A method of failure simulation for an aircraft (7) having a power plant (10) with at least two turbine engines (11, 12), together the two engines develop an overall power, each engine (11, 12) being capable of delivering at least one contingency power in order to compensate for a total failure of other engines (11, 12). The device serves during a failure simulation to modify the overall power delivered by the power plant, with this modification being performed with the help of first adjustment means (20). Second adjustment means (30) serve to modify also the difference between the minimum power obtained during the simulated failure and the stabilized overall power, and also the time between said failure stabilizing on said overall power.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for simulating a failure on an aircraft. The method of the invention is intended more particularly to simulate a turbine engine failure on a rotary wing aircraft having at least two engines.
(2) Description of Related Art
During this type of failure, the aircraft has only one engine left delivering power. However with only one engine it is clearly not possible to reach a power level that corresponds to the maximum power level from two engines.
The aircraft is thus in a degraded mode of operation in which the total power available is less than the power delivered by both engines. Nevertheless, in particular stages of flight, such as when hovering or landing, a rotary wing aircraft requires a large amount of power.
For this purpose, the degraded mode of operation includes several supercontingency power ratings:
a first contingency rating associates a supercontingency power referred to as 30-sec OEI (one engine inoperative) that is usable for a duration of the order of thirty consecutive seconds, this first contingency rating being usable for about three times during a flight;
a second contingency rating associates a maximum contingency power referred to as 2-min OEI and is usable for a duration of about two minutes; and
a third contingency rating associating an intermediate contingency power referred to as OEIcontinuous, which power is usable for a duration extending to the end of the flight, for example.
The 30-sec OEI first contingency rating and the 2-min OEI second contingency rating can be used for limited lengths of time only. The powers of these ratings are well above the power delivered by an engine in normal operation and using either of these two ratings requires the aircraft to be overhauled as a consequence. However, exceeding those recommended utilization times can lead to even greater and possibly immediate degradation of the engine or of the power transmission means, e.g. the rotors providing lift and also propulsion.
The 30-sec OEI, 2-min OEI, and OEIcontinuous contingency ratings are controlled by an electronics control unit of the engine. Each engine is connected to such a control unit, which is commonly referred to as an electronic engine control unit (EECU). EECUs also possess connections with each other enabling them to exchange information about the operation of the engines.
The powers associated with each contingency rating are determined as a function of flight conditions, i.e. the pressure and the temperature outside the aircraft, corresponding to the pressure and the temperature of the air being fed to the engines, and also the speed and the altitude of the aircraft.
In order to train aircraft pilots in this type of failure and in the associated degraded mode of operation, rotary wing aircraft generally have a "training" mode available. This training mode makes it possible to simulate the total failure of one engine.
When training mode is activated, conventionally by means of a switch on the instrument panel of the aircraft, the control unit of each engine reduces the power from the two engines so that the overall power from both engines corresponds to the 30-sec OEI supercontingency power of the first contingency rating. The term "low overall power" is used below to designate this combined power from both engines in training mode.
In training mode, two configurations are possible for obtaining this low overall power. Firstly, the power may be shared uniformly between both engines.
The training mode may also simulate a total failure of one engine more closely, in particular by running a first engine at an idling speed in which it nevertheless delivers some minimum power level. Under such circumstances, the switch on the control panel has two positions, corresponding to simulating failure on each of the engines. The power delivered by the second engine is then raised to a value close to the intermediate contingency power OEIcontinuous of the third contingency rating, in general up to 5% below that power. This 5% margin serves to avoid degrading the engine and the associated transmission means. The remaining 5% of the power needed to reach the low overall power for the aircraft is delivered by the first engine at its idling speed.
Once training mode has been activated, the power of the aircraft is limited to this low overall power so that the pilot is trained in this degraded mode of operation. The contingency ratings 30-sec OEI, 2-min OEI, and OEIcontinuous are then simulated in this degraded mode of operation.
Nevertheless, the training mode has several drawbacks.
Firstly, the weight of the aircraft is not variable, with tables defining flight envelopes that are authorized during such training as a function of the weight. The weight of the aircraft is taken into account by the control unit in order to determine the low overall power level.
Also, training mode simulates only the total failure of one engine. It is not possible, for example, to simulate a partial loss of power from one engine or an accidental flameout of an engine.
Furthermore, since training mode simulates only and precisely the total failure of one engine, the training cannot be carried out progressively, e.g. to accommodate a trainee's level of competence and progress.
Finally, the power developed by an engine tends to decrease over time. The power developed by a new turbine engine is greater than the power developed by an older engine. As a result, the contingency powers available in a degraded mode of operation are different depending on whether the engine is new or old.
Only one configuration can be used in the training mode of an aircraft, corresponding to an aircraft weight and to contingency rating powers that are imposed by flight conditions and by the aging state of the engine.
Also known is document US 2009/0186320, which describes a system enabling a total failure of one engine to be simulated for different configurations. Those configurations are predefined as a function of flight conditions, such as the outside temperature and pressure or the altitude of the aircraft. That system also serves to adapt the power available for training as a function of the total weight of the aircraft but only for two types of loading. That system thus enables several different types of training to be simulated, but the power made available is calculated from predetermined criteria and therefore cannot be adapted, in particular to the competence of the trainee.
Furthermore, document US 2002/133322 describes a method of simulating the failure of one engine in which the power available for simulation is obtained by reducing the power of a first engine for which the failure is being simulated. The power from the second engine is then increased in order to reach the required power level. The distribution of power is thus not uniform between the two engines. In the event of a real failure of the second engine, the reaction time of the first engine, which is idling, can leave the aircraft in a dangerous situation.
Document US 2005/234689 describes a method of simulating the failure of one engine by using different acceleration relationships for the two engines of the aircraft. The combination of those accelerations corresponds to the accelerations that would be provided by a single engine in the event of the failure of the other engine. Furthermore, the power from each engine is reduced so as to have a power margin available in the event of a real failure of one engine.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,546 describes a method and a system for simulating a failure of one engine for various different configurations. A switch serves in particular to select the failure mode that is to be simulated, from among the three ratings: 30-sec OEI; 2-min OEI; and OEIcontinuous. That method also makes it possible to select the total loaded weight of the aircraft that it is desired to simulate.
Finally, document U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,567 describes a method of simulating the failure of one engine in which the total power available for simulation can be obtained by reducing either the power from a single engine on which the failure is being simulated, or the power from both engines in an equivalent manner. Power distribution is thus not necessarily uniform between the two engines, in particular concerning the power delivered by a first engine on which the failure is being simulated, with that power being reduced while the power from the other engine is increased in order to reach the total power level required for the simulation.

Method of simulating a failure on an aircraft


If an image quality 1 “RAW” at which image data are recorded without undergoing image processing is selected at an electronic camera which is already set for WB bracketing, the electronic camera clears the WB bracketing. In addition, the electronic camera prohibits an operation for setting and clearing the WB bracketing if the current image quality setting is the image quality 1 “RAW”.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera that records image data obtained through an image capturing operation executed at an image-capturing element or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A white balance (hereafter referred to as WB) adjustment through which a color adjustment is achieved by varying the reference for the color temperature adjustment on image data obtained by capturing an image is executed in an electronic camera. There are cameras in the known art that obtain a plurality of sets of image data through WB bracketing achieved by changing a WB adjustment value in stages and executing WB adjustment processing at various WB adjustment values. At the same time, it is desired that image data obtained by capturing an image be recorded into a recording medium such as a memory card without undergoing image processing.
Since the WB adjustment is part of the image processing, the WB adjustment, too, will be skipped if the image processing is skipped. Thus, if the setting for WB bracketing and the setting for skipping the image processing are both selected, two conflicting operations, i.e., an operation for recording data having undergone image processing and an operation for recording data that have not undergone image processing, are executed. If the two types of data, i.e., the data before and after image processing, are both recorded, storage space in the recording medium is quickly consumed.

Electronic camera with first and second instruction circuits


A local time adjusting method of a mobile communication terminal includes extending 6-bit local time offset contained in a sync channel message transmitted from a base station to a 7-bit local time offset to calculate an actual local time offset in a corresponding area; and substituting the calculated local time offset (extend_LTM_OFF) and time information to equation (SYS_TIME+(LP_SEC*12.5)+(extend_LTM_OFF*11250) to calculate local time of a current location. By doing that, local time can be adjusted by units of 15 minutes even in an area where 30-minute adjustment of local time offset is not available, and thus, local time can be precisely calculated anywhere in the world.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a local time adjusting method of a mobile communication terminal and, more particularly, to a local time adjusting method of a mobile communication terminal capable of extending accuracy for a local time offset by the mobile communication terminal itself.
2. Description of the Background Art
In general, in a mobile communication, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) terminal calculates a local time of an area where the CDMA terminal itself is positioned upon receiving a synchronous channel message from a base station through a sync channel.
Table 1 illustrates a data structure of a CDMA standard synchronous channel message, including a protocol version (P_REV) field provided for service in a current system, a system time (SYS_TIME) related to time, leap seconds (LP_SEC), an offset of local time (LTM_OFF), a daylight savings time (DAYLT), or the like.
TABLE 1FieldLength (bits)P_REV8. . .. . .SYS_TIME36LP_SEC8LTM_OFF6DAYLT1. . .. . .
The system time (SYS_TIME) is synchronized with a UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), and corresponds to a GPS (Global Position System) time counted in units of 80 ms based upon zero seconds, zero minutes and zero hours, Jan. 6, 1980.
The offset of local time (LTM_OFF), which means a GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) correction value (offset value) of a corresponding area, is counted 1 by 1 in units of 30 minutes and indicated as a complement of '2' of 6 bits. At this time, a range that can be adjusted by 6 bits are 32 to 31, Which equivalent to −16˜+15 hours and 30 minutes when calculated by the unit of 30 minutes.
For instance, LTM_OFF of Kansas City in the United States is 110100 (6 bits, complement of '2'), which is equivalent to 12 as a decimal. Since 110100 is a value obtained by counting 1 for every 30 minutes, so that, actually, it is −6 hours. Namely, the LTM_OFF of the Kansas City is GMT −6:00.
The daylight savings time indicator (DAYLT) is '1' if the daylight savings time is valid, and '0' if the daylight savings time is not valid.
The local time in accordance with a related art is calculated by extracting time-related data from the sync channel and substituting it to equation (1) shown below:local time=SYS_TIME-(LP-SEC*12.5)+(LTM_OFF*22500)  (1)wherein '12.5' is a count value (1 sec/80×10-3 sec) used for coordinating 1 second in units of 80 ms, and '25000' is a count value used for coordinating 30 minutes (0.5 hour) in units of 80 ms.
A local time calculated by equation (1) is a value obtained by counting time by the unit of 80 ms starting from 0 seconds, 0 minutes and 0 hours, Jan. 6, 1980 in a corresponding area, and a mobile communication terminal outputs the present time at a present location (of the user) on a display unit by applying the local time.
As mentioned above, most countries adjusts a local time by the unit of 30 minutes on the basis of the GMT, but in some areas of Nepal (GMT+5:45) or New Zealand, a difference by the unit of 15 minutes, not 30 minutes, is made over the GMT.
Namely, in the local time adjusting method of a mobile communication terminal, the local time is calculated by using a value of the LTM_OFF field counted in units of 30 minutes, so that for a mobile communication terminal in an area, such Nepal (GMT+5.45), where 15 minutes of difference is made over the GMT, a difference of a maximum −15 minutes (in case of GMT+5.30) or +15 minutes (in case of GMT+6:00) compared to actual local time is made.
In addition, in order to solve the above problems, existing CDMA standards should be changed to change the value of the LTM_OFF field to a value of 7 bits in units of 15 minutes. Then, changing of the CDMA standards should accompany change of all the mobile communication systems.

Local time adjusting method of mobile communication terminal


An electrical part including a step provided at a housing-facing side of an operating portion of an operating shaft, which protrudes externally from the housing, with the outside diameter of the step being smaller than the outside diameter of the operating portion. Thus, the load, produced when an operating member is being caulked to an end of the operating shaft, can be exerted on a flange surface at the step, so that even when the operating member is caulked to the operating shaft, the performance of the electrical part is not affected. Such an electrical part has been constructed in view of a conventional problem described below. When an attempt is being made to caulk an operating member to an operating shaft incorporated in a housing of a rotary sensor, or electrical part, to form a conventional rotary sensor. In this case, a sliding element bearing mounting portion at a side of the operating shaft, which is disposed in the housing, is suspended in mid-air in the housing, so that when a load W produced when caulking an end of the operating shaft, a force which tries to move the operating shaft rearward acts thereon, as a result of which the operating shaft tries to push the bearing in the housing rearward, thereby breaking the internal portion of the housing retaining the bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical part including an operating shaft and an operating member mounted to the operating shaft, which can suitably be formed by caulking the operating member to the operating shaft protruding externally from a housing of the electrical part.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such an electrical part is described by taking as an example a rotary sensor, which has been disclosed by the applicant. The rotary sensor is mounted to a vehicle or the like in order to detect, for example, the height of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 7, such a rotary sensor has a bearing 2 which is mounted in a housing. An operating shaft 23 is rotatably inserted into the bearing 2, and has an operating portion 23a protruding towards the front from one end of the housing 1. The outside diameter of an end of the operating portion 23a is made slightly smaller to form an oblong flat portion 23b, formed by cutting, at the smaller outer diameter portion. An externally threaded portion 23c, which is threaded along its outer periphery, is formed at the upper portion of the flat portion 23b.
A lever, being a plate-like operating member 4, or the like is inserted into the flat portion 23b. From above the lever, a washer 6 for preventing loosening is inserted onto the externally threaded portion 23c to fasten a nut 5 onto the externally-threaded portion 23c, whereby the operating member 4 is mounted to the operating shaft 23 so as not to rotate.
A sliding element bearing 7 is mounted to a sliding element bearing mounting portion 23d at the other end of the operating shaft 23 which is disposed in the housing 1, so that it does not get dismounted from the sliding element bearing mounting portion 23d.
A sliding element piece 8 is mounted to the sliding element bearing 7. A holder 10 having mounted thereto an insulating base 9 with a resistance pattern is mounted to the housing 1 so as to oppose the sliding element piece 8.
The back side of the holder 10 is filled with a filler 13 in order to seal the rear side of the housing 1. On the other hand, a sealant 14 is forced into the front side of the housing 1 in order to seal the front side of the housing 1. Accordingly, the front and back sides of the housing 1 are sealed to prevent entry of foreign material, such as dirt, into the housing 1.
Such a conventional rotary sensor, or electrical part, is constructed by securing and mounting the operating member 4 to the operating shaft 23 with a nut or the like. Therefore, a washer 6 for preventing loosening of a nut 5 needs to be inserted onto the threaded portion 23c, and time is required to fasten the nut 5. As a result, the electrical part cannot be assembled with high efficiency.
In addition, parts, such as a nut 5 or a washer 6, are needed to mount the operating member 4 to the operating shaft 23, thereby increasing the number of parts used, which results in higher costs.
When the operating member 4 is mounted to the operating shaft 23 by fastening them together with a nut 5 or the like, the electrical part is made taller in correspondence with the height H of the nut 5, thereby preventing size reduction of the electrical part.
Such problems can be overcome if the operating member 4 can be caulked to the operating member 23 by one punching operation by a jig (not shown) or the like, wherein a load W can be produced, while the operating shaft 23 is incorporated in the housing of the electrical part. When such a method is used, time does not have to be used to assemble the electrical part using screws or the like, thereby increasing the efficiency with which the assembly can be performed. In addition, it becomes unnecessary to use parts, such as a screw 5 or a washer 6, thereby decreasing the number of parts, which makes the electrical part cheaper to produce. Further, since a nut 6 or the like do not have to be used, the height of the electrical part can be kept small, thus allowing size reduction of the electrical part.
When an attempt is made to caulk the operating member 4 to the operating shaft 23 incorporated in the housing of the electrical part, or rotary sensor, the sliding element mounting portion 23d at the other side of the operating shaft 23, which is in the housing, is suspended in mid-air in the housing 1, as shown in FIG. 7, so that when a load W is exerted onto the other end 23e of the operating shaft 23, as shown in FIG. 8, a force which tries to move the operating shaft rearward acts thereon. As a result, the operating portion 23 of the operating shaft 23 tries to push the bearing 2 in the housing 1 rearward, which breaks the internal portion of the housing 1 which supports the bearing 2.
Such a problem can be overcome by forming a load receiving portion 10a which protrudes from the center of the holder 10, such that it contacts the sliding element bearing mounting portion 23d of the operating shaft 23, as shown in FIG. 8. In such a case, even when a load W is exerted on the end 23e of the operating portion 23a, the operating shaft 23 does not move downward. Thus, the internal portion in the housing 1 does not break, even when the operating shaft 23 is caulked to the operating member 4.
However, since the load receiving portion 10a and the end 23d are always in contact with each other, rotation of the operating shaft 23 produces frictional torque at the load receiving portion 10a and the end 23d, causing the rotational torque of the operating shaft 23 to become unstable, or powder to be produced at the end 23d as a result friction. The powder sticks onto a resistance pattern surface of the insulating base 9, and cuts the sliding element piece 8, resulting in poor performance of the rotary sensor, or the electrical part.
The problem of unstable rotational torque of the operating shaft 23 can be overcome by forming a through hole (not shown) in the load receiver portion 10a of the holder 10, and inserting a jig of about the same outside diameter as that of the sliding element bearing mounting portion 23d of the operating shaft into the through hole. The jig is brought into contact with the sliding element bearing mounting portion 23d to caulk the end 23e of the operating portion 23a to the operating member 4. In such a method, the load W produced by caulking can be exerted on the jig, so that the performance of the rotary sensor is not affected. However, the through hole in the holder 10 of the rotary sensor admits a filler 13, being filled into the back side of the holder 10, into the housing 1.
An attempt has been made to overcome the problem of admittance of filler 13 by opening a through hole, not only in the holder 10, but also in the filler 13 after it has solidified. However, such a method prevents proper sealing of the housing 1, so that dirt or the like enters into the housing 1 from the through hole, making it unsuitable as a method to be used in producing a rotary sensor or the like.
As can be understood from the foregoing description, there are various problems when the operating member is caulked, while the operating shaft 23 is incorporated in the housing of the rotary sensor, or the electrical part. Therefore, in conventional electrical parts, an operating member 4 is caulked to a single operating shaft 23, as shown in FIG. 9, for incorporation in the electrical part, or rotary sensor.
Levers, or operating members 4, are formed into difference shapes and sizes according to the convenience of the customers. Therefore, when an operating member 4 is caulked to a single operating shaft 23, as mentioned above, each time the customer changes, the efficiency with which the electrical part is assembled is reduced.
An attempt has been made to overcome such a problem by previously caulking the variety of operating members 4 to the operating shafts 23 and storing the operating members 4 caulked to the operating shafts 23 as semi-manufactured products. However, the use of such a method increases storage costs, thereby increasing the cost of electrical parts.

Structure for mounting an operating member of an electrical part to an operating shaft


A fastener system for composite structure provides electromagnetic energy protection by incorporating a self-aligning head (SAH) fastener having a head with a spherical engaging surface and a shank extending from the head for insertion through a hole in a composite structure and a self-aligning self sealing (SASS) washer having a throat receiving the shank and a spherical mating surface interfacing with the spherical engaging surface of the head.

1. Field
Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to the field of fastener technologies for metal fasteners employed in composite structures and more particularly to a fastener with a spherical head shaped such that it mates with a spherical washer containing a polymeric ring mechanically attached to its base to create a pressure contained system preventing hot particle ejection and edge sparking during lightning conditions.
2. Background
Structural fabrication using composites still requires fasteners for many assembly operations. Metallic fasteners are conductive creating electromagnetic effect (EME) design considerations for lightning strike and other EME issues. Fastener sparking modes must be designed for Lightning conditions include Hot Particle Ejection (HPE) and arcing between an outer surface of the fastener head and other structure or fastener sleeves.
When lightning strikes a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) structure, a significant portion of the current may pass into nearby structures through fasteners. When the electrical energy passes between two surfaces, contact resistance heating may break down the materials and generate hot gas (or plasma) in the hole, or in the space in-between a fastener and an associated internally threaded fastener such as a nut or frangible collar. If the pressure generated is large enough, the gas may find a low pressure path, and escape from the fastener system into a fueled area. That path is sometimes in the surface under the protruding fastener head. These escaping gasses may be hot enough to erode the metal parts (fastener or structure) as they escape, creating particles or droplets known as HPE.
As the lightning strike electrical energy is conducted between structural joints the energy passes through the metallic fasteners. The protruding fastener head of certain fasteners have experienced arcing between the edge of the fastener head and structure in contact with the head. The arcing may be present between fastener head and the structure, or the fastener head and sleeve, if a sleeved fastener is being used.
Existing fastening systems typically require installation of the fastener with the addition of the time and labor intensive processes of installation of premolded caps over fastener heads or other procedures such as removing dielectric coatings from exposed surfaces of the fastener heads.
It is therefore desirable to provide a fastening system suitable for composite structural applications which overcomes both HPE and arcing while overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art fastener installation procedures.

Self-aligning sleeved protruding head fasteners with electromagnetic effect protection features


A method for creating extra profit from gaming machines (games of chance used in a casino or bingo-hall setting) using progressives, where the progressive amount shown to players is not the amount collected from game play; rather, it is the value which is the sum of payments made from an annuity purchased using the full amount of the contributions made to the progressive, called the amortized value. The amortized value is used to create player excitement and increased base game play in casino environments.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to progressive awards in the field of gaming and lottery. More particularly, the invention relates to methods for funding and displaying a progressive award prize.
2. The Prior Art
Progressive award prizes in the field of gaming and lottery are known. For example, in the field of casino gaming progressive prizes are typically provided as jackpot prize pursuant to play on a slot machine or group of slot machines. Typically, the progressive prize is awarded when a qualifying award event occurs during play on the gaming device (e.g., a symbol or combination of symbols appearing on a wagered payline) or according to some other condition (e.g., random selection from a central controller).
In general, progressive prizes are funded by the play of one or more game devices. For example, a portion of each wager placed on a slot machine (e.g., 1%) may be used to fund the progressive prize. In some cases, the progressive prize may be "seeded" by the operator so that the progressive prize starts at a particular amount (e.g., a pre-determined minimum amount). As the game device or group of game devices are played, the progressive prize grows as portions of each wager contribute to the progressive prize. In some cases, the likelihood of obtaining the qualifying award event is set to a low value, and the progressive prize grows to substantially large amounts. The excitement of play on these high volatility games generates even more play from players, further increasing the progressive prize.
In accordance with the prior art implementations, the current sum of the contributions made to the progressive are its value or prize, and is displayed to the player. Where a group of gaming devices participates in the same progressive prize, a large sign or display may be used to indicate the current value of the progressive prize. The value of the progressive prize is further shown as a dynamically increasing amount, using a rollup or count-up feature, similar to other rollup indicators as odometers, for example.
The value of the progressive prize displayed to the players, while equal to the actual contributions, is not awarded as a lump sum when a player wins. What is given to a winning player is an annuity whose summed lifetime payments have the same value as the sum of the current contributions. By the same token, if a player chooses a lump sum payment instead of an annuity, the lump sum award will be the amount the aforementioned annuity would cost, which is less (usually substantively less) than the current contribution value.
By way of illustration, suppose the contributions to the progressive prize are one million dollars ($1,000,000). The progressive prize display would also indicate $1,000,000. However, the progressive prize display represents a payment over an annuity period (e.g., a twenty-five (25) year annuity). In this example, if a player were to win the progressive prize, the $1,000,000 would be paid to the player over a 25-year period. The player could elect a "face value pay off" in which case, the player would receive a reduced amount (e.g., $400,000) depending on market conditions.
This arrangement is selected in prior art progressive systems by casino operators (or progressive providers) to derive income from the progressive game. Whether a player chooses a lump sum or annuitized win, the cost to the casino is the same or within a relatively small additive factor of magnitude of each other (depending on how the programming is set up, the annuities available at the time, etc.), and is less considerably than the current sum that has been collected for the progressive. The casino or progressive operator makes profit from the progressive by keeping the difference between the lump sum or cost of the annuity and current amount collected for the progressive. Using the above example, the casino operator (or progressive provider) derives income from the difference ($600,000) between the actual contributions ($1,000,000) and the payout amount or cost of an annuity ($400,000).
Unfortunately, this arrangement while suitable for deriving a profit for the casino operator (or progressive provider), creates dissatisfaction from players who realize that the player does not win the amount actually contributed to the progressive prize, but rather a reduced amount (i.e., the pay off amount is not equal to the actual contributions to the progressive). The present invention uses a new and different business model to present a new and more exciting progressive payout to players having a different source of profit for casino operators.

Method for increasing base game play in a casino using a jackpot or progressive prize


The present invention teaches a Gate Driver on Array (GOA) circuit for a display panel. The GOA circuit includes a first dummy GOA unit and/or a second dummy GOA unit not connecting scan lines of the display panel's active area, and normal GOA units connecting scan lines of the active area. The normal GOA units are cascaded into a chain. The first dummy GOA unit is cascaded to a first normal GOA unit of the chain and/or the second dummy GOA unit is cascaded to a last normal GOA unit of the chain. A start signal of the display panel's vertical scanning as a cascaded signal is input into the first dummy GOA unit and/or the second dummy GOA unit. The GOA circuit excludes the line of afterimage from the active area, thereby allowing the fast black frame insertion after abnormal shutdown.

Gate Driver On Array (GOA) technique is to integrate gate driving circuit on a display panel's array substrate so as to achieve line-by-line gate line scanning. Using GOA circuit may significantly reduce the number of external ICs, thereby lowering production cost and power consumption. GOA technique may also achieve display devices of narrow bezel.
However, existing GOA technique cannot achieve fast black frame insertion when control IC is abnormally shut down. At this point, all gate lines have to be turned on and a black frame is quickly inserted so as to avoid the afterimage.

WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A method of killing yeast and fungi which comprises treating the yeast and fungi with a toxic amount of carveol.

(1) Field of the Invention
During the study of limonene as a hand cleaner, the applicants found that fully oxygenated limonene is a fungicide. A review of the literature revealed that oxygenated limonene contains several oxidation products including: limonene-1,2-oxide limonene-8,9-oxide, 1-menthene-9-al, .alpha.-2,8-p-menthadiene-1-ol .beta.-2,8-p-menthadiene-1-ol, dihydrocarvone, .alpha.-cymenol, carvone, cis-carveol and trans-carveol, as was outlined by Bain in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,863,882 and 3,014,047. Blumann listed the compounds formed by the auto-oxidation of limonene in Chemical Abstracts. Volume 63, 1965, on page 1819, which included cis and trans-carveol, trans-p-menth-8-ene-1,2-diol, limonene 1,2-epoxide, limonene 8,9-epoxide, cis and trans-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-o1, and perillyl alcohol. The applicants found that carveol is a principal anti-yeast and anti-fungal compound generated by the oxidation of limonene and that in effective concentrations carveol kills yeast and in fungicidal concentrations carveol kills fungi.
Carveol is a monocyclic monoterpene with the following chemical formula: ##STR1##
Carveol is an oil with a terpenic aroma. It is insoluble in water and glycerine. Carveol is soluble in alcohol and is miscible in corn oil, olive oil, and soybean oil. Carveol has been used as a bactericide but heretofore, it has never been shown to kill yeast or fungi.
Carveol can be produced by the oxidation of limonene as was outlined by Bain in U.S Pat. Nos. 2,863,882 and 3,014,047. Carveol can be obtained from .alpha.-pinene, and .beta.-pinene by the Cu+ catalyzed oxidation with benzoyl peroxide as was demonstrated by Walling et. al. in Canadian Patent 981,695. Mestroni et al showed that carveol can be produced by the catalyzed conversion of carvone and dihydrocarvone to carveol as was outlined in German Offen 3,008,671 in the Chemical Abstracts, Volume 93, 1980, page 807. Bain, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,647 showed his method of producing carveol and dihydrocarveol and their esters. In the Indian Journal of Chemistry, 1975, 13(11), pages 1239-40, Mistra outlined a method of producing carveol and dihydrocarveol from piperitone.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Zukerman studied the effect of auto-oxidized limonene on bacteria, but found it was weakly bacteriostatic, was unstable, and lost its bacteriostatic effect on keeping as was discussed in Nature 168: 517 (1951). He never studied carveol nor the fungicidal activity of auto-oxidized limonene. Kurita investigated the fungicidal activity of several components of essential oils in Biol. Chem., 45(4), 945-952, 1981, and found that cineole, anethole, safrole, d-limonene, .alpha.-pinene, .beta.-pinene, camphene, .beta.-myrcene, caryophyllene, .beta.-cymene, .delta.-camphor, benzaldehyde, vanillin, and furfural are NOT FUNGICIDAL while cinnamaldehyde, phenol, perillyl aldehyde, citral, perillyl alcohol, geraniol, citronellol, 1-nonanol, 1-deconal, 1-menthol and borneol have minimal to good fungicidal activity depending on the component tested. He never studied the anti-yeast nor the anti-fungal activity of carveol. Peter Tetenyi et al studied the essential oils obtained from twelve different specimens of Tanacetum vulgare L. and found eight of the twelve oil specimens to be bactericidal in a concentration of 100 ug/ml against 85-90% of nineteen different bacteria and 100% fungicidal against sixteen species of fungi in a concentration of 50 ug/ml. He delineated numerous chemical components in the oils, but he never studied any of those individual components to determine which, if any, had anti-bacterial, anti-yeast, and/or anti-fungal activity as was outlined in Herba Hungarica, 1981, Tom 20, No. 1-2, pages 57-74. In the Botanical Gazette 122, 194-8 (1961), R. C. French showed that carveol stimulates (rather than inhibits) the germination of wheat stem rust uredospores suggesting that carveol promotes the growth of fungi. Knoblock found that the antimicrobial action of essential oils is related to their ability to penetrate the cell membrane of bacteria and fungi as was shown in the Journal of Essential Oil Res. 1989, 1(3), 119-28, but he never demonstrated which components of the es oils, if any, have anti-bacteria, anti-yeast and/or anti-fungal activity. Chastain and Sanders developed a method of making limonene bactericidal and fungicidal as was outlined in U.S. Pat. No.5,153,229, but they never studied carveol for fungicidal activity. Gauvreau showed a means of producing disinfecting compositions in U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,975 by combining cetyl pyridinium with terpenes to form antiseptics. Gauvreau never studied the use of carveol alone nor in combination with cetyl pyridinium. A. Morel revealed the sterilizing action of carveol, dihydrocarveol, and their ozonization products in Comp. Rend. Soc. Biol. Volume 115, pages 536-8 (1934). He demonstrated the bactericidal activity of carveol and dihydrocarveol, but he never studied them for anti-yeast or anti-fungal activity. J. C. Maruzzella and L. Liguori reported the in vitro anti-fungal activity of essential oils in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Vol. XLVII, No. 4, April 1958, pages 250-4, but they did not study the anti-yeast or the anti-fungal activity of carveol. J. C. Maruzzella and Jerry Balter showed the action of essential oils on phytopathogenic fungi in the Plant Disease Reporter Vol. 43, No. 11, Nov. 1959, pages 1143-1147, but they did not study the anti-yeast or the anti-fungal activity of carveol. D. D. Whitehead in U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,747 showed the fungicidal activity of several oxo-derivatives of limonene and dipentene, but he never studied the fungicidal activity of carveol. J. C. Maruzzella et al reported the action of odoriferous organic chemicals and essential oils on wood-destroying fungi in the Plant Disease Reporter, Vol 44, No. 10 (1960); carveol was not studied. Murdook and Allen showed the germicidal effect of sodium benzoate against yeast is enhanced by orange peel oil and d-limonene (stripper oil), as was reported in Food Technology, Vol 14, No. 9, 1960, pages 441-5. They never studied the action of carveol against yeast or fungi. Kellner et al studied ethereal oils for antimicrobial activity, but they never studied the oils nor any of their chemical constituents for anti-yeast or anti-fungal activity as was outlined in Arzneimittel-Forschung 5, 224-9 (1955).
It should be pointed out that the drugs which are bactericidal are usually not fungicidal, and drugs which are fungicidal are usually not bactericidal. In humans, the use of bactericidal antibiotics frequently promotes the growth of yeast. Table A, which follows, exemplifies the anti-bacterial, anti-yeast and anti-fungal activity of several commonly used anti-bacterial, anti-yeast, and anti-fungal antibiotics.
TABLE A __________________________________________________________________________ ANTIBIOTIC ACTIVITY AGAINST ANTIBIOTICS Gm + Bact Gm - Bact A F Bact Yeast Fungi __________________________________________________________________________ A. ANTIBACTERIAL 1. Ampicillin YES YES NO NO NO 2. Cephalothin YES YES NO NO NO 3. Chloramphenicol YES YES NO NO NO 4. Erythromycin YES NO NO NO NO 5. Ethambutol NO NO YES NO NO 6. Gentamicin YES YES NO NO NO 7. Isoniazid NO NO YES NO NO 8. Nitrofurantoin NO YES NO NO NO 9. Penicillin YES NO NO NO NO 10. Rifampin YES NO YES NO NO 11. Streptomycin YES YES YES NO NO 12. Sulfonamides NO YES NO NO NO 13. Tetracycline YES YES NO NO NO 14. Vancomycin YES YES NO NO NO B. ANTIYEAST 1. Nystatin NO NO NO YES NO 2. Gentian Violet NO NO NO YES NO C. ANTIFUNGAL 1. Chlotrimazole NO NO NO YES YES 2. Griseofulvin NO NO NO NO YES __________________________________________________________________________
Gm+Bact=Gram Positive Bacteria, Gm-Bact=Gram Negative Bacteria, A F Bact=Acid Fast Bacteria, YES=Kills Organism, NO=No Activity Against Organism
It should be noted in the table above that none of the anti-bacterial antibiotics kill yeast nor fungi, and none of the anti-yeast nor anti-fungal antibiotics kill bacteria. Thus an anti-fungal or anti-yeast antibiotic is not expected to kill bacteria, and an anti-bacterial antibiotic is not expected to kill yeast nor fungi. Anti-fungal antibiotics do not necessarily kill yeast, and anti-yeast antibiotics do not necessarily kill fungi.
Several significant differences between yeast and fungi are known and are listed. For instance: (1) a yeast culture can be grown in 24-48 hours while a fungus culture requires 7-14 days to grow. (2) Yeast readily grow on blood agar while fungi grow on sabouraud dextrose agar. (3) The use of anti-bacterial antibiotics in humans promotes the growth of yeast but not fungi. (4) Several anti-yeast antibiotics do not kill fungi and several anti-fungal antibiotics do not kill yeast.

Method of killing yeast and fungi with carveol


An acoustic imaging apparatus and method that achieves desired delays with coded signals. Linear, curved linear and sector scanning is provided in 1-D arrays and planar, curved planar and sector scanning is provided in 2-D arrays. Composite and non-linear implementations are presented. Dynamic and discrete dynamic focusing is disclosed for the relevant arrays. The 2-D array makes possible 3-D imaging.

Conventional acoustic wave imaging systems use a one dimensional (1-D) array of electro-acoustic transducers, for example, a 1×100 array, and have been configured to achieve linear, curved linear and sector scanning. Coherence in the transmission and receipt of acoustic signals is achieved by the utilization of delay devices in the signal processing channels. Present one dimensional systems are disadvantageous due to (1) the manner in which they are constructed and (2) inherent limitations in their scanning capabilities. With respect to the manner in which they are constructed, one disadvantage is that the use of delay elements,  and related electronics adds considerably to the cost of one dimensional systems. With respect to inherent limitations, one dimensional scanning systems are disadvantageous in that they only provide two dimensional images.
To increase diagnostic capabilities it is desirous to have an acoustic imaging system that scans in two dimensions and thus produces a 3-D image. A problem with applying current 1-D technology to 2-D array imaging is that a vast number of electrical connections and processing electronics are required to serve an array of practical size. For example, a 100×100 array would have 10,000 individual transducers. Standard technology would require 10,000 electrical connections and processing channels. At an approximate cost of $100 per channel, such a system would require an outlay of $1M merely for channel electronics. In addition, if per channel power consumption is approximately 0.1 watt, then the system power requirement becomes at least 1 KW.
As a result of the disadvantageous aspects of providing large numbers of processing channels, current research efforts are directed towards achieving high performance with fewer array elements. Two prior art approaches are (1) the use of a two dimensional array with a reduced number of columns, termed a 1.5-D array, and (2) a thinned 2-D array.
A typical embodiment of a 1.5-D array is a 100 row×3-5 column array. Due to reduced aperture, 1.5-D arrays may not offer the increase in elevation resolution that will justify their added expense and complexity. Furthermore, research has shown that the use of aberration correction with 1.5-D arrays may not improve the image quality over that obtained using correction with a 1-D array.
In a thinned array, the number of array elements and associated electronics is reduced to several hundred by judiciously using only a selected number of transducers throughout the array aperture. This approach, however, has lead to significantly higher sidelobes in the beam profile of the system, compared to sidelobes in a beam profile for a full 2-D array. Thus, these systems are not suitable for such common uses as medical diagnostic imaging and the like which requires low and extremely low level sidelobes.
It should also be noted that the prior art does include 2-D annular arrays. These arrays are formed of concentric annual rings. They produce only a single ray, and while they perform dynamic focusing, they do not provide sector scanning. Scanning is achieved by physically moving the arrays.
In view of the foregoing, it should be apparent that a need exists in the art for both (1) a more economically constructed one dimensional scanning system, and (2) an acoustic wave imaging system that provides the high degree of resolution achievable with a full 2-D array, while reducing the number of processing channels and other circuitry associated therewith, amongst other needs.

Acoustic wave imaging apparatus and method


Many variables in processes such as those using turbocompressors and turbines must be limited or constrained. Limit control loops are provided for the purpose of limiting these variables. By using a combination of closed loop and open loop limit control schemes, excursions into unfavorable operation can be more effectively avoided. Transition between open loop and closed loop may be enhanced by testing the direction and magnitude of the rate at which the limit variable is changing. If the rate of change indicates recovery is imminent, control is passed back to the closed loop limit control function.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a control scheme. More particularly the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for more accurately and stably limiting critical variables associated with a process such as those including turbomachines such as a turbocompressor, steam turbine, gas turbine, or expander.
2. Background Art
The safe operating regime of a turbocompressor is constrained by the machinery and process limitations. A turbine-driven turbocompressor is generally bound by upper and lower limits of a turbine operating speed, a surge line, a choke limit, high discharge or low suction pressure bounds, and/or a power rating of the turbine. Limit control is used to keep the turbocompressor from entering an operating regime that is not considered safe, is unacceptable from a process standpoint, or undesirable for any reason. Limit control, also referred to as constraint control, is defined as a control strategy that will take action to avoid operating in these undesirable operating regimes, but only takes action when there is a tendency or danger of operating therein. Take, for example, a turbocompressor's discharge pressure that is to be constrained to remain at or below a set point, psp. When the turbocompressor's discharge pressure is below psp, no particular action is taken by the limit control system to adjust psp. Only when the turbocompressor's discharge pressure reaches or exceeds psp is control action taken. Limit control strategies differ from ordinary control strategies in that: ordinary control strategies take measures to keep the process variable at its set point at all times (generally speaking), keeping the process variable from dropping below its set point as well as keeping it from exceeding its set point; limit control strategies are brought to bear only when a limit variable crosses its set point. On one side of its set point, the limit control scheme is not in effect.
Often, a rigid limit set point exists where a safety system, associated with the machinery or process, causes the machinery to shut down, or a relief valve to open, etc. The process control system, on the other hand, makes use of soft set points. A soft set point is separated from its associated rigid set point by a safety margin. Minimization of the safety margins results in an expanded operating envelope.
Advanced antisurge control systems have been applied very successfully in many applications to prevent the turbocompressor from damages due to surge. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,276, a method of antisurge control is disclosed using a speed of approach to surge to increase the safety margin. Once the compressor's operating point has reached the controller's surge control line, closed loop control attempts to prohibit surge by opening an antisurge valve. Open loop control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,142,838 and 4,486,142. Here, an open loop control line is located toward surge from the surge control line. If closed loop control is unable to keep the compressor's operating point from reaching this open loop control line, an open loop control action will cause the antisurge valve to open as quickly as possible a predetermined increment.
A scheme similar to that just described for antisurge control was patented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,465 for overspeed control in turbines. Here, a steam valve is closed a predetermined increment as quickly as possible by an open loop control action.
Such advanced control schemes have not been applied for other constraints imposed on turbomachinery. Surge and overspeed are known to cause process upsets, but are somewhat unique in their ability to cause damage and destruction to the turbomachinery and adjacent equipment, and even to be dangerous to personnel. In the past, there was no motivation to apply these advanced techniques, along with their complexity, to other constrain control problems. In fact, common understanding taught that an open loop action would cause process upsets, thereby teaching away from the use of these advanced control schemes that resulted in what were considered severe reactions to process events causing a control action. Recently however, competitive conditions and political-economic-environmental issues such as the restriction on carbon dioxide emissions have resulted in reconsidering control strategies to squeeze the last percentage of efficiency from processes, and expand the operating envelope of the process as much as possible.
For instance, because of a process upset or a change in operating conditions, a turbocompressor's suction pressure may drop below atmospheric pressure, a condition that can cause air to be entrained in a hydrocarbon being compressed. Or the turbocompressor's interstage pressure may exceed a maximum pressure rating for the machinery casing or process vessels. Present-day control systems typically utilize a secondary-variable closed-loop control scheme to constrain the turbomachine's operating point within predetermined bounds. When a limit-control variable reaches its set point, control is bumplessly transferred from primary variable control to secondary variable limit control and the manipulated variable of the turbomachine is adjusted to bring and/or keep the offending limit-control variable within acceptable limits. Due to excessive dead times or large time constants in the overall system, traditional PID based constraint control actions may sometimes be inadequate to prevent an excursion of a critical process variable into a restricted region caused by a process upset. Moreover the set points configured for limit control are fixed. Therefore, limit control is initiated only if a variable crosses its predetermined limit, that is, a measurable error is incurred. Increasing the gains of the controller may not mitigate the problem due to the overall system's sluggishness (long dead times or large time constants). The best solution to this situation is to configure the control system with conservative safety margins. This invariably contracts the available operating zone of the turbocompressor. The consequence of such a control approach is a decrease in the turbocompressor's throughput with its associated significant impact on plant production.
There is, therefore, a need for a limit-control strategy that effectively and stably results in the constraining of limited variables, while bumplessly transferring between primary variable control and constraint variable control.

Method and apparatus for the prevention of critical process variable excursions in one or more turbomachines


The present invention provides methods and apparatus for treating flue gas containing sulfur dioxide using a scrubber, and more particularly relates to recovering gypsum and magnesium hydroxide products from the scrubber blowdown. The gypsum and magnesium hydroxide products are created using two separate precipitation reactions. Gypsum is crystallized when magnesium sulfate reacts with calcium chloride. Magnesium hydroxide is precipitated when magnesium chloride from the gypsum crystallization process reacts with calcium hydroxide. The process produces a high quality gypsum with a controllable pH and particle size distribution, as well as high quality magnesium hydroxide.

Coal and oil fired power plants produce flue gas that contains sulfur dioxide. Limestone (calcium carbonate) and lime (calcium hydroxide) are the traditional sources of alkalinity for scrubbing the flue gas from coal fired power plants. The purity of gypsum produced from a limestone-based scrubbing system varies between about 85 to 95 percent, with 90 percent being typical. The gypsum purity from other lime-based scrubbing systems ranges from about 94 to 98 percent. The pH of gypsum produced from a limestone-based scrubbing system is usually between about 6.0 and 8.0, which is a desirable range for producing wallboard. However, the pH of gypsum produced from lime-based scrubbing systems can exceed 8.0, making the gypsum unsuitable for wallboard production without further processing. The particle size distribution of the gypsum produced from limestone-based scrubbing systems is usually a narrow range of about 10 to 70 microns, whereas the gypsum produced from lime-based scrubbing systems is a broad range of about 10 to 200 microns. A narrow range of particle size distribution is desirable for the production of wallboard. Lime-based scrubbing systems typically have a lower initial installation cost and a higher sulfur dioxide removal efficiency. However, the gypsum produced from a lime-based scrubbing process is generally not suitable for use without further processing such as pH adjustment, treatment with chemical modifiers, or grinding and/or screening.
In lieu of a limestone or lime-based scrubbing system, flue gas containing sulfur dioxide may be treated by passing it through a scrubbing unit that utilizes a magnesium-containing scrubbing agent, e.g., a magnesium hydroxide slurry. The magnesium hydroxide reacts with sulfur dioxide to produce magnesium sulfite and magnesium bisulfite. The magnesium hydroxide slurry also reacts with hydrochloric acid in the flue gas, producing magnesium chloride, although there is very little hydrochloric acid in the flue gas compared to sulfur dioxide. The following chemical reactions occur in the scrubbing unit:SO2+Mg(OH)2→MgSO3+H2O  (1)H2O+SO2+MgSO3→Mg(HSO3)2  (2)Mg(HSO3)2+Mg(OH)2→2MgSO3  (3)2HCl+Mg(OH)2→MgCl2+2H2O  (4)
The blowdown from the scrubbing unit contains magnesium sulfite and magnesium bisulfite. Several processes have been developed to convert this blowdown into valuable products that can be collected for sale or further use, namely, gypsum and magnesium hydroxide. Gypsum may be used to make wallboard and as a soil conditioner on large tracts of land in suburban areas as well as agricultural regions. Magnesium hydroxide is a chemical reagent grade material that may be used for pH neutralization in water treatment, and SO3 removal and boiler slag prevention in coal fired power plants. The purity of magnesium hydroxide generally ranges from about 85 to 95 percent, and most magnesium hydroxide that is sold has a purity ranging from about 88 to 92 percent.
One method for treating flue gas containing sulfur dioxide is marketed by Dravo Lime Company as the ThioClear® process. A wet scrubber with a magnesium hydroxide scrubbing agent is utilized to remove sulfur dioxide from the flue gas. The blowdown from the scrubber passes through an oxidation unit where magnesium sulfite and magnesium bisulfite are converted to magnesium sulfate. Bleed from the oxidation unit is reacted with a slaked lime slurry to crystallize gypsum and magnesium hydroxide particles in a regeneration tank. Thus, the process converts magnesium sulfate blowdown to gypsum and magnesium hydroxide using calcium hydroxide in a single chemical reaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,591 to Jeney discloses a process for the purification of waste gas containing hydrochloric acid and sulfur dioxide. The waste gas is contacted with a magnesium-containing scrubbing agent, e.g., a magnesium hydroxide suspension, to generate reaction products. A calcium-containing reagent, e.g., calcium chloride, is introduced to the reaction products to precipitate gypsum and generate a chloride-containing liquid. The liquid undergoes pyrohydrolysis to produce a stream of magnesium hydroxide, which is recirculated to the scrubber, and a stream of hydrochloric acid, which is recovered for use in other applications.
Japanese Patent No. JP1222524A to Morita discloses a treatment process for waste water containing magnesium sulfate. The wastewater is mixed with calcium chloride to form a gypsum product that is separated out using a filter press. Calcium hydroxide is added to the separated filtrate to form magnesium hydroxide in a reaction tank. The reaction product is separated into magnesium hydroxide and a filtrate by a filter press, and the magnesium hydroxide is used as the adsorbent for wet desulfurization. Part of the filtrate is sent to a water tank containing calcium chloride and part is sent to a reverse osmosis unit. Water containing calcium chloride from the reverse osmosis unit is recycled into the water tank. Magnesium hydroxide from the reverse osmosis unit is used in a slurry tank containing aqueous magnesium hydroxide slurry.
Because gypsum and magnesium hydroxide represent valuable products, there exists a need for new systems that are capable of efficiently converting scrubber blowdown into these substances. While the prior art provides methods for generating these substances using a magnesium-containing scrubbing agent, new methods could improve the efficiency of existing systems, the quality of the gypsum and magnesium hydroxide produced, and the ability to control pH and particle size distribution.

Methods and apparatus for recovering gypsum and magnesium hydroxide products


A film-forming resin which is a copolymer comprising specific monomers and a hair dressing composition containing the film-forming resin are disclosed. This film-forming resin is highly compatible in LPG and thus useful in the replacement of conventionally employed Freon gas by LPG. The hair dressing composition shows excellent effects including a good set-retention.

Film-forming resins have been added to hair dressing composition such as hair spray and set lotion in order to impart various effects including setting and set-retention to these products. Examples of commonly employed film-forming resins include polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl pyrrolidone/vinyl acetate copolymer and vinyl acetate/crotonic acid copolymer.
A film-forming resin conventionally contained in a hair dressing composition would show a certain degree of set-retention under commonly employed conditions. Under highly humid condition, however, the adhesiveness and fluidity thereof would be increased by moisture absorption, which makes it impossible to effectively retain a hair set. On the other hand, a hair dressing composition should be readily washed away with the use of a shampoo. That is to say, a film-forming resin to be added to a hair dressing composition should have a high solubility in water as well as a low hygroscopicity. It is difficult to simultaneously satisfy these conflicting requirements. Thus it is frequently observed to give up to achieve a high solubility of a film-forming resin in water and employ other solvent or a mixture of solvents.
Freon gas, which has been widely used as a propellants hitherto in various aerosol compositions, is an ideal propellants from the viewpoints of chemical stability, combustibility and toxicity. Recently, however it has been pointed out that Freon gas might cause an environmental problem, namely, the breakage of the ozone layer. Therefore a tendency to replace Freon gas with incompletely halogenated ones or propellants free from any halogen atom is seen lately. Examples of such propellants include hydrocarbons (LPG) such as propane, butane, isobutane and mixtures thereof. However a film-forming resin generally shows a lower solubility in LPG than in Freon gas. When the propellant in a conventional aerosol composition is simply replaced with LPG, therefore, the film-forming resin in the aerosol composition would be precipitated and thus the product cannot be used any longer. Accordingly it is required to use a larger amount of a solvent such as ethanol or isopropyl alcohol in a spray in order to fully dissolve the film-forming resin in the LPG. When sprayed, the hair dressing composition product thus obtained forms a thick and heavy mist, which makes it difficult to give a beautiful hair set.
Furthermore, some setting products such as hair spray make the hair coarse or rough after drying.
Further there are some additional problems such that the resin film thus formed on the surface of the hair peels off when brushed, namely, so-called flaking, and that the gloss of the hair is deteriorated.

Film-forming resin and hair dressing composition containing the same


The invention relates to a grazing angle microscope for spectroscopic applications. A novel light path having two shifting planar mirrors permits spectroscopic investigation of a sample area off the optical microscope axis at grazing angles as well as visual viewing at steeper angles of incidence of the light.

The invention concerns a grazing angle microscope, in particular for use in connection with an infrared spectrometer, with a sample in a sample plane and optical means to, in a measuring configuration, either direct light under grazing incidence onto a small area of the sample surface and to guide the light reflected from this area to a detector and optical means to, in a viewing configuration, alternatively direct light at a steeper range of incident angles, preferably including orthogonal incidence, onto the same small area and to guide the light thereby reflected to viewing means.
Such a grazing angle microscope is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,077 the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Many spectroscopic applications in industry and science require that sample surfaces be illuminated at grazing incidence. This means that the angle of incidence between the incident light beam and the normal to the sample plane is very large, i.e. larger than 60 degrees, usually larger than 80 degrees. The light reflected at grazing angles from the surface is guided to a detector of, for example, a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR spectrometer).
In this context, if is often desirable to first visually view the area to be analyzed, to limit the area by means of a mask and then to measure the spectrum of this particular small area of the surface. The selectable area visible in the microscope should thereby coincide with the area investigated spectroscopically.
In the conventional grazing angle microscope, a sample surface is illuminated and viewed at grazing angles. By means of a mask, an enlarged image of a surface area with arbitrary geometrical contour can be selected and this area can be investigated spectroscopically. The microscope uses an objective for grazing incidence, wherein light, or more generally, electromagnetic radiation, first impinges on a central convex mirror on the optical microscope axis, is reflected by this mirror onto a concave, ring-shaped mirror and from this location is incident under grazing incidence on a small area of the sample surface. The reflected radiation emerging at grazing angles of reflection is first once more reflected from a ring-shaped concave mirror onto a second convex mirror and then reaches a detector for measurement. The small area investigated can be selected via a mask. Towards this end, either the incident or the reflected light is focused onto an adjustable mask at an intermediate focus to keep undesired light outside of the selected area of the surface. Along a second light path, coincident downstream of the mask with the one just described, separate illuminating light can be introduced with which the area on the surface can be selected, illuminated and viewed. The two convex and concave mirrors are each preferably manufactured as integral parts, so that both convex mirrors as well as both concave mirrors form a single component.
As already indicated above, in the present invention the expression "light" is not limited to the visible range but generally comprises electromagnetic radiation that can be focused by the optical components described. In particular, the infrared range is included. This is mainly relevant for the light that reaches the detector but also for the light that serves for visual viewing, which can be performed with a conventional ocular but also e.g. by attaching a video camera, which can also operate in the infrared range. Therefore, in principal, both the same as well as different light sources may be used for visual viewing and spectroscopy. In IR spectroscopy, it is common to switch light sources (and detectors) depending on the wavelength range, e.g. by shifting deflection mirrors. Clearly, this can also be done when switching to a separate viewing mode. Towards this end, it is particularly important that the selected surface area coincides in the viewing and measuring modes.
In order to make full use of the possibilities of measurements at grazing reflection it is necessary to employ polarized light. The band intensities of thin films on metal surfaces have strong p-polarization but extremely weak s-polarization.
There is therefore a need for a grazing angle microscope for spectroscopy of the above-mentioned kind, which permits use of polarized light.


A scalable test platform can include one or more of a plurality of different device interface boards and a plurality of primitives. The different device interface boards can be configured to provide a uniform interface to couple different types of DUTs and or DUTs with different form factors to the plurality of primitives. The plurality of primitives can be configured to distribute power to the DUTs, and to perform system level testing of the respective DUTs. The plurality of primitives can be configurable by a user to perform any number of system level tests on a number of different types of DUTs and or DUTs with different form factors.

Electronic systems have made significant contributions toward the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous devices, such as desktop personal computers (PCs), laptop PCs, tablet PCs, netbooks, smart phones, servers, and components thereof have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in communicating and analyzing data in most areas of entertainment, education, business, and science. These electronic systems and devices are typically tested to ensure proper operation. While testing of the systems and devices has made significant advances, traditional approaches are typically expensive and often have limitations with regards to throughput and convenience.
Conventional test systems are generally single point solutions that are fixedly defined. Conventional systems are not typically well suited for volume production because: 1) the systems are expensive to build and operate; and 2) physical manipulation (e.g., insertion, removal, etc.) of the devices under test is labor intensive. In addition, the test systems are not readily adaptable to the changing needs of users to test different types of DUTs with different form factors. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for improved test system that are readily adaptable to the changing needs of users to test different types of DUTs with different form factors.

Scalable platform for system level testing


This invention pertains to pliers for increasing the interproximal retention of thermoplastic appliances by denting the appliances in the interproximal areas between the teeth, especially denting the thermoplastic material at the interproximal gingival area.

Removable orthodontic appliances are used to retain teeth in an aligned position and to move teeth. Retaining the orthodontic appliance on the teeth has long been a problem. Traditional Hawley type appliances use metal clasps for retention. These metal clasps are adjustable: although, retention has been difficult as evidenced by the variety of clasps, such as ball clasps and Adams clasps, developed to improve the retentive capabilities. The arrival of thermoformed appliances introduced an all plastic appliance without metal clasps for retention. Attempts, with limited success, have been made to add retentive clasps. The thermoforming process does not readily enclose wires. Wires are held in with acrylic which requires a thermoforming material which is compatible and will fuse with the acrylic. Some of the best thermoforming materials are not compatible with acrylic. Pliers have been developed to dent the plastic material in a variety of shapes. None of the devices have been successful in making the vacuum-formed appliances more retentive after the appliance has been constructed.

Orthodontic interproximal locking pliers


A fastening device for connecting identified openings, including: an elongated main body member defining a longitudinal axis, the main body member having a first end portion and a second end portion at opposite ends of the longitudinal axis; first and second tip end members located at the first end portion and second end portion of the body, respectively, the first and second tip end members each adapted to fit through one of the identified openings; and a first deformable interference portion located between the main body member and the first tip end member, and a second deformable interference portion located between the main body and the second tip end member; where the first and second deformable interference portions are each normally located in a rest state where they define an outer dimension that prevents their passage through one of the identified openings. Other embodiments, features and methods are also described.

Industrial applications of fastening devices include the use of thread or string, including shoe laces. Unfortunately, during use, particularly during rough sports play or hard work activities, these conventional fastening devices are often broken, shred, or become unreliable, or even dangerous to users.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fastening device that provides an improved reliability and use. Further, there is also a need to improve a method of using a fastening device where the installation and application of a fastening device allows an adaptive use to a variety of alternative engagements with articles requiring fastening.


An optical fiber is provided, which is unlikely to cause interlayer delamination between a glass optical fiber and a primary coating layer even when it is immersed in water. The optical fiber of the present invention includes a glass optical fiber 1 consisting of a core and a cladding, a primary coating layer 2 overlaid on the glass optical fiber, and a secondary coating layer 3 overlaid on the primary coating layer, wherein the relaxation modulus of the secondary coating layer is set at 400 MPa or less.

Conventional optical fibers generally have a structure, as shown in FIG. 1, in which a soft primary coating layer 2 is overlaid on a glass optical fiber 1 consisting of silica glass having a core and a cladding which is provided outside the core, and a hard secondary coating layer 3 is further overlaid on the primary coating layer 2.
Typically, a UV curable resin having Young's modulus of 3 MPa or less has been used as the primary coating layer 2, and a UV curable resin having Young's modulus of 500 MPa or more has been used as the secondary coating layer 3.
When such an optical fiber ribbon is immersed in water, delamination may occur at an interface between the glass optical fiber 1 and the primary coating layer 2
If case such delamination is caused, uneven force acts on the glass optical fiber induced by the delamination to cause microbending, whereby the transmission loss is increased. In order to prevent the occurrence of the delamination, extraordinary efforts have been made by thoroughly examining the material of each of the coating layers so as to ensure sufficient adhesion between the primary coating layer 2 and the glass optical fiber 1.
However, there is a limitation in ensuring such sufficient adhesiveness while maintaining the function of each of the coating layers. It has therefore been a practice instead to optimize the cable structure and the matrix, or the quality of material for a colored layer, or to adjust manufacturing conditions.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-122761 (Patent Document 1), for example, deals with such approaches and discloses a method for maintaining transmission characteristics in good conditions by defining the water absorption coefficient of the coating resin layers of an optical fiber.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-372655 (Patent Document 2) discloses a method for reducing an amount of water that reaches the optical fiber by reducing the water absorption coefficient of the colored layer.
The method described in Patent Document 1 retains the water absorption coefficient of the optical fiber at a low level by controlling the storage conditions of the optical fiber, suppresses foaming caused by water contained in the coating, and prevents deterioration in the hydraulic characteristics and low-temperature characteristics. However, this method cannot be an effective measure for preventing the increase in the loss due to the occurrence of microbending which is caused at the time when water reaches the optical fiber under the usage environment mentioned above.
Even the method described in Patent Document 2 cannot completely shut out water that reaches the optical fiber, and thus the loss due to microbending unavoidably increases depending on the usage environment.
Thus, under the present circumstances, there is no extremely effective measure for suppressing the loss increase when an optical fiber is immersed in water.
In light of the problem provided above, the present invention has an object of providing an optical fiber which is unlikely to cause interlayer delamination between a glass optical fiber and a primary coating layer even when the optical fiber is immersed in water.

Optical fiber provided with reliable coating layers


Disclosed is a vehicle security system, which includes a security controller and a remote controller. The security controller is electrically connected to sensors and alarms, respectively, and has a memory storing an anti-thief alert grade table. The anti-thief alert grade table records at least two alert grades each having a respective sensitivity default value corresponding to each sensor. The sensitivity default value of each alert grade for each sensor defines the critical actuation value of the respective sensor for the respective alert grade. The remote controller has a control button for pressing to control the security controller to enter the desired alert grade of the alert mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a security system for a vehicle and more particularly, to such a vehicle security system, which allows the user to selectively adjust the alert grade.
2. Description of Related Art
Regular vehicles are commonly equipped with a security system for protection against thieves. A vehicle security system is known comprising a security controller mounted in the car, a plurality of sensors installed in the car at different locations and electrically connected to the security controller, and a remote controller carried by the car owner. Immediately after leaving the car, the car owner will press the control button of the remote controller to activate the alert mode of the security system. However, regular vehicle security systems provide only one single alert grade, i.e., the sensitivity of the sensors that are electrically connected to the security controller is fixed. Further, a vehicle may be parked in any climatic environment, for example, fine and cloudless weather, thunderous weather, snowy weather, etc. The sensitivity of the sensors of a vehicle security system that suits fine and cloudless weather may be not suitable for a thunderous or stormy weather. It is frequently seen that the alarm of the security system of a car alarms due to a sharp weather change, especially in abrupt changes of atmospheric pressure.
Further, parking a car in a different place may require a different alert grade. For example, the alert grade may be relatively lowered when parking the car in the house. On the contrary, the alert grade should be relatively higher if the car is parked in the street.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a vehicle security system that allows the user to adjust the alert grade to suit different conditions.


An amplifier having an amplifying optical fiber, the amplifier including means for reducing the optical noise due to amplified spontaneous emission, said means being inserted in the length of the amplifying optical fiber, wherein said means comprise an optical isolator.

Erbium-doped optical fiber amplifiers are known, e.g. from Document FR 2 638 854, as are associated undersea transmission systems. Such amplifiers enable high gains to be obtained merely by passing the signal along an optical fiber, and this applies to the spectrum range 1.5 .mu.m to 1.6 .mu.m. However, it is known (see J. F. Marcerou et al., Proceedings SPIE 1373, pp. 168-186, 1991), that when it is desired to make full use of an erbium-doped optical fiber amplifier, it is limited by the optical noise it generates, known as "amplified spontaneous emission" (ASE). Amplified spontaneous emission is then responsible in part for saturating the laser medium, which happens to the detriment of amplifying the signal(s) present in the optical fiber. Indeed, that is why ASE is used for making excellent wideband superfluorescent sources.
Several solutions have already been proposed for solving this problem. To reduce the noise factor, it is possible to use short fibers, but that penalizes gain. It is also possible to use fibers that are not optimized, but that requires pumping powers that are too high.
Proposals have also been made to limit the effect of amplified spontaneous emission in amplifiers by inserting an optical filter in the length of erbium-doped fiber. The optical filter blocks a spectrum component of the noise in both directions. However, that method suffers from the drawback of limiting the passband of the amplifier and is risky when amplifiers are used in cascade due to the fact that the frequencies differ a little from one filter to another.
In order to mitigate these drawbacks, the present invention proposes using an isolator (one or more) and inserting it within the amplifying optical fiber. This serves to reduce the deleterious effects of optical noise.

Amplifier having an amplifying optical fiber


A nail lamp includes an inner casing including an inner shell and an inner chamber enclosed by the inner shell, wherein the inner chamber has an opening; a light emitting module disposed on an inner surface of the inner shell and facing the inner chamber; a control module disposed on the inner shell and electrically connected with the light emitting module; an outer housing hooding the inner casing, revealing the opening; and a touchscreen module or an ordinary screen module disposed on the outer housing and electrically connected with the control module with the touchscreen or screen thereof exposed to the exterior. An option menu is programmed in the operating interface of the touchscreen module beforehand. The user directly uses her/his finger to select an option from the option menu. The touchscreen or ordinary screen can further display the information the related parties intend to present.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nail lamp, particularly to a nail lamp, which can cure the nail gel and display information for the user simultaneously.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Nail art has prevailed in recent years. The modern nail art usually coats nails with different colors of resins to provide the nails with the brilliance and chrominance. Sometimes, the nail art design is diversified via sticking decorative platelets on the nails. Normally, a nail lamp is used to illuminate the nails so as to fast cure the resins or glues on the nails.
The conventional nail lamp has a plurality of press keys disposed on the top front region thereof. The press keys are connected with the control circuit and used to control the operation of the lamp panel inside the nail lamp. The press keys respectively correspond to different operation durations of the lamp panel, such as 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 90 seconds. Each press key includes a keycap and a link lever connecting the keycap and the control circuit. While the user presses a press key, the control circuit controls the lamp panel to operate for a duration preset for the press key. The number of options is limited by the number of press keys. For example, the abovementioned conventional nail lamp only has four options of operation durations, i.e. 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 90 seconds. While the number of options is required to increase, more keycaps and link levers must be installed in the conventional nail lamp, which would complicate fabrication and increase the probability of damage.


It is an object of the present invention to alleviate unevenness due to an opening for making a contact with the lower layer even when the opening has a large diameter (1 μm or more). Thus, it is a further object of the invention to reduce defects caused by the unevenness due to the contact hole. It is a feature of the invention to form a wiring by filling the contact hole with conductive fine particles. The conductive fine particles can be easily dispersed into a wiring material by using conductive fine particles having high wettability with the wiring material, thereby making a contact. Thus, planarization of a contact hole can be achieved without performing a reflow process. Further, more planarity can be obtained by performing a reflow process in addition, and the reliability is improved accordingly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for forming a contact between wirings of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in accordance with the development of technology, miniaturization and performance of electronic devices has been advanced, and the highly developed electronic devices are everywhere. In order to maintain a company's competitive edge, it has become very important not only to produce better products than other companies, but also to offer such products at lower prices.
How to produce advanced electronic devices without increasing the cost becomes key; however, if reliability and quality are sacrificed, it is impossible to satisfy users' needs. Higher production yields is a very effective measure to achieve further price reduction without degrading performance, reliability, and quality.
Most of electronic devices used today are equipped with devices using semiconductor elements. Defects in the devices using semiconductor elements are some of the factors to cause lower yield. Defects due to disconnection and high resistivity of a wiring, and display defects and defects due to display unevenness in display devices can be given as defects in such semiconductor devices.
When forming a conductive film used for a wiring, disconnection and high resistivity of the wiring is occasionally caused by poor coverage of the conductive film. The poor coverage mostly occurs around an opening where the conductive film makes a contact with the lower layer. Further, the poor coverage can occur, for example, when the contact is not made since the opening is not covered with a wiring material, or when a part of a wiring becomes too thin.
Display defects and unevenness are often due to unevenness caused reflecting the shape of the opening for forming a contact with the lower layer or the shape of the conductive film in the lower layer. When the unevenness leads to nonuniformly of the electrical field, display unevenness are caused in a liquid crystal display device. Meanwhile in an EL device, display defects such as dark spots and bright spots would be caused as well as display unevenness.
As to an IC, a CPU, or the like, higher precision, higher integration, and multilevel interconnection have been achieved. However, depressions or projections in layers are overlapped with each other in repeating layering; so that a large step height would be formed (FIG. 2A). Such a step may cause further reduction in yield.
In order to reduce such defects and steps of an opening for forming a contact with the lower layer, a measure as disclosed in Reference 1 is taken, for example (Reference 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-37979).
There is no problem if the diameter of a contact hole is small; however, when the diameter of a contact hole 102 is large as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, there has been a problem that the depression could not be filled completely, and a step 105 would remain although reflow is performed.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the thickness of a wiring around the contact hole 102 becomes too thin and the thin portion 106 may have high resistance. Still further, when the wettability of a material of the wiring 104 with a base insulating film 101 is low, disconnection may occur in the worst case.
In order to prevent such high resistance and disconnection, an approach to increase the thickness of the wiring 104 can be conceived; however, excessive thickness is undesirable in view of integration. Accordingly, even a countermeasure such as etchback as in Reference 1 is taken, the accuracy of the etchback would cause a problem.

Method for fabricating semiconductor device and display device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A headwear piece having a crown defining an opening for receiving a wearer's head with the headwear piece in an operative position on the wearer's head. The headwear piece has an exposed surface. Ornamentation is applied to the exposed surface of the headwear piece. The ornamentation has a substrate layer that is separate from and secured to the exposed surface of the headwear piece, and a design piece separately formed from and attached in relationship to the substrate layer. The substrate layer has a perimeter edge. The design piece has thread that is formed to produce at least a part of a viewable design. The design piece further has a perimeter edge. The substrate layer extends beyond the perimeter edge of the design piece to define a frame surface at least partially around the perimeter edge of the design piece. The perimeter edge of the substrate layer has a shape that at least nominally conforms to a shape of the perimeter edge of the design piece at least partially around the perimeter edge of the design piece.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparel and, more particularly, to ornamentation that can be placed thereon for purposes of aesthetics and/or to convey information.
2. Background Art
Many different apparel articles, such as headwear, shirts, jackets, purses, etc. have ornamentation thereon that enhances the appearance thereof and/or conveys information, such as the identity of: a) a person, place, or thing; b) an event; c) competitors in an event, etc. For purposes of explanation herein, the focus will be on ornamentation applied to headwear, with it being understood that the ornamentation can be similarly applied to any other apparel article.
Headwear, and more specifically baseball-style caps, to include baseball caps, visors, etc., is commonly adorned by applications to external surfaces of a crown, which accommodates a wearer's head. Numerous different techniques are utilized to apply this ornamentation.
As one example, thread may be embroidered directly against the crown. Since it is common to make the basic headwear piece before the application of ornamentation, this procedure has a number of drawbacks. First of all, the embroidery process is carried out on a curved surface. This introduces problems both in terms of handling the headwear piece during the embroidery operations and aligning the stitching material with the curved surface. Improper coordination between the headwear piece and embroidery machinery may produce a less than desired quality of product.
As an alternative to directly embroidering on the crown, or an associated brim/bill, it is known to pre-form patches in a flattened state and thereafter apply the same to the headwear piece. A typical patch may consist of a substrate layer to which thread is applied through weaving or embroidery operations.
Modern techniques for producing woven labels permit relatively fine and intricate detail to be integrated into the patch. However, inherently, the processes to produce patches through weaving are more time consuming, and, thus more expensive than those used to embroider. Consequently, woven patches are generally made relatively small in size for use on mass-produced headwear. While woven patches are desirable from an aesthetic standpoint, they are often opted away from in favor of embroidered patches which, in the same price range, can be made larger to be more dominant and eye catching. The above problems are common to weaving operations that are performed directly upon the crown as well as those that employ a separate substrate layer to produce a patch that is subsequently applied to the headwear.
Consequently, the industry has maintained different categories of product. Headwear with ornamentation applied through weaving operations has generally been in the high-end category and such that the ornamentation is more discrete in appearance. Ornamentation applied through conventional embroidery procedures offers more opportunity to be applied over a substantial areal extent, while maintaining cost at a relatively low level. The latter result is achieved at the expense of clarity, definition, and detail of the subject matter formed on the headwear, either directly or through separately applied patches.
Those in the headwear industry compete often based on the quality of the ornamentation. Designers must balance the quality of the ornamentation versus the price that the consumer is willing to pay for the associated products.


An apparatus including a processor configured to cause detecting a second apparatus including a wireless charging unit being attached to the apparatus; determining a parameter concerning the second apparatus; and automatically adjusting at least one functionality of the apparatus in accordance with the parameter.

Portable electronic devices, e.g. mobile phones, smartphones and tablets, are widely used for different purposes, and there is a wide variety of accessories available for such devices. Accessories serve several purposes, ranging from protecting the device to adding functionality to the device.
A common accessory to a portable electronic device is a cover or case that protects the device or offers further functionality thereto. For example covers implementing wireless charging of the device are increasingly popular. A suitable cover with or without further functionality provides a further enhancement of the user experience while retaining the outstanding qualities and functionality of the device itself.