and 5,909,082 and the several patents referenced therein illustrate various approaches to incorporating starting and restarting aids into arc discharge lamps to provide a rapid restart in the event of an unscheduled, unwanted shut-down of the arc as by an instability in the AC supply to the lamp. While this style of accommodation to the undesirable time delay in restarting of such as an HID lamp is generally effective in getting the arc and lamp back on line, there are adverse effects upon the lamp. In general, the illustrated restart systems impose adverse high voltages and attendant high pressures within the arc tube, causing additional stress on the lamp components which cause additional wear and tear on the lamp and the likelihood of a premature failure or end of life cycle.
Alternative means to avoid a need to restrike the lamp arc include using an inverter running simultaneously with the AC ballast (as by being powered by an alternative power source, such as a battery) such that when the AC power fails, the inverter continues to run, maintaining power to the ballast and the arc during any mains AC power instability or interruption. The inclusion of such an alternative inverter may be as a means for just supplying a stabilized arc current in the event the normal supply fails or becomes unstable. Alternatively, the additional circuitry may include means for generating a specially stabilized waveform for powering the lamp, either continually or on demand. Means for specially stabilized waveforms for arc current supply have evolved in the growing utilization of higher frequency current supplies for HID lamps. Increased operating frequencies allow the use of lighter weight and smaller size transformers incorporated into the supply/control components for operating HID lamps, however, with these advantages, it has been observed that the lamps are now much more sensitive to variations in supply current/waveform and are subject to developing acoustic resonances in the internal arc current which can cause the lamp to fail. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,612,478: 4,713,553; 4,928,038; 5,569,984; 5,900,701; and 6,0775,326 and the several patents referenced therein describe the problems to be overcome and the solutions propounded.
The present invention is distinguished from the prior art cited above in that it is a supplemental solution which operates in conjunction with the normal operating system (ballast) which operates the lamp. As such, it is easily incorporated into a HID ballast unit or as an add-on to an existing lamp system by merely being connected to the normal lamp arc supply circuit in a manner analogous to the connecting of an external emergency ballast to a fluorescent lamp. In its function, the present invention does not offer an alternative power supply to operate the lamp, i.e., supply power to the HID lamp ballast rather, it functions only to maintain the arc current during the momentary instability or failure of the regular AC supply. By thus maintaining the arc within the lamp, albeit at a significantly reduced output value (i.e., level of illumination), when the normal AC supply returns or a standby source such as a generator or UPS system comes on line, the lamp springs immediately to normal or near normal illumination mode, nearly to full rated output since the arc has not become extinguished during this time of instability of supply power. The present invention is adaptable to be included into HID lamps having internal emergency ballasts for maintaining operation for limited periods of mains AC failure as well as those systems utilizing a central battery system or a backup generator. The invention is particularly advantageous in those systems wherein there are momentary, as opposed to prolonged, instabilities in AC supply by virtue of the direct ability to maintain the arc in the lamp through the unstable power supply condition.
A collateral aspect of the present invention includes a waveform sensing and recognition system and method which can identify a changing electrical supply waveform which contains the requisite energy to support arc lighting at rated lumens, however in a varying or varied waveform different than that supplied by normal AC mains (i.e., square wave, half wave, rectified, etc.). The waveform monitoring of the arc maintenance system is thus adaptive in that the supplemental, battery supplied arc sustaining current will be continued for the requisite time during the change wherein a backup power supply might supply such as a square wave or otherwise non-sinusoidal supply, at which time the changed, but now stable waveform will be recognized as stable and capable of operating a lamp unassisted and the arc maintenance ballast returns to standby. The inventive method of waveform sampling and storage for signal monitoring and verification provides a waveform recognition mechanism which adapts to changes in electrical supply power, such as a voltage waveform, by first verifying that the waveform contains sufficient electrical energy to operate the lamp, and the sampling and storing of one full period of a "target" waveform, establishing it as a valid waveform for the stable power supply, and subsequently sampling and evaluating the next successive waveforms as a valid and acceptable supply waveform. Should a subsequently evaluated waveform deviate from the "target", the included high frequency inverter ballast is immediately energized to supply a "maintenance" current directly to the lamp to maintain the arc. During the period of supply instability or interruption, the arc maintenance current continues, and the waveform monitor continues to sample the supplied voltage waveform (AC or emergency power) to find an acceptable, repeating waveform capable of driving the HID lamp ballast and lamp, i.e., a new target waveform. Once the monitoring system identifies a voltage waveform of sufficient energy value to supply the HID lamp ballast and lamp, and that voltage is stable, as by its cycle repeating a predetermined number of times as compared to the new target waveform, the monitoring system turns off the arc maintenance voltage and the HID lamp operates "normally" from the verified supply. As may be recognized in such a system, the "acceptable" new "target" waveform envelope may be different from the previous "target" waveform, given that energy level and repeatability from cycle to cycle are the criteria, and so long as the compared new target waveform is identified as within the parameters currently selected, i.e., of sufficient "RMS" value to illuminate the lamp and the waveform is recognized as stable (i.e., repeating within the set parameters). In the present invention, the new target waveform conceivably may be a steady-state DC supply. Those skilled in the art may thus appreciate that the inventive waveform monitoring system may recognize as acceptable a waveform for a voltage supply which shifts from such as mains AC sinusoidal in form to that of a square waveform from an auxiliary generator or a battery-type uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
None of the known prior art systems for operating such as an HID lamp or a UPS provide an adaptive system and method for observing an instantaneous acceptable supply waveform which may change dramatically in form, yet be distinguished to be able to successfully supply an electrical apparatus such as an HID lamp. Alternative applications of the waveform monitoring system may incorporated to monitor power supplies to sensitive electrical, and electronic equipment, including computers to provide alarms or other indicia of the instability of the waveform of the power supply. With such embodiments, corrective action may be taken to keep such equipment on line, or merely have an operator made aware of the potential of erratic equipment operation. Alternatively, the invention may be utilized with waveform recording/storage apparatus, such as an oscilloscope, to identify and retain the particular waveform of an input voltage or current so that the irregularities in the waveform may be evaluated. The present invention readily identifies the particular "non-standard" waveform, thereby eliminating an otherwise tedious process of trying to capture these often random events.

Arc maintenance device for high density discharge lamps including an adaptive wave form monitor


An auger bit includes a shaft having a central axis, a cutting insert mounted to said shaft, and a feed screw that is separate from the cutting insert and which is mounted to the shaft. The cutting insert and the feed screw are engaged with each other. A single locking member, such as a set screw, secures the feed screw member to the shaft, and thereby secures the cutting insert to the shaft. If the feed screw or the cutting insert become worn, feed screw or the cutting insert can be replaced.

Auger bits have been used to drill holes in utility poles made of wood for a number of years. These auger bits usually have a feed screw near their tip that helps propel the bit through a pole, at least one cutting edge located below the feed screw near the outer circumference of the main shaft of the auger bit that enables the auger bit to cut through the wood, a main shaft with a generally cylindrical shape that has at least one flute that extends from the cutting edge and allows chips formed by the auger bit as it bores into a pole to be removed from the cutting site, and a shank portion that has a diameter that is less than the main shaft that extends from the bottom of the main shaft of the auger bit.
The shank portion typically has three flats milled about its periphery which allow it to be easily held in a chuck of a powered drill or impact wrench which can be used by the user to cause the auger bit as a whole to rotate. As the auger bit rotates, the threads of the feed screw help to propel the auger bit through the pole, making it easier for the user to complete the boring operation. At the same time, the cutting edges remove material as the auger bit rotates and send this material along the flute of the bit, allowing deep holes to be bored.
When being used in the field, it is common for an auger bit to hit nails that are within the wooden pole. This can cause damage to the feed screw and cutting edges, impairing the function of the auger bit. For example, the threads of the feed screw could be deformed which prevents the auger bit from self feeding through the pole as it rotates, requiring the user to push and work harder to bore a hole. Likewise, the cutting edges can become chipped or dulled so that they do not efficiently remove wood chips making boring slow. Consequently, a number of techniques have been developed to remedy these problems.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,389,578 discloses an auger bit that has a replaceable insert that has the feed screw and cutting edges incorporated therein. The replaceable insert can be attached to the shaft of the auger bit using a single screw. This design, however, has two disadvantages. First, the manufacturing the insert is difficult and costly because of the configuration of the replaceable insert because it includes both the feed screw and cutting edges. Second, both the feed screw and the cutting edges are replaced regardless of what features have been damaged on the auger bit, forcing the user to buy and use a replacement insert that is often more costly than necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,319 discloses an auger bit that has replaceable feed screw that is attached to the shaft by means of a single screw. This technique, however, does not provide for any way to replace worn cutting edges. Therefore, this auger bit does not allow the user to handle situations when the cutting edge has become dull. Conversely, U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,520 discloses replacing cutting edges using a screw to attach the replaceable cutting insert to the shaft, but provides no means to replace the feed screw. Thus, neither U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,319 nor U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,520 provides a suitable way to replace both feed screw and cutting inserts, giving the user the needed flexibility to address problems in the field.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,625,593 and 6,361,255 disclose replaceable feed screws and cutting inserts, but neither show how they can be attached in a quick and effective manner. U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,593 discloses that the insert is brazed onto the shaft making replacement difficult, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,255 fails to specify the exact means by which the feed screw and cutting insert are attached in a replaceable manner to the shaft of the auger bit.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an auger bit that has a replaceable feed screw and a replaceable cutting insert that can be attached in a quick manner, and that allows the user to select which feature needs to be replaced in a cost effective way.

Auger bit with interlocking feed screw and cutting insert


A dual input power supply system/method providing uninterruptable power to a protected load device (PLD) is disclosed. The system includes hybrid switch devices (HSD) comprising semiconductor and relay/contactors that minimize the OPERATE/RELEASE times associated with switchover from a primary power source (PPS) to a secondary power source (SPS). An operate/release controller (ORC) monitors the condition of power provided by the PPS and SPS and determines the optimal transfer time to activate the HSD and switch between the PPS and SPS based on the PLD configuration. Use of the HSD in conjunction with the ORC permits a wide variety of series permutated AC/DC primary (PPS) and secondary (SPS) power sources, EMI snubbers (EMS), bridge rectifier diodes (BRD), AC-DC converters (ADC), and DC-DC converters (DDC) to service the PLD, while simultaneously reducing storage capacitors normally required to cover the OPERATE/RELEASE times associated with traditional PPS/SPS switchover/failover delays.

Conventional uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) incorporate a primary power source (PPS) and a secondary power source (SPS) to provide switched power to a protected load device (PLD). A series of relays/contactors is typically configured between the output of the PPS and SPS to the PLD (or circuitry supplying power to the PLD) to ensure that either the PPS or the SPS is connected to the PLD. Depending on the voltage provided by and the availability of the PPS and SPS, these relays/contactors are configured to ensure that only one of the PPS/SPS is connected to the PLD. Since the relays/contactors are mechanical devices, there exists a finite transition time to ACTIVATE the relay/contactor and a finite transition time to RELEASE the relay/contactor. This is true irrespective of whether the relay/contactor is normally-OPEN or normally-CLOSED. During these ACTIVATE/RELEASE transition times, neither the PPS nor the SPS provides power to the PLD, and power necessary to support PLD operation is normally supplied by a capacitor bank placed between the relay/contactor outputs and the PLD (or circuitry supplying power to the PLD). This capacitor bank must be sized to ensure that during the ACTIVATE/RELEASE times, sufficient energy is supplied to maintain proper operation of the PLD. Since the ACTIVATE/RELEASE times may be substantial and the load presented by the PLD may be large, the size of this capacitor bank can be very large and present both a size and cost restriction on UPS power supplies using conventional relay/contactors to switch between PPS and SPS supply power.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Dual input power supply system and method


A cryostat chuck is disclosed. The disclosed chuck may be configured for use in a frozen-sectioning device, such as a cryostat, or other suitable host equipment. The disclosed chuck may include a tab portion configured, in accordance with some embodiments, to provide a means for gripping the chuck by hand (e.g., human or robotic) or by a tool or other desired interfacing element. The tab portion may serve to distance a user's hand or piece of gripping equipment from the sharp microtome of the host cryostat, reducing the opportunity of sustaining bodily injury or equipment damage. Moreover, the tab portion may provide a means by which the cryostat chuck may be manipulated when inserting, adjusting, or removing the chuck prior to, during, or after engagement by the cryostat (or other suitable host equipment).

In a typical frozen tissue sectioning procedure, a tissue sample to be cryosectioned is mounted to a specimen chuck using an embedding medium, such as an optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound. The chuck and mounted specimen are then inserted within a cryostat, which includes a sharp blade known as a microtome, against which the specimen is passed to produce sliced sections, typically of micrometer-range thicknesses. These very thin sections then may be analyzed utilizing known histology techniques.


A multi-phase control system for a power supply provides a data bus between a controller and multiple phase drivers to obtain a synchronous control through a flexible and non-dependent control configuration. The controller provides data signals to the data bus that is connected to the various phase drivers, with the data signals dependent upon a switching frequency and ON/OFF command signals for a particular phase. Each of the phase drivers have decoding logic for receiving the data signals over the data bus, as well as independent selection or addressing logic for choosing the phase driver to react to the data signals on the data bus. A variety of control configurations may be realized according to this control technique including resetting all drivers, setting all phases to ON or all phases to OFF conditions, skipping phase activation and so forth. The flexible control permits output current sharing to be controlled among the various phases to provide a desired output current for the power supply. The control configuration permits fast and robust response to transient conditions while providing a simplified control in an N phase system over a data bus that can vary between 1 and M lines.

Power supplies for computing and telecom applications continue to be challenged to supply higher current as system voltages drop. Accordingly, power supplies have gone from single phase to multiple phase topologies. To produce a single output voltage in a multi phase design, several power stages, or phases, are paralleled together such that the current from each phase is summed to produce the desired output current. For n stages in parallel, one of the phases will start its period every 360/n electrical degrees. This technique reduces component stress compared to the single phase solution, and enjoys other benefits such as reducing output voltage ripple for a given capacitor configuration.
A system of this type is shown in copending application Ser. No. 10/392,121, filed Mar. 18, 2003 entitled MULTI-PHASE BUCK CONVERTER in the names of George Schuellein, Dan Clavette and Mark Crowther and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
To control a multi phase topology, a main controller having multiple outputs is used to supervise the power switches of the phases. For two or three phases, the drivers for the switches are usually integrated into the controller. However, as the number of phases increases, heat produced by the drivers becomes excessive, indicating the desirability to transition to the use of external drivers. This transition takes heat out of the controller and allows the driver to be close to the switches, which increases efficiency, helps with noise immunity of the gate signal, and decreases switching time.
To control more phases, dedicated controllers designed for the exact number of phases can be made, or two-or three-phase controllers can be cascaded. Alternatively, a controller having a flexible method of communicating to the phase drivers would be desirable which would allow any number of phases to be controlled. It would also be desirable to provide a controller that is unique from any other type of controller and wherein the number of phases is selectable by the user. While such a device could be controlled by conventional analog methods common in converters, control of the phases by means of a digital bus would be very desirable.


A system and method for optimizing the utilization of a cache memory in an input/output controller in a computer system which also includes a central processing unit and a plurality of direct access storage devices. The optimizing system calculates a demotion time where the demotion time is an approximation of the length of time that a track of data will reside in the cache memory in the input/output controller after its last input/output request from the central processing unit. The optimizing system further intercepts an input/output request from the central processing unit for a requested track of data, determines an elapsed time between successive input/output requests from the central processing unit for the requested track of data, determines whether the elapsed time is greater than the demotion time and optimizes the requested track of data by inhibiting the requested track of data from being loaded into the cache memory if the elapsed time is greater than the demotion time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to a system and method for optimizing the utilization of computer hardware and more specifically to a system and method for optimizing the utilization of a cache memory.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Large mainframe computer systems generally include, along with various other pieces of equipment, a central processing unit, a number of direct access storage devices and one or more input/output controllers. Each input/output controller processes data requests from the central processing unit for those direct access storage devices which are in communication with that controller. These input/output controllers may include a cache memory which is typically smaller in size than 256 megabytes.
When an input/output controller which includes a cache memory processes an initial data request from the central processing unit for a certain track of data, the requested track of data is loaded from one of the direct access storage devices into the cache memory. Subsequent requests for that track of data, while it is stored in the cache memory, do not require the input/output controller to access the track of data on the direct access storage device. Because the central processing unit's access time for data residing in the cache memory is much less than the access time for data residing on one of the direct access storage devices, the performance of the computer system is greatly improved when data requested by the central processing unit is located in the cache memory.
Because the size of the cache memory is not, however, unlimited, all of the tracks of data requested by the central processing unit cannot reside in the cache memory. Thus, the input/output controller generally utilizes an algorithm wherein data is loaded into the cache memory until it is full and then the track of data which has been least recently accessed by the central processing unit is replaced by a track of data requested by the central processing unit and not found in the cache memory.
This algorithm does not, however, result in the most efficient use of the cache memory. For example, tracks of data that are accessed less frequently than the average time that a track of data would reside in the cache memory from the last time it was accessed by the central processing unit until it is replaced by another track of data are not efficient users of cache memory. This is because there is a certain time involved in loading a track of data from the direct access storage device into the cache memory. It is only efficient to load this track of data into cache memory if it will still be in the cache memory when the central processing unit requests it the next time. Thus, cache memory efficiency could be increased if tracks of data which are not efficient cache users were inhibited from being loaded into cache memory thereby displacing potentially more efficient users of cache memory. Unfortunately, however, there is no direct method for calculating the length of time a track of data resides in cache memory after its last access thereby making it difficult to determine which tracks of data are not efficient cache memory users. Thus, the need exits for a system for optimizing the utilization of cache memory by determining which tracks of data are not efficient cache memory users and inhibiting those tracks from being loaded into the cache memory.

System and method for optimizing cache memory utilization by selectively inhibiting loading of data


An optical electronic device with a partial reflector layer is disclosed. The device includes a first reflector and a second reflector that define an optical cavity therebetween. The second reflector includes at least one material having a refractive index and an extinction coefficient, each ranging between about 1 and about 5 across the visible spectrum. A mechanism is included which is configured to permit variation of the optical cavity.

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices having a partial reflector layer. Display devices, such as direct view displays, near eye displays, and/or projection displays, include a variety of elements/devices therein. Spatial light modulators are a non-limitative example of one such element/device in display devices. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and micromirror devices are also commonly used in such applications. Microelectromechanical Fabry-Perot filters have also been proposed for use in display applications. Such devices may include different dyes above the pixels to provide colors. This type of device may require various pixels to display any given color. Other devices may use color wheels to change the colors of the pixels. These devices may, in some instances, substantially eliminate the original light and may increase data and mechanical processing complexities.

Optical electronic device with partial reflector layer

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The invention relates to a method of connecting micro-chip modules to antennas arranged on a first carrier tape for the manufacture of transponders. The method is characterised in that the micro-chips are packaged in a preceding bonding process to form a chip module with electrical terminals and are applied to a second carrier tape. The two carrier tapes are wound off a reel and brought one above the other, whereby the chip modules are removed from the second carrier tape and placed at a predetermined point on the first carrier tape. This method facilitates a continuous manufacturing process which is particularly economical and particularly fast.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of connecting micro-chips to antennas arranged on a first carrier tape for the manufacture of a transponder.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of transponder, which, for example, are used for smart labels or smart cards, exhibit a flat antenna coil, which is fitted with two connections. The antennas can be manufactured from various materials, such as, for example, copper, aluminium, silver conducting paste, etc. The size of the antennas can vary depending on the application. With currently employed manufacturing methods the flat antenna coils are applied to a carrier tape which is wound onto a reel. Up to the present time, the micro-chips have been connected to the antennas on the carder tape through a complex bonding process. This requires that the carrier tape exhibiting the antennas passes via an indexer and is at standstill during the bonding process. Apart from the fact that the bonding process demands complicated machines and extremely precise operation, the bonding process currently takes up to 15 seconds. This relatively high time requirement is in conflict with the economical manufacture of the transponders. A method of manufacturing transponders is, for example, described in DE-A 199 15 765, in which semiconductor chips and the antenna are applied to the flat side of a thermoplastic foil, whereby the foil is connected to an endless foil tape. It is also known from DE-A 199 16 781 how to apply single chips to sheets of laminate.

Method for connecting microchips to an antenna arranged on a support strip for producing a transponder


A lift-variable valve-operating system for an engine, includes a subsidiary cam swingably carried on a movable support shaft. A cam follower is operatively connected to an engine valve and follows the subsidiary cam. The lift amount of the engine valve is varied by displacing the movable support shaft. The subsidiary cam has an oil sump provided in an upper surface and opens upwards to store oil. The subsidiary cam is provided with an abutment face abutting against the cam follower. The abutment face includes a lift portion for turnably driving the cam follower; and a base circle portion connected to the lift portion and which retains the cam follower in a rest state. The subsidiary cam is also provided with a lubricating oil bore for guiding the oil in the oil sump to the base circle portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lift-variable valve-operating system for an internal combustion engine, including a subsidiary cam swingably carried on a movable support shaft that is displaceable in a plane perpendicular to a rotational axis of a valve-operating cam and which swings following the valve-operating cam; and a cam follower operatively connected to an engine valve and which is operated to follow the subsidiary cam, wherein the lift amount of the engine valve is varied by displacing the movable support shaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-63023 discloses a lift-variable valve-operating system for an internal combustion engine in which a cam follower operatively connected to an engine valve is swung by a rocker lever (subsidiary cam) that is swingably driven by a valve-operating cam. The lift amount of the engine valve is varied by displacing the fulcrum of the rocker lever.
In the known lift-variable valve-operating system, oil must be supplied to the contact portions of the rocker lever and the cam follower in order to lubricate the components. Moreover, it is a desirable feature to simplify the structure of such a lubricating structure. However, the lubricating structure in the known system disclosed by Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-63023 does not have a simple structure.

Lift-variable valve-operating systems for internal combustion engine


A grommet strip manufacturing apparatus including a supply mechanism for feeding a grommet strip; a feed mechanism for feeding a cushion strip; and a guide for joining the moving grommet and cushion strips into a composite strip so as to provide longitudinally aligned engagement between an engagement surface of the grommet strip and a contact surface of the cushion strip. Also included is a dispenser for dispensing an adhesive between the engagement surface of the grommet strip and the contact surface of the cushion strip; a compression assembly for maintaining, for a given length of the composite strip, compression between the engagement and contact surfaces; and a take up mechanism for receiving from the compression assembly the composite strip.

This invention relates generally to a grommet strip for covering an exposed edge of a wall and, more particularly, to an electrically insulating grommet strip for covering the exposed edges of openings in electrical equipment housings.
Electrical equipment housings frequently possess openings for the passage of electrical wires. Generally, such openings are equipped with grommets or bushings that cover and insulate the exposed edges of the openings. A common grommet is made of rubber or a similar resilient material and consists of a pair of annular spaced apart flange portions internally joined by a cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion projects through an opening and the flange portions engage the peripheral wall portions thereof. Disadvantages of such grommets include the requirement for large inventories to accommodate openings of various size, and their inapplicability to openings of other than circular shape.
The above problems are somewhat alleviated by a grommet strip having a flat, elongated base from opposite edge of which project longitudinally spaced apart fingers. The strip can be cut to desired length and then applied to an opening with the base engaging the edge of the opening and the fingers engaging peripheral portions thereof. Such a grommet strip is disclosed in British Patent No. 849,761. However, certain disadvantages persist for even the above described grommet strip. For example, the installation of the grommet strip into openings of complex shape requires the use of an adhesive and is, therefore, quite labor intensive.
An improved grommet strip that does not require the use of adhesives for installation is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,966. Although satisfactory for many applications, the grommet strips disclosed in that patent do have disadvantages in certain applications. For example, a U-shaped resilient channel covering the base of a metal strip exhibits an undesirable tendency to bulge transversely when applied to severely curved wall sections. Also, raw metal portions of the metal strip not covered by the resilient channel can damage the fingers of installers. Another grommet strip disclosed in the patent provides an electrostatic coating over the entire surface of a metal strip. In certain circumstances small diameter wires such as the fiber optic wires used in the communications industry can catch under castles in the stamped metal strip, particularly when the wires run parallel to a plane of the sheet metal to which the grommet is applied.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved grommet for covering the exposed edges of openings in electrical housings.

Grommet strip manufacturing method and apparatus


Systems, methods, and apparatus, including computer program products, for detecting a presence of at least one vulnerability in an application. The method is provided that includes modifying instructions of the application to include at least one sensor that is configurable to generate an event indicator, wherein the event indicator includes at least some data associated with the event; storing the event indicator with other stored event indicators generated by the at least one sensor during the execution of the application; analyzing the stored event indicators; detecting a presence of at least one vulnerability in the application based on the analysis of the stored event indicators; and reporting the presence of at least one vulnerability.

For years, organizations have struggled to produce applications without vulnerabilities. Application software controls finances, healthcare information, legal records, and even military defenses. Further, application software is growing and interconnecting at an unprecedented rate. This increasing reliance on software combined with rapidly increasing complexity creates significant business risk stemming from the use of software applications. The most efficient way to reduce this risk is to detect and eliminate vulnerabilities as early as possible in the software development process. Therefore, there exists a need for a better method of performing vulnerability detection in software applications and services.

Detection of vulnerabilities in computer systems


A process for producing an ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymer which includes subjecting ethylene to an oligomerization reaction in the presence of an oligomerization catalyst to convert a part of the ethylene to .alpha.-olefin, and thereby obtaining a reaction solution, a reaction gas or a mixture of the reaction solution and the reaction gas containing .alpha.-olefin and unreacted ethylene; distilling the reaction solution, the reaction gas or the mixture of the reaction solution and the reaction gas to obtain a mixture consisting mainly of ethylene and .alpha.-olefin from the top of the distillation column; and feeding a starting material containing the mixture obtained from the distillation column into a polymerization reactor, thereby copolymerizing the ethylene and .alpha.-olefin in the presence of a polymerization catalyst to obtain an ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymer.

The present invention relates to a process for producing ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for producing ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymers which has no steps of separating the unreacted ethylene and/or dissolved ethylene from a reaction solution, a reaction gas or a mixture of the reaction solution and the reaction gas obtained by an oligomerization reaction and then recycling the unreacted or dissolved ethylene into the oligomerization reaction, and therefore can omit at least the compressor for elevating the pressure and further omit the distillation column for purifying the crude .alpha.-olefin, if desired, and therefore is quite advantageous from the viewpoints of equipment cost and operation cost.
As the general process for producing ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymers, there can be referred to the process of oligomerizing ethylene in the presence of an oligomerization catalyst to obtain a crude .alpha.-olefin, purifying the crude .alpha.-olefin to obtain a purified .alpha.-olefin, introducing the purified .alpha.-olefin into a polymerization reactor together with otherwise freshly supplied ethylene, and copolymerizing the .alpha.-olefin and the ethylene in the presence of a polymerization catalyst to obtain an ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymer. However, this general process requires a step for separating the unreacted ethylene and/or dissolved ethylene present in the reaction solution, the reaction gas or the mixture of the reaction solution and the reaction gas obtained by the oligomerization reaction and then recycling into the oligomerization reaction, from the viewpoint of economy. For this purpose, at least a compressor for elevating the pressure is necessary, and therefore this general process is not high in efficiency from the viewpoint of equipment cost and operation cost.

Process for producing ethylene-.alpha.-olefin copolymers


A controller (210) for controlling a plurality of sequential tools (220.sub.1, 220.sub.2, . . . , 220.sub.n), such as dbx debuggers (dbx tools), operating in a parallel computing system. The controller executes each of these sequential tools on an individual node (245.sub.1, 245.sub.2, . . . , 245.sub.n) of a parallel computing system (100). The controller associates each tool with a particular process (230.sub.1, 230.sub.2, . . . , 230.sub.n) of a user program executing on a particular node. Typically, each tool accumulates specific performance characteristics of its associated process as data and transfers the data to the controller for ultimate display to a programmer. In particular, the controller in combination with various dbx tools operating on various nodes in the parallel computing environment produces a parallel program debugger (pdbx). As pdbx, the controller sends commands to particular nodes to control the operation of each dbx tool executing on that particular node. Additionally, nodes can be grouped together to permit pdbx to simultaneously send commands to a group of nodes and effectuate group control of multiple dbx tools.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to tools used in performance monitoring of computer programs and, in particular, to a controller of sequential tools used to monitor performance of computer programs that are executed in a parallel computing environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computer programmers widely use software tools to monitor the performance of computer programs while a computer system executes the programs. Typically, as the computer system executes a program, such tools collect specific result data, such as specific variable values or calculation results, from specific locations in the program. One such tool is a symbolic debugger (hereinafter simply referred to as a "debugger").
Computer programmers use debuggers as tools to identify mistakes or malfunctions in a computer program. More specifically, debuggers are used to detect, locate, isolate and eliminate errors in computer programs. In essence, a debugger is a special computer program capable of controlling execution of a computer program under test (hereinafter referred to as a "user program"). While controlling execution of a particular user program, a debugger monitors the operation of the user program by collecting, as the program executes, data concerning program performance. From this data, a programmer can determine whether mistakes or malfunctions have occurred during execution of the program.
One specific type of symbolic debugger is a so-called debugger extension (dbx) (hereinafter referred to as a dbx tool). The dbx tool is widely used by programmers of computers using a UNIX operating system (UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. of Summit, N.J.). One such UNIX operating system is the Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX) operating system produced by International Business Machines Corporation of Armonk, N.Y. (AIX is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation of Armonk, N.Y.). This specific operating system is illustrative of the many types of operating systems which operate in conjunction with the dbx tool.
Generally, the dbx tool is a symbolic, command line oriented debugging program capable of debugging programs written in C, C++, Pascal, FORTRAN, or COBOL programming languages. The dbx tool allows a user to examine both object and core files while providing a controlled environment for executing a program. To facilitate the controlled environment, the dbx tool permits the user to set breakpoints at selected statements within the program. In this manner, the dbx tool executes the program up to the breakpoint and stops. Typically, at the breakpoint, the dbx tool displays to the programmer a particular result or variable arising from execution of the program up to that point. Alternatively, the dbx tool can execute a program one line at a time and display results as each line executes. Additionally, the dbx tool debugs programs using symbolic variables to collect data as the program executes and displays the variables in their correct logical format. As such, a programmer can quickly comprehend any errors within the program.
However, the dbx tool becomes very cumbersome and, at times, impossible to utilize in a parallel environment. A parallel computing environment generally comprises a plurality of computing units connected to one another through a computer network. Each computing unit in the parallel computing environment is known as a node. When a program is executed in such an environment, various program tasks which comprise the program are executed on various individual nodes. Each task is accomplished in parallel; data from those tasks are passed, along the network, from one task to another. The dbx tool is not designed to debug a program that is executed in such a parallel computing environment. In that regard, dbx tools can only debug an individual task, i.e., a program serially executing on a single individual node. Moreover, in order for a user to be able to enter commands to the dbx tools, each individual task must be executed on a node with an attached terminal. Because each node must be debugged individually, debugging is a tedious and time consuming process when applied to parallel programs that execute on many nodes. Additionally, some nodes in a parallel computing system, known as computing machines, may be embedded within the system, i.e., without direct terminal connections, and consequently, do not allow a dbx tool to be used at all. Moreover, because the various tasks are executed in parallel and pass information among themselves, an error occurring in a task not presently being debugged may be indicated as an error in the task being debugged. As such, the source of the error may not be immediately known to the programmer. Accordingly, the programmer may waste a significant amount of time attempting to correct an error in the program task presently being debugged, when in fact the error has occurred in another node.
Thus, a need exists in the art for a controller that enables sequential tools, such as the dbx tool, to be utilized in a parallel processing environment. Additionally, the command structures used by the controller should be similar to the dbx tool to enable computer programmers familiar with the widely used dbx tool to quickly understand the new controller.

Controller for sequential programming tools executed in a parallel computing environment


The invention provides a brake control apparatus that improves the controllability of a vehicle in the control for restraining slip of the wheels. The brake control apparatus includes: wheel cylinders that apply braking force individually to wheels by supplying a working fluid; retention valves that are provided respectively upstream of the wheel cylinders and that are opened and closed so as to restrain slip of the wheels; a common control valve provided upstream of the retention valves to supply the working fluid to the wheel cylinders; and a control portion that controls the common control valve by different control laws to restrain fluctuations in pressure on a primary side of the retention valves caused by fluctuations in a capacity to which the working fluid from the common control valve is supplied, by opening or closing of the retention valves.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a brake control apparatus that controls the braking force applied to a wheel provided in a vehicle, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An antiskid brake apparatus in which the control gain at a pressure intensifying stage of a control cycle accomplished by an antiskid control means for controlling the slip rate of wheels is changed in accordance with the magnitude of brake hydraulic pressure that is generated corresponding to the brake pedal operation is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-05-301567. In the described antiskid brake apparatus, the pressure intensifying control gain changes in accordance with the brake hydraulic pressure, that is, the hydraulic pressure on the primary side of an open-close valve provided for an antiskid control. Therefore, the apparatus effectively prevents a wheel from locking, and enhances the controllability associated with the antiskid control.
However, in the above-described antiskid brake apparatus, hydraulic pressure on the primary side fluctuates depending on not only the brake operation, but also the opening and closing of the antiskid control valve. The fluctuation in the primary side of the antiskid control valve hydraulic pressure associated with the opening and closing of the antiskid control valve contributes to the degradation of the controllability of the antiskid control.

Brake control apparatus and control method thereof


An improved package is described for use in packaging a wide variety of products, and in particular perishable food and horticultural products. The products are placed within a container of the type which establishes a modified atmosphere environment therein and is cooled, as by placing the container in contact with a cooling element partially surrounding the container. The cooling element may hold liquid which is evaporated to enhance the cooling. The container and cooling collar may be subjected to vacuum cooling. The container may include a mechanism to enhance the bulk gas transfer rate during the application of the vacuum while still maintaining the desired atmosphere within the container. The container atmosphere may be precharged with gas of a desired composition. In addition, fumigants may also be included therein. The package is suitable for field packing applications in which the product, such as strawberries, is picked directly into the container surrounded by the cooling collar with the container and cooling collar being placed in an outer box or other receptacle. The modified atmosphere package may be sealed and palletized prior to vacuum cooling.

The present invention relates to packaging for perishable products and in particular, to packaging usable in both cooling and protecting the products.
Several methods are commonly used for cooling perishable products where rapid cooling is required. These include hydrocooling, vacuum cooling, icing and forced air refrigeration. For example, the so-called "Desert Water Bag" operates on the principle that the evaporation of water from fabric forming the bag cools the water in the bag.
In the produce field, it is common to pick heads of lettuce and place them in waxed boxes with the box of lettuce then being hosed down with water either before or after the boxes are loaded onto a truck. Although evaporation of water from the lettuce during transportation assists in cooling the lettuce, relatively insignificant amounts of water are absorbed by the waxed boxes and cooling is limited. Transportation of broccoli in waxed boxes filled with ice is also known.
In addition, vacuum cooling approaches have been used for cooling produce. In accordance with this cooling technique, the warm product is loaded into an air tight chamber or tube which is subsequently evacuated my a mechanical or steam-ejector vacuum pump to establish a partial vacuum therein. As the total gas pressure in the tube is reduced below the saturation pressure of water at the temperature of the warm product (the "flash point"), water on and within the product begins to evaporate rapidly. The thermal energy required to provide the heat of vaporization of this water comes predominately from the sensible heat (e.g. "field heat") of the product. As a result, the product temperature begins to fall as rapid evaporation begins. Because vacuum pumps are generally very inefficient movers of condensable gases, such as water vapor, chilled coils are provided within the tube or chamber to condense and thereby remove the liberated water vapor. These coils are chilled usually by evaporation of liquid ammonia within, the ammonia being supplied by a conventional vapor-compression refrigeration unit.
In the absence of air or any other restriction to water vapor movement from the product to the chilled coil, the temperature of the product will in time equilibrate with that of the coil (the coil temperature in fact being commonly used as a control variable in vacuum cooling operations). Under these circumstances, the rate of thermal equilibration is largely determined by product characteristics. In general, products high in readily evaporated moisture content, with high thermal conductivity and high evaporative surface-to-volume ratio, will cool more rapidly under vacuum than do other types of products. For example, lettuce and other leafy vegetables cool well under vacuum (high moisture content and high surface-to-volume ratio), while melons do not (low evaporation rate and low surface-to-volume ratio). In addition, strawberries have not been viewed as suitable for vacuum cooling because of damage to the surface of the berries under vacuum conditions and the relatively small rise in cooling rate resulting from the vacuum conditions as opposed to nonvacuum refrigeration type cooling.
One example of a prior art vacuum cooling system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,014 to Miller, et al. In these approaches, water has been known to be added to the produce by sprinkling the produce before or while the vacuum is imposed to reduce the amount of moisture removed from the produce during cooling with the water evaporated during cooling being supplied at least in part by the water added to the system instead of entirely by the produce. In these approaches known to the inventor, the vacuum cooled produce sprinkled with water has been packed in waxed boxes which absorb very small amounts of water. All of these methods are significantly inhibited if product "exposure" is restricted, as when the product is packed in a plastic bag; such is the case where modified atmosphere packaging is used.
Modified or controlled-atmosphere packaging of fresh produce has also been heretofore utilized and offers advantages to virtually all sectors of the industry, from grower-shipper to food service and retail consumers. Benefits include reduced waste due to spoilage, enhanced quality, extended shelf life and greater consumer convenience. The essential feature of the modified-atmosphere approach to packaging is to seal the product in a package that restricts, to a predetermined degree, the exchange of gases between the product and the surroundings. many studies have been performed on the desired gas environments for various types of products.
In general, modified-atmosphere packaging retards the four major causes of produce quality loss, namely dehydration, respiration, microbial spoilage and enzyme attack. The quality of cut fruits or vegetables (e.g. florets) deteriorates much more rapidly due to these factors than if the products remain uncut. Moisture loss from produce is governed by Fick's law of diffusion which states that the rate of vapor loss increases in direct proportion to the vapor pressure difference between the surface of the produce and the surrounding air. Since at a constant relative humidity, vapor pressure in the air nearly doubles for each 10.degree. C. temperature rise, and vapor pressure at the surface of fresh produce is nearly 100 percent, produce will dehydrate nearly four times faster at room temperature than at a temperature near freezing, when exposed to "dry" air. A modified-atmosphere packaging with a low moisture permeability will prevent this loss.
All produce continues to respire after harvest. During normal respiration, internal carbohydrates are converted into carbon dioxide, water and energy (heat) according to:
(aerobic respiration): C.sub.6 H.sub.12 O.sub.6 +60.sub.2 .fwdarw.6CO.sub.2 +6H.sub.2 O+(heat). PA1 (anaerobic respiration): C.sub.6 H.sub.12 O.sub.6 .fwdarw.Alcohols+Acids+CO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O+(heat).
This process generally results in a progressive deterioration in product quality. If a harvested item is stored in an oxygen depleted environment, anaerobic respiration occurs. This latter type of respiration is essentially a fermentation process that results in the production of an assortment of organic compounds that lead to undesirable flavors and odors. Anaerobic respiration is described as follows:
Aerobic respiration rates can vary greatly among commodities, among varieties and even among parts of the same plant. There can be further variability due to growing conditions and post-harvest injuries, such as knife cuts, bruises, chill damage, etc. The most significant factors effecting respiration rate are the stage of maturity of the produce, temperature and storage atmosphere.
The "law of mass action" in chemistry states that the rate of a chemical reaction is proportional to the concentration of each of the reactants. Thus, aerobic respiration can be slowed by either decreasing the oxygen level or increasing the carbon dioxide level of the storage atmosphere. In practice, this relationship appears to hold with the result that increasing the CO.sub.2 level is equally as effective as decreasing the O.sub.2 level and that the results are additive. Plant sensitivity to CO.sub.2 ranges from low tolerance, as with apples, to high tolerance, as with strawberries.
Enzymes are organic catalysts present in abundance in produce. After harvest, these enzymes tend to "spill" from damaged, cut, bruised, etc. cells of produce and can lead to rapid discolorization of light colored surfaces, such as of mushrooms and cut apples. There are two basic ways to combat this enzyme activity. The first is through the reduction of the oxygen level in a package. Enzymatic browning rate tends to vary nearly linearly with oxygen concentration. The second approach is to use enzyme inhibitors. These are components that deactivate the browning enzyme. Sulfite, citric acid and ascorbic acid additives have been used for this purpose. In addition, carbon monoxide in concentrations of one to ten percent is effective as an enzyme inhibiter and as a microbicide. Items known to benefit from small (one to five percent) concentrations of carbon monoxide include cauliflower, avocados, strawberries, tomatoes, cherries and grapes. Items known to benefit from larger concentrations (five to ten percent) include lettuce, stone fruit, melons, cantaloupe, mushrooms and citrus products.
Although bacterial diseases can cause significant decay in vegetables, most post-harvest diseases are caused by fungi. Since these organisms respire in the same manner as the cut plant, their growth in general is controlled by the same factors (eg. high CO.sub.2 concentration, etc.). In addition, microbial decay is dramatically accelerated under high relative humidity conditions. There are a variety of chemical treatments used to control these pathogens, including carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. Related to controlling microbial decay of produce, is the control of insects, in particular with respect to exported products which are frequently subjected to quarantine fumigant treatments.
It is also known to inject or charge modified-atmosphere containers with gas of a desired composition for the particular products. This approach has been used, for example, in connection with bread whereby bread is placed in plastic wrappers which are injected with gas of the desired environment prior to sealing the bread in the wrappers. In addition, poultry products are packaged in high CO.sub.2 environments and red meat products are packaged in high O.sub.2 and CO.sub.2 environments.
Because modified-atmosphere packaging inhibits the action of these major causes of product quality loss, it has recently been a focus of much activity. In this regard, there is much data which describes the optimal atmosphere for a variety of commodities. For example, the article entitled "Post-Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops", by Kader, A. et al, special publication 3311, published by the University of California at Davis in 1985, contains a table of optimal storage atmospheres for a wide variety of types of produce. Controlled atmosphere packaging has also been used for bakery, meat and other perishable food products. In general, it appears that one can deviate substantially from an optimal atmosphere and still benefit. Modified-atmosphere packaging is also the subject of numerous patents, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,770 to Rainy; 4,515,266 to Myers; and 4,910,032 to Antoon, Jr.
Although these technologies exist, when produce is enclosed in a modified-atmosphere package, it becomes difficult to remove heat, such as heat in the produce and existing at the harvest site or field. In addition to this trapped field heat, the produce continues to warm due to the heat of respiration. As temperature rises, respiration increases exponentially, resulting in heat build up. This situation can readily lead to a loss of product quality that quickly negates the benefits intended with the modified-atmosphere package.
In the prior art, due to the fact that controlled-atmosphere packaging involves the sealing of products in a package that restricts the exchange of gases between the product and surroundings, conventional techniques for field heat removal, such as forced-air cooling and hydrocooling have been applied before the product is sealed in its package and palletized. Because the equipment associated with the cooling techniques is usually located at a central location, the use of modified-atmosphere packaging systems generally requires that the product be shed-packed at a location remote from the picking location, in contradiction to recent trends in agriculture favoring field-packing of many fresh produce items. In addition, if the ready escape of water vapor from the product surface and/or its subsequent flow to a chilled condensing coil are restricted, the rate of cooling under vacuum may be significantly reduced, even in the case of otherwise readily-cooled items, such as lettuce. By their very nature as gas-flow regulating devices, typical modified-atmosphere packages would be expected to inhibit the vacuum cooling process, owing to the severely restricted rates of gas (water vapor) removal from the package.
Thus, the standard modified atmosphere approach for packing berries, such as strawberries, is to pick or harvest the berries into containers; palletize the containers of berries and refrigerate the pallets. After the berries are cooled, the pallets of berries are wrapped in plastic and injected with an enriched C0.sub.2 mixture and shipped. When the pallets reach the distributors or end users, the pallets are broken apart and the benefit of the modified atmosphere packaging is lost at that point.
For most modified atmosphere packaged produce other than berries, the produce is harvested and transported to a remote shed for cooling. The cooled produce is cut, processed and sorted. The cooled and now processed produce is then packaged in a modified atmosphere container. This approach is costly and results in damage to the produce due to multiple handling steps and due to the delayed placement of the produce in a modified atmosphere package.
Therefore, a need exists for a new package and packaging system for overcoming these and other disadvantages of the prior art.

Package for perishable food and horticultural products


Method of assembling a large, lightweight, composite optical device such as a mirror or lens, includes providing a plurality of flat, lightweight optical element sections, fastening each optical element section to an associated frame segment to provide a plurality of optical elements and detachably fastening a plurality of the optical elements together in a manner causing all of them to lie in a single plane. After use, the device is disassembled and the optical elements are stacked in a compact mass to make them readily portable.

The present invention relates to the field of optical elements and more particularly to the assembly and disassembly of optical elements.
It is desirable to provide an easy means of repeatedly disassembling or segmenting and reassembling components of a large optical element which is thus made highly portable and can be readily carried by one person from place to place. In order to enable this portability, the optical device should also be light and highly compact after being disassembled so as to be carried by the person to render it "man-packable".
One example would utilize the large optical element such as a lens or mirror, as the objective of a large collapsible telescope. The telescope body itself could also be collapsible thus allowing for a very lightweight, easily transportable telescope having a substantial size when reassembled. It is thus desirable to replace, for example, an eighteen inch diameter conventional cassegrain reflector system which can not be collapsed and which can weigh fifty pounds or more, with such a lightweight, collapsible and portable reflector system to render the telescope portable. The resulting telescope could thus weigh only a few pounds and be sufficiently compact to be backpack-transportable.
It is also desirable to provide a collapsible, lightweight, portable optical "antenna" for use with a field transportable laser beam communication receiver. The best way to improve receiver gain is to collect more of the incoming laser beam signal energy by employing a larger optical collector or "antenna". It would also be desirable to provide a readily transportable solar energy collector for power generation in the field. The electrical power generated would be useful for energizing remote radio transmitters or other instruments in the field, in support of scientific experiments or for military applications. A lightweight, collapsible optical "antenna" or solar energy collector would also have numerous applications in space for use on satellites etc.
In the above applications, it would be most desirable to employ some type of flat, light-weight optic such as a plastic fresnel lens. A simple fresnel lens could satisfy most of the aforesaid applications. However, due to their generally poor imaging capability, fresnel lenses should mainly be used for optical energy collection, such as "antennas" for optical communications and lidar systems or as solar power concentrators. High quality imaging can best be accomplished with diffractive or binary optical elements. Although essentially the same in size and general appearance as a fresnel lens, these elements have a much denser groove spacing and provide for near diffraction-limited performance which is comparable to or better than a basic curved lens or mirror. The only potential problem with using a diffractive optic as the major light gathering element of a telescope is its optical wavelength sensitivity which can cause chromatic distortion when used with broadband light sources such as white light. However, recent independent developments in diffractive optics technology have provided solutions to this problem via small corrective optical elements which can be incorporated in the light path. Thus a high performance imaging telescope which is light weight and collapsible could be implemented by the present invention.
Fresnel, diffractive and binary optical elements can be produced on a number of different substrates including glass, metals and plastics. Furthermore, they can be inexpensively molded by plastic injection or compression molding from a master copy. Fabrication from a reflective material produces a mirror. A mirror can also be produced by providing an appropriate reflective coating on a transmissive optic. Use of the optic in the present invention can be accomplished by producing the segments as separate units, or simply by cutting the optical element into separate sections after its fabrication.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


Augmented reality interaction is described, combining online virtual resource allocation and management with consumption and image scanning operations of a user at a target place. Consumption data of a user is obtained. A quantity of virtual resources corresponding to the user are allocated to the user based on a consumption amount, and then accumulated. A determination is made whether a predetermined identifier corresponding to the target place is identified from image information of a scanned real-world image obtained through image scanning. Virtual data related to the virtual resources in the virtual resource pool is delivered from the augmented reality server to the augmented reality client device. The augmented reality client device is configured to perform augmented display of the related virtual data by overlaying and combining the virtual data with the image information at a location corresponding to the predetermined identifier in the scanned real-world image.

Augmented reality (AR) technology is a technology where corresponding pictures, videos, and three-dimensional (3D) models are combined on an image by calculating a location and an angle of the image in real time, to integrate a virtual world with a real world, thereby providing users with a new interaction experience. With the continuous development of AR technology, AR technology is being applied more widely. Therefore, how to combine online services with offline services better by using AR technology is important to improve user experience.

Method and apparatus for offline interaction based on augmented reality


Multi-band photodetectors can be formed by series connecting unipolar and, optionally, bipolar semiconductor structures, each having different photodetection bands. Under default mode of operation, the detector with highest resistance and lowest current will be the current limiting device and will be the active photodetector. When the active photodetector is illuminated with strong light in its own detection band it will be optically biased. This active photodetector will no longer be the highest resistance device, and the next photodetector will be the active photodetector. Repeating this operation pattern, allows switching photodetection bands of the multi-band photodetector. The resistances, dark current and photocurrent of the devices should be engineered to have proper switching. Moreover, the illuminating surface, and photodetector placement should be optimized for proper light biasing. The current passing through the device will always be equal to the current of the active photodetector.

State of the art multi-band photodetectors for imaging, remote sensing or communications applications either use voltage polarity switching, or more than one electrical connection per pixel, or spatially separated detectors where each photodetector active volume is detecting different spectral band. Making small pixel pitch 3-band and more band detectors demand more complex electrical switching and electrical connections. This also makes dense, small pitch focal plane array (FPA) fabrication challenging. Related invention on multi-color photodetectors and focal plane arrays utilizing optical addressing describes a method to use extra optical illumination to switch detection bands (See U.S. Ser. No. 13/011,475, supra). This approach demands one optical source to each optical band and demands complicated tunnel junctions to isolate each bipolar photodetector from each other.

Multiband photodetector utilizing serially connected unipolar and bipolar devices

Arizona Board of Regents, A Body Corporate of the State of Arizona, Acting for and on Behalf of Arizona State University


A method is provided of resurfacing a substrate with a natural stone the substrate having a top surface and an edge, the method including placing a plurality of templating strips on the top surface to form a template defining an outside dimension, cutting out a top piece for resurfacing the top surface based on the outside dimension of the template, cutting out an edge band for resurfacing the edge of the substrate, bonding the edge band and the top piece together to form a replacement top and adhesively joining the replacement top to the substrate. A plurality of templating jigs may be used for forming a template. Pieces of natural stone may have respective bevel cuts made in their respective edges for adjoining with other pieces to form a replacement top of natural stone. Inside edges may be reinforced with a fiberglass cloth coated with a polyester resin. A plurality of natural stone pieces may be adjoined to form a segmented radius of curvature for covering a corresponding radius of curvature of an edge of the existing substrate.

This invention relates in general to fabricating material used for utilitarian and decorative surfaces and in particular to a method of fabricating slabs of natural stone for resurfacing existing structures or surfacing new construction.
Granite is used in many different applications such as fireplace surrounds, shower walls, columns, flooring and countertops. Natural stone granite and marble are typically cut in slabs that are approximately two to three centimeters thick. Such slabs have traditionally been fabricated by cutting and shaping into appropriate sizes at this thickness to form new or replacement countertops.
Three areas of concern with respect to using traditional granite for countertop replacement are: 1) inconvenience to the customer, 2) turn around time to complete the job and 3) countertop removal. Replacing countertops is difficult, time consuming and potentially stressful for the customer. It typically requires more than one skilled trade to complete installation and quite often causes collateral damage to surrounding surfaces that have to be repaired at the customer's expense. It frequently takes upwards of eight to ten weeks or longer for countertops to be replaced using traditional processes and materials.


Disclosed herein is a safety feature for batteries comprising an integrated series of lithium-ion bi-cells. Each individual bi-cell comprises, sequentially, an anode, a film separator, a cathode, a film separator, and an anode. When multiple bi-cells are joined within a single package an insulator element, preferably an electrolyte permeable insulator element, is placed between anode elements of adjoining bi-cells. This insulator element appears to restrict internal shorting during crushing of the battery, thus avoiding undesirable effects of shorting such as thermal run-away and producing a safer battery.

A polymer electrolytic cell, such as a rechargeable lithium ion battery, is commonly constructed by means of the lamination of electrode and separator cell elements which are individually prepared. Each of the electrodes and the electrolyte film/separator is formed individually, for example by coating, extrusion, or otherwise, from compositions including binder materials and a plasticizer.
In the construction of a standard lithium-ion cell, for example, an anodic current collector may be positioned adjacent an anode (negative electrode) film, or sandwiched between two separate anode films, to form the negative electrode.
Similarly, a cathodic current collector may be positioned adjacent a cathode (positive electrode) film, or sandwiched between two separate cathode films, to form the positive electrode.
A separator is positioned between the negative electrode and the a positive electrode. The anode, separator, and cathode structures are then laminated to produce a unitary flexible electrolytic cell precursor structure.
An extraction process is used to prepare the cell precursor for activation with electrolyte. During processing of the cell precursor, a large quantity of a homogeneously distributed plasticizer is present in the solid polymeric matrix. Prior to activation of the electrolytic cell or battery, however, the organic solvent is removed. This is generally accomplished using an extracting solvent such as diethyl ether or hexane, or the application of a vacuum, which selectively extracts the plasticizer without significantly affecting the polymer matrix. This produces a "dry" electrolytic cell precursor, which does not include any electrolyte solvent or salt. An electrolyte solvent and electrolyte salt solution is imbibed into the "dry" electrolytic cell copolymer membrane structure to yield a functional electrolytic cell system.
A lithium ion battery typically comprises several solid, secondary electrolytic cells in which the current from each of the cells is accumulated by a conventional current collector, so that the total current generated by the battery is roughly the sum of the current generated from each of the individual electrolytic cells employed in the battery. In lithium ion batteries it is common to stack separate electrolyte cells to create the battery.
Lithium ion electrolytic cells 101 may be of the traditional "sandwich" type, shown in FIG. 1, with a cathode 110, a separator 112, and an anode 114 sandwiched together. However, there is a trend to develop "bi-cells", in which two anodes or two cathodes are present, surrounding a single opposite electrode. A cathode-out bi-cell 201, such as that shown in FIG. 2, includes, sequentially, a first cathodic electrode 210a, a first separator 212a, a central anode 214, a second separator 212b, and a second cathodic electrode 210b. Electrode tabs connect the anode and cathode elements to the exterior of the package. Batteries constructed of cathode-out bi-cells tend to successfully pass abuse tests which are geared toward crushing, but do not pass abuse tests in which a nail is driven through the battery.
An anode-out bi-cell 301, for example that shown in FIG. 3, includes, sequentially, a first anodic electrode 314a, a first separator 312a, a central cathode 310, a second separator 312b, and a second anodic electrode 314b. Electrode tabs connect the anode and cathode elements to the exterior of the package.
Batteries constructed of anode-out bi-cells tend to successfully pass abuse tests in which a nail is driven through a battery, but commonly fail crush abuse tests. A battery consisting of two anode-out bi-cells 401a, 401b, is shown in FIG. 4. Batteries such as that shown in FIG. 4 commonly include two to six anode-out bi-cells, and may include more bi-cells.
One approach to limiting the failure of bi-cell batteries during abuse testing has been the limitation of the total battery capacity, which limits the possibility of adverse affects during abuse testing.
A parallel approach to limiting the failure effects of bi-cell batteries has been a limitation on the use of high surface area graphite within the electrodes. The use of such graphite has been limited in the prior art due to the undesirable reactivity of batteries under conditions of abuse. The industry response has been to forgo the use of high surface area graphite and the increased potential it provides in order to provide safer batteries.
In view of the above shortcomings associated with the prior art, there is a need for solid state electrochemical devices that are safer than those previously disclosed, and which can safely provide batteries having higher energy density and increased potential than previously available.


An optical waveguide includes a substrate, a core formed on the substrate and serving as a passageway for light, and a metal film, in which at least a portion of the core is covered with the metal film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical waveguide for widespread use in optical communications, optical information processing, and other general optics.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical waveguide is incorporated in an optical device such as an optical waveguide device, an optical integrated circuit, an optical wiring board and the like, and is widely used in the field of optical communications, optical information processing, and other general optics. In general, the optical waveguide includes cores serving as a passageway for light and formed in a predetermined pattern, and an under cladding layer and an over cladding layer formed so as to cover the cores (see, for example, JP-A-2005-165138). Such an optical waveguide is shown in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, an under cladding layer 2, cores 3, and an over cladding layer 4 are formed in the order named on a substrate 1 to form the optical waveguide.
The refractive index of the above-mentioned cores 3 is made higher than that of the under cladding layer 2 and the over cladding layer 4 so that light passing inside the cores 3 does not exit from the cores 3. The cores 3, the under cladding layer 2 and the over cladding layer 4 are in general made of a synthetic resin. In particular, when the cores 3, the under cladding layer 2 and the over cladding layer 4 are made of a photosensitive resin, the formation thereof involves the need for the steps of coating, exposure to light, development and drying of liquid materials therefor.
However, the execution of the above-mentioned steps of coating, exposure to light, development and drying for each of the processes of forming the cores 3, the under cladding layer 2 and the over cladding layer 4 described above requires a large number of processing steps to result in the increase in costs. In this regard, there is room for improvement.


An evaporated fuel treatment device comprising a purge control valve for controlling an amount of fuel vapor fed into the intake passage from a charcoal canister. The fuel vapor concentration is divided into a first fuel vapor concentration changing proportionally to a purge rate of the fuel vapor and a second fuel vapor concentration changing without regard as to the purge rate of the fuel vapor. The first fuel vapor concentration per unit purge rate is reduced following a reduction in the amount of fuel absorbed in the canister. At this time, the second fuel vapor concentration is calculated from the amount of deviation of the air-fuel ratio from the target air-fuel ratio.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an evaporated fuel treatment device of an engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known in the art is an internal combustion engine provided with a canister for temporarily storing evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank and a purge control valve for controlling the amount of purge of the fuel vapor to be purged from the canister to the inside of an intake passage, performing feedback control on the air-fuel ratio so that the air-fuel ratio becomes the target air-fuel ratio, calculating the concentration of fuel vapor per unit purge rate from the amount of deviation of the air-fuel ratio from the target air-fuel ratio, finding the current concentration of fuel vapor from the concentration of fuel vapor per unit purge rate and the current purge rate, and correcting the amount of fuel injection based on the concentration of fuel vapor (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7-293362.
That is, when trying to purge fuel absorbed in a canister into the intake passage, the amount of fuel vapor which is purged is proportional to the purge rate, therefore the concentration of the fuel vapor in the intake air is also proportional to the purge rate. That is, the concentration of fuel vapor in the intake air increases in proportion to an increase of the purge rate. Accordingly, if the concentration of fuel vapor per unit purge rate is found, it is possible to find the concentration of fuel vapor at that time, no matter how the purge rate changes, by multiplying the purge rate with the concentration of fuel vapor per unit purge rate. Consequently, even in the above internal combustion engine, the concentration of the fuel vapor per unit purge rate is found from the amount of deviation of the air-fuel ratio from the target air-fuel ratio.
By finding the concentration of fuel vapor per unit purge rate in this way, it is possible to accurately find the concentration of fuel vapor at that time even if the purge rate changes so long as the concentration of fuel vapor is proportional to the purge rate, therefore if the amount of fuel injection is corrected based on the concentration of fuel vapor, it would become possible to maintain the air-fuel ratio at the target air-fuel ratio no matter how the engine operating state changes.
The actual concentration of fuel vapor however includes a portion which changes proportional to the purge rate as explained above and a portion which is not proportional to the purge rate. If there is a portion which is not proportional to the purge rate in this way, the product of the concentration of the fuel vapor per unit purge rate and the purge rate will no longer accurately express the concentration of the fuel vapor. If the amount of fuel injection is corrected based on this concentration of fuel vapor, the problem will arise of the air-fuel ratio deviating from the target air-fuel ratio.

Evaporated fuel treatment device of an engine


A device for extending an event time of a physical shock imparted on an electronic device. The device includes a rigid or semi-rigid frame and a resiliently elastic material coupled to the frame, the resiliently elastic material suspending an electronic device with respect to the frame. The resiliently elastic material may be in the form of a sheet, a strap, a rib, and combinations thereof. One preferred resiliently elastic material is a polymeric material.

Electronic devices are found in all aspects of life. Of particular import are computers, which are found in homes and offices throughout the world. Computers are also being implemented more and more in machinery such as automobiles and aircraft. Further, it is now routine to ship computers and electronic components long distances, be it factory to retail outlet, factory to consumer, or warehouse to consumer.
One problem that continues to plague electronic devices is damage from physical shock. Physical shock can occur in many ways. During handling in a factory, retail store, or in a shipping warehouse, a component might be dropped. During transportation and for vehicle-mounted electronics, the vehicle carrying the electronic device might encounter potholes and other obstacles which jar the vehicle, translating the shock to the electronic device.
The problem caused by physical shock is even more pronounced in electronics having movable parts. For instance, hard disk drives (HDDs) have many moveable parts. A drop of four inches results in a shock of ˜300 G (300 times the force of gravity) to an HDD. Shock can damage these delicate parts of the drive, such as the pivot bearing of the actuator, the motor and spindle bearings, the head resting on the load/unload components, electric components, etc.
These parts are even more susceptible to physical shocks caused by rough handling, transportation, and use in hostile environments. Conventional usage of a HDD has been fairly gentle with respect to operating environments. HDDs in the past have been associated with usage that is constrained to withstand shock events that are generally very mild. However, HDDs are now being implemented in more hostile environments, including laptops and even in vehicles.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of parts of a data storage disk drive system (HDD) 30 including a rigid magnetic disk drive unit generally designated as 32 and a control unit generally designated as 34. Unit 32 is illustrated in simplified form sufficient for an understanding of the present invention because the utility of the present invention is not limited to the details of a particular drive unit construction. After data storage disk drive system 30 is completely assembled, servo information used to write and read data is written using the disk drive system 30.
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, disk drive unit 32 includes a stack 36 of disks 38 having two magnetic surfaces 40. The disks 38 are mounted in parallel for simultaneous rotation on and by an integrated spindle and motor assembly 46. Data information on each disk 38 are read and/or written to by a corresponding transducer head 48 movable across the disk surface 40. In a disk drive using a dedicated or hybrid servo, one of the disk surfaces 40′ stores servo information used to locate information and data on the other disk surfaces 40.
Transducer heads 48 are mounted on flexure springs 50 carried by arms 52 ganged together for simultaneous pivotal movement about a support spindle 54. One of the arms 52 includes an extension 56 driven in a pivotal motion by a head drive motor 58. Although several drive arrangements are commonly used, the motor 58 can include a voice coil motor 60 cooperating with a magnet and core assembly (not seen) operatively controlled for moving the transducer heads 48 in synchronism in a radial direction in order to position the heads in registration with data information tracks or data cylinders 62 to be followed and access particular data sectors 64. Although a rotary actuator is shown, it should be understood that a disk drive with a linear actuator can be used. Data storage disk drive system 30 is a modular unit including a housing 66. The various components of the disk drive system 30 are controlled in operation by signals generated by control unit 34 such as motor control signals on line 46A and position control signals on line 58A.
As mentioned above, components of the HDD that are particularly susceptible to physical shock are the spindle bearing assemblies. FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed view of bearings 80 and races 82, 84. The bearings 80 rest against inner and outer races 82, 84. Because the bearings 80 are spherical, they only have one point of contact on each race 82, 84. The bearings 80 are much harder than the races 82, 84, so if a shock is inflicted, a bearing 80 will create a depression, or dent, in one or both races 82, 84. The race 82, 84 will scar and wear. Once a race 82, 84 has a scar, the drive will have a repeatable motion each time a bearing 80 contacts the scar. One result is a loud audible frequency noise. Another result is that the disk supported by the spindle will wiggle, resulting in operational instability.
Similar problems can also be found in other types of electronic devices, including CD and DVD players. Thus, the propensity for damage to electronics with moveable components presents a real problem.
Prior art attempts at reducing the damage inflicted by physical shock include surrounding the device in styrofoam or bubble wrap during shipping, and mounting sensitive components on rubber pads in the final device. However, these attempts provide only limited protection.
What is therefore needed is a new device that provides improved protection from physical shock.

Protective device for reducing the impact of physical shock

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


There is provided determination of a bit rate request (BRR) for a multimedia encoder of an electronic device. First bit rate information is received from a receiver of multimedia content. The multimedia content is generated by the multimedia encoder and transmitted by the electronic device on a transmission link of the electronic device to the receiver. The first bit rate information is related to the transmission link. Second bit rate information relating to a reception link of the electronic device is acquired. A set of properties of the transmission link and the reception link is determined. A combined BRR is determined for the multimedia encoder as a function of the first bit rate information and the second bit rate information, wherein the function depends on the set of properties. The combined BRR is provided to the multimedia encoder.

In communication networks, there is always a challenge to obtain good performance and capacity for a given communications protocol, its parameters and the physical environment in which the communication network is deployed.
Further, the area of communications has evolved rapidly over the last years; from traditional person-to-person phone calls to many and more advanced services; such as multimedia sessions involving e.g., multiparty video conferencing. Such services put extensive requirements on the communications network and when multimedia such as audio and video are transmitted from one device to another over the communications network, it is not uncommon that the capacity of the communications network is lower than what is required by the multimedia session to give the end-user a desired user experience. One non-limiting example is video telephony over a 3G network where on the one hand, High Definition (HD) video transmission with a bit rate of several Mbit/s could be needed to deliver a high quality end-user experience, whilst on the other hand, such a high bit rate could by the communications network only be supported under benign conditions.
As a result of varying network performance, running a multimedia session service with a high fixed bit rate over wireless communications networks (or other communications networks with time-varying throughput characteristics) may lead to quality problems and unsatisfied end-users. To mitigate this some existing services have implemented mechanisms to cope with temporarily congested networks by means of rate adaptation. Through various techniques the multimedia stream is adapted with the goal to suit present conditions of the communications channel.
In general terms, it is common that the end-user equipment and/or the network nodes of the communications network measures the perceived end-user quality or other Quality of Service (QoS) parameters such as media delay, delay jitter and packet loss that may have a correlation with the perceived end-user quality. These measurements may then be used to control the multimedia bit rate, and thus the bandwidth consumption, used by the electronic device for transmitting the multimedia stream.
However, the above outlined procedure for controlling the multimedia bit rate may not be able adapt the bit rate fast enough when considering fast time-varying channel conditions of the communications channel which may have an impact on the transmission of the multimedia. Hence, there is still a need for improved control of bandwidth consumption and/or end-user quality usable during a multimedia communications session, such as a video conferencing service.