An audio output circuit includes a DAC module, a line out circuit, and a headphone amplifier circuit. The digital to analog conversion (DAC) module is coupled to convert an audio component of digitized multimedia data into an analog audio signal. The line out circuit is coupled to amplify the analog audio signal based on a line out volume setting. The headphone amplifier is coupled to amplify the analog audio signal based on a volume setting to produce an amplified analog audio signal.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to mixed signal integrated circuits and more particularly to multiple independent outputs of a system on a chip.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a system on a chip (SOC) integrates multiple independent circuits, which are typically available as individual integrated circuits, onto a single integrated circuit. For example, an audio processing SOC combines a processing core (e.g., microprocessor and/or digital signal processor, instruction cache, and data cache), an audio codec (e.g., digitization of analog audio input signals and converting digitized audio signals into analog output signals), a high speed serial interface (e.g., universal serial bus (USB) interface), and an external memory interface.
To facilitate the conversion of digitized audio signals into analog output signals, the audio codec of an audio processing SOC includes a digital to analog converter (DAC) that provides its output to a headphone amplifier and/or to a line out driver, but with limitations. For example, in one known embodiment, the line out driver and the headphone amplifier are serially coupled to output of the DAC. In this embodiment, the headphone amplifier is dependent on line out driver such that the line out driver cannot be muted and/or powered down without affecting the headphone amplifier.
In another known embodiment, the headphone amplifier and line out driver are separately coupled to the output of the DAC. In this embodiment, the DAC provides volume control for the headphone amplifier, which also affects the signal level to the line out driver. To provide a relatively constant signal level output, the line out driver includes an inverse volume control function to counteract the volume adjustments by the DAC, which has limited accuracy. While this embodiment provides digital volume control and a wider volume range via the DAC, it adversely affects the line out driver.
In either of the above embodiments, the DAC, the headphone amplifier, and the line out driver are supplied with the same voltage. The typical output levels of the line out driver mandate the use of a higher supply voltage than what is necessary for the headphone amplifier and the DAC. Using a common voltage supply can save pins by sourcing the three circuits through a single pin. This comes with the cost of the extra power consumed by running the DAC and the headphone amplifier at higher than needed supply voltages.
In addition, the DAC, the headphone amplifier, and the line out driver have separate ground pin connections to provide isolation between the circuits. While this provides a desired level of isolation, it requires extra pins to implement.
Therefore, a need exists for a SOC that includes multiple independent outputs that overcomes one or more of the above mentioned limitations.

System on a chip with multiple independent outputs


A sag-bending glass mold for creating a partial parabolic-curved glass sheet is disclosed. The glass mold comprises a glass-support surface having a cross-sectional profile of varying height. The cross-sectional profile has a first portion with profile of a non-parabolic, linear-square root composite shape. A method for forming a partial parabolic glass sheet is also disclosed. The method comprises positioning a planar glass sheet on a sag-bending mold having a linear-square root composite shape and deforming the glass sheet to follow the linear-square root composite shape of the sag-bending mold.

Glass mirrors, including those with a parabolic shape, are useful for solar applications. In some solar applications, parabolic-shaped mirrors can be used for solar concentrator systems. A solar concentrator system is one where sunlight is reflected with increased, concentrated intensity on a receiving unit. Because of the optical effects associated with parabolic-shaped mirrors, such shapes are useful for focusing concentrated sunlight.
Forming parabolic mirrors can be accomplished through sag-bending techniques. There are challenges associated with forming parabolic-shaped glass mirrors with sag bending. For example, it can be challenging to form a parabolic-shaped glass sheet because the curve deviation from a flat sheet of glass increases as the length of the glass sheet increases. Thus, longer mirrors have portions that are deformed a small amount and a greater amount. The dissimilarity in deformation amounts can cause increased difficulty in accurately controlling the shape of the glass sheet during deformation.
Solar concentrator systems can be sensitive to minor variations in operating conditions, such as mirror shape, which can affect the location of concentrated sunlight on the receiving unit, the shape of the concentrated sunlight reflected area, and other aspects of the system, all of which contribute to the efficiency and power output of the system. Accordingly, solar concentrator systems benefit from components made to very high precision. Thus, crafting parabolic mirrors with minimized defects or deviations from an ideal shape provides a benefit to a solar concentrator system.


A combined bias circuit in which a voltage drive bias circuit and a current drive bias circuit are provided in parallel with each other has a configuration in which a linearizer including a first resistor is connected between an amplifying transistor and a second resistor. This configuration ensures that even when a low voltage of 2.4 to 2.5 V is supplied as an external reference voltage, the amplifying operation can be performed while generally constantly maintaining an idling current in a temperature range from a low temperature to a high temperature, and that degradation in distortion characteristics during low-temperature operation can be limited.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bias circuit for a power amplifier and, more particularly, to a bias circuit including an emitter follower and capable of operating by a low external reference voltage a power amplifier formed on a GaAs chip integrally with the bias circuit.
2. Background Art
In recent years, a GaAs-HBT power amplifier (HBT: heterojunction bipolar transistor) is being widely used as a power amplifier for portable telephones in code division multiple access (CDMA) systems or other systems, or as a wireless LAN power amplifier.
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-343244, a circuit formed as a conventional GaAs-HBT power amplifier module is disclosed.
FIG. 11 shows an example of a circuit formed as a conventional GaAs-HBT power amplifier module. A portion surrounded by the broken line is formed on a GaAs chip. Other portions are formed of chip parts and lines on the module substrate.
The circuit shown in FIG. 11 has an RF signal input terminal (IN) and an RF signal output terminal (OUT). Tr1 and Tr2 respectively denote heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) in initial and final stages. Vc1 and Vc2 respectively denote terminals for power supply to the collectors of the transistors Tr1 and Tr2. Vcb denotes a terminal for power supply to a bias circuit for the transistors Tr1 and Tr2. Rb1, Rb2, Rb12 and Rb22 denote resistors. C1 to C4, C21 to C23, Cd1, Cd2 and Cdb denote capacitors. L1 and L2 denote inductors. L11 and L21 to L23 denote lines having particular electrical lengths and functioning as inductors.
FIG. 12 shows a concrete example of a circuit configuration of the final stage transistor Tr2 and the bias circuit section for this transistor. (The initial transistor Tr1 and the bias circuit section for the initial transistor Tr1 also have basically the same circuit configuration.) Trb1 to Trb5 denote HBTs. Rbb1 to Rbb6 denote resistors. Vrefb denotes a terminal for input of a reference voltage to the bias circuit (a terminal through which a reference voltage is externally supplied). Vcb denotes a collector power terminal for the bias circuit. Vbo denotes an output terminal of the bias circuit. The bias circuits for the Tr1 and Tr2 operates so as to constantly maintain the idling currents through the Tr1 and Tr2 of the power amplifier (bias currents when no RF signal input is supplied) under varying temperature
For the normal operation of the bias circuit for the power amplifier shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, a reference voltage Vref higher than twice the barrier voltage of HBTs, typified that in a two-stage cascaded section formed of Trb4 and Trb5 in a diode connection or that in a two-stage cascaded section formed of the final stages Tr2 and Trb1, is required. That is, in a case where GaAs HBT is used, a Vref of about 2.7 to 2.9 V is required from consideration of a barrier voltage of about 1.25 to 1.30 V and a voltage drop across the resistor Rbb1 (about 0.2 to 0.3 V).
However, when Vref is reduced, for example, to a voltage of 2.5 V lower than twice the barrier voltage of the HBTs, an idling current cannot flow even at ordinary temperature and the bias circuit shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is practically unusable unless it is modified. If the circuit operates at a lower temperature, the problem that an idling current cannot flow is more serious. This is because the barrier voltage determined by the device material is higher if the temperature is lower. Ordinarily, the barrier voltage has a gradient of about −1 to −2 mV/° C.
To solve the above-described problem, the inventors of the present invention have devised a circuit configured as shown in FIG. 13 and capable of operating at a low voltage: Vref=2.4 to 2.5 V. In this circuit shown in FIG. 13, Tr2a and Tr2b denote power transistors; Trb1 to Trb6, biasing transistors; Rbb1 to Rbb13, resistors; and C4 and Ca, capacitors. This circuit is characterized in that Tr2a has a line for injecting a current directly through the resistor Rbb9 (current drive) and a line for supplying a current through an emitter follower formed by Trb1 and Trb2 (voltage drive), and that Tr2b has only a line for injecting a current through the resistor Rbb13. If this circuit is used, power amplification at a low voltage: Vref=2.4 to 2.5 V can be performed.
In the current shown in FIG. 13, however, there is a possibility that, if factors including circuit constants are not sufficiently optimized, the gain (Gp) and distortion characteristics (ACP/ACLR) will degrade at a low temperature, as shown in FIG. 14, although there are no gain distortion problems at ordinary or high temperature. A reduction in gain Gp under such conditions has been experimentally observed in correspondence with degradations in distortion characteristics.

Bias circuit for power amplifier having a low degradation in distortion characteristics


A faucet adapter including an inlet assembly that includes a connecting portion configured for connection to a fluid source. A handle remote from the connecting portion is operably connected thereto such that actuation of the handle results in actuation of the connecting portion, independent of a fluid flow through the adapter.

A garden-type faucet (e.g., a spigot or sill-cock) is typically mounted on an exterior surface of a house or outbuilding. As most users acquainted with this common feature will appreciate, the faucet is often located and/or oriented in a position that makes it difficult to access or manipulate. In particular, many users may experience difficulty attaching a mounting nut of a garden accessory, such as a hose, to the threaded outlet of the faucet due in part to the close proximity of the surface on which it is mounted. For example, many users—particularly those with limited hand dexterity (e.g., a user with arthritis)—may have difficulty grasping the mounting nut of a garden hose or other accessory while attempting properly to align and mount it onto the threads of the faucet. Because of this common, awkward positioning of a typical faucet it is not uncommon for a user to scratch her knuckles against a wall on which such faucets are typically mounted, or to pinch her fingers between the mounting nut and the wall. Some faucet adapters have attempted to address this problem by including an extension for mounting onto the faucet that allows a user to attach hoses or other garden accessories onto a spigot-type structure that is distal from the faucet.
However, it may be difficult to connect and/or remove such faucet adapters to/from the faucet due at least in part to the size and/or shape of the faucet adapter body. In many cases, the user may experience difficulty gripping and twisting the mounting nut of the faucet adapter to attach it to the faucet. As with the garden hose connection problem described, this difficulty commonly occurs as a result of the confined space typically available between a faucet and the surface to which it is mounted. As also noted above, this task of connection may be particularly difficult for persons with limited hand strength and/or dexterity (e.g., elderly or infirm users).


An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily fix a cover member to a reel unit of a spinning reel while exposure of a fixing member to a rear portion of the reel unit is reduced. A reel unit includes a reel body, a lid member, a reel unit protection member, and an intermediate member. The reel body includes an accommodation space that opens to a lateral side, a first insertion hole that is communicated with the accommodation space, and a second insertion hole that is disposed on the opposite side of the first insertion hole and is communicated with the accommodation space. The lid member is detachably/reattachably mounted to the reel body so as to cover the accommodation space. The reel unit protection member is mounted from backward so as to cover the reel body and the lid member, and includes a boss that passes through the first insertion hole from a rear portion of the reel body and protrudes toward the accommodation space. The intermediate member is non-movably provided in the reel body within the accommodation space, and retains a screw member fixed to a front end portion of the boss in the accommodation space.

A spinning reel includes a reel unit, a rotor that is rotatably supported on the front portion of the reel unit, and a spool that fishing line is wound around the outer peripheral surface thereof. The reel unit includes a reel body and a lid member. The reel body has an accommodation space in the interior thereof, and the accommodation space opens to the lateral side. The lid member is detachably/reattachably mounted to the reel body so as to cover the opening of the reel body. In the conventional reel units, screw members such as screws are screwed into a plurality of positions of a chassis while a lid member is interposed between the chassis and the screw members, and thus the lid member is fixed to the chassis. When the lid member is fixed to a chassis by the screw members in this way, recesses in which head portions of the screw members are accommodated are exposed to the external appearance. Therefore, it is difficult to form a reel unit with a quality appearance. In addition, there is a possibility that foreign materials such as bait and dust are attached to the recesses.
In order to solve this kind of problem, the hitherto known arts have been known, which discloses a spinning reel including a reel unit in which screw members are not exposed to the external appearance thereof. Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H06-21336 discloses such reel as an example. A reel unit of a conventional spinning reel includes a reel unit and a lid member. The front portion of the reel body and that of the lid member are disposed in the interior of a rotor, and the lid member is fixed by a screw member that is disposed in the front portion. In addition, the rear portion of the reel body and that of the lid member are covered with a cover member. The cover member is fixed to the reel body by two screw members (an example of a fixing member) that are inserted from the front portion of the reel unit. The fixing members for fixing the cover member to the reel body are disposed in left and right positions on the reel unit, respectively, so as to extend along a spool shaft in a front-to-rear direction. In the conventional reel unit with this configuration, the cover member is fixed to the reel body by the screw members that are inserted form the rotor side. Accordingly, when the cover member is mounted to the reel body, the screw member is not exposed to the rear portion of the reel unit.


The present invention provides a way to increase the softening point of heavier hydrocarbons in a relatively low cost and low pressure process using superheated steam to i) increase the carbon yield of the heavier hydrocarbons, while simultaneously ii) removing volatile components with a steam stripping process.

Extensive work has been reported in the patent literature on the use of hot, high pressure hydrogen for vaporization of used motor oil. In particular, the assignee herein, Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC, owns Moore U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,938 which describes re-refining used motor oil by direct injection of a superheated, non-hydrogenating recycle vapor, and the Schaffer Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,402,937 which is directed to a process for the direct contact heating and vaporization of used motor oil.
While superheated steam has been used to recycle used motor oil, until the present invention there has been no disclosure of using superheated steam distillation to increase the softening point and carbon yield of pitch.
Heavier hydrocarbons, such as petroleum pitch are used as a carbon precursor for many applications. One important characteristic of carbon precursors is the "carbon yield." Most commercially available petroleum pitches currently exhibit a carbon yield (as measured by the Modified Conradson Carbon method, ASTM D 2418) of 50 wt % or less. Pitch is used as a carbon precursor for the production of graphite electrodes, carbon fibers, carbon/carbon composites and the like. The efficiency of many of these applications is increased as a function of carbon yield.
Ward et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,620, Ward, et al., "Process for the manufacture of carbon fibers and feedstock therefore," May 22, 1990) teaches that the carbon yield of pitch can be increased by removal of the more volatile components of pitch via distillation techniques. To prevent undesirable changes in the pitch product due to thermal treatment, a short path distillation technique using a wiped film evaporator is utilized. Pitch product obtained from this process can have a softening point up to approximately 275° C. A corresponding increase in carbon yield as measured by the Modified Conradson Carbon method also increases up to approximately 80, and in some embodiments, 82 to 85 wt %. Successful implementation of this technique requires the use of extremely good vacuum during processing.
The injection of normal steam into distillation columns is known to reduce the effective vapor pressure of hydrocarbons (J. L. Kroschwitz, M. Howe-Grant, editors, "Steam Distillation," Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York N.Y. 1993, Volume 8, pages 348, 349). The use of superheated steam has been demonstrated as a heat transfer medium in the production of coal tar and petroleum pitch (Tsuchitani, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,547, "Process for producing pitch for the manufacture of high-performance carbon fibers together with pitch for the manufacture of general-purpose carbon fibers," May 15, 1990).
It would be advantageous to provide an efficient method for increasing the softening point and also increasing the carbon yield of heavier hydrocarbons in a continuous manner.
It would also be advantageous to provide an efficient method for increasing the softening point and increasing the carbon yield of heavier hydrocarbons which does not require apparatus susceptible to clogging or fouling under normal processing conditions.
Until the present invention, however, there has not been a process that can be used to increase the softening point of heavier hydrocarbons by direct injection of superheated steam into the heavier hydrocarbons.
Until the present invention there has also not been a process that could be used to increase the carbon yield of heavier hydrocarbons by direct injection of superheated steam.
We devised a superheated steam distillation process which provides an effective short residence time distillation of heavy hydrocarbons without causing an excess of thermal treatment.

Method of producing high softening point pitch


An eyepiece lens system has, from the pupil side and proceeding toward the object side, a first lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power. At least one of the first lens unit and the second lens unit has at least one aspherical surface, and the eyepiece lens system fulfills the following condition: ##EQU1## where, f represents a focal length of the entire eyepiece lens system;. d.sub.0 represents an eye-relief;. .phi..sub.1 represents a refractive power of the first lens unit;. .phi..sub.2 represents a refractive power of the second lens unit;. r.sub.1 represents a radius of curvature of a pupil side surface of the first lens unit;. r.sub.3 represents a radius of curvature of a pupil side surface of the second lens unit; and. r.sub.5 represents a radius of curvature of a pupil side surface of the third lens unit.

Conventionally, Japanese Patent Laid-Open (A) 8-68953 proposes an eyepiece lens system having a long eye-relief (the distance between the pupil and the lens surface of the eyepiece lens system which is closest to that pupil. This conventional eyepiece lens system comprises, from the pupil side and proceeding toward the object side, a first-lens unit having a positive refractive power, a second lens unit having a positive refractive power, and a third lens unit having a positive refractive power.
However, the eyepiece lens system disclosed in the above Patent Laid-Open document has a problem in that both a field curvature and a distortion are not corrected with a good balance.


A corona charge spray gun for dispensing powders for powder coatings. The spray gun includes a housing defining a chamber terminating in an outlet passageway. A high voltage electrode is mounted in the chamber spaced upstream of the outlet passageway and a ground electrode is mounted in the chamber spaced upstream from the high voltage electrode. The ground electrode is selected to have a surface area sufficiently larger than the surface area of the high voltage electrode in order to allow high voltages to be applied to the high voltage electrode without arch discharging occurring in the chamber. An inlet opens into the chamber for conducting a powder-gas mixture into the chamber and the electrodes receive cleaning gases for avoiding powder deposits on the electrodes.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for dispensing paint powders for powder coatings, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a corona charge spray gun for dispensing paint powders for powder coatings.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrostatic powder coating is a method of surface finishing for metals or other materials in which a paint layer is applied in a dry powder form without the use of solvents. The powder, usually having powder particles with a mean size of about 30-60 microns and composed of a resin, pigments, flow agents and curing agents etc., is fluidized in a hopper and pneumatically transported to a spray gun through a plastic or rubber hose. The powder is then sprayed out the exit passageway of the gun whereupon it is positively or negatively charged and is attracted to a grounded work-piece, whereupon if forms a uniform powder layer. The work-piece covered with powder paint is then transferred to an oven where the powder layer melts and certain chemical reactions occur to form a smooth film of paint.
The spray gun can be a corona charge gun which is most widely used in the coating industry, or a tribo charge gun which occupies only a small fraction of the total market share. Conventional corona charge spray guns have a configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 1a which includes a powder-air mixture conduit, a high-voltage needle-like electrode located at the gun tip and a powder diffuser. Another typical configuration includes a powder-air mixture conduit in the side of a central gun housing midway of the housing for injecting the powder-air mixture into a chamber, as shown in FIG. 1b. A pointed needle or charge pin is connected to a high voltage generator which typically imparts a negative potential to the electrode. An electric field is established between the needle electrode and the grounded work-piece, with an intensified electric field located at the needle tip due to its small radius of curvature. When a combination of needle geometry and potential is sufficient to create a local electric field strength of 3 MV/m or higher, electrical breakdown of the air, or corona discharge, occurs in a region around the electrode tip. As a result of the local discharge, the air will be ionized, producing negatively charged ions. Powder particles carried by compressed air are transported along the conduit and pass through a discharge region, picking up negative ions on their way to the work-piece.
Corona charge guns, although are widely used in the coating industry, suffer from problems such as Faraday cage effect and back ionization. It would be desirable to provide an apparatus for dispensing powders while avoiding or minimizing the Faraday cage effect and back ionization. When workpieces with a convex geometry have to be coated by corona guns, the presence of an electric field between the gun tip and the work-piece generates a very serious problem, namely poor powder coverage in recessed areas coupled with excessive building up of powder in areas of boundaries or edges. This is a direct result of classical electrostatics, namely, less or no electric field lines can exist or penetrate areas which are surrounded by a grounded metal boundary. If air velocity is low, particles will follow a field line pattern that does not penetrate into an inside of a recessed or concave area of a work-piece. As a general rule, electrostatic forces will deposit material into an opening to a depth equal to or less than a smallest dimension of the opening. This is known as the Faraday cage effect. To a certain extent, a higher air velocity will help by "pushing" a powder into recessed or concave areas but this does not compensate for poor uniformity of coverage.
To eliminate or significantly reduce problems caused by the Faraday cage effect, alternative configurations of corona charge guns have been proposed and/or patented. Included in these are internal charging guns which charge the powder internally in the gun barrel before the powder is ejected from a gun outlet. Since there are no electrical lines built up between the gun nozzle and the grounded work-piece, the Faraday cage effect is eliminated. It is noted that given that the charged powder coming out of the gun tip also generates electrical potential, there may exist a weak electrical field between the gun tip and the work-piece, but such an effect is negligible. As referred to by Moyle, B. D. and Hughes, J. F. (Electrostatics, 16, 277, 1985), an internal charging gun comprises a duct in which a corona discharge needle electrode is located, an grounded ring electrode surrounding the tip of the corona needle or located downstream of the needle, as indicated in FIG. 1c. All powder emanating from the gun nozzle will pass through the corona discharge region surrounding the needle tip and charging is imparted to the powder in this region. Free ions not captured by the powder will be attracted to the surface of the grounded counter electrodes so that few of them are ejected from the nozzle. The result is a high specific charge with a fairly small voltage on a corona electrode, an electrical line free space between the gun nozzle and work-piece, and a large reduction of free ion emission towards the work-piece.
As stated by Moyle, B. D. and Hughes, J. F. (Electrostatics, 16, 277, 1985), although remarkably good in terms of high-quality coatings, long-term tests with the prior art internal charging corona guns have shown deterioration in performance after long uninterrupted runs. This is considered to be associated with a growth of partially cured powder and back-ionization on a ground counter electrode inside the gun. The inventors have conducted tests showing that with this configuration of electrodes, the ground counter electrode is coated by powder and becomes back-ionized within a few seconds to a few minutes. Powder deposition results in a significant deterioration of the charging performance leading to a degradation and failure of the gun. Thus, frequent cleaning of the gun must be performed with utmost care. This is a time consuming operation which normally requires shutdown of a production line.
Considerable efforts have been made to improve long-term efficiency of internal charging guns. Two different approaches involving a piezo-electric ceramic ring electrode which undergoes an oscillatory deformation and a curtain electrode with a double helix configuration have been considered as a solution to the problem (Moyle, B. D. and Hughes, J. F., Electrostatics, 16, 277, 1985; Masuda, S. IEEE/IAS Conference Proceedings 35D, 1977, P. 887). However, as mentioned by Misev, T. A. (Powder Coatings Chemistry and Technology, John Wiley & Sons, 1990), despite the promising results, neither attempt resulted in a commercial gun system. Another alternative is to employ a porous metal ring electrode which is cleaned by air purge (Misev, T. A., Powder Coatings Chemistry and Technology, John Wiley & Sons, 1990) to remove powder coated on a ring surface. Again, this design found no wide application as the ring surface can not be thoroughly cleaned because of the nature of the porous surface.
A recent improvement to the internal charging gun has been made by Muhlhausen, B. G. and Heidelberg, H-G. N. etc., ABB Research Ltd., Zurich, Switzerland and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,684B1 (continuation of PCT/EP96/05462, or WO98/245555). This design includes a chamber, several high-voltage electrodes annularly distributed in a region upstream of the outlet and a tubular ground electrode extending along the cylindrical axis of the chamber at the back of the gun housing. The tubular ground electrode has an end directed towards an interior of the chamber and is covered by an insulating material with a small hole through which the tubular ground electrode is exposed to the high-voltage electrodes. The purpose of this configuration is to prevent the charged powder from depositing on the ground counter electrode because the ground counter electrode is located upstream of the high-voltage electrodes and is also continuously flushed by clean air. However, this design suffers from two drawbacks. First, the area of the ground electrode exposed to the high-voltage electrodes is very small which can result in dangerous sparking during operation. Secondly, due to the small area of the exposed ground electrode, the intensity of electrical field at the high-voltage electrode may not reach sufficiently high strengths to generate enough free ions that charge the powder effectively.
German Patent No. 27 22 100 B1 also describes a spray gun having a blunt ground electrode in a section of the gun barrel having an enlarged diameter located upstream of the charging pin and centrally located in the flow passageway. The purpose of having the ground electrode with a blunt shape in the enlarged cross-sectional area is to cause powder flow to slow to allow time for powder charging. However, the inventors have conducted tests on such configurations which have shown that this structure results in a highly irregular passageway for the powder and causes a surface of the blunt ground electrode, especially the side facing the high voltage electrode, to be coated almost immediately, leading to performance failure of the gun.
It would be very advantageous to provide a powder spraying apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the above designs that provides long-term efficient charging performance and with a relatively simple configuration.

Method and apparatus for dispensing paint powders for powder coatings


Plastic bags are continuously formed and filled with sand, soil and gravel to fabricate flexible soft bricks of various shapes and configurations which may be laid on the ground to stabilize sand for growing vegetation or to prevent soil depletion due to water erosion or to grow vegetation in them. Protective housings made of plastic membrane material may be erected in dry or desert regions for growing trees and vegetation. The lower portion of the housing may be located below ground into a trench. Self operating knives are located in the housing to sever the plastic membrane material when the tree grown in the housing has reached a predetermined maturity. Tree planting bullets are provided to facilitate forestation by airplane to land inaccessible regions. The tree seedling is located in supported in an embryonic sack located in a depression formed in the rear portion of the bullet head.

This invention relates to a forestation method and system for improving the global environment.
People are increasingly aware of the changes in the global weather pattern from that of the past. Pollution of the environment is worsen with the annual ever increasing demands for more crude oil and the creation of industrial acid fluid wastes. People in Canada and other parts of North America are warned to stay out of the mid day sun in the summer to avoid being harm by the high level of UV ray passing through the hole in the ozone layer. Economists have long warned that the world economy is on a deteriorating track; nonetheless, in combating poverty and in seeking for affluence or better health care, changes must be made to restrict the source of pollution. This is evident by the diminishing amount of forest world wide. Some effort has been spent in re-forestation in which seedlings are carried in bags by people climbing up a mountain side to plant them; however, it takes many years for a tree to grow to maturity from a seedling. A land that is not protected by trees is subject to soil erosion. The eroded soil eventually ends in rivers to cause water blockages which in turn cause flooding; and flooding causes yet more soil erosion and more blockages in the river. Often, in flood, water would bypass hydro dams to seek for faster routes to flow out to the sea or lake, and it carries with it the soil and invariably the soil protective plant and grass, thus the water source is depleted in an even more faster rate. Thus, flood occurs more frequently and more seriously world wide. Drought may follow after a flood, because the land after the flood would lose its water retaining property due to leaching by the flood water. The leached soil is not suitable for plant growth either by natural means or by manual planting; and rain water, if any, subsequently falling on such soil would simply run off quickly to result in that the water levels in the lakes and rivers are abnormally low during the drought, or are overflowing by the excessive amount of water flowing into them swiftly during the flood. River and stream are the result of the accumulation of droplets of water from rain. Modern engineering may provide advanced techniques but it often lacks diligence. It tends to solve a defect by correcting the defect per se rather than curing its cause. The present invention provides the combination of plastic bags with the soil and sand world wide for preventing the soil erosion due to wind or flood. It provides a method of creating a soft or flexible brick which eliminates the deficiencies in the common use of steel reinforcement, concrete, rock, clay brick, and fire baked brick for such purposes. With the stabilization of the soil and sand that are not affected by flood or drought, vegetation planting can be effectively carried out. The vegetation would, in turn, improve the soil; and it would flourish with roots growing deeper into the soil as well as providing richer foliage to shading the ground so as to improve further its water retaining property. Due to the differences in the amount of rainfall, ground and soil formation, and factors in the working environment, the following various methods are provided by the present invention to achieve these purposes:
(1) Device with dripping water supply: In a windy area, a tent-like protective plastic shield or housing is firmly anchored on the ground with sand piles. The housing creates a rain forest environment within it while providing the air required for growing a tree in such a protected environment. After the tree has grown to maturity and is capable of withstanding the severe environment outside of the housing, the tree would inherently break the latter. The grown tree would subsequently provide shading and protection to the sand and soil it grows on.
(2) For dry land in a semi-desert area, seeds and tree seedlings are grown in deep trenches provided with necessary lighting. Thus, they are not affected by the wind and the hot baking sun on the ground surface, and the vegetation grows and flourishes in the humid and still air environment deep in the trenches. This method also inherently resolves the common problem of the inability to achieve deep root growth of the seedling in a desert area.
(3) Another method is placing healthy tree stocks or seedlings in a bullet or bomb or bullet head for planting. A helicopter is used for carrying out such rapid planting even in areas inaccessible by land means such as up on steep mountains, and areas inhabited by ferocious animals or poisonous creatures. With the present invention of the century of the unique planting method, forestation may be carried out in any area throughout the world.
The deterioration of the global weather is largely due to the negative effect of the ever increasing demands for advanced living standard by human. The global greenhouse effect has now already caused a variety of natural disasters to occur. This is mainly due to the build up of large amount of carbon dioxide gas created in the atmosphere, which causes the adverse changes in the global weather. Trees to absorb the carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere. The present invention provides various forestation methods and systems which may be carried out to grow vegetation widely in any land.
1. The invention begins by studying and solving the most difficult problem in the forestation of the desert. The most difficult problem with the forestation of the desert is that there is no cohesion in the sand particles in the desert; for this reason, they are easily scattered by wind. Thus, it is difficult to cultivate vegetation in sand. An attempt has been made in the Middle East to spray a thin layer of crude oil on sand to increase its cohesion so as to facilitate vegetation cultivation; however, it has not been proven to be feasible. The present invention utilizes the abundant sand in the desert and vacuum filling it in bags formed by automation by continuously sealing two flexible plastic sheets together. The basic filling material includes a mixture of sand and soil, yellow soil, red soil, clay soil, and fine gravel etc. The basic material may be taken from the desert without requiring further effort in searching for any particular chemical ingredient, size, cohesion or retraction. It is not necessary to build a factory at the site or to use precious natural resources such as coal and mine in the process that may create pollution to the environment All that is necessary, is a farming cultivating machine or tractor for separating large size rocks from the finer sand and soil, a back hoe machine, and the formation of flexible plastic tubes or bags of various shapes and filling the bags with the sand mixture. The unique flexible bricks may be provided in various shapes and sizes depending on the functions required. For example, elongated flexible bricks of different sizes may be used for constructing barrier walls over a long distance in a desert. The flexible bricks may be fabricated in a continuous process on site with the fabricating machine driving behind the cultivator or tractor which disposes of unsuitable large size rocks along the path. The vacuum device on the fabricating machine extracts air from the flexible bricks while they are being formed so as to form a vacuum pack. The lifting device in the fabricating machine delivers the flexible bricks along the two sides of the path as well as piling them to a desired height to form barrier or retaining walls at the intended site. With the fabricating machine and the cultivator driving in such tandem manner, barrier walls such as wind barrier walls may be conveniently and quickly built anywhere in the desert. The method may also be used for installing dikes along a river such as the Yangsi River in China which is prone to flooding. The flexibility of the flexible brick of the present invention, facilitates flexible dikes to be built, which can migrate between the high tide and the low tide to maintain their flood prevention function. A barrier may also be built with such bricks across a river such as the Yellow River in China to form dams and lakes for saving water and separating the sediment from the water. No reinforcing steel or concrete foundation is required in building the walls and dikes with the present unique brick since it is desirable to have the flexibility characteristics. The brick is conducive for grass root growth and for use by farmers for growing vegetation, and it has the advantage that it may be installed En freely and easily at any location, such as along the banks of a river or stream to prevent water erosion. Thus, the fabricating machine of the present invention may be used to build dams, flood dikes, islands in shallow beaches, or retaining walls along a sea shore. Leakage of sand and water from the bag is prevented by a plurality of xe2x80x9c/ xe2x80x9d shaped flaps located in a reverse flow control venting port in the plastic bag. The flexible brick may be used to grow in it various types of vegetation. The sand in the bag is capable of retaining an amount of water equal to 30% of its own volume within the bag, accordingly, it is beneficial for the vegetation growth in such bricks since the amount of water retained in the bag in one rainfall is equivalent to five times the amount of water retained by the same amount of sand outside of the bag.
2. Another important method is growing vegetation within a tent-like housing or shield having a water supply control. The housing or shield is made of a plastic sheet painted with a sun light and heat reflection external coating. A wind operated device is provided for supplying fresh air within the housing. The plastic housing has a predetermined height to protect the vegetation or tree seedling to grow safely to such height. Eight telescopic support rods are located around the base of the plastic housing and are inserted to a desired depth into the sand to anchor the housing securely on the sandy ground. A completely sealed housing is thus erected on the ground and it is weighed down safely by the weight of the sand located within it. In turn, the sand within the housing is protected by the latter. Thus, a green house is provided by the housing for growing the seedling in a tropical rain forest like environment to a healthy tree. In the meantime, grass may also be grown around the tree to hold the sand particles firmly together. A cutting blade is located at the top of the housing which would sever the housing when the tree has grown to such height particularly when it is also swayed by the outside wind. The bottom of the housing would also be eventually destroyed by the roots of the growing tree. An air inlet is provided for supplying fresh air into the otherwise completely sealed housing. A ventilation opening is provided to save any water content in the moisture within the housing for the plant growth. A unique sun light operated water pump is provided to extract water from the ground through a tubing to supply the water required for the growing tree. The sand within the housing retains an amount of water equal to 30% its volume. A water storage tank is mounted at the middle of the outer side wall of the housing for supplying additional water to the interior of the housing. Leaf shaped collectors are provided for collecting rain water to the water tank. To safe guard against water shortage in a severe dry condition, a plurality of water balloons are located in the sand within the housing around the seedling. Each water balloon is provided with an automatic cutting blade on its surface. The cutting blade is automatically operated by a retractable tissue material such as cow tendon which reduces its size or length as the humidity of its surrounding decreases. Thus, the water balloons will be severed under hot dry spells which may occur up to several months without rainfall in the desert. Water balloons with cutting blades having the retractable tissue material of various lengths are provided such that they will be severed at different times in order that water from the different balloons will be used to provide the required emergency water supply over a long period in the hot dry spell. A plurality of water containers are placed on the closed bottom cover of the housing. The water level in the water containers is controlled by a floating cantilever arm which is similar to that used in the water tank of a conventional flush toilet. A plurality of openings are formed on the sides of the water containers such that the water may flow out from these openings into the interior of the housing. Water is supplied to the water containers by tubes from the water storage tank and the flow rate of the water is controlled by the floating cantilever arm. A plurality of cutting devices are located at the bottom cover. These cutting devices will be pushed by the roots of the tree when it has grown to maturity in about 10 years to break the bottom cover of the housing when it will no longer be required. A large plastic cloth having a diameter much larger the base of the housing is placed on the ground outside of the housing at the bottom of a circular trench dug in the sand surrounding the base of the housing. The trench is for collecting water from any annual heavy rain may normally fall in the desert. The water collected will eventually seep into the ground to feed the tree. This method may be employed in the most severe desert condition for growing vegetation.
3. In a semi-desert region which has a more moderate weather condition and some vegetation has already been grown in it, vegetation may be grown moderate weather condition by using the flexible bricks for preventing the sand from being blown away by wind. The interior of the housing is directly open to the outside atmosphere. A plurality of / -shaped reverse air flow control venting ports are provided to control the humidity of the interior of the cylindrical shape housing which has a lower portion located in a deep trench formed in the sand. The seedling grows in the trench covered by the housing. Optical fibers extending from the top part of the housing above the ground to the lower part are provided to conduct sun light to the latter for the growing seedling. Water supply and water collection are provided in the manner as described in the previous embodiment. Since the housing of this embodiment is open to the outside atmosphere, it is not necessary to seal the housing or to provide additional fresh air supply as in the previous embodiment. A cap is provided at the top of the housing. The cap is rotatable by the outside wind to prevent sand from being blown into the housing. The water pump may be operated by the heat of the sun light as in the previous embodiment, or alternatively by a windmill. Two UV ray reflecting lenses are provided in the tubular housing to lower the heat caused by the noon day sun light. These lenses are painted with light reflecting patterns.
The above embodiment is particularly suitable for growing young seedlings which can otherwise only grow close to the ground surface. With this method, the seedling may grow close to the sand surface inside the trench within the tubular housing, such that by the time it has grown to the height of the outside ground surface, it would have a height of about 3 feet. The tubular housing may be made from water-proof paper or thin metal plate. Such material will automatically break down and disintegrate in about 2 to 3 years after being used in the humid soil environment which normally exists at the depth of 3 feet under the ground in any desert area. The cap is made by rolling a plastic sheet with glue applied at its joint. The plastic and the glue would also break down over time to separate from the grown tree, and eventually the trench would be filled again by wind blown sand. Therefore, it is not necessary to spend further effect in re-filling the trench with sand. Moreover, since the matured tree is deep rooted when grown with the present method, it would not be easily uprooted by the strong wind in the desert.
4. The following method is applicable in a region having annual rainfall more than the semi-desert area mentioned in (3) above. the tubular housing may be made with a cardboard material. A plurality of leaf shaped plates are mounted on the side of the housing for collecting rain water or dew for growing the seedling in the housing. A sand cap is provided at the top of the housing. A circular opening is formed at the top of the sand cap. The circular opening has an inwardly and downwardly folded lip slanting at 45 degrees; and a plurality of thin metal foils or plates are provided on the lip by adhesive. Wind blowing at the housing would cause the sand cap to cover the housing more tightly. Furthermore, due to their slanted position, the metal foils or plates would reflect sun light into the housing to supplement the light provided by the optical fiber. Several water balloons are also located in the sand within the housing. A plurality of wall openings are formed in the lower portion of the side wall of the tubular cardboard housing which is located below ground so that the ground moisture of the surrounding sand and soil may enter the housing through these wall openings. The planting of the seedling in the trench in this embodiment may be carried out automatically with a cultivating machine.
5. Bullet planting: In this embodiment, the small seeds of large trees are placed in an embryonic sack which is installed in the head of bullets in which the bullet head is made of a mixture of hard wood powder, fiber, fertilizer, water base glue and plant base plastic compacted together under high pressure. The plant seeds are located in a depression or cavity formed in the rear end of the bullet head and it is covered with a mixture of fertilizer and heat refractory material. Planting may be carried out by firing such bullets from a helicopter having a telescopic view of the planting area shown on a display screen so that the bullets may be accurately fired at every square foot of the planting area. The seed may be attached to the bullet head with an optical fiber. Therefore, after a deep bullet hole is formed on the ground by the bullet, the seed would automatically be dragged into the bullet hole by the optical fiber. The impact of the bullet on the ground would cause a small amount of the spout promoting fluid to be released from the mixture to enhance the seed growth; also sun light required for the seed growth is provided by the deployed optical fiber conducting sun light into the bullet hole. In this manner, the seed would grow in a favorable humid condition in the hole deep under the ground without being affected by the strong wind and hot sun on the ground surface. This method is particularly applicable in a more temperate region in which sufficient rainfall would provide the necessary water for the seed growth. After firing, the bullet shells or cartridges may be retained in the helicopter for further use. Furthermore, this method may be utilized for planting in any area even if it is inaccessible by ground means or regardless if it is up in a steep maintain, inhabited by ferocious animals or poisonous creatures, or deep in a river valley. The success growth rate of this method is very high. Several designs of this embodiment are shown below. They function in the same principle but are adapted in various regions having different amounts of rainfall and different soil conditions.
A small amount of water required for the initial growth of the seed is contained within a separately sealed water balloon which is also packed in the bullet head. The water balloon will be broken by the impact when the bullet hits the ground to provide the water required by the seed initially. The water balloon, the seed and the optical fiber are located in a depression or cavity located at the rear end of the bullet head and are protected by a heat-proof cover plate. The cover plate will be removed between the time in which the bullet leaves the gun barrel and prior to it hitting the ground, so as to release the optical fiber. An annular steel brush ring is located at the muzzle of the gun barrel and it is engageable with a channel formed in the bullet head for removing the protective cover plate so as to release the optical fiber from the bullet head. Several other methods to achieve the same result will be shown below.
6. Tree planting ball: this embodiment enables planting to be carried out inexpensively and automatically. In a dry and hot region, seeds may be planted deeply in trenches in the land having the top layer of its soil initially removed so that the seed may grow in a moist condition deep in the soil. A cultivating machine equipped with a drill is used both for forming planting holes in the soil as well as placing sealed balls containing seeds or pre-dressed seedlings into the holes. Water balloons and plant nutrient fluid are also included inside the balls The seed is located in an embryonic sack located within each ball. One end of an elongated optical fiber is connected to this embryonic sack and the free end of the optical fiber extends outside of the ball to wind around a channel formed on the outside surface of the ball. When the ball rolls into the planting hole, the rolling motion would cause the optical fiber to unwind from the channel with its upper end held in place by a spring clamp such that the ball is hung within the planting hole by the unwound optical fiber which subsequently conducts the sun light from above ground to the seed in the embryonic sack. The lower end of the optical fiber is also connected to a knife which would sever the water balloon. The ball is similar to an egg for incubating the seed growth. Air is supplied to the interior of the ball through a top opening. The optical fiber also extends outside of the ball through this top opening. The upper and lower halves of the ball shell are made of a mixture of fertilizer and a water soluble substance or glue or gluten and plant fibers compacted together to form a thin half shell. After more than ten days, the upper half shell of the ball will disintegrate and separate from the lower half shell. Some of the water from the severed water balloons would remain in the lower half shell for the seed growth.

Method and devices for forestation and flood prevention


A system includes a controller including a processor configured to execute a program stored in a memory of the controller to generate and transmit a first output comprising a total flow demand value to a plurality of valves communicatively coupled to the controller. Each of the plurality of valves is configured to receive a respective portion of the total flow demand value. The processor is configured to receive an input indicative of a decoupling of a first valve of the plurality of valves and to generate a second output based at least in part on the first output and a first operational characteristic of the first valve. The second output is configured to vary a second operational characteristic of a second valve of the plurality of valves to maintain the total flow demand value.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to steam turbine systems and, more specifically, to valve test compensation for the steam turbine systems.
Certain steam turbine systems and associated components may periodically be subject to or undergo certain testing. For example, operational testing may be serially performed on inlet flow control valves used in steam turbine systems. However, operational parameters, such as the pressure of the steam turbine, may be increased when online valve testing is performed due to frequent closing, opening, and/or reopening of the turbine valves under test. Furthermore, certain control schemes for the control valves may be hindered based on the configuration of the valve and turbine arrangement. It is desirable to provide methods to improve online valve testing in steam turbine systems.

System and method for feed-forward valve test compensation


A diverter valve housing has two outlets and one inlet for receiving a flow of air conveying a continuous strip of material, and a diverter duct or tube is pivotally supported within the housing on a pivot axis adjacent the inlet. The diverter tube has an outlet end portion supporting a pair of inclined cutting blades which cooperate with a cutting blade supported by the housing between the outlets for alternately and quickly chopping or cutting the strip of material when the outlet end portion of the diverter tube pivots between the two outlets of the housing. Sealing members connect the diverter tube to the housing and form stops for the diverter tube. A fluid cylinder is pivotally connected to the housing and has a piston rod pivotally connected to the diverter tube for rapidly pivoting the diverter tube between the two outlets.

In a duct system for pneumatically conveying a continuous web or strand or strip of material, herein collectively referred to as strip of material, such as the edge trim from a web of paper or plastic sheet or film or the carrier or backer strip for adhesive labels, it is frequently desirable to divert the air conveyed continuous strip of material with a diverter valve between a first duct and a second duct. For example, the air conveyed continuous strip may be transferred or diverted between a first duct connected to a compacter or grinder or shredder and a second duct connected to a baler or pulper or a winder, all commonly used for either recycling or disposing of the material. It is also desirable for the continuously supplied strip material to be diverted on the fly or without stopping the flow of material and without jamming the diverter valve. Thus it is desirable for the diverter valve to operate quickly and to cut or chop the continuously supplied strip of material without any significant restriction to the flow of the strip material in order to prevent the material from collecting within the diverter valve or jamming the valve. In view of the many applications of diverter valves, it is also desirable for a diverter valve to operate in any orientation.
While diverter valves are well known in the prior art, for example, such as the valves disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,547 and 6,182,699, and the diverter valves sold by Nordfab in Thomasville, N.C. under the trademark LASER-QUICK FIT, such diverter valves are used for diverting fluids or fluids conveying small pieces of material and are not effective for diverting an air conveyed continuously supplied strip of material without stopping the continuous flow of the strip and without jamming the diverter valve.

Diverter and chopper valve for an air conveyed continuous strip of material


A locking device includes an operating button and a lock member disposed in a case. When the operating button is pressed against an urging force of a spring member, the lock member switches from a locked position for restricting a movable member to move relative to a body to an unlocked position for allowing the movable member to move in an opening direction. A rotation guide device is disposed between the case and the operating button, so that the lock member switches from the locked position to the unlocked position when the movable member rotates in a direction opposite to the opening direction.

The present invention relates to a locking device for locking a movable member such as a cover to a body in a closed state, and more particularly, relates to a locking device for unlocking a movable member through pressing an operating button.
A locking device shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) is disclosed in Patent Reference 1. The locking device includes an operating button 52 and a lock member 53 disposed in a case 51. When the operating button 52 is pressed against an urging force of a spring member 54, the lock member 53 switches from a locked position for restricting a cover 61 to rotate relative to a storage body 60 (refers to as a locked state) to an unlocked position for allowing the cover 61 to rotate in an opening direction (refers to an unlocked state).
The case 51 is formed of a recess portion including an open portion of the storage body 60, and slide slots 51a and 51b are formed in opposing walls of the recess portion. The lock member 53 has a tab 53a at a tip thereof for coming in and out of the slide slot 51a; a rear shaft 53b inserted into the slide slot 51b; and a coupling hole 53c disposed in a mid section thereof. The lock member 53 is moved toward the locked position by the urging force of the spring member 54 axially fitted in the shaft 53b, while the tab 53a and the shaft 53b are fitted in slide slots 51a and 51b, respectively.
The operating button 52 is formed of an operating section 52a; a sliding section 52b inserted into the coupling hole 53c; and an anti-slip tab 52c disposed at the rear end of the sliding section 52b. The operating button 52 is assembled in the lock member 53 such that a slanted end face of the sliding section 52b abuts against a slanted end face of the coupling slot 53c. In an assembled state, the lock member 53 is urged toward the locked position as shown in FIG. 8(a).
When the cover 61 is closed, the cover 61 rotates and abuts against the tab 53a just before the closed state, so that the lock member 53 retreats to the unlocked position due to a reactive force against the urging force of the spring member 54. When the lock member 53 faces the recess 62, the lock member 53 engages the recess 62. When the cover 61 is opened, the operating button 62 is pressed with a finger or the like, so that the lock member 53 retreats to the unlocked position against the urging force of the spring member 54, thereby releasing the lock member 53 from the recess 62 as shown in FIG. 8(b).
Patent Reference 1: Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 11-159215.
The locking device described above has a simple structure and the following problems. First, the lock member 53 is always urged toward the locked position to project from the case 51. During the opening operation of the cover, when a pressure is removed from the operating button 52 after pressing the same, the cover instantaneously returns to the original locked position with the urging force. Accordingly, depending on a rotational speed of the cover 61, the lock member may engage the recess 62 again, thereby restricting the rotation of the cover. In the locking device disclosed in Patent Reference 1, the cover 61 is a rotating type, and a sliding type may have the same problem.
Second, the operating button 52 is assembled in the lock member 53 such that the sliding section 52b is inserted into the coupling hole 53c and the slanted end faces abut against each other. Accordingly, dust or the like may accumulate, for example, between the slanted end faces. In this case, when the pressure is removed, the lock member 53 may not return to the original projected position or the locked position smoothly. Further, the lock member 53 may vibrate or move up and down, thereby causing malfunction.
Third, an elastic member may be disposed at a portion where the body abuts against the cover for absorbing an impact or preventing rattle. In such a case, when the cover is closed for a prolonged period of time, the elastic member may deform and deteriorate, thereby sticking the body and the cover together. Accordingly, even if the operating button is pressed to switch the lock member to the unlocked position, it is difficult to switch the lock member to the opened state.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a locking device with a simple structure capable of easily switching a movable member such as a cover to an open state, thereby improving quality and ease of use.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.


A system arbitrator for a multi-function device is disclosed. The access arbitrator includes a bus access counter and comparator which are used to generate a bus request disable signal. The bus request disable signal for each function of the multi-function device is gated with the bus request signal for the function. As a function transfers data over the system bus, the access counter is incremented. When the access counter is incremented to a value which equals a predetermined maximum, the bus request disable signal becomes active and disables generation of bus requests for the function. In order to enable the bus signal generator for a function to begin generating bus requests, the access counters are reset when no bus request signals are being generated by any of the bus signal generators.

This invention relates to arbitration of access to a system bus, and more particularly, to arbitration between devices having different levels of access priority to the system bus.
In many personal computers (PCs), a motherboard is provided with an implementing integrated circuit ("chip") set. The devices or components of the implementing chip set are coupled to one another through a system bus. The motherboard is usually provided with a number of extension connectors so other devices or interfaces/bridges may be coupled to the system bus. For example, the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus is frequently used in PCs to couple an implementing chip set for a PC to the devices and interfaces/bridges which may be coupled to the expansion connectors. Devices, which may be coupled in an extension connector, include Ethernet interfaces, SCSI interfaces, Host/PCI bridges, PCI/Legacy bridges, video, sound, and E-IDE printed circuit cards.
A typical system using a PCI bus has two or three card connectors and two or three PCI loads on the motherboard. However, a PCI bus is limited to a maximum of ten electrical loads. For printed circuit cards coupled to a connector, the connector represents one load and the card represents a second load. As a result, the maximum load for a PCI bus may be reached before a user has coupled all of the components desired for a system. Another restriction which limits the number of devices which may be coupled to a system bus is the arbitration scheme used to control access to the system bus. For example, in some PCI bus systems, the number of bus masters used to control device access to the system bus is limited to four because that is the maximum number of request/grant (REQ#/GNT#) pairs that can be handled by the central bus arbiter.
In an effort to overcome the limitations of a system bus such as the maximum number of electrical loads and maximum number of bus masters, multi-function devices which couple more than one function to a single system bus have been developed. These devices represent the same number of electrical loads as a single function device; however, they provide more functions. Additionally, the multi-function device only requires one request/grant pair for all functions and thus, appears as a single bus master to the central arbiter of the system bus. In this type of system, the bus master arbitrates access for the request/grant pair between the functions.
In a PCI system, the central arbiter receives request signals from PCI devices or bus masters and determines which device or bus master receives a grant signal. In response to receipt of a grant signal, a PCI device sends or receives data over the system bus. Where a multiple function device is coupled to a PCI bus through a bus master, the bus master must arbitrate between the multiple functions which the bus master couples to the system bus. In previously known systems, contentions between multiple functions coupled to a single bus master are resolved by prioritizing the functions for system bus access. In this scheme, each function is assigned a numerical priority level, usually from 0-7, with zero being the lowest priority and 7 being the highest priority.
While the prioritizing of the system bus access requests from the various functions of a multi-function PCI device enables a bus master to resolve competing requests for system bus access, prioritization of the requests presents other issues. For example, a high priority function may dominate access to the system bus to the extent of completely or substantially excluding a lower priority function from bus access. In an effort to address this limitation, rotating prioritizing schemes have been developed. Typically, these arbitration schemes statistically evaluate the proportionate amount of time a device is being given access to the system bus and reduce the likelihood of one function blocking the other functions by changing the system access function priorities. The modification of the function priorities is typically performed on a periodic basis. As the priority for a function is increased, it is able to gain more access to the system bus and, consequently, receive and transmit data over the bus without contending with the same higher priority access requests.
While the rotating priority level addresses some aspects of the problem caused by static priority assignment, it still causes other system access problems. For example, system transmissions and receptions over a PCI bus are performed in burst mode. To complete a transmission or a reception, several bursts may be required. Thus, a device may be at the highest level of priority for system bus access for a portion of a transmission or reception and at a lower priority level for the remainder of the transmission or reception. Consequently, it may be some time before the device is able to acquire bus access from the higher priority functions to complete the transmission or reception.
What is needed is a system and method for system bus arbitration between multiple functions so that data transfers may be more timely completed.

System and method for arbitrating multi-function access to a system bus


A heart-rate variability analysis apparatus comprises an electrocardiogram information detecting unit, heart-rate signal calculating unit, breathing signal calculating unit, and heart-rate-variability information providing unit. Of these, the electrocardiogram information detecting unit detects electrocardiogram information about an object to be diagnosed. The heart-rate signal calculating unit calculates a heart rate signal indicative of a heart rate of the object from the electrocardiogram information. The breathing signal calculating unit calculates, from the heart rate signal, a breathing signal in which a breathing state of the object is reflected. The heart-rate-variability information providing unit provides variability information of the heart rate of the object in which the breathing state of the object is reflected, on the basis of both of the heart rate signal and the breathing signal. Thus, the heart-rate fluctuations can be measure with higher-precision.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for analyzing heart-rate variability of an object to be examined on the basis of electrocardiogram information acquired from the object, and a computer-readable program for a computer to analyze the heart-rate variability of the object.
Recently, an analysis on heart-rate variability of an object to be examined has been spotlighted in many fields, such as sports medical check, and health check. This analysis has been known as "heart-rate variability analysis."
One technique for conventional heart-rate variability analysis is proposed as a CDM (Complex Demodulation) technique, which is pictorially illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, electrocardiogram information acquired from an object, which is measured by an electrocardiogram measuring device 1, is fed to a peak-to-peak interval detector 2, where a peak to peak interval of an electrocardiogram waveform is detected and data indicative of the peak to peak interval is calculated. The resultant peak-to-peak interval data is fed to a modulator 4, to which sinusoidal waves of 0.3 Hz are also supplied from a sinusoidal-wave generator 3, so that the modulator 4 multiplies the peak-to-peak interval data by the sine wave and the cosine wave to generate intermediate frequency quadrature signals I (In-phase) and Q (Quadrature).
The quadrature signals I and Q are then sent to a demodulator 5, where those signals I and Q are subjected to low-pass filtering at a bandwidth of 0.15 Hz, so that the signals I and Q are demodulated. Based on the demodulated results, a heart-rate fluctuation output device 6 outputs pieces of information indicating fluctuations in the heart rate of the object.
The fluctuations in the heart rate indicate an index of heart-rate variability. The heart-rate variability shows variations in the cardiac cycles attributable to fluctuations in automatic nerve input to the sinoatrial nodes. In general, to analyze the heart-rate variability requires that peak to peak intervals (hereinafter, called RR intervals) in an electrocardiogram waveform be measured.
A mathematical approach to calculating the amplitude of a breathing component included in the heart-rate fluctuations based on the CDM technique will now be described.
It is assumed that a breathing frequency is fr, a phase is φ, and an intermediate frequency is fw. A signal indicating RR intervals affected by the heart-rate fluctuations is expressed by the following formula:y=A*sin(2π*fr*t+φ),wherein A denotes the amplitude of a breathing component of a heart-rate fluctuation signal, fr denotes a breathing frequency, and t denotes the time.
Local signals generated from the sinusoidal-wave generator 3 can be expressed as follows:sin(2π*fw*t) and cos(2π*fw*t).
Multiplying the RR interval signal by the local signals at the modulator 4 produces intermediate frequency signals I and Q, which can be expressed as follows:I=y*sin(2π*fw*t)=sin(2π*fr*t+φ)*A*sin(2π*fr*t) andQ=y*cos(2π*fw*t)=sin(2π*fr*t+φ)*A*cos(2π*fw*t).
Using the production relations of trigonometric functions:sin(x)*sin(y)=1/2*(cos(x−y)−cos(x+y)) andcos(x)*sin(y)=1/2*(sin(x−y)−sin(x+y)),The above formulas can be written into:I=1/2*A*(cos(2π*fw*t+φ−fr*2π*t)−cos(2π*fw*t+φ+fr*2π*t) andQ=1/2*A*(sin(2π*fw*t+φ−fr*2π*t)−sin(2π*fw*t+φ−fr*2π*t)
The breathing frequency fr is usually in a range of 0.15 to 0.45 Hz. Thus, if the local signal fw from the sinusoidal-wave generator 3 is 0.3 Hz, the calculation of fw−fr produces an amount of −0.15 Hz to +0.15 Hz, while the calculation of fw+fr produces an amount of 0.45 Hz to 0.75 Hz. This means that it is sufficient that the demodulator 5 has a low-pass filter of which passing bandwidth is 0 to 0.15 Hz and of which cutoff bandwidth is 0.45 to 075 Hz.
Applying a low-pass filter of which passing bandwidth is 0 to 0.15 Hz to the intermediate frequency signals I and Q allows the second terms of the above I and Q formals to be deleted, so that signals IX and QX are produced as follows:IX=1/2*A*(cos(2π*(fw−fr)t+φ) andQX=1/2*A*(sin(2π*(fw−fr)t+φ).
Since a trigonometric formula of:sin(x)*sin(x)+cos(x)*cos(x)=1can be used, so that a formula of:(IX)2+(QX)2=(1/2*A)2is established. Hence,A=2*((IX)2+(QX)2)0.5is obtained.
FIG. 2 shows various waveforms of signals obtained on the conventional CDM technique. As shown in FIG. 2(A), it is supposed that an input signal indicating the heart-rate variability can be expressed by a sine wave signal of which amplitude is 1 and of which frequency is 0.2 Hz. FIG. 2(B) shows the foregoing 0.3 Hz local signals, whilst FIG. 2(C) shows intermediate frequency signals (I, Q) produced by multiplying the input signal by the local signals.
Further, FIG. 2(D) shows signals (IX, IQ) produced by applying the low-pass filter to the intermediate signals (I, Q), and FIG. 2(E) shows an amplitude component signal calculated based on the low-pass-filtered signals (IX, IQ).
FIG. 3 explains the relationship between a conventional signal component and aliasing noise. As shown in FIG. 3, since the breathing frequency fr is 0.15 to 0.45 Hz and the local signal frequency fw from the sinusoidal-wave generator 3 is 0.3 Hz, the signal ranges from 0 to 0.15 Hz and the aliasing noise is in a range of 0.45 to 0.75 Hz. The low-pass filter to remove this aliasing noise has a low-passing characteristic shown by a dotted line in FIG. 3, in which a passing bandwidth is set to 0.15 Hz and a cutoff bandwidth is set to a range of 0.45 to 0.75 Hz.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show the amplitude and phase characteristics of an actually used conventional low-pass filter. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an attenuation amount at a cutoff frequency is set to about −22 dB.
As described above, the conventional heart-rate variability analysis based on the CDM technique uses a low-pass filter of which passing bandwidth is 0.15 Hz and of which cutoff bandwidth is 0.45 to 0.75 Hz. That is, since the passing bandwidth of the low-pass filter is as large as 0.15 Hz, ripple noise has frequently been superposed on the amplitude signal, as shown in FIG. 2(E). There is therefore a drawback that signal components other than a frequency indicative of the breathing are mixed, as noise, with the amplitude signal.
Further, when the breathing is disturbed, the conventional heart-rate variability analysis is likely to be affected easily by invasion of non-stationary noise, thus causing a problem that there is more noise due to frequencies other than the breathing frequency. Still further, in such a case, there has been provided no mans for detecting the breathing disturbance, so that it has been impossible to estimate reliability of calculated heart-rate variably.
In addition, the conventional heart-rate variability analysis has encountered another problem that, as understood from FIGS. 4A and 4B, the low-pass filter has no sufficient attenuation in its cutoff frequencies.

Apparatus and method for analyzing heart-rate variability based on electrocardiogram information


A ZIF connector comprising a combination of first and second connector members attached to first and second objects to be connected, respectively. The first connector member comprises a first housing, a pair of urging plates, a slider, and a pair of flexible contact sheets. The second connector member comprises a second housing and a plurality of contacts. The first housing comprises a support portion having a curved surface for supporting, when the slider slides in the first housing towards the second connector member, an outer surface of the intermediate portion so that the intermediate portion forms a large arc. The urging plate has a pressing portion for pressing an inner surface of the intermediate portion to make the intermediate portion form the large arc in cooperation with the support portion when the urging plate is elastically deflected by the cam portion. The slider has a shoulder portion with a curved surface for supporting the inner surface of the intermediate portion to maintain the large arc formed by the intermediate portion when the slider is located farthest from the first housing.

This invention relates to a ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) connector and, in particular, to a ZIF connector comprising, as a set of contact elements, a flexible contact sheet such as an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) and an FFC (Flexible Flat Cable).
A ZIF connector using a flexible contact sheet as a set of contact elements is known in the art. For example, ZIF connectors of the type are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (JP-A) Nos. 3-30273, 3-257775, and 4-501338. However, those ZIF connectors are complicated in structure and therefore difficult to be reduced in size. The operation for connecting or disconnecting two objects (such as printed circuit boards) having such ZIF connectors has at least two step handling motions. In other words, the two objects can not be connected in a single step handling motion and, once connected, can not be disconnected in a single step handling.
In view of the above, an improved ZIF connector is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (JP-B) No. 2717393 (see FIGS. 6 through 9). The ZIF connector disclosed in the Japanese patent comprises a combination of first and second connector members mounted to first and second objects, respectively.
The first connector member comprises a first housing, a pair of urging plates, a slider, and a pair of flexible contact sheets. The first housing is adapted to be releasably coupled to the second connector member in a predetermined direction. Each of the urging plates has a jointed portion to which a part of the flexible contact sheet is jointed. The urging plates are attached to the first housing to be elastically deflectable in its thickness direction and to be elastically returned to a predetermined position. The slider is adapted to be fixed on the first object and is attached to the first housing to be relatively slidable in the predetermined direction. The slider has a pair of cam portions to be engaged with the urging plates to elastically deflect the urging plates when the slider slides in the first housing towards the second connector member. Each of the flexible contact sheets comprises an insulator film and a conductor pattern which comprises a plurality of conductor lines as contact elements embedded in the insulator film. The each flexible contact sheet has a supported portion supported by an inner insulator supported in the first housing, an insert portion to be inserted into the second connector member, and a connect portion to be electrically connected to the first object. The conductor pattern is partially exposed in one surface at the insert portion. The insert portion is jointed to the jointed portion of each of the urging plates. The remaining portions of the flexible contact sheet, that is, intermediate portions between the insert portion and the supported portion and between the connect portion and the supported portion, are connected or attached to nothing. Therefore, the remaining portions are movable freely. Therefore, the intermediate portions are collectively referred to as a freely movable sheet portion.
The second connector member comprises a second housing and a plurality of contacts. The second housing is adapted to be attached to the second object and releasably coupled to the first housing in the predetermined direction. Each of the contacts is disposed in the second housing and comprises a terminal portion to be electrically connected to the second object, and a contact portion to face, in a substantially untouched condition, the insert portion positioned by the jointed portion of the urging plate located at the predetermined position when the first and the second housings are coupled to each other and to be brought into contact with the conductor pattern when the urging plate is elastically deflected by the cam portion.
When the first and the second connector members are coupled and released in the predetermined direction, the slider attached to the first object slides with respect to the first housing in the predetermined direction.
With the above-mentioned structure, the freely movable sheet portion of the flexible contact sheet is tightly bent and returned to a relaxed state every time when the first and the second connector members are coupled and released. Thus, the flexible contact sheet is repeatedly bent and relaxed at every coupling and releasing operations of the ZIF connector.
Since the freely movable sheet portion of the flexible contact sheet is repeatedly bent as described above, the freely movable sheet portion tends to be damaged. In particular, the conductor pattern at the freely movable sheet portion is readily damaged.
After the ZIF connector is connected, the freely movable sheet portion of the flexible contact sheet is kept tightly bent. Therefore, the freely movable sheet portion is easily damaged even if the coupling and the releasing operations are not repeated.
Upon connection of the ZIF connector, the first connector member can not be connected to the second connector member if the cam portion of the slider is engaged with the urging plate. However, the ZIF connector has no mechanism for inhibiting the engagement between the cam portion of the slider and the urging plate during connection of the ZIF connector. Furthermore, no mechanism is provided to maintain the first and the second connector members in a connected state after the ZIF connector is connected. Therefore, the first connector member may not be smoothly connected to the second connector member upon connecting of the ZIF connector. After the first connector member is connected to the second connector member, the first connector member may easily be released from the second connector member when subjected to external force.
In the ZIF connector, the flexible contact sheet is positioned with respect to the first housing simply by inserting the inner insulator into a gap between the first housing and the slider. Therefore, the flexible contact sheet is easily dislocated. If the ZIF connector is reduced in size, the flexible contact sheet may possibly be brought into false contact with the contacts of the second connector member.

Zif connector having means for keeping flexible contact sheet in tensile condition

Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Ltd.


A method of operating a wind park having a plurality of wind turbines is provided. The method includes determining a grid condition indicator indicative of the condition of a grid into which the wind park feeds; determining a first maximum power value of the wind park on the basis of the grid condition indicator; determining an operating margin on the basis of the grid condition indicator, for a grid condition indicator indicative of a weak grid; determining a second maximum power value on the basis of the operating margin; and curtailing the active power output of the wind park according to a maximum power value. A computer program product for carrying out the steps of such a method; an active power controller adapted for use in operating a wind turbine of a wind park; a wind turbine; and a wind park are also provided.

A transmission line is generally realized to be able to transport a certain amount of power from a power generating plant to a utility grid. For example, a transmission line can be realized to transport the installed capacity of a power plant, i.e. the maximum or "installed" power that can be delivered by the power plant. For example, a wind farm with twenty 3 MW turbines has an installed capacity of 60 MW, i.e. that wind park can deliver up to 60 MW of active power, and a transmission line connecting the wind park to a power network or "grid" will be designed to be able to transport at least this quantity of power.
Problems arise when a transmission line—for whatever reason—cannot transport the installed capacity. For example, when one transmission line of a double transmission line is out of service, the maximum power transfer capacity of the double line is reduced due to an alteration in the short circuit ratio (SCR) of the system. In such a situation, the double line can no longer carry the installed capacity of a power plant to which it is connected. In the case of a wind power plant, this situation can lead to instability at turbine level, resulting in sustained or poorly damped oscillations seen in voltage, power, current and etc. The maximum power output of the wind park is therefore determined by the limited capacity of the transmission line.
When a transmission line fails or is out of service, the grid will be weakened as a result. The condition of a grid can be quantified in several ways. One way of expressing "grid condition" is by the short circuit ratio of the grid. This is obtained by determining the short circuit capacity of the grid, i.e. the amount of power at a point in the grid in the event of a short circuit. The short circuit capacity depends on the grid impedance at that point, the rated voltage, and any load on the grid. The wind turbines of a wind park can be regarded as an active load on the grid. A short circuit ratio (SCR) for a wind plant can therefore be determined by the grid three-phase short circuit capacity (SCC) divided by the rated power of the wind turbines feeding into the grid. The value of SCR that classifies a grid as "weak" may depend on the network operators. For example, according to the VDN Transmission code 2007 (Verband der Netzbetreiber, Version 1.1, August 2007) a grid is considered "weak" when its SCR drops below 4.0. Generally, a weak grid is characterized by a low SCR and high grid impedance. The issue is exacerbated at lower SCR values, when the system becomes increasingly "weak" with respect to the wind plant, the impedance increasingly high. Generally, an SCR below about 2.5 is considered to approach the limits of modern wind plants to sustain operation. At very low levels of SCR (e.g., below 2.5), any small perturbation or disturbance may cause one or more wind turbines to operate at undesirable operating points, and these turbines may be unable to return to normal operation. As a result, the turbines may trip and disconnect from the system. It is generally held that practical operation of a wind park with an SCR less than 1.25 is challenging, and operation of a wind park with an SCR less than about 0.9 is probably not possible using existing technology without active power curtailment.
Prior methods of dealing with such situations generally involve reducing or curtailing the active power output of the wind turbines of a wind park in order to ensure that the wind turbines continue to operate in a stable manner. In these approaches, a constant amount of active power is curtailed, based on a "worst case" design. However, this means that the power output of the wind park is generally reduced by more than is strictly necessary, and this in turn results in an unnecessary loss of revenue.