A method and device within a speech processing unit (SPU) for reducing scheduling delay between the SPU and a radio network node. Within the SPU, data packets are processed in a plurality of time slots that are subunits of frames. The device receives timing information from the node that identifies a beginning and an ending of processing periods in the node. The timing information is utilized to select a time slot within each frame as a target time slot. The target time slot has a position within each frame such that the scheduling delay between the ending of a processing period in the node and the beginning of the target time slot is minimized. Data packets for a particular channel are assigned to the target time slot to reduce the scheduling delay. The phase of the frame is then adjusted by erasing superfluous data packets.

Speech processing units are an important part of modern digital communication systems such as, for example, mobile communication systems. These speech processing units are usually located in a switching node of the communication system and consist of a coding entity and a decoding entity, in short: a codec. In many third generation (3G) mobile communication systems, speech processing units are connected to the radio network via packet-switched transmission links. The bandwidth of these transmission links is shared by a large number of speech and/or data channels. Unlike narrow-band circuit-switched links, compressed speech frames can be transported over a packet-switched transmission link in a very short time. For example, in second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, the transport of an adaptive multi-rate (AMR) speech packet over a 16-kbps Abis link takes about 17 ms, whereas in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) the same packet can be sent over a 2-Mbps lu link in less than 1 ms.
The overall speech signal delay depends on the transmission delay and the scheduling delay between the radio network and the speech processing unit. Since the transmission delay between radio network nodes and speech processing unit is rather small, the speech signal delay between radio network nodes and speech processing unit is mainly limited by the availability of processing capacity of the speech processing unit. The maximum number of channels handled by the speech processing unit is limited by its total processing capacity divided by the speech coding algorithm complexity.
A speech coder provides processing capacity by means of one or several digital signal processors (DSPs). The processing of speech coding algorithms is usually based on small segments, so called frames. Every speech frame of each channel requires a certain amount of time to be processed, both for the uplink and the downlink direction. The processing time of these frames typically ranges between 10 and 20 milliseconds. For example, in GSM all speech codecs, i.e. Full Rate (FR), Enhanced Full Rate (EFR), Half Rate (HR) and Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) are based on 20 ms frame processing. The processing window of the speech processing unit is divided into a number of time slots. Some of the time slots in a frame are used for encoding tasks while the remainder are used for decoding tasks.
In a delay-optimised scenario, the processing power of the speech processing unit would be available for each of the channels exactly when needed, that is, each channel would run in an ideal time slot of the processing window, which minimizes the scheduling delay for all channels to be processed by the speech processing unit. In UMTS systems, for example, speech processing units are implemented in media gateways, which are connected to the radio network via asynchronous transfer mode (ATM). Since no synchronisation between the radio network nodes and the speech processing units in the core network exists, the data processing (more specifically, the encoding and decoding tasks in the speech processing unit) in general suffers from severe scheduling delays. These delays exist in the downlink direction from the speech processing unit to the radio network nodes as well as in the uplink direction from the radio network nodes to the speech processing unit.
In the downlink, a time alignment procedure to minimize the buffer delay in a radio network node (for example, a radio network controller (RNC)), is performed between the speech processing unit and the RNC. This time alignment procedure is proposed in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardization document 25.415 and is mainly based on a 'request/acknowledge scheme'. That means, the radio network node orders the offset correction in the uplink direction, and the speech coder executes and acknowledges the time alignment in the downlink direction. By such a time alignment request, a specific encoding or decoding task is assigned to a new time slot in the speech processing unit. The time slot, which yields minimal scheduling delay for further processing of a data packet, is called the target time slot.
The problem with this procedure is that the radio network node is not aware whether the speech processing unit is able to fulfil the request at the moment it is requested to do so. Since the speech processing unit supports several channels simultaneously, the target time slot minimizing the scheduling delay may currently be used for processing another user's data packet. This is even more likely when the speech processing unit is heavily loaded, for example during so called 'busy-hours'. In this case, the speech processing unit returns a 'time alignment not possible' to the requesting radio network node. As described in the 3GPP standardization document 25.415, this problem is currently being solved by repeating the time alignment request for a certain number of times. However, it is fairly unlikely that the moment that any of these time alignment requests is received at the speech processing unit will exactly match the moment that the speech processing unit releases the target time slot (or another delay-reducing time slot) for processing. On the other hand, too many time alignment requests in short intervals will result in a lot of unnecessary traffic between the speech processing unit and the radio network nodes.
In the uplink, there also exists a certain probability that data packets coming from a radio network node may be processed with severe scheduling delays in the speech processing unit.
The above described problems in downlink and uplink transmission exist both in the case of a single radio network node communicating with a speech processing unit, and in the case of multiple radio network nodes communicating with a single speech processing unit.
There is a need for a method and a device for efficiently reducing the scheduling delay of data packets between a speech processing unit and one or several radio network nodes in a digital communication system in the downlink direction as well as in the uplink direction, and also for reducing the roundtrip delay, i.e. the combination of scheduling delay in the uplink and downlink directions.

Method and device for reducing scheduling delay in a digital communication system


Embodiments for a method performing data migration such as backups and restores in a network by identifying characteristics of data in a data saveset to separate the data into defined types based on respective characteristics, assigning a data label to each defined type, defining migration rules for each data label, discovering assigned labels during a migration operation; and applying respective migration rules to labeled data in the data saveset. The migration rules can dictate storage location, access rights, replication periods, retention periods, and similar parameters.

Backup software is used by large organizations to store virtually all of the data of the organization for recovery after system failures, routine maintenance and so on. Backup sets are typically taken on a regular basis, such as hourly, daily, weekly, and so on, and can comprise vast amounts of data. As organizations and users use different applications to generate and process data, the variety of data can be very vast in terms of type and source. For example, depending on these applications, an organization may generate database data, word processing files, spreadsheet files, audio data, video data, e-mail messages and so on. The data may be transformed into other formats, such as portable document files (.pdf) and may be formatted (e.g., by application or API) or unformatted (e.g., raw sensor data). Regardless of the application or source, present backup software generally treats all data in a data saveset the same way. Any distinction among data in an organization is typically done on a per machine or per user basis rather than on a per file basis. Thus, backup schedules, compression processes, deduplication processes, target allocation, and other backup processes often do not adequately distinguish among different types of source data.
Data labeling has been developed as a technique for customers and machines to tag data based on its characteristics. These characteristics can be file properties such as confidential, public, top secret, customer information, and so on. Such labels are typically employed to restrict or enable access at the point of use, and each characteristic can have different levels of associated attributes. For example, public data can be accessed by everyone and stored anywhere, while top secret data may only be accessed by certain individuals and must be stored on local encrypted storage.
Backup software systems presently do not adequately support data labeling. What is needed, therefore, is a mechanism labeling backup data on a file level to allow for more efficient and granular control of data savesets during backup operations.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions. EMC, Data Domain and Data Domain Restorer are trademarks of DellEMC Corporation.

Data labeling awareness for backup systems


When a two-component developer stored in a developer tank has been replaced, an image forming apparatus performs (a) a first formation step of forming a reference toner image on a photoreceptor, (b) a detection step of detecting an amount of toner of the reference toner image, and (c) a supply step of supplying a predetermined amount of toner to the developer tank when the amount of toner detected in the detection step is less than a threshold. Moreover, the image forming apparatus repeats the first formation step, the detection step, and the supply step until the amount of toner detected in the detection step becomes not less than the threshold. This makes it possible to provide an image forming apparatus that is stable in image quality even immediately after replacement of developers.

An image forming apparatus for electrophotographically forming an image on a sheet includes a photoreceptor drum, a charging device, an exposure device, a developing device, a transfer device, a fixing device, a cleaning device, and a charge-removing device. In the image forming apparatus, the charging device uniformly charges a surface of the photoreceptor drum with the photoreceptor drum driven to rotate. The photoreceptor drum thus charged is irradiated with laser light by the exposure device, with the result that an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor drum.
Then, the developing device develops, with toner, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum, with the result that a toner image is formed on the photoreceptor drum as a visible image. The toner image formed on the photoreceptor drum is transferred onto a sheet (transfer receiving material, recording material, paper sheet) by the transfer device. The toner image transferred onto the sheet is pressed and heated by the fixing device so as to be fixed onto the sheet, with the result that an image is formed on the sheet.
Meanwhile, the toner remaining on the photoreceptor drum without being transferred to the sheet is removed from the photoreceptor drum by the cleaning device, and then collected in a predetermined collecting section. After the cleaning, the charge remaining on the photoreceptor drum is removed by the charge-removing device.
As a developer that is stored in the developing device to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum, a one-component developer composed solely of toner or a two-component developer composed of toner and carrier is used.
A developing device in which the one-component developer is stored does not use carrier, and therefore does not need to include a stirring mechanism for uniformly mixing toner and carrier. This brings about an advantage of making it possible to design a developing device simply, but brings about a disadvantage of making it difficult to stabilize the amount of charge of toner.
A developing device in which the two-component developer is stored needs to include a stirring mechanism for uniformly mixing toner and carrier. This brings about a disadvantage of complicating the structure of a developing device, but brings about excellent stability in the amount of charge of toner and excellent compatibility with a high-speed machine. Therefore, the two-component developer is heavily used in a high-speed image forming apparatus and a color image forming apparatus.
In order to form a high-quality image, an image forming apparatus in which the two-component developer is used needs to maintain, at an appropriate value of density (target value), the toner density of a developer stored in a developer tank of a developing device. Accordingly, the developing device detects the magnetic permeability of the developer, for example, as an index of toner density of the developer, and is supplied with toner from a toner bottle when the toner density falls short of the target value, i.e., when the value of the detected magnetic permeability exceeds a reference value of magnetic permeability serving as a reference value for determining whether to supply toner. With this, the toner density of the two-component developer stored in the developer tank is held in the vicinity of the target value.
Further, in the image forming apparatus in which the two-component developer is used, the two-component developer deteriorates when used over time. Therefore, the two-component developer stored in the developing device needs to be replaced with a brand-new two-component developer regularly or irregularly.
It should be noted here that the toner density of the brand-new two-component developer to be newly stored in the image forming apparatus has been adjusted to density suitable for the development characteristics of the image forming apparatus (i.e., to the target value). However, the brand-new two-component developer often differs in properties from the running two-component developer that has been used in the image forming apparatus to some extent. Therefore, there have been cases where the first to several-thousandth images formed after replacement of two-component developers suffer from instability in image density.
In order to suppress a difference in properties of two-component developer between before and after replacement, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique by which the toner density of a brand-new developer is set to be lower than an appropriate level of toner density (i.e., than the target value) for use in an image forming apparatus and the toner density of the two-component developer is raised (i.e., corrected) to the target value by stirring the developer with the developer supplied with toner from a toner bottle immediately after replacement.
(Patent Document 1)
    Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 95536/1999 (Tokukaihei 11-95536; published on Apr. 9, 1999)
However, in order to stabilize the quality of images that are formed immediately after replacement of two-component developers, it is insufficient to suppress a difference in properties of two-component developer between before and after replacement. The following gives a reason for this.
A large number of mass-produced image forming apparatuses inevitably vary from one another in dimensional accuracy such as the distance between a doctor blade and a developing roller (such a distance being hereinafter referred to as "DG") and the distance between a photoreceptor drum and a developing roller (such a distance being hereinafter referred to as "DSD") (manufacturing errors). As a result of their diligent study, the inventors have found that the variations in DG and DSD cause instability in density of the first to several-thousandth images formed after replacement of two-component developers. It should be noted here that the finding that the variations in DG and DSD cause the instability has been brought to light by the inventors and was not obvious at the time of the present invention. The following further details the finding that the variations in DG and DSD cause the instability. It should also be noted that the following description has been brought to light by the inventors and was not obvious at the time of the present invention.
The optimum value of toner density of a two-component developer from the first to several-thousandth images after replacement of two-component developers slightly varies depending on differences in DG and DSD. That is, immediately after replacement of two-component developers, the optimum value of toner density of a two-component developer slightly shifts from the target value, depending on the values of DG and DSD.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between the developing potential and image density ID of an image formed in cases where the toner density of a two-component developer is appropriate. FIG. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between the developing potential and image density ID of an image formed in cases where the toner density of a two-component developer is higher than the optimum value. FIG. 8 is a graph showing a relationship between the developing potential and image density ID of an image formed in cases where the toner density of a two-component developer is lower than the optimum value. The "developing potential" here means the absolute value of a difference between the surface potential of a photoreceptor drum and the potential of a developing roller. Further, FIGS. 6 through 8 assume that the potential of a developing roller is −500 V.
In cases where the toner density of a two-component developer is higher than the optimum value as shown in FIG. 7, the gamma value (the slope of a function of developing potential and image density ID) becomes so high that the reproducibility of halftone density (ID=0.5 to 0.8) deteriorates, although the density of a solid image can be improved. In the case of a wide DG or a narrow DSD, the toner density of a two-component developer tends to be higher than the optimum value. Further, in cases where the toner density of a two-component developer is lower than the optimum value as shown in FIG. 8, the image density ID of a high-density side becomes so low that it becomes difficult to form a high-density image.
As a result of the foregoing study, in order to stabilize image quality even immediately after replacement of two-component developers, it is necessary not only to correct the toner density of a two-component developer after replacement so as to suppress a difference in properties of two-component developer between before and after replacement, but also to correct the toner density of a two-component developer after replacement so that the toner density takes on a value suitable for the values of DG and DSD.

Image forming apparatus and density correction method


A helmet mount for electronics is provided. The helmet mount includes a clamping bracket for affixing to a helmet chin guard. In addition, the helmet mount includes an adjustable arm, swivel bracket and electronic device. A first end of the arm is rotatably attached to the clamp bracket, and a second end of the arm is rotatably attached to the slider bracket. Meanwhile, the electronic device is attached to the slider bracket that allows it to slide in an arcuate manner. Preferably, the clamp bracket includes a first clamping member and second clamping member which are both movable and rotatable relative to one another.

The present invention relates to mounts for helmets. More specifically, the invention relates to helmet mounts for mounting electric lights or other electronic devices including cellular telephones, radios, and night vision displays to a helmet.
Snow machines, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles and other small off-road vehicles are used extensively to travel off-road locations. These vehicles allow for access to back country locations which do not provide for local light sources such a street lights. Most of these recreational vehicles include head lamps that allow the use of the vehicles at night.
Unfortunately, vehicle head lamps are limited. They may illuminate the trail immediately in front of the vehicle, but they do not provide for illumination to areas to the left or right where a driver may be viewing. To overcome this problem, devices have been created to mount a light source to a helmet so that when a driver looks left or right, the light can be turned in that direction.
More recently, persons engaging in mountain biking, off-road motorcycle riding, downhill skiing, snowmobiling, auto racing and other sports have become interested in making and viewing video recordings of their participation in sporting activities. Previously such recordings were made by other parties capturing the participant on video tape. However, such recordings lack the thrill factor experienced by the participant. For this reason, mounts have recently been introduced for mounting cameras to a helmet.
It has also been desirable to provide two-way communications to a person in a helmet engaged in recreational activities. For these reasons, helmets have been developed which integrate cellphone or walkie-talkie communication devices into the helmet casing. Still other constructions provide for mounting a microphone to a recreational helmet. The radio electronics may be mounted to the exterior of the helmet or elsewhere within the vehicle and connected by an electrical cable or a radio frequency (RF) connection such as Bluetooth™.
Clearly, more and more electronics are mounted to helmets. Unfortunately, current mounting systems do not enable the helmet wearer to adjust the electronic device so as to be positioned as desired. Accordingly, there is a significant need for a helmet mount which provides adjustability such that the user can affix the electronics in a desired position, but also allows the wearer to adjust the position quickly and easily.

NITERIDER TECHNICAL LIGHTING & VIDEO SYSTEMS, INC.


Improved premolded foam billets and drop-in foam billet joints increase the R value in concrete panels.

This invention relates to concrete panel construction and in particular to insulating foam billets used in the manufacture of finished concrete panels.
The assignee of this invention owns U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/391,081 filed Mar. 17, 2003 (F02.2-11001US01) which relates to a method for casting hollow core concrete panels in which the hollow cores are made by the use of foam billets held in place during the pours by using a raft connector, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Extruders are eliminated via the invention herein. This represents the only hollow core concrete panel which may include cast in openings. That invention is an improvement over U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/289,819 filed Nov. 7, 2002 (F02.2-10233US02) by the same owner, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference.
The pending applications of applicant referred to above work very well. However, it is desirable to form concrete panels which would have a higher insulating R value. This invention provides foam billets which provide for the manufacture of higher R value concrete panels.
The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is "prior art" with respect to this invention, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(a) exists.


A fuel processor having a movable burner, a method of operating the fuel processor, and a fuel cell system having the fuel processor. The fuel processor includes a combustion chamber, a reformer burner, a portion of which is partially disposed inside the combustion chamber, a reformer which is heated by heat transfer from the combustion chamber, and a burner-moving apparatus that moves the reformer burner with respect to the combustion chamber. The method of operating the fuel processor includes determining the load on and a plurality of temperatures within the fuel processor and moving the reformer burner depending upon such information.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a fuel processor that includes a reformer to produce hydrogen for a fuel cell using a gaseous fuel or liquid fuel; a shift reactor to decrease the concentration of CO, which is a by-product produced by the reformer; and a preferential oxidation (PROX) reactor. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to a fuel processor having a movable reformer burner within the reformer, a method of operating the reformer burner, and a fuel cell system incorporating the movable reformer burner within the reformer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel cell is an electrical generation system that transforms chemical energy directly into electrical energy through a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, which are removed from the hydrocarbon groups of such materials as ethanol or propanol, or from hydrocarbons such as natural gas or butane.
A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack and a fuel processor as main components, and a fuel tank and a fuel pump as auxiliary components. The fuel cell stack has a stacked structure containing a few to many unit cells, wherein each unit cell includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and a separator.
A fuel processor produces hydrogen by reforming a fuel, and the produced hydrogen is supplied to a fuel cell stack. In the fuel cell stack, the hydrogen electrochemically reacts with oxygen to generate electrical energy and form water. The fuel processor reforms hydrocarbon chains or groups using a catalyst. If the starting fuel material contains sulfur, the catalyst can be easily poisoned and lose activity such that the efficiency of the process is compromised. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the sulfur compound from the fuel before the hydrocarbon groups of the fuel are reformed in the fuel processor. Accordingly, the fuel is processed in a desulfurizer before it is fed to the fuel processor for reformation and hydrogen production.
The reformation of the hydrocarbon chains produces hydrogen, carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). Unfortunately, the CO acts as a catalyst poison to the catalytic layer of electrodes in the fuel cell stack. Therefore, the reformed fuel must be processed so as to remove CO before the fuel is supplied to the fuel cell stack. The content of the CO in the fuel supplying to the fuel cell stack is preferably reduced to less than 10 ppm.
In general, CO is removed according to Reaction 1 at both high and low temperatures described as a high temperature shift reaction and low temperature shift reaction, respectively.CO+H2O→CO2+H2  [Reaction 1]
The high temperature shift reaction is performed at a temperature of about 400 to 500° C., and the low temperature shift reaction is performed at a temperature of about 200 to 300° C. However, the CO concentration in the fuel remains approximately 5000 ppm although the fuel is processed with the shift reactions.
To reduce the concentration of CO to about 10 ppm level, a preferential oxidation (PROX) reaction, shown below in Reaction 2, and a methanation reaction, shown below in Reaction 3, are used.CO+½O2→CO2  [Reaction 2]CO+3H2→CH4+H2O  [Reaction 3]
FIG. 1 is a configuration of a conventional fuel cell system that includes a fuel processor.
Referring to FIG. 1, in a fuel cell system that uses a gaseous fuel, the gaseous fuel is simultaneously supplied to a reformer 40 and a reformer burner 30 from a gaseous fuel tank 10. The gaseous fuel that enters into the reformer 40, for example, a city gas, generally requires a desulfurizer 14 to remove sulfur from the fuel to protect the catalyst within the reformer 40. The gaseous fuel that has passed through the desulfurizer 14 must have a sulfur content of less than 10 ppb.
The reformer burner 30 heats the reformer 40 to maintain the reformer 40 at a reformer temperature of approximately 750° C.
A liquid pump 22 supplies water to the reformer 40 from a water tank 20. The water supplied to the reformer 40.by the liquid pump 22 is preheated by passing through both first and second heat exchangers 71 and 72. A combustion gas from the reformer burner 30 is exhausted to the atmosphere after passing through the first heat exchanger 71, while the hydrogen-rich fuel produced by the reformer 40 is passed through heat exchanger 72 to further heat the water before the water enters the reformer 40.
In the reformer 40, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide are generated. The shift reactor 60 decreases the CO concentration in the generated fuel to a predetermined level, for example, 5000 ppm or less. The concentration of CO in the fuel is further reduced to less than 10 ppm in the PROX reactor 65. With the CO concentration sufficiently small upon exit of the PROX reactor 65, the hydrogen-rich, CO deficient fuel is supplied to the fuel cell stack 50.
The reformer burner 30 heats the reformer 40 and, at the same time, preheats the water through first heat exchanger 71 and maintains the temperature of the shift reactor 60 at a predetermined set-point temperature, for example, of about 250° C. using a combustion gas. The reformer burner 30 heats an inner space of a combustion chamber (see FIG. 2), and transfers heat to the reformer attached on surfaces of the combustion chamber 90. Such heat transfer heat to the reformer 40 provides energy for the reformation of the hydrocarbon groups to hydrogen. Typically, the reformer burner 30 is fixed within the combustion chamber of the fuel processor.
When the amount of hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell stack 50 is increased, the reformer temperature of the reformer 40 is reduced since the load on the reformer 40 is increased. So, to maintain the predetermined set-point temperature of the reformer 40, the amount of fuel supplied to the reformer burner 30 may be increased. However, the increase in the amount of fuel delivered to the reformer burner 30 increases the size of a flame, which may damage the combustion chamber. Furthermore, the increase in the amount of fuel supplied to the reformer burner 30 may cause a decrease in combustion efficiency of the reformer burner.
When the amount of hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell stack 50 is decreased, the load on the reformer burner 30 is decreased as the fuel cell stack 50 does not require as much hydrogen to continue operating efficiently. Thus, the amount of fuel supplied to the reformer burner 30 should be decreased.
An optimal position of the reformer burner 30 in the combustion chamber is beneficial for the fuel processor to operate efficiently. If the reformer burner 30 is improperly positioned heat cannot be efficiently transmitted to the reformer catalyst thereby reducing the combustion efficiency of the reformer burner in the combustion chamber and decreasing the overall efficiency of the fuel cell system.

Fuel processor having movable burner, method of operating the same, and fuel cell system having the same


An apparatus for controlling a flow of developer material in a development station. Gating means for regulating the flow of developer material in a development station are mounted for movement between an open position, allowing a flow of developer material and a closed position inhibiting the flow. An abutment, movable with the gating means, has a pair of opposed surfaces and contacts a limiting surface when the gating means is in the open position. A crank is drivingly connected to a drive means. The crank has a portion which engages one of the opposed surfaces when the drive mechanism moves the crank in one direction. This causes the gating means to move toward the open position. The crank engages the other opposed surface when the drive means moves the crank in an opposite direction. This causes the gating device to move to the closed position.

It is well known in the electrographic art to use magnetic brush development apparatus for applying marking particles to latent images on a photoconductor or other image member that is advanced past the magnetic brush. Developer material, comprised of magnetic carrier particles and marking particles, may initially be mixed in a sump to triboelectrically charge the material prior to delivering it to a developer roller of the magnetic brush apparatus. It is also known to meter the flow of developer material to the magnetic brush and to gate, or shut off, the flow of material to the brush under certain circumstances. Metering of the developer material can be accomplished by a skive or by feeding the material through a slot leading to the magnetic brush. Gating of the developer material may be achieved by isolating the slot from the magnetic brush.
Such a slot-feeding apparatus is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,674, issued on Sep. 11, 1990 in the name of Kalyandurg. This apparatus has a rotary feed mechanism which delivers developer material from a sump to a magnetic brush. A gating device between the sump and the magnetic brush rotates about an axis substantially coaxial with the rotary feed mechanism between (1) an open position communicating the magnetic brush and the sump and (2) a closed position substantially isolating the magnetic brush from the sump. The gating device is drivingly connected to a solenoid by a linking mechanism. While such a method of connecting the solenoid to the gating device operates well for its intended purpose, it does involve a number of moving parts. Over time, these part will wear, making it more difficult to accurately position the gating device. A mechanism is desired which will accurately position the gating device over an extended period of time.
In the Kalyandurg apparatus, the rotation of the gating device from the closed to the open position is opposed to the flow of developer material within the gating device. When the solenoid is energized to rotate the gating device to its open position, the solenoid will have to overcome the resistance caused by the flow of developer material within the gating device. An apparatus wherein rotation of the gating device from a closed to an open position is in the direction of developer material flow would decrease the time and energy it takes to rotate the metering device from the closed position to the open position.
A lower slot in the Kalyandurg gating device occupies only about 25.degree. of the circumference of the gating device. When the gating device is in the closed position, a certain amount of developer material will be trapped in the gating device. An arrangement allowing most of the developer material to flow back into the sump for continuous mixing would be more desirable.

Apparatus for controlling the flow of developer material in a development station


Ink jet replacement cartridge (1) has a hinged cover (5, 3) and receives replacement bag (21) having an internal ink-containing bag (15) and internal absorbent paper (23) in external bag (25), which has an opening (27) to receive excess ink from printer. Only the external bag and its contents is replaced. The absorbent paper holds ink so the used bag is clean to handle.

A refill supply of the kind this invention modifies is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,409. That is a three dimensional structure generally having the outline of a brick or building block. That supply is mounted in the printer where a needle pierces a rubber stopper to connect ink in a bag in the supply through a tube to the printer. A second tube in the printer is connected back to the supply.
More specifically, this invention is a modification of the prior art supply sold by various firms including the assignee of this invention, which sells the supply as the IBM Ink Cartridge for the IBM 4072 Printer. That supply has ink in a bag resting on absorbent paper or felt, with an opening in the casing for a tube from the printer which returns excess ink. The casing is sealed, and the entire casing is discarded with each refill. The absorbent paper absorbs the return ink so that it is held in the casing.
In accordance with this invention the casing is hinged and the ink bag and absorbent paper are encased in an outer bag. Only the outer bag and its contents are discarded.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,023,629 to Kiyohara and 4,695,824 to Tazaki show variations of the foregoing type of supply. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,928,126 to Asai and 4,183,031 to Kyser et al show ink supplies in a bag with the bag in a container. None of these patents are closely relevant to this invention since they do not teach an outer bag surrounding the ink bag and an absorbent material.


The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a CMOS transistor which can further reduce the size of a chip since it is not necessary to consider the metal contact process margin since a gate electrode of a PMOS transistor and a gate electrode of an NMOS transistor are directly connected with a polysilicon wiring during a process of forming the gate electrodes, which can prevent the formation of a parasitic transistor by forming a cell space region in an active region below the polysilicon wiring.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of fabricating a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor(CMOS) and particularly to a method of fabricating a CMOS transistor which can prevent formation of a parasitic transistor between a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor, and also reduce the size of the chip.

Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.


The invention specifically relates to methods of fabricating a composite substrate by providing a first insulating layer on a support substrate at a thickness of e1 and providing a second insulating layer on a source substrate at a thickness of e2, with each layer having an exposed face for bonding; providing plasma activation energy in an amount sufficient to activate a portion of the thickness of the face of the first insulating layer emp1 and a portion of the thickness of the face of the second insulating layer emp1; providing a final insulating layer by molecular bonding the activated face of the first insulating layer with the activated face of the second insulating layer; and removing a back portion of the source substrate while retaining an active layer comprising a remaining portion of the source substrate bonded to the support substrate with the final insulating layer interposed therein to form the composite substrate. The thicknesses e1, e2 of the first and second insulating layers are sufficient to provide the final insulating layer with a thickness of 50 nanometers or less, and the plasma activation energy and respective thicknesses e1, e2 of the first and second insulating layers are selected such that only respective thicknesses emp1 and emp2 of the faces of the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer are activated.

FIGS. 1A to 1E illustrate the various steps of one mode of fabricating an SOI type substrate, which is known in the art.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the prior art method consists of oxidizing a source substrate Sou to form a layer of oxide Oxy at its surface, and then to carry out atomic species implantation to define an active layer Cact. The oxide layer is generally fairly thick, of the order of 150 nanometers (nm).
After bonding to a support substrate Sup (FIG. 1C) and detaching the remainder of source substrate Sou (FIG. 1D), a composite substrate is obtained comprising an oxide layer Oxy interposed between support Sup and an active layer Cact, arranged such that oxide layer Oxy has a contact interface with each of the latter, with respective reference numerals I1 and I2.
Finally, after fabrication, a protective layer may be formed on an upper surface of the composite substrate obtained, a layer intended to protect the upper surface during finishing heat treatments on the composite substrate. FIG. 1E depicts the composite substrate covered with a protective layer Cpr and there is an interface I3 between protective layer Cpr and active layer Cact.
From the prior art, methods are already known which can improve, i.e. reduce, Density of Interface Trap (DIT) values, at certain interfaces of a composite substrate. They are principally heat treatments.
One of them, known as Forming Gas Anneal (FGA), consists of carrying out a repair/recovery heat treatment of interfaces at a low temperature, on the order of 450° C., in an atmosphere containing hydrogen and a neutral gas.
When such a method is carried out at 450° C., however, the improvement to the DIT value provided by the method is exerted solely on interface I3 between protective layer Cpr and active layer Cact. The method does not appear to improve DIT values at interfaces I1 and I2, or if it does it is only very slightly. The FGA treatment method loses effectiveness at each interface that is encountered. Thus, the FGA treatment is relatively ineffective for deep-lying interfaces.
A further possibility consists of carrying out an annealing heat treatment at high temperature, i.e. over 900° C. or even over 1000° C.. Such a treatment may improve the DIT value at interface I2, but has almost no effect on deeper lying interface I1.
Further, in many prior applications, a thin buried insulating layer (oxide) is desired, for example less than 50 nm, or even less than 20 nm. In that case, the oxide no longer plays the role of electrical insulator alone, but forms an integral part of electronic components that are to be formed on the surface of the composite substrate.
Furthermore, support Sup, located at the bottom, no longer has only a mechanical function, but also has an electrical function. The support substrate Sup may optionally contain buried structures, for example a ground plane, or it may be a composite substrate. As a result, improvements to the DIT values at the two interfaces I1 and I2, located on either side of the buried insulating layer, are desirable.
It is well known that producing composite substrates comprising a very thin buried insulating layer is difficult. Hence, for example, for an SOI type substrate, it is known that the thinner the oxide layer, the higher the number of defects inside the final substrate. This is principally due to the presence of contaminants, polluting particles and gas, encapsulated during bonding at the interface I1.
To improve that bonding, one solution consists of plasma activation of at least one of the surfaces to be bonded, namely that of support Sup and/or insulator Oxy. A high bonding energy is thus obtained, close to 1 joule/meter2 (J/m2), at interface I1, even after an anneal at 200° C. for just 2 hours. But plasma activation deteriorates the electrical characteristics of interface I1, and in particular its DIT values, fairly significantly. Reference in this regard is made to the article by K Schjölberg-Henriksen et al, "Oxide charges induced by plasma activation for wafer bonding", Sensors and Actuators A 102 (2002), 99-105, which shows the negative effect of plasma activation on the electrical properties of substrates. Thus, improvements in such treatments are desired and necessary.

Composite substrate and method of fabricating the same

S.O.I.Tec Silicon on Insulator Technologies


The invention relates to a biomedical molding, in particular a contact lens, which is obtainable by crosslinking, in a mold, an aqueous solution of a crosslinkable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) prepolymer comprising at least 0.5 weight-%, based on the entire formulation, of a non-reactive PVA, wherein the number-average molecular weight of the non-reactive PVA is higher than that of the crosslinkable PVA. A contact lens of the invention has an improved wearing comfort.

The manufacture of biomedical moldings such as in particular contact lenses by crosslinking an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) prepolymer in a mold is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,163. Contact lenses manufactured by the process of the prior art reference have advantageous properties such as a good compatibility with the human cornea resulting in a high wearing comfort and the absence of irritation and allergenic effects. However, while the initial wearing comfort—as with most contact lenses—is good, said comfort decreases over time and particularly may cause sensitive eye problems at the end of the day. It is therefore an object of the invention to increase the prolonged wearer comfort and in particular the end-of-day comfort of current PVA contact lenses.

Contact lenses with improved wearing comfort


A portable on-demand hydrogen supplemental system is provided for producing hydrogen gas and injecting the hydrogen gas into the air intake of internal combustion engines for the purpose of increasing the combustion efficiency in the combustion chamber and lowering particulate emissions at idle. Hydrogen increases the laminar flame speed of diesel fuels, thus increasing combustion efficiency. Hydrogen and oxygen is produced by an electrolyzer from nonelectrolyte water in a nonelectrolyte water tank. The hydrogen gas is passed through a hydrogen gas collector. Nonelectrolyte water mixed with the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas collector is passed back thru the tank for distribution and water preservation. The system utilizes an an onboard diagnostic (OBD) interface in communication with the vehicle's OBD terminal, to regulate power to the system so that hydrogen production for the engine is adjusted based on the RPM level and operation conditions of the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hydrogen generation devices. More particularly, to a hydrogen supplemental system and a method for increasing combustion efficiency in the combustion chamber of diesel or other internal combustion engines and lowering particulate matter and other emissions at idle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition and burn the fuel that has been injected into the combustion chamber of the engine. The diesel engine has a higher thermal efficiency of any standard internal or external combustion engine due to its high compression ratio. Low-speed diesel engines as used in ships and other applications where overall engine weight is unimportant may have a thermal efficiency that exceeds approximately 50%. When in an idle state, a vehicle's main propulsion engine continues to operate while the vehicle is stopped. Idling is common in traffic conditions, especially during urban driving, such as at traffic lights or in stop-and-go driving during traffic congestion. However, idling periods in traffic are relatively short. There is more concern over long periods of idling of heavy-duty diesel engines while the vehicle is parked and not in active state. These long periods of idling have an adverse environmental impact and are a source of significant pollution and often unnecessary fuel consumption.
The idling periods in traffic, cause vehicles to emit significant amounts of pollution including, for example, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which contribute to the formation of ozone smog; poisonous carbon monoxide; and particulate matter (PM) which contributes to asthma, heart disease, lung damage, and cancer. Recently, an effort has been made to reduce the amount of time that engines spend idling mainly due to fuel economy and emissions concerns, although some engines can also be damaged if kept idling for extended periods.
A major source of idle emissions are long-haul trucks, which are routinely idled overnight, mainly to provide cab heating and air conditioning. In addition to heat and air conditioning, truck accessories such as stereos, short distance radio communication systems such as citizen band radios (CBs), interior lights, televisions, computers and refrigerators demand power and can motivate idling even if climate control via the heating and air conditioning is unnecessary. In extreme cases, up to 6 kW of peak electrical power demand may be needed if multiple accessories are used at once.
Another significant source of diesel idle emissions can be railway locomotives. Unlike trucks, most locomotive engines do not use anti-freeze in their cooling systems. Thus, locomotives must idle their engines when the temperature drops below about 4° C. (40° F.) to prevent freezing of engine cooling water, thickening of engine oil and fuel and to maintain battery charge. At temperatures above 4° C., locomotives may idle to maintain a readily available engine, and/or to maintain comfortable temperatures inside the operator cab.
In yet another example, motor coach buses are another vehicle category that can experience long periods of idling of their main propulsion engine. This is primarily to maintain a comfortable interior compartment for passengers (heat or air conditioning). While not as numerous as trucks, coaches have attracted attention because, due to their large interior compartment, maintaining a comfortable interior temperature requires substantially more idling time than the typical long-haul truck or personal passenger vehicle.
Diesel engines and gasoline engines run more efficiently when they are operated under-load and at appropriate operating temperatures. They are highly inefficient at idle. A diesel engine at idle creates a disproportionately larger amount of harmful emissions, including CO, Nox and PM, and waste a greater amount of fuel than operation at load. The particulates also been reported to be much smaller (20 nm) than those at load (60 nm).
Although there is an understanding that hydrogen could be a substitute for gasoline in internal combustion engines, the conventional systems implementing the use of hydrogen typically produces the hydrogen and oxygen in a combined gas stream. The hydrogen and oxygen in the combined hydrogen and oxygen gas stream are not separated from each other and are known as HHO or Brown's gas. The use of HHO or Brown's gas in the case of modern gasoline powered vehicles is problematic for several reasons including interference with modern anti-pollution apparatus. Specifically the extra oxygen in the combined hydrogen and oxygen gas stream is detected by the vehicle's oxygen sensor which communicates this extra oxygen level to an on-board computer, namely and Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle. The ECU then makes adjustments based on this detection including increasing the amount of gasoline being injected, thereby defeating any supposed fuel savings.
Diesel exhaust is composed of two phases gas and particles and both phases contribute to a significant health risk in human beings. The gas phase is composed of many of the urban hazardous air pollutants, such as acetaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The particle phase also has many different types of particles that can be classified by size or composition. The size of diesel particulates that are of greatest health concern are those that are in the categories of fine, and ultrafine particles. The composition of these fine and ultrafine particles may be composed of elemental carbon with adsorbed compounds such as organic compounds, sulfate, nitrate, metals and other trace elements. Although the majority of the emissions from diesel engines are in the combustion process itself, most of the particulate emissions are the result of incomplete combustion. This is because all of the fuel injected into the combustion chamber is not burned. As a result unburned particulates and other emissions are inherent in diesel engines. Diesel exhaust is emitted from a broad range of diesel engines; the on-road diesel engines of trucks, buses and cars and the off-road diesel engines that include locomotives, marine vessels and heavy duty equipment.
The current technology to reduce particulate matter is either particulate exhaust filters or exhaust systems that attempt to burn the particulate matter once it reaches the exhaust. The use of exhaust filters require active monitoring to determine whether the exhaust filters have reached their maximum capacity. Further, the exhaust systems that burn the particulate matter are typically complex and expensive system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Portable hydrogen supplemental system and method for lowering particulate matter and other emissions in diesel engines at idle


In a process for producing a dye-containing polymer to be used for spectroscopic sample analysis, monomers are polymerized in the presence of a dye to form a block of bulk polymer. The bulk polymer or slices thereof can be easily measured in a spectrometer in order to determine the spectroscopic properties of the dye containing polymer. The bulk polymer is subsequently ground to particles which can be used to fill a fiber optical sensor. Since the particles have the same optical properties as the bulk polymer, the properties of the particles of dye-containing polymer of the sensor can be accurately determined from the bulk polymer.

The invention relates to a method for the preparation of a dye-containing polymer to be used for the spectroscopic analysis of samples. Such dye containing polymers are used, for example, in fiber optical sensors for the determination of the pH value or of the concentration of oxygen or of the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood of a patient.
A method of that kind is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,877. In the known method an emulsion polymerization of acrylamide, bisacrylamide and a dye is per formed. In this known method, the dye/acryl/polymer composition is produced in the form of small spheres. Unfortunately, the small spheres produced by this method can have very different sizes and can have highly variable dye concentrations. This is particularly disadvantageous in applications (e.g. in pH measurements) where the dye-containing polymer needs to be as homogeneous as possible.


A vapor-dispensing device that, through a delivery system, facilitates evaporation of multiple volatizable materials into an environment. In one embodiment, a common evaporative region is utilized; in another, a controller suitably controls an aspect or characteristic of the evaporation.

Indoor air fresheners consisting of a source of fragrant material and a dispersion system for projecting material vapor into the air have been used for many years. Liquids, solids, and gels have been used as material sources. Dispersion systems also have included evaporation regions such as the surface of a gelatinous material source or, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,981, the leaf or center of a decorative artificial flower. Many of these systems have included a cover, such as for use in connection with a gelatinous air freshener, which can be raised and lowered to affect the amount of fragrant vapor released.
Notwithstanding these existing devises and systems, there is a long-felt and so far unsatisfied need, however, for an indoor vapor dispensing device such as an air freshening system which allows more than one source of fragrant material to be dispersed into the environment from a single device. The need for a device that permits the user to control the release of the materials without undue physical manipulation of the device is particularly acute.

Method and apparatus for a multiple source vapor-dispensing device


Compact inertial measurement systems and methods based on atom interferometry. Certain examples provide a combination atomic accelerometer-gyroscope configured to recapture and cycle atom samples through atom interferometers arranged to allow the next measurement to use the atoms from the previous measurement. Examples of the apparatus provide inertial measurements indicative of rotation for different inertial axes by applying atom interferometry to a plurality of atom samples launched in opposite directions to allow for measurement of both acceleration and rotation rates. In some examples, the inertial measurement apparatus provide a combined atomic gyroscope and an atomic accelerometer in a compact six Degrees of Freedom (6 DOF) IMU.

Most precision navigation solutions rely on the Global Positioning System (GPS) to provide accurate positioning information. Despite the advent of several other Global Navigation systems (GNSS), these navigation aids may be unreliable or may not be available. Inertial navigation offers a self-contained navigation solution which provides relative position from a known starting point by integrating platform accelerations and rotation rates provided by an on-board inertial measurement unit (IMU) which consists of three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. An IMU can be used as a stand-alone navigation solution or it can be used to supplement other navigation methods such as a GNSS, for example. Atom interferometry, and more specifically light-pulse atom interferometry (LPAI), may provide precise inertial instruments to form an IMU, or to supplement conventional inertial measurement units and correct their errors to allow for longer periods of inertial-only navigation. The type of light pulses used may drive a variety of atomic state transitions, such as Raman transitions, Bragg transitions to form an atom interferometer, etc., as understood by those skilled in the art.
Conventional LPAI implementations are larger systems which require substantially more volume than is traversed by the atoms due to the associated mechanisms required to prepare, cool, and trap the atomic sample, resulting in the large size of these systems. Additionally, LPAIs typically have dead time between measurements to cool and prepare the atomic samples. This dead time reduces the maximum measurement rate for the LPAI. By the sampling theorem, this limits the bandwidth of an LPAI based IMU to half of the measurement rate. In order to avoid the bandwidth limit imposed by sample preparation, multiple (two or three) time-multiplexed LPAI instruments may be used for each axis, which again increases the size of the overall system, but allows for continuously sampling the inertial signal. Furthermore, in certain applications it is desirable to obtain inertial measurements for multiple axes. In order to create an LPAI based IMU having six Degrees of Freedom (6-DOF, three vector-space spanning (typically orthogonal) acceleration measurements and three rotation rate (or angle) measurements), three separate LPAI instruments (each functioning as an accelerometer and gyroscope) may typically be combined, as is standard practice for constructing conventional IMUs. Thus, creating a 6-DOF LPAI-based IMU may conventionally require twelve to eighteen separate LPAI instruments to provide a continuously sampling inertial instrument. By having multiple LPAI instruments, each having its own atom sample capture mechanisms, there is a substantial volume increase over what is theoretically necessary.

Ring architecture for sequential operation of an atomic gyroscope

THE CHARLES STARK DRAPER LABORATORY, INC.


A new and distinct variety of Echeveria plant named ‘OVPEARLS05’ which is characterized by an abundance of dark greyed-green and heavily glaucescent foliage which is tightly held in a basal rosette, foliage which is conspicuously margined greyed-purple along the distal margins and apex and heavily suffused with greyed-purple at and towards the apex of the abaxial foliar surface. The new variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation.

Parentage: 'OVPEARLS05' is a naturally-occurring, whole-plant mutation of an unnamed Echeveria pulidonis plant (not patented) which was discovered by the inventor in March of 2009 at a commercial greenhouse in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands. The mutation was noted for its abundance of dark greyed-green, glaucous foliage with conspicuous dark red margins.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'OVPEARLS05', by way of rooting leaf cuttings, was first initiated in March of 2009 at the inventor's commercial greenhouse in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands. Through eight subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.


Disclosed is a health care apparatus, comprising: a measurement unit; an input unit; and a health index calculation unit. According to the present invention said measurement unit measures an oxidation/reduction potential of a body of a person, and said input unit enters at least one of living body information other than said oxidation/reduction potential of the body. Furthermore, said health index calculation unit calculates a health index for judging a health condition, based on said oxidation/reduction potential of the body and said living body information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a health care apparatus for judging health condition of a person by measuring an oxidation/reduction potential of the person's body.
2. Prior Art
A health care apparatus has been disclosed in the art in which an oxidation/reduction potential of body fluid such as saliva, urine, sweat, blood, etc. is measured and it is used as the parameter for judging the body condition or health level of a person (refer to e.g. Patent Document 1).
Another health care apparatus has also been disclosed in which an oxidation/reduction potential is classified into a plurality of levels and some concrete names of diseases are assigned at each of the levels (refer to Patent Document 2).
Patent documents associated with the present invention are as follows:
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3117192
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002/207037
However, the prior art health care apparatus are configured to indicate the body condition, health level, and degree of progress of a disease by only using the oxidation/reduction potential as the judgment criterion, but not taking into account of living body information and food ingestion information for a person under test. Accordingly, the prior art apparatus provide so-called a gray zoon within which both a normal person and a person who suffers from some disease are present if they have the oxidation/reduction potential ranging from +10 to +50 (mV), for example. In particular, suspected persons having no self-knowledge, but latently having some disease are included in the gray zoon. That is to say, the judgment criterion using only the oxidation/reduction potential is ambiguous in distinguishing the normal person from the person who suffers from some disease.
In addition, measurement of the oxidation/reduction potential greatly depends on the measurement condition such as temperature of an object to be measured and presence of dissolved oxygen. In particular, it is apparent that measurement of the oxidation/reduction potential of the living body, carried out with small volume of body fluid, for example, may lead to greater error.
In view of the above it is an object of the present invention to solve the problems of the prior art, as described above, and to provide a new and improved health care apparatus for providing highly precise and useful living body information on the basis of an oxidation/reduction potential of body fluid of a person under test and other data information, and more particularly, to provide a health care apparatus for indicating health condition of a person under test with higher precision by taking into account of living body information, in addition to an oxidation/reduction potential of body fluid of the person or alternatively a health care apparatus for providing highly precise and useful living body control information by taking into account of time series data and clock data, in addition to an oxidation/reduction potential of body fluid of the person.


A deterioration diagnostic system of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst includes: an upstream side switching frequency calculator calculating the number of times of switching on the upstream side; a reference value calculator calculating a downstream side rich/lean determination level having a first width; a downstream side rich/lean determination level adjuster setting the first width to a second larger width when the number of times of switching on the upstream side is smaller than a predetermined value; a downstream side switching frequency calculator calculating the number of times of switching on the downstream side; a frequency ratio calculator calculating a frequency ratio between the number of times of switching on the downstream side and the number of times of switching on the upstream side; and a deterioration determiner determining the deterioration of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst when the frequency ratio is larger than a predetermined value.

The present invention relates to a deterioration diagnostic system of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst and more particularly to a diagnostic system including upstream and downstream air-fuel ratio sensors which are provided on an upstream side and a downstream side of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst.
An oxidization-reduction type exhaust gas purifying catalyst (hereinafter, referred to as a three-way catalyst) is provided in an exhaust system of an automotive gasoline engine (internal combustion engine) for decreasing harmful substances contained in exhaust gases.
In this three-way catalyst, while a chemical reaction of oxidizing the harmful substances such as hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) occurs, a chemical reaction of reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) occurs, whereby exhaust gases are purified.
Air-fuel ratio sensors (oxygen sensors) are provided on an upstream side and a downstream side of the three-way catalyst, respectively, and the deterioration of the three-way catalyst is diagnosed based on output signals from these oxygen sensors (refer, for example, to JP-A-8-218853.).
In a deterioration diagnostic system of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst which is described in JP-A-8-218853, a hysteresis constant α is added to or subtracted from a mean value VORave calculated based on an output voltage VOR of the downstream O2 sensor to calculate upper and lower inversion or switch thresholds THH, THL, and a downstream side switch frequency fR is calculated from the number of times the output voltage VOR crosses the switch thresholds THH, THL, while an upstream side switch frequency fF is calculated from the number of times an output voltage VOF of the upstream O2 sensor crosses its threshold VTH. Then, a switch frequency ratio fR/fF is calculated from the upstream side switch frequency fF and the downstream side switch frequency, and it is determined that the three-way catalyst is deteriorating in the event that the switch frequency ratio fR/fF is in excess of a predetermined value THc.
In the above-mentioned deterioration diagnostic system of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst, it is possible to detect the deterioration of the catalyst, however, it is difficult to determine the deterioration of the catalyst with high accuracy.
Namely, in the deterioration diagnostic system of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst which is described in JP-A-8-218853, when the accuracy with which the deterioration of the catalyst is determined is increased by setting small the upper and lower switch thresholds THH, THL so as to make them close to the mean value VORave, the correction amount of air-fuel ratio and feedback becomes excessive as the accuracy so increases due to the deterioration of the upstream O2 sensor even in the event that the catalyst is not deteriorated. Since this increases the amplitude of the air-fuel ratio and causes the output signals from the upstream and downstream O2 sensors to synchronize to thereby increase the switch frequency ratio fR/fF, there has been a possibility that it is erroneously determined that the catalyst is deteriorating. In particular, in the event that the intake air volume is large, the exhaust gas purifying reaction time in the catalyst becomes short and this makes it difficult to absorb the amplitude of the air-fuel ratio, whereby the risk that the erroneous determination is made becomes high.

Deterioration diagnostic system of exhaust gas purifying catalyst

Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


A projection apparatus has a hologram recording medium configured to be capable of diffusing coherent light beams, an irradiation unit configured to irradiate coherent light beams to the hologram recording medium so that the coherent light beams scan the hologram recording medium, a light modulator that is illuminated by coherent light beams incident on and diffused at respective points of the hologram recording medium from the irradiation unit, a projection optical system configured to project a modulated image generated by the light modulator onto a scattering plane, and an imaging optical system provided between the hologram recording medium and the light modulator, configured to converge the coherent light beams diffused at respective points of the hologram recording medium to illuminate the light modulator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection apparatus using a light source for emitting coherent light beams and a hologram recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is important for optical projection apparatuses (projectors) to uniformly illuminate a screen with light radiated from a light source. As methods for realizing uniform illumination of a screen, a 3-panel liquid crystal system using fly-eye lenses, an integrator-rod system for DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), etc. have been proposed.
However, in these systems, there is a problem in that restrictions on optical arrangements determined according to the focal distances of lenses of these systems are very severe in order to obtain rectangular illumination in accordance with the shape of a liquid crystal display, because design freedom is low and a large number of parts are necessary.
Moreover, the integrator-rod system requires a clean rod end face because an image due to dust, a scratch, etc., on the rod end face is formed on a micro display.
Generally, in optical projectors, a spatial light modulator such as a liquid crystal display is illuminated using an illumination device having a white light source such as a high pressure mercury lamp to obtain a modulated image, and the obtained modulated image is magnified and projected onto a screen through lenses.
However, high intensity discharge lamps such as high pressure mercury lamps have a relatively short lifecycle and when they are used for optical projectors or the like, they need to be frequently replaced. In order to cope with such problems, a system using a coherent light source such as a laser has also been proposed. For example, semiconductor lasers which have been widely used in industries have a very long lifecycle in comparison with high intensity discharge lamps such as high pressure mercury lamps. In addition, since semiconductor lasers are capable of generating light of a single wavelength, a color separation apparatus such as a dichroic mirror is unnecessary, so that there is an advantage in that the entire system becomes smaller.
However, in the system using a coherent light source of laser beams or the like, there is a new problem in that speckle is generated. Speckle is a spotted pattern which is formed when a coherent light beam such as a laser beam is emitted to a scattering plane. If speckle is generated on a screen, they are observed as spotted luminance unevenness, i.e. brightness unevenness, thus becoming a factor of having physiologically adverse affect on an observer. It is considered that the reason why speckle is generated in the case of using coherent light beams is that coherent light beams reflected from respective portions of a scattering and reflecting plane such as a screen have very high coherency so that coherent light beams interfere with one another to generate speckles. For example, a theoretical review of the generation of speckles is made in detail in Speckle Phenomena in Optics, Joseph W. Goodman, Roberts & Co., 2006.
As discussed above, there is a problem about speckle which is coherent nature of laser light source. Therefore, techniques for suppressing the generation of speckle have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-208089 discloses a technique in which a laser beam is emitted to a scattering plate, scattered light beams obtained therefrom are guided to a spatial light modulator, and the scattering plate is driven to rotate by a motor, thus reducing speckles.

Projection apparatus and hologram recording medium


An under thread bobbin exchange device for an industrial embroidery machine or sewing machine of a type having a hook shaft adapted for driving a shuttle, includes a carriage having at least two coupling shafts in parallel disposition to the hook shaft, each of said coupling shafts having a hook shaft distal end and a hook shaft proximal end, with the hook shaft proximal end capable of being coupled to the hook shaft such that the carriage is positioned at a right angle to the hook shaft when the hook shaft is at a standstill and capable to reciprocate in parallel disposition to a throat plate plane by the distance of the coupling shafts, and with each one of the hook shaft distal ends carrying a shuttle.

The present invention refers to a device for changing the under thread bobbin of an industrial embroidery or sewing machine of a type having a shuttle driven by a hook shaft.
In general, an embroidery or sewing machine requires a removal of an under thread bobbin from the shuttle for replacement by a new bobbin when the under thread is spent and thus the bobbin is empty or when the under thread ruptures during stitching operation. Replacement or exchange of the bobbin can only be carried out in idle state of the machine. Typically, the shutdown of the machine is effected automatically and is triggered by an under thread guard or detector. When the machine spins at a normal speed of 700 rpm and when using a standard under thread bobbin of approximately 100 m thread length, the under thread is usually used up already after about 45 minutes.
Even though, a needed replacement of a spent under thread bobbin during shutdown of the machine can be executed by skilled personnel in about five to eight seconds, these shutdown periods have a significant impact on industrial embroidery or sewing machines because these types of stitching machines have normally 10 to 20 stitching heads operating at a same time. Thus, when the under thread is used up on the bobbin of one stitching head, operation of all stitching heads must be shutdown. This means, for example in a stitching machine with twenty heads, a loss of three minutes is to be accepted in production time per work hour during periodic change of all under thread bobbins.

Under thread bobbin exchange device of an embroidery or sewing machine


An imaging device includes a solid-state imaging device, a storage unit, an imaging-processing unit configured to process input image data output from the solid-state imaging device or image data stored in the storage unit, and a timing-generating unit configured to generate timings at which the solid-state imaging device and the imaging-processing unit operate. The timing-generating unit generates a first synchronization signal for driving the solid-state imaging device to output the first synchronization signal to the solid-state imaging device and output the first synchronization signal and a first clock signal input from the solid-state imaging device to the imaging-processing unit in a first operation based on the timing of the solid-state imaging device. The timing-generating unit outputs a generated second synchronization signal and second clock signal to the imaging-processing unit in a second operation based on an internal timing of the imaging-processing unit.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device. Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-186470, filed Sep. 9, 2013, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Description of Related Art
Various processes are performed on a signal (hereinafter referred to as a "pixel signal") of each pixel output from a solid-state imaging device provided in an imaging device in photographing in an imaging device such as a digital camera. These processes include a process of forming an image captured by the solid-state imaging device, a process of performing control related to photographing by the imaging device, etc. In general, the solid-state imaging device performs raster scanning and sequentially outputs pixel signals in a horizontal direction (lateral direction) for an image.
Thus, an image-processing device provided in an imaging device and configured to process a pixel signal output by the solid-state imaging device is provided with a line memory configured to temporarily store pixel signals of the horizontal direction output by the solid-state imaging device in a number of rows necessary for image processing.
In recent imaging devices, the number of pixels of the solid-state imaging device has increased with a change to high resolution of an image to be captured and the number of pixels of the horizontal direction of the solid-state imaging device is also increasing year by year. Thus, in the image-processing device, a storage capacity of the line memory also increases according to the number of pixels of the horizontal direction in which image processing is performed. An increase in the storage capacity of the line memory in the image-processing device becomes a factor which increases a circuit scale of the imaging device.
Therefore, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4179701, technology of an image-processing device for performing image processing on one image through a plurality of separate operations is disclosed. In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4179701, a pixel signal output from the solid-state imaging device is temporarily stored in a frame memory provided outside the image-processing device and then one image is generated through a plurality of image-processing operations while pixel signals necessary for the processing are read from the frame memory. For example, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4179701, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the entire region of one image is divided into two regions, image processing is performed on a half region of one side (left) in first image processing, and image processing is performed on a half region of the other side (right) in the second image processing. As described above, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4179701, one image is divided into a plurality of blocks and image processing is performed through operations equal in number to the division blocks, so that one image can be generated in the storage capacity of the line memory which is less than the number of pixels of the horizontal direction in which the solid-state imaging device performs an output operation.
In addition, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2013-135410, technology of an evaluation value-generating device for generating an evaluation value for enabling an imaging device to control photographing based on image data after image processing is disclosed. In the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2013-135410, it is possible to generate an evaluation value based on a pixel signal output from the solid-state imaging device in real time and generate an evaluation value based on an element other than a pixel signal input in real time by reading image data after image processing stored in the storage unit. For example, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2013-135410, it is possible to re-store a combined image obtained by combining images in the storage unit while storing a plurality of images obtained by changing an exposure condition of the solid-state imaging device in the storage unit and generate an evaluation value based on the combined image re-stored in the storage unit.
In this manner, the image-processing device provided in the imaging device performs a process of forming an image or a process to control photographing while accessing a frame memory or a memory such as a storage unit storing an image as in the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4179701 or the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2013-135410.
Incidentally, a plurality of functional blocks for performing processes according to functions are provided in the imaging device to implement various functions to be performed by the imaging device. In this imaging device, a configuration is well-known in which each functional block uses the same memory as that used when the image-processing device performs a process. That is, in such imaging device, a configuration in which one memory is shared by an image-processing device and a plurality of functional blocks (hereinafter referred to as "processing blocks" when the image-processing device and the plurality of functional blocks are represented without distinction) is commonly adopted. Thus, in the imaging device, there is a configuration in which the memory shared by the processing blocks is also connected to a data bus to which the plurality of processing blocks provided in the imaging device are connected. Then, each processing block accesses the memory via the data bus. Thus, data read from the memory through each processing block and data written to the memory through each processing block all pass through the data bus.
The timing at which each processing block performs a process differs according to each operation in the imaging device. In addition, a bus bandwidth representing an amount of data passing through the data bus when each processing block accesses the memory differs according to a process to be performed by each processing block. Thus, for example, when access from a plurality of processing blocks to the memory occurs within the same period, data flowing through the data bus is concentrated in this period and pressure is imposed on the bus bandwidth. Due to this, in the imaging device, it is important to secure a necessary bus bandwidth when each processing block performs a process.
Then, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-199880, technology of an imaging device for leveling an amount of data on a data bus is disclosed. In the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-199880, the amount of data on the data bus is temporally equalized and leveled to prevent data from concentrating in a partial period by setting the speed at which the processing block outputs the data to the data bus to a slow speed with respect to a speed at which data is input to the processing block. Thereby, in the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-199880, the pressure on the bus bandwidth of the data bus in the imaging device can be suppressed and the data bus can be efficiently used.
A configuration used to flatten the amount of data on the data bus is a configuration that delays the output of the data that is input earlier, that is, a configuration as a buffer to absorb the time difference between the input and output of the data is necessary. In the technology disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2010-199880, a configuration to absorb a time difference between the input and output of the data is disclosed as a memory which stores (writes) the input data temporarily and outputs (reads out) the stored data in accordance with the timing when the data is output to the data bus. Regarding the capacity of the memory serves as the buffer to absorb the time difference between the input and output of the data, it is known that the bigger the time difference between the input and output of the data is, the more the required memory is.

Imaging device for reducing pressure on data bus bandwidth


An image and audio recording apparatus has a function of recording image data and/or audio data on a recording medium and a function of recording data on a set time band with a timer. When the timer-recording function is caused to set the recording operation, the recording of the image data may be set separately from the recording of the audio data.

The present invention relates to an image and audio recording apparatus.
One of the background arts in the technical field to which the present invention pertains is described in JP-A-2001-86456. JP-A-2001-86456 has as a problem the disclosure of "for setting a timer recording operation, in one day, the time when the recording is to be executed is separated from the time when the recording is not to be executed or though plural settings and recording intervals may be preset, the setting becomes the same in each day of the week. The timer recording operation did not have a facility of executing detailed settings and further had a difficulty in setting plural recording schedules in one day and making different settings in each day of the week." JP-A-2001-86456 has as a solving means the disclosure of "For solving these problems, the present invention provides a capability of displaying two programs of a schedule-creating screen for one week on one screen so that plural programs may be easily set by switching the pages and of creating the recording preset screens (for specifying a recording interval, an image quality, an image resolution, a recording mode and so forth) in which various kinds of recording methods are preset so that the concerned preset may be specified in the concerned schedule."
Another background art in the technical field to which the present invention pertains is described in JP-A-7-322202. The JP-A-7-322202 has as an object the disclosure of "An object is to enhance the using efficiency of a file device in the moving image storage apparatus" and as an arrangement the disclosure of "The non-video state detector 4 and the non-audio state detector 6 detect a non-video state and a non-audio state. For coding the moving image, in the non-video state, the non-video data code is used for coding and in the non-audio state the non-audio data code is used for coding. For synchronizing the video data with the audio data, the synchronous signal adder 7 adds the synchronous signal to the coded data. In decoding the moving image, based on the synchronous signal added in coding, the moving image is decoded by the synchronous detector 10, the image decoder 11 and the sound decoder 12."
The image and audio recording apparatus provided with a harddisk drive mainly used for a monitoring system is required to record the image data and audio data as long as possible in a recording medium with a limited capacity. For the purpose of recording only a requisite minimum amount of data, therefore, the image and audio recording apparatus effectively uses various kinds of recording schemes such as high compression recording of data to be recorded, intermittent recording of data to be recorded, recording of data in response to detection of an alarm, recording of data in response to a motion detector and timer recording of data, for realizing long-term recording.
In the meantime, in a case that only minimum data is required to be recorded in the image and audio recording apparatus provided in the monitoring system, it is necessary to change data to be recorded depending on a monitoring time band and a monitoring object. For example, assume to monitor a shop in time bands: from 4:00 to 22:00 when one or more employees exist, the business hours from 10:00 to 20:00 and the lights-out time ranges from 22:00 to 4:00. During the business hours, the noises in the shop disallow the voices of the persons in the shop to be clearly captured. Hence, it is possible to stop recording of voices in the data recording. During the lights-out time, the shortage of light disallows the object to be captured by a monitoring camera. Hence, it is possible to stop recording of images in data recording. Further, during the time bands of 4:00 to 10:00 and 20:00 to 22:00 before and after the business hours, only the employees exist in the shop for the preparation of opening or closing the shop, it is necessary to clearly record the image as well as the conversation in care for illegal deeds, and it is necessary to record the image and the sound. Therefore, for recording minimum amount of data, it is necessary to specify recording of the image only in the business hours (10:00 to 20:00), recording of the sound only in the lights-out time (22:00 to 4:00), and recording of the image and the sound in the time except the business hours and the lights-out time (20:00 to 22:00, 4:00 to 10:00).
However, the prior art disclosed in the JP-A-2001-86456 does not make any consideration of separately setting recording of image and recording of sound when setting the timer recording. Hence, this prior art does not provide a capability of setting "recording of the sound only in a specific time band" or "recording of only the image in another specific time band". Hence, in the case of setting the timer recording in the business hours (10:00 to 20:00), not only the necessary image but also the unnecessary sound are recorded. As such, disadvantageously, the unintentional recording of the unnecessary image or sound becomes an obstacle to long-term recording.
Further, the prior art disclosed in JP-A-7-322202 does not make any consideration of separately setting recording of image and recording of sound when setting a timer recording. Moreover, the data encoded from the picturelss image or the voiceless sound data still has a predetermined data amount.
Disadvantageously, therefore, the recording time is made shorter according to the predetermined data amount.


A distilling apparatus and method use a two step distillation and purification process for processing a waste liquid, such as an impure sulfuric acid solution, to form a highly concentrated sulfuric acid solution. First, the waste liquid is stored in a concentrating column, where it is heated. A condenser, which uses the waste liquid as a cooling medium, condenses the vapor generated by the heater. The condensed vapor is passed through a filter, which separates impurities out of the waste liquid, prior to feeding the waste liquid back into the concentrating column. Water is then removed from the waste liquid via a distilling process. The resulting concentrated liquid is then fed to a purifying column, where it is again heated, to remove residue, and condensed, resulting in a highly pure waste liquid. The liquid level and physical state of the waste liquid in both the concentrating column and the purifying column are monitored to insure that only an optimum amount of waste liquid for distillation is stored in each of the columns.

The present invention relates to a distilling apparatus for distilling and purifying waste liquids such as sulfuric acid employed for chemical treatment in processes for producing semiconductors, etc.
As semiconductor devices such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) are produced in increasing numbers, huge amounts of solutions, such as of sulfuric acid, are employed. To achieve distillatory purification of waste liquids employed in production processes efficiently and accurately reduces production costs and contributes to environmental conservation.
In a process of producing semiconductor devices, for example, in a step of cleaning wafers, a solution prepared by adding about 2% by weight (wt %) of hydrogen peroxide to about 97 wt % of a commercially available sulfuric acid and heated to 80 to 120° C. is employed. When the waste liquid left after use of the solution is to be recovered, the added hydrogen peroxide is partly converted into water, and also, water migrates into the solution. Accordingly, the concentration of the sulfuric acid in the waste liquid drops to 80 to 90 wt %. Further, impurities such as silicon, iron, sodium and organic materials are contained in the waste liquid. The recovered waste liquid is sold or recycled by subjecting it to distillatory purification under atmospheric pressure. FIG. 1 shows an example of a prior art sulfuric acid distilling apparatus for distilling and purifying a sulfuric acid waste liquid.
As shown in FIG. 1, the sulfuric acid distilling apparatus is equipped with a concentrating column 101 and a purifying column 102. A contact type liquid level sensor 103 is disposed in the concentrating column 101. A valve 104 is opened and closed based on detection results of the liquid level sensor 103 such that a fixed amount of sulfuric acid waste liquid may be in the concentrating column 101. The waste liquid supplied to the concentrating column 101 is heated by a heater 105 to a predetermined temperature required to achieve distillation (e.g., 300° C. under the atmospheric pressure). The water content formed by distillation is condensed by a condenser 106, stored in a tank 107, and discharged by opening a valve 108. Water is supplied as a cooling medium to the condenser 106. The sulfuric acid thus concentrated is supplied to the purifying column 102.
The concentrated sulfuric acid is heated to a predetermined temperature (about 300° C. under atmospheric pressure) by a second heater 109 provided in the purifying column 102, and thus a purified sulfuric acid solution is formed. The purified sulfuric acid solution is passed through a condenser 110, stored in a tank 111 and can be discharged by opening a valve 112. Water is supplied as a cooling medium to the condenser 110. The residue in the purifying column 102 left, after purification, is condensed by a condenser 113 and stored in a tank 114. The residue in the tank 114 is discharged by opening a valve 115.
It is important to control the liquid level such that the amount of sulfuric acid waste liquid in the concentrating column 101 is constant in order to carry out correct control of distillation in the concentrating column 101. However, in the concentrating column 101, when the solution is heated, the hydrogen peroxide contained in the solution is vaporized to form foams, and also a large amount of hydrogen peroxide is decomposed to form oxygen foams. Such foaming greatly changes the level of the sulfuric acid waste liquid. Accordingly, the liquid level sensor 103 may erroneously detect the liquid level, making it is very difficult to control the amount of solution in the concentrating column 101.
Further, since the sulfuric acid in the concentrating column 101 is heated to about 300° C. or higher, related parts in the concentrating column 101 should have sufficient resistance to high temperatures of 300° C. or higher. Further, when the concentrating column 101 is heated to a high temperature, leakage at junctions and damage of the junctions can be induced by heat shock.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-291407 discloses a process in which hydrogen peroxide contained in a sulfuric acid waste liquid is removed before the waste liquid is treated. According to this process, hydrogen peroxide is preliminarily removed from the sulfuric acid waste liquid by adding a sulfurous acid gas in an amount equal to or more than the equivalent amount of hydrogen peroxide to effect a chemical reaction. This process can prevent oxidation of a membrane for filtering the sulfuric acid waste liquid by hydrogen peroxide. However, the sulfurous acid does not entirely react with the hydrogen peroxide, and can form a reaction product of sulfuric acid and sulfurous acid. The reaction product is present in the sulfuric acid waste liquid as an impurity. As a result, the state of the sulfuric acid waste liquid is changed to lower the sulfuric acid purification accuracy.
The present invention provides a distilling apparatus which facilitates control of the amount of waste liquid.

Apparatus and method for distilling waste liquids


A steering damper includes a cylinder housing, a piston, a piston rod, and a valve member. The cylinder housing includes an inner surface and the inner surface defines an inner area. The piston is at least partially disposed within the inner area and is movably engaged with the inner surface of the cylinder housing. The piston and the inner surface of the cylinder housing cooperate to define a first chamber and a second chamber disposed upon opposite sides of the piston. The piston rod is attached to the piston. At least one of the piston and the piston rod at least partially defines a passageway extending between the first chamber and the second chamber. The valve member is associated with the passageway and is movable to adjust restriction of fluid flow through the passageway between the first chamber and the second chamber. A vehicle is also provided.

During certain atypical driving conditions (e.g., uneven terrain, sudden braking, tire blow out, or the like), shock impulses may cause a vehicle's steering assembly to suddenly pivot or kickback. This kickback may suddenly change the course of the vehicle and thereby affect the overall performance of the vehicle. Conventionally, a steering damper is provided on a vehicle to dampen the shock impulses and thus reduce the effects of kickback. However, such steering dampers also hinder an operator's ability to steer the vehicle during normal driving conditions, thereby inhibiting an operator's ability to quickly steer the vehicle, and resulting in fatigue to the operator and/or limiting full turning of the vehicle.

Steering dampers and vehicles including same