The tractor includes a frame member mounted in the tractor body and a first mounting member secured to the frame member, the first mounting member including a plurality of first apertures. The tractor also includes a bracket for supporting a cab riser apparatus thereon, the cab riser apparatus being capable of moving the tractor cab relative to the tractor body. The tractor further includes a second mounting member secured to the bracket. The second mounting member including a plurality of second apertures which align with the plurality of first apertures. A method of mounting a bracket onto a frame member of a tractor body is also disclosed.

The present invention generally relates to a tractor having a cab riser bracket assembly and an associated method of mounting the bracket assembly on the tractor.
Material handling machines, such as grapple tractors (hereinafter referred to as tractors), are typically used in projects which require the movement of significant amounts of scrap, such as ferrous materials. These types of tractors generally include a grapple or magnet operatively linked to a boom and arm. Hereinafter, the boom and arm is collectively referred to as the grapple arm. The primary function of the grapple arm is to move the grapple in such a manner that it can grasp and transfer the scrap from one location to another. These types of tractors also include a cab that houses the operator and the controls used to direct the movements of the grapple arm, and therefore the grapple.
These tractors are often used to load or unload scrap from truck beds or from barges. However, using such tractors to perform the aforementioned loading or unloading function has a significant drawback. That is, it is very difficult for the operator of the tractor to see down into the truck bed or barge from his or her position in the cab. The operator's inability to see down into the truck bead or barge impedes his or her ability to properly control the movement of the grapple arm and grapple. As a result, the operator's ability to efficiently operate the grapple arm and grapple decreases.
In order to overcome the above described problem, several tractor models are constructed to include an adjustable cab riser apparatus. Such an apparatus allows the operator of the tractor to raise the cab to the desired height above the tractor body. Having the cab positioned at an appropriate height above the tractor body allows the operator to see into the truck bed, barge or container being loaded or unloaded, and therefore facilitates the proper control of the grapple arm and grapple.
Some cab riser apparatus are constructed to include a large unitary bracket member directly welded onto the frame of the tractor body. These apparatus also include a hydraulic cylinder and a number of support arms. The hydraulic cylinder and support arms are connected to the bracket member and a brace. The brace is connected to a platform member for supporting the tractor cab. Generally, the aforementioned cab riser components are arranged such that the actuation and extension of the hydraulic cylinder causes the brace, platform member, and therefore the tractor cab, to rise above the tractor body to a desired height. However, as will be discussed below, present cab riser apparatus suffer from several drawbacks.
One problem with the above described arrangement is that the large unitary bracket used to mount the above described components is difficult to fabricate and handle during the construction of the cab rising apparatus. For example, fabricating a large component is more complex and costly than fabricating two smaller components. Moreover, once the large unitary bracket used by the prior art is welded onto the tractor body, the body becomes more difficult to handle. For instance, the body becomes cumbersome to move from one location to another within the manufacturing facility.
Another problem with certain types of brackets used to mount cab rising apparatus relates to the ease in which they can be mounted onto a tractor body. As discussed above, many prior art brackets are directly welded onto the tractor body. Since these brackets are typically large and cumbersome, the welding process is difficult. Furthermore, once the bracket is welded onto the body, the bracket's spatial relationship to the body is fixed. Therefore, no convenient adjustment of the bracket's position relative to the body is possible. This is a significant drawback since, in many cases, adjustment of the bracket is required for the cab riser apparatus to work properly.
Additional problems with prior art cab riser apparatus include (1) their inability to be retrofit onto tractor bodies; (2) they are relatively bulky, and thus require a significant amount of space; and (3) they tend to be relatively unstable in the raised position and thus cause the cab to "wobble" or move around during use of the tractor.
Therefore, in light of the above discussion, it is apparent that a bracket assembly for mounting a cab rising apparatus which is easy to manufacture and handle is desirable. The present invention provides such a bracket assembly. The bracket assembly of the present invention includes a relatively small weld group welded onto the frame of the tractor body. The bracket of the bracket assembly is then bolted onto the weld group, rather than being welded directly to the frame.
In use, the present invention provides a bracket assembly which is relatively easy to fabricate and handle during the construction of a cab rising apparatus. Moreover, the present invention provides a bracket assembly which allows the position of the bracket to be adjusted after mounting. In addition, the present invention provides a bracket assembly that can be retrofit onto tractor bodies.

Tractor having a cab riser bracket assembly and an associated method of mounting the bracket assembly on the tractor


There is provided a conductive hollow tube (3) which is brought into tight contact with the top surface of a grounding conductor (1a) at a position where a first end having an opening plane (4a) with an inner diameter matching a diameter of a hole (2a) formed on the grounding conductor (1) overlaps with the hole (2a), and which is bent so that an opening plane (4b) of a second end faces the top surface direction and that an intermediate portion between the first end and the second end is arranged parallel to the grounding conductor (1), and a conductive liquid supplied from the opening plane (4a) of the first end is passed through the conductive hollow tube (3) and discharged to the outside from the opening plane (4b) of the second end.

In recent years, antenna devices which use a conductive liquid as a radiating element have been attracting attention.
Since it is possible for a conductive liquid to operate as an antenna in any shape by flowing an electric current through the conductive liquid, a conductive liquid can be used as various types of antennas if an electric power can be fed in an efficient manner.
Conventional methods of feeding power to a conductive liquid include the following method.
Patent Document 1 described below discloses an antenna device in which a conducting wire is wound around a ring-shaped magnetic body and a current is passed through the conducting wire to generate a magnetic flux in the magnetic body. In the antenna device, by linearly ejecting a conductive liquid through a hole provided, in the ring-shaped magnetic body, power is fed to the conductive liquid due to magnetic field coupling.
Note that an operating frequency can be adjusted by controlling the ejection force of the conductive liquid and, accordingly, low-frequency communication can be performed without installing a large-size antenna.


An elevator having a cage disposed inside guide rails, a damper unit, a vibration sensor, and a control circuit. The damper unit is controlled by the control circuit in response to vibrations of the cage which are detected by the vibration sensor. The vibration sensor detects the vibration of the cage, converts the vibration into an electric signal, and transmits the electric signal to the control circuit. The control circuit compares the electric signal with a predetermined value and controls the coefficient of viscous damping of the damper unit according to the result of the comparison. Accordingly, vibrations of the cage are absorbed and reduced, and the elevator provides a more comfortable ride.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an elevator which has a rising and falling cage connected by a cable of a traction machine. In particular, this invention relates to an elevator having control mechanisms for controlling the vibration of the cage.
2. Background
As shown in FIGS. 24 through 26, each of parallel guide rails 3 is disposed vertically on a rising and falling path 2. The vertical path 2 forms an elevator shaft in a building 1, and is further defined by a plurality of brackets 4 which typically represent the respective floors of building 1. Cage 5 rises and falls by a main cable 6 which is connected to a traction machine (not shown). Cage 5 is disposed within guide rails 3. As shown in FIG. 24, cage 5 consists of cage frame 5a and cage room 5b, and vibration-damping materials 7a, 7b are disposed between cage frame 5a and cage room 5b.
As shown in FIG. 25, supporting units 8 are disposed at each of the upper and lower corners of cage frame 5a, and approximately T-shaped operating levers 9 are pivoted to the supporting units 8 by pin-axles 9a. Guide rollers 10 are disposed to touch guide rails 3 and are connected to supporting unit 8 in the middle section of operating levers 9 through supporting axles 11.
Oil damper units 12, such as hydraulic cylinder units, are connected to one end portion of operating lever 9 by pin-axle 13 and are disposed on the cage 5. Guide levers 14, 15 pass through the upper section 9b of operating lever 9 and guide levers 14, 15 are disposed in an upper section of the supporting unit 8, and are parallel to each other. Nut Na prevents an adjusting spring 16 from coming off the end of guide lever 14. Guide roller 10 is pressed toward the guide rail 3 by adjusting spring 16. Nut Nb prevents a stopper 17 from coming off the end of guide lever 15, and stopper 17 restricts the range of movement of operating lever 9.
Guide rails 3 are originally constructed of steel or other metals or alloys thereof, and form a planar surface with guide roller 10. However, over prolonged use, guide rails 3 become worn particularly in the areas between respective floors. Thus, guide rails 3 form undulations in the form of windings as shown in FIG. 26.
When guide rails 3 have windings as shown in FIG. 26, operating levers 9 are displaced in response to buffers of the oil damper unit 12 and the adjusting spring 16. Vibration of cage 5, which occurs in response to the windings of the guide rails 3, is controlled due to the degree of displacement of the operating levers 9 permitted by damper unit 12 and adjusting spring 16.
When the distribution of load in cage 5 is inclined, namely, when cage 5 tilts, operating lever 9 touches the stopper 17 and cage 5 is prevented from tilting more than a predetermined value. Generally, the load in cage 5 is distributed evenly, and cage 5 is maintained in the level state. When the vibrations caused by the windings of the guide rails 3 are controlled by oil damper unit 12 and adjusting spring 16, external forces transmitted to cage 5 from guide rails 3 through guide rollers 10 are decreased. Accordingly, it is preferable that the spring constant of adjusting spring 16 and the coefficient of viscous damping of oil damper unit 12 are set at a lower level.
However, in the elevator as described above, when the spring constant of adjusting spring 16 is set at a lower level, operating lever 9 touches the stopper 17 at a comparatively small inclined load. Moreover, when cage 5 rises and falls at high speed, cage 5 is necessarily displaced by the windings of the guide rails 3. As a result, cage 5 rolls heavily.
As shown in FIG. 26, the wavelength of the winding of the guide rail 3 almost corresponds with each interval of the brackets 4. The interval of the brackets 4 is typically about 3 meters to about 5 meters, and the interval corresponds to the interval of floors in building 1. When cage 5 rises and falls along guide rails 3 at high speed, i.e., more than about 360 m/min, cage 5 is excited at about 2 to about 4 Hz of amplitude horizontally. When the excited frequency which occurs at the time that cage 5 passes through each of brackets 4 at high speed corresponds with the primary natural frequency of cage 5, (the primary natural frequency in the horizontal direction of cage 5 exists in the range of about 2 to about 4 Hz), the cage resonates. As a result, cage 5 rolls heavily.
It is effective to increase the coefficient of viscous damping of the oil damper unit 12 in order to reduce the amplitude of this resonance. However, this reduces the buffer of adjusting spring 16 against the excited force generated by the small windings of the guide rails 3. As a result, it becomes uncomfortable to ride in cage 5, and it is difficult to effectively prevent cage 5 from vibrating.


An optical rotation device with infinite depth of field for transmitting optical images along an optical axis and selectively rotating the image about the optical axis, while preserving all of the three dimensional characteristics of the image. The optical rotation device consists of two optical elements optically coupled in series, each of which produces an inversion of the image about an axis orthogonal to the optical axis. Rotation of the image by any angle in the plane normal to the optical axis is achieved by rotating the two optical elements relative to one another about the optical axis.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the translation and rotation of optical images. More particularly, the invention relates to an image rotation device with infinite depth of field that transmits optical images along an optical axis, selectively rotates the images about the optical axis, and preserves all of the three dimensional characteristics of the images.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various methods have been employed to rotate images. Most rotation devices disclosed in the prior art utilize prisms or other reflective surfaces to effect the rotation. The primary disadvantage of all prior image rotating devices is that they do not preserve the angular and spatial relationships of all light rays emanating from the object being imaged. Such devices do not preserve all of the three dimensional characteristics of the original object, namely the relative angles of propagation and distances of all rays forming the image. Thus, the need exists for an apparatus that is capable of translating accurate three dimensional images to a distance removed from the object being viewed, capable of preserving the relative angles of propagation and distances of all of the rays forming the image, and capable of selectively modifying the orientation of the image for ease of viewing and observation. What is also needed is an optical rotation device for communication and computing applications that preserves the angular and spatial relationships of all light rays passing therethrough.


Program column latch circuitry of nonvolatile memory is provided with read-back capability to verify that data bits have been correctly loaded into the latch circuits and written to the memory cells. The interface between the low voltage latches and the external input and output data paths is provided with opposite-facing tri-state buffers that allow latched data to be read out for comparison and verification. Writing of latched data to memory cells can be verified by the read-back without needing any external RAM.

Memory storage capacities of embedded EEPROM memories used in smart card applications are being made ever larger to meet increasing memory requirements. One issue that arises with large memories is the ability to control the programming quality of the memories' bit cells, typically of the floating-gate type in EEPROMs. In existing systems, programming of an EEPROM has two phases. In a first 'load' phase, the data to be programmed are loaded from a RAM memory through a data input bus into column latch circuits of the EEPROM. Typically, the minimum data size that can be loaded is one byte and the maximum is a row or page of 64 or 128 bytes. In a second 'write' phase, the data stored in the column latches are transferred into addressed bit cells in the EEPROM memory array. The column latch circuits only serve to store the data while the programming of the bit cells is taking place. In order to verify the programming quality, the data is then read from the EEPROM's programmed bit cells and compared with the original data already stored in the RAM. If the data read out from the cells differs from the original data, programming of erroneous bytes is repeated until the correct data are verified.
A typical existing program column latch circuit has a low voltage portion and a high voltage portion. The low voltage portion is a simple latch (cross-coupled inverters) to which input data are written through a first transmission gate during the load phase of the programming operation. The high voltage portion is a level shifter supplied with the high voltage needed for programming. During the write phase of the programming operation, data stored in the low voltage latch are transferred into the high voltage portion through a second transmission gate that separates the low and high voltage portions. The level shifter pulls a '1' data value up to the programming voltage, while a '0' data value remains at 0V. The resulting voltage level in the level shifter controls a third transmission gate that drives one column of the memory cell array via a bit line. The voltage at the terminal opposite from the bit line is at the programming voltage for writing and at 0V for erasing. For verifying, the memory cells are read out through their normal read paths via sense amplifiers attached to the bit lines at the end opposite from the program column latches.

Read-accessible column latch for non-volatile memories


The invention includes a method of detecting impurities in a metal-containing article. A portion of metal material is removed from a metal article and is solubilized in an acid or base-comprising liquid to produce a liquid sample. The liquid sample is subjected to an incident laser beam and light scattered from the sample is detected. The invention includes a method of analyzing a physical vapor deposition target material. A portion of target material is removed from the target and is rinsed with an acid-comprising solution. The portion of target material is dissolved to produce a liquid sample. The sample is subjected to an incident laser beam and scatter of the laser beam is detected to determine the number of particles present in the sample within a particular size range.

High-purity metals and high-purity metal alloys are increasingly important in a wide range of technology areas. One area of extreme importance for high-purity metals is semiconductor fabrication. For semiconductor constructions, metallic purity can significantly affect semiconductor device quality and functionality. Accordingly, since impurities present in a source material can determine its suitability for use in semiconductor fabrication it is increasingly important to develop technology for detecting and/or quantifying impurities present in source materials.
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods are used extensively for forming thin metal films over a variety of substrates, including but not limited to, semiconductive substrates during semiconductor fabrication. A diagrammatic view of a portion of an exemplary PVD apparatus 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Apparatus 10 includes a target assembly 12. The target assembly illustrated includes a backing plate 14 interfacing a PVD or "sputtering" target 16. Alternative assembly configurations (not shown) have an integral backing plate and target.
Typically, apparatus 10 will include a substrate holder 18 for supporting a substrate during a deposition event. A substrate 20, such as a semiconductive material wafer is provided to be spaced from target 16. A surface 17 of target 16 can be referred to as a sputtering surface. In operation, sputtered material 18 is displaced from surface 17 of the target and deposits onto surfaces within the sputtering chamber including the substrate, resulting in formation of a layer or thin film 22.
Sputtering utilizing system 10 is most commonly achieved with a vacuum chamber by, for example, DC magnetron sputtering or radio frequency (RF) sputtering.
Various materials including metals and alloys can be deposited using physical vapor deposition. Common target materials include, for example, aluminum, titanium, copper, tantalum, nickel, molybdenum, gold, silver, platinum and alloys thereof. Sputtering targets are typically made of high-purity materials. However, even minute particles or inclusions such as, for example, oxides or other nonmetallic impurities in the target material can affect the deposited film and can lead to defective or imperfect devices.
Conventional analysis of metallic materials such as PVD target materials for impurities such as oxides typically involves dissolution techniques where a small sample of material is dissolved in acid. The resulting solution is filtered to retain un-dissolved particles on the filter. The size and number of particles retained on the filter is then determined to ascertain the amount of impurity particles present in the metallic material. However, this conventional technique presents a number of problems. First, the particles agglomerate during the filtering process giving inaccurate size and number data. Second, the imaging system used to measure particles is limited to detecting particles having a size greater than about 2 microns. Third, the process is relatively labor and time intensive. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop alternative techniques for metallic material analysis.

Liquid-particle analysis of metal materials


A multi chip package includes a substrate; a first semiconductor chip mounted on the substrate; a second semiconductor chip mounted above the first semiconductor chip; a first bonding wire electrically coupled to a first bonding pad on the first semiconductor chip; and a second bonding wire electrically coupled to a second bonding pad on the second semiconductor chip. At least the first bonding wire is of a coated wire, which comprises a conductive core and an outer insulation coating. At least the first bonding pad is of a multi layered pad, comprising a base pad formed on the first semiconductor chip; a first conductive layer formed on the base pad; and a second conductive layer formed on the first conductive layer.

A conventional multi chip package (MCP) includes a substrate, a first IC chip mounted on the substrate and a second IC chip mounted on the first IC chip. The substrate is provided with bonding posts thereon. The first and second IC chips and the bonding posts are wire bonded with thin bonding wires. The first and second IC chips are molded with a resin. Solder balls are arranged on the bottom surface of the substrate.
For wiring between the first and second IC chips, stud bumps may be used in order to improve bonding strength. However, when stud bumps are employed for a MCP, the productivity would be decreased. On the other hand, recently, a coated wire has been used for electrical connection among IC chips and a substrate so as to prevent the bonding wires from being contact with each other. However, both the stud bumps and coated wires cannot be used together. It is impossible to break the coating of the coated wires on the stud bumps, which are soft. Further, it is required to reduce mechanical stress under bonding pads, which are generated in a wire bonding process. Such mechanical stress is remarkable when coated wires are used.


A system for mapping and translating address information in a network is provided. The system includes a client-side address translator (120) and a server-side address translator (140). The client-side address translator (120) is configured to receive a data packet from a client (110). The data packet includes a first destination address representing the real destination address. The client-side address translator (120) maps the first destination address to another address using a mapping algorithm and transmits the data packet with the via the network (160). The server-side address translator (140) receives the data packet, translates the mapped address information back to the real destination address and forwards the data packet using the real destination address.

In distributed environments, such as network systems, client workstations typically transmit data to and receive data from a server over an unsecured network. The network typically routes a data packet from a client workstation to the server based on identifying information contained in the header of the data packet.
For example, on the Internet, data is typically transmitted using transmission control protocol (TCP) or user datagram protocol (UDP) on top of Internet protocol (IP). In these protocols, the IP destination address is a series of four 8-bit numbers defining a particular destination.
In typical scenarios, the server may be the front end of a company's internal network that connects client workstations to company resources, such as private databases of information, secured systems and various company programs. Adversaries of a company, or hackers, may attempt to infiltrate the company's internal network using packet "sniffers." A sniffer is a mechanism that captures all traffic transmitted to/from the server. The adversary may use the information obtained by a sniffer to "map" the company's network. For example, the adversary may identify the network topology of the company's network by observing the addresses and ports being used in data packets transmitted to/from the server. The adversary may then try to use this network topology information to access confidential information or maliciously attack the company's network.
Firewalls requiring passwords/IDs and other security features have been employed to lessen the risks of these types of attacks. Such mechanisms, however, often cannot prevent network discovery by sophisticated adversaries.
Therefore, a need exists for systems and methods that prevent unauthorized network discovery.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for dynamic mapping


An ice lift apparatus receives prismatic ice cubes having a substantially uniform predetermined rectangular or prism shape of which the longest side has a length D and which transports the prismatic ice cubes upwardly along a vertical ice transporting section. The ice lift apparatus comprises an endless transporting member provided with a number of transverse bars at a predetermined space therebetween that mounted so as to be capable of running circulatively along the vertical ice transporting section, and a supporting guide plate disposed along a climbing path of the transverse bars with a predetermined distance L therefrom, wherein the predetermined distance L between the climbing path of the transverse bars and the supporting guide plate is so selected as to fall within a range of 1/2 to 2/3 of the length D of the longest side of the ice cube or exceed the range. Ice chips of a size short of the lower limit of the above range are sorted out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ice lift apparatus for conveying or transporting vertically upwardly ice cubes of a substantially uniform shape such as rectangular prisms, cubes, that is prismatic ice blocks, particularly those made by an ice making machine among others.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In automatic ice making machines known heretofore, an ice storage box or chamber is provided with a front door for allowing ice cubes or blocks (hereinafter collectively referred to as ice cubes) to be taken out from the chamber by opening the front door. To this end, a scoop or the like tool is generally employed. However, not a little labor is imposed on the person in taking out the ice cubes although this depends on the position of the front door.
Under the circumstances, it has already been proposed to install an ice lift apparatus within the ice storage chamber with a view to making it possible to take out the ice cubes from the ice storage chamber through a delivery port provided at the top thereof. In that case, transportation of the ice cubes to the delivery or exit port is realized by using a conveyor apparatus (as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 26162/1972) or a bucket elevator (as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 77742/1973). As the conventional ice lift apparatus for transporting vertically upwardly the broken ice cubes which is employed in applications other than in ice making machines, there may be mentioned a screw type conveying apparatus (see Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 130675/1981) and an ice scraping/feeding apparatus including a pair of endless conveyor members having a large number of raking means mounted thereon (refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 11792/1985).
However, in a prior art ice transporting apparatuses in which conveyor means are made use of, not only are difficulties encountered in vertically transporting the ice cubes upwardly in a satisfactory manner but also a lot of space is required for installing the transporting apparatus. More specifically, in the case of an ice transporting apparatus in which the buckets or raking means are mounted on a pair of endlessly moving converyor chains, the buckets which project from the endless conveyor chains require additional room, making it difficult to install the ice lift apparatus within a narrow space such as in the ice storage chamber of an ice making machine.
It is further noted that although the prismatic ice cubes are in a normal state with relatively uniform size and shape immediately after having been made by the ice making machine, the ice cubes are likely to melt in the course of time even when the prismatic ice cubes are stored or accumulated within an ice storage chamber combined integrally with the ice making machine or in an ice storage box provided separately from the ice making machine. As a result, the size of the ice cubes is reduced with the shape becoming irregular and being transformed into so-called ice chips. Also, the prismatic ice cubes are rounded or cracked to ice pieces of irregular form or into ice chips under the influence of gravity by the weight of other ice cubes during storage or by forces acting on them during transportation. Additionally, the ice cubes tend to stick to one another to form a bonded ice block of elongated or enlarged size. These phenomena are well known in the art.
The ice chips, i.e. the ice pieces of irregular shape and reduced size, can certainly be used satisfactorily together with normal prismatic ice cubes for some applications such as cooling of fresh fish for the purpose of maintaining freshness or the like. However, a mixture of normal prismatic ice cubes and ice chips presents problems in some other uses. By way of example, in service industries such as hotels, restaurants and the like, drinks on the rocks, soft drinks, cooling beverages, etc. with ice cubes placed therein are often ordered by customers. In that case, if a large amount of the ice chips such as mentioned above are admixed, the customers may get the impression that there is some problem with the quality of the beverage itself.
For this reason, there exists a demand for supplying normal prismatic ice cubes by sorting out as much of the ice chips as possible. However, the prior art ice transporting apparatuses in which the conveyors, buckets or rakes are used can not satisfy the above-mentioned requirement because the ice chips are indiscriminately supplied with the normal ice cubes.


A video coding apparatus comprises a memory for storing a coded picture signal used as a reference picture signal, a vector detecting circuit for detecting, from plural field picture signals or plural frame picture signals which are read out from the memory and the reference picture signals, an optimum motion vector regarding a picture to be coded, a prediction signal producing circuit for subjecting a spatial-temporal filtering to a reference picture designated by the optimum motion vector to produce a prediction signal, and a coding circuit for coding the to-be-coded picture signal on the basis of the prediction signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for coding a video signal in video communication, video transmission, video storing, and broadcasting and, more particularly, to a video coding apparatus using motion compensation predictive coding.
2. Description of the Related Art
A TV telephone, a TV meeting system, an optical disk apparatus, a VTR, a CATV, and the like require a technique for coding a video signal. As such a video coding scheme, so-called motion compensation prediction coding is known. In this scheme, a pixel value of a picture to be coded (to be referred to as a to-be-coded picture hereinafter) is predicted by using a pixel value of a coded picture designated by a motion vector, and a corresponding predictive error and the motion vector are coded.
Assume that such a motion compensation predictive coding scheme is applied to an interlaced video (field picture) signal. In this case, the scheme is not suitable for a motion precision higher than an intra-field 1/2 line, e.g., a higher precision than an intra-frame one line, because there is no corresponding pixel value in a reference picture.
For this reason, a method of performing motion compensation by interpolating a pixel value of a corresponding pixel which does not exist on a reference picture using the pictures of the two adjacent fields has been proposed (e.g., "Adaptive Line Interpolated Inter-field Motion Compensation Method", Image Coding Symposium, 1990, (PCSJ90), 8-1). In this motion compensation method, a to-be-coded picture is coded by using a reference picture and an optimum motion vector. The reference video signal is formed by interpolation using a signal, of coded video signals of past two fields, which is located at a position designated by a motion vector obtained by a motion vector searching circuit. More specifically, three field memories are prepared, and a signal obtained by performing intrafield interpolation using an output from the first field memory is mixed with an output from the second field memory at a mixing ratio of km:1-km. The value km varies depending on the motion magnitude detected by a motion magnitude detection circuit on the basis of outputs from the first and third field memories.
According to this conventional technique, an interpolation value is formed by using the video signals of two adjacent fields in accordance with the motion magnitude so that an appropriate reference video signal corresponding to a motion precision higher than an intra-field 1/2 line (a motion precision higher than an intra-frame 1 line) can be generated for a field picture, thereby allowing high-precision motion compensation predictive coding.
In this scheme, however, the motion between two reference pictures must be detected, as described above, and hence a motion magnitude detection circuit is required. In addition, in order to perform motion magnitude detection, the pictures of three adjacent fields must be coded before the detection. If the pictures of three adjacent fields are not coded before motion magnitude detection, the detection cannot be performed.
In a conventional video coding apparatus using the above-described motion compensation predictive coding scheme, when a search for a motion vector for motion compensation is performed in a forward or backward direction, a reference picture for searching for the motion vector is limited to one coded picture in a case that a to-be-coded picture is a non-interlaced video. For reasons of this, accurate motion compensation cannot be performed with respect to a video which moves between adjacent pictures in units of 1/2 pixels.
Of the above-described video coding schemes, a video coding scheme having a transmission rate of about 1 to 2 Mbps has been developed to be a standard, which is termed "MPEG1" , for a picture storage such as VCRs and optical disks. This scheme is based on motion compensation inter-frame prediction and DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform).
A scheme for coding a video having high quality equal to or higher than quality for TV broadcasting at about 2 to 10 Mbps has been studied for the same purpose as described above. A coding scheme of MPEG1 is designed to be applied to a non-interlaced video as input signals. However, since the standard TV signal is interlaced video, where the coding scheme MPEG1 is applied to the interlaced video, a new means suitable for interlaced video is required. An inter-field/inter-frame adaptive prediction scheme is known as a coding method of interlaced video. In this scheme, a field having the same scan phase as that of a coding (to-be-coded) field (an odd field when an odd field is coded and vice versa), and a field having a scan phase different from that of the coding (to-be-coded) field and close in time thereto (e.g., an even field when an odd field is coded and vice versa) are switched as a prediction signal. In addition, interpolation prediction has recently been studied, which forms prediction signals by averaging signals extracted from current and previous fields (e.g., F. Wang et al., "High-quality coding of the even fields based on the odd fields of interlaced video sequences" , IEEE trans. CS).
When an interlaced video is subjected to a predictive coding using current and previous fields as in the coding scheme MPEG1, the even and odd fields suitable for the interlaced video is applied to a prediction. In this case, since the amount of motion vector information is increased when motion vectors are sent for the respective fields, means for decreasing the amount of motion vector information without a decrease in efficiency is required. That is, it is required to improve the prediction precision with respect to an interlaced video and decrease the information amount of predictive error coded outputs. In addition, it is required to minimize an increase in motion vector information. However, no effective techniques capable of satisfying such requirements have been proposed yet.
As described above, in the conventional technique, in order to interpolate between the pixels on a reference picture using two field pictures adjacent to the reference picture, motion magnitude detection is required for the reference picture. Therefore, a motion magnitude detection circuit is required, and the hardware inevitably becomes complicated. In addition, if three adjacent fields are not coded before motion magnitude detection, the detection cannot be performed.
Furthermore, according to the conventional technique, since a reference picture is limited to one coded picture in a search for a motion vector, accurate motion compensation cannot be performed with respect to a video which moves between pictures in units of 1/2 pixels. Further, if a prediction signal is formed referring to plural frames, since a large amount of arithmetic operation is required to search for a motion vector, the motion vector search time is prolonged or the circuit size of the hardware is increased.
Moreover, in the conventional technique, the prediction precision with respect to an interlaced video cannot be effectively improved, and the amount of motion vector information sent for the respective fields is undesirably increased.

Predictive coding using spatial-temporal filtering and plural motion vectors


A method and a system for managing a key of a home device in a broadcast encryption system are provided. A hierarchical structure of a group set comprising a plurality of nodes corresponding to the home server and a plurality of nodes corresponding to the home device is formed. A key set to be allotted to the node set is generated. The node group is allowed to correspond to the key set to generate key-node corresponding information according to a request of the home server.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for managing a key of a home device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a system for managing a key of a home device in a broadcast encryption (BE) system
2. Description of the Related Art
BE is a method of effectively transmitting information only to a desired set of users of the total number of users capable of receiving information from a transmitter, which is, for example, a broadcast center. Thus, the BE must be effectively used in a case of an arbitrary and dynamic variation in a set of users who is to receive information. An important property of the BE is to revoke or exclude an undesired device or user, for example, an illegal user or an expired user.
For this purpose, each device is allotted and stores a set of different keys, and a service provider stores a set of all keys of all devices. If a device to be excluded is determined, the service provider encrypts a temporal key using other keys except a key of the corresponding device, encrypts data to be transmitted using the temporal key, and broadcasts the encrypted temporal key and the encrypted data.
The device analyzes received data, selects a key to be used for decryption from the stored set of keys, decrypts the encrypted temporal key, and decrypts the encrypted data. A BE system adopts various techniques that have been suggested but generally adopts a hierarchical node structure.
In the BE, a transmission overhead, a storage overhead, and a computation overhead are important. The transmission overhead, the storage overhead, and the computation overhead respectively mean an amount of a header to be transmitted from a transmitter, an amount of secret keys to be stored by a user, and an amount of computation the user requires to obtain a session key. It is very important to reduce the transmission overhead.
In a BE system having a hierarchical structure according to the prior art, not the lower nodes of a home server to which a corresponding device belongs, but the leaf nodes that are lowermost nodes are randomly or in manufacturing order allocated to a specific device
In other words, in a case where a service provider provides services only to devices controlled by a specific home server, devices except devices belonging to the home sever must be regarded as revoked devices.
According to the BE system having the hierarchical structure according to the prior art, in the worst case, for example, in a case where devices are uniformly distributed in each home server, data must be transmitted to devices using different keys. Thus, the transmission overhead of the BE system cannot be reduced.

Method and system for managing key of home device in broadcast encryption (BE) system


A filter centrifuge includes a centrifuge drum having a solids removal opening for solids collected in the centrifuge drum. A solids drying housing into which the solids removal opening opens is provided. The solids drying housing has a sieve bottom, a gas inlet for introducing a drying gas, and a gas outlet for removing the drying gas.

The invention relates to filter centrifuge with a drying device for the moist solids collected within the centrifuge drum wherein the centrifuge has a solids outlet opening that opens into a solids outlet housing.
For drying the moist solids collected in the centrifuge drum different drying processes are conventionally used.
In diccontinuous filter centrifuges, e.g., as disclosed In German Patent Application 33 40 636, the filter cake in the centrifuge is freed to the greatest possible extent from the mother liquor and is optionally washed with liquid media, is then mechanically demoisterized by centrifugal forces and subsequently removed from the centrifuge drum. The moist solids thus obtained are moved into a solids outlets housing connected downstream of the centrifuge drum and are then conveyed into a thermal drying device, as disclosed in German Patent Application 31 41 549.
The disadvantages of such a process and device are as follows:
a) high apparatus expenditure due to the combination of a plurality of components (centrifuge, buffer container, transporting device, thermal dryer ), and considerable expenditure for process automation; PA1 b) great space requirement at different heights; PA1 c) increased risk of failure in the case of negative product properties of the solids, such as baking on the walls, conglutination etc; as well as a plurality of transfer or interface locations for process automation; PA1 d) increased service and maintenance expenditure as well as replacement part storage; PA1 e) increased cleaning expenditure when starting up the device. PA1 a) long filtration and drying times, thus reduced product capacity and uneconomical efficiency; PA1 b) increased risk of filter cake compaction; PA1 c) long occupation periods of the device components arranged upstream and downstream, capacity loss of the entire production facility; PA1 d) limited economical use when the centrifuge cycle time in relation to the drying time is approximately 1:1; PA1 e) high gas throughput results in relatively high energy costs for heating the drying gas; PA1 f) relatively high operating cost for the recycling of the outflowing gas in a gas recirculating device; PA1 g) high additional expenditures for compressors, heat exchangers, gas recirculating device. PA1 a) susceptible to imbalance problems for products that can be easily filtered and have a high density and for spontaneously filtrating solids; PA1 b) problems in regard to non-uniform filtration and washing steps; PA1 c) acceleration values for the centrifuging step with 600-700 G is lower than for filter centrifuges; this results in extended cycle times with reduced mechanical moisture removal; this also results in longer total cycle times and increased energy costs due to the higher initial moisture before drying and the relatively long drying times; PA1 d) metallic filter fabrics are problematic in comparison to textile fabrics with respect to cleaning when conglutination of solids occurs ; in the case of breakdown, the accessibility of the machine with regard to inspection and cleaning is cumbersome; PA1 e) the use of centrifuge dryers in multiproduction facilities, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, results in relatively long downtimes when a product changeover needs to be made; PA1 f) the centrifuge dryer has no solids outlet housing and the product removal is carried out pneumatically pulsating fashion via an annular channel in the outward direction. Thus, the removal of the moist product is not possible. In the case of breakdown a very high time and labor expenditure is thus to be expected. PA1 a centrifuge drum having a solids removal opening for solids collected in the centrifuge drum; PA1 a solids drying housing into which the solids removal opening opens; PA1 the solids drying housing having a sieve bottom, a gas inlet for introducing a drying gas, and a gas outlet for removing the drying gas. PA1 a) compact system, all method steps from the processing of the suspension to the dried end product can be realized within one device; PA1 b) all discontinuous filter centrifuges can be correspondingly retrofitted; PA1 c) optimal capacity use by performing separately and parallel of the method steps of centrifugation and drying; PA1 d) in regard to process control, the system requires only one control unit; PA1 e) greater application range because the filter cake removal can be performed in the moist state of the solids as well as in a pre-dried state, respectively, in the finally dried state; PA1 f) the device, in general, is not subject to pressurized container regulations; PA1 g) reduced operating costs due to the more effective pre-moisture removal of moisture by increased centrifugal forces, reduced amount of drying energy; PA1 h) higher operative safety; no imbalance problems; due the use of textile filter fabrics, reduced danger of conglutination or plugging.
In diccontinuous filter centrifuges, as disclosed in German Patent Application 44 17 310, having a pressure-tight encapsulated drum interior, subsequent to the mechanical demoisterization a convective solid bed drying with pressurized gas and flow of gas through the filter cake from the interior to the exterior can be performed. This process is only suitable for crystalline solids that can be easily filtered. A prerequisite is a specific high gas throughput. This system has the following disadvantages:
In centrifuge drying devices known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,895 the mechanical demoisterizing step is followed by convective drying in a pressure-tight closed drum, depending on the material to be dried. After the segment-wise removal of the filter cake from the drum the interior of the drum can be used for a fluidized bed drying process which can be enhanced by applying a vacuum.
In centrifuge dryers the drum is embodied as a drying container and provides multiple options with respect to drying processes. In such drums only metallic filter media can be used. The system has the following disadvantages:
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a discontinuous filter centrifuge with which the known disadvantages of the system can be prevented whereby it is especially desired to achieve an optimal method-technological drying of the moist solids collected in the centrifuge drum and still with minimal mechanical expenditure and minimal space requirement without adversely affecting the centrifuge capacity.

Filter centrifuge with a drying device for the moist solids collected in the centrifuge drum


A data writing method for controlling a rewritable non-volatile memory module having a plurality of physical erase units is provided. The method includes: receiving a write command which instructs writing data to a first logical address, wherein the first logical address is mapped to a second physical erase unit; determining whether the second physical erase unit is in a sequential writing state which represents that the physical programming units over a predetermined ratio in the second physical erasing unit have been successively written sequentially within a predetermined time; if yes, writing the data into a third physical erasing unit in a first programming mode, wherein the first programming mode represents that a plurality of upper physical programming units are non-programmable. Accordingly, the data writing rate is increased.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a data writing method for a rewritable non-volatile memory module, a memory controller and a memory storage device.
2. Description of Related Art
The rapid growth in the popularity of digital cameras, cellular phones, and MP3 players in recent years has brought about the escalated demand for storage media by consumers. Since a rewritable non-volatile memory module (e.g., a flash memory) has several characteristics such as non-volatility of data, low power consumption, small size and non-mechanical structure, the rewritable non-volatile memory is the most suitable memory to be adopted in a portable multimedia device mentioned above.
Generally, the rewritable non-volatile memory module is utilized with a host system. The host system issues a command for accessing logical addresses to the rewritable non-volatile memory module to read or write data. However, the host system may partition a specific area from the logic addresses, the specific area may be configured for backup or dumping data. When the host system access the specific area, multiple write commands may be issued to access sequential logical addresses. If there is a large amount of data to backup or dump, it is obvious that the writing rate will affect the effectiveness of the host system. Therefore, how to write data with sequential logical addresses to the rewritable non-volatile memory module is a topic that concerns researchers of the field.
Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art of any portion of the present disclosure. Furthermore, citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present disclosure, or that any reference forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Data writing method, memory controller and memory storage device


An air conditioner housing employs a fluid manifold operative through a support rod and lift cup to effect fluid flow through an associated fluid valve into the manifold to effect fogging mist of the fluid to be directed upon the condenser coils to enhance cooling efficiency of the air conditioner unit in use.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to air conditioner apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved air conditioner cooling apparatus wherein the same is directed to the enhanced efficient operation of an air conditioner by the water cooling of the air conditioner coils.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air conditioner apparatus of various types have been utilized in the prior art such as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,789 indicating a pre-cooling of air entering the air conditioner unit for precooling ambient air prior to its entering the evaporative cooler.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,422 to Koch sets forth an air conditioner unit having water fogging nozzles within the air conditioner unit in adjacency to the coils, wherein the nozzles are arranged to direct a mist to the coil or condenser unit of the air conditioner unit.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,422, to provide for an effective and efficient manner for effecting selective operation of the misting nozzles and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


The present invention is directed to an expandable spinal fusion intervertebral implant and a method for surgically implanting said implant that provides for maintaining and creating lordosis in the human spine that can be filled with biologics while in situ to encourage spinal fusion. A threaded rod that traverses an insertion/injection handle can be rotated to operate a screw within the interbody cage that displaces opposing vertical tapped sliding wedges, causing them to converge towards each other. Such contact causes the operation of a horizontal wedge that acts as a lift to expand the interbody cage to one of various dimensions in a preferred range. In its expanded height, the overall length of the interbody cage is maintained. At its desired expansion, the spinal fusion implant of the present invention is sized to fit within the disc space between two vertebral bodies and fill all voids left while the vertical and horizontal wedges operate within, due to the biologics being contained within the interbody cage.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to interbody spinal fusion implants configured to correct an angular relationship between vertebrae.
2. Description of the Related Art
Implant systems utilizing specially designed spinal instrumentation are often used in surgical procedures concerning spinal conditions. Such implants are used to correct degenerative conditions and facilitate spinal fusion while stabilizing and strengthening the spine. Spinal fusion is the joining of adjacent vertebrae through shared bone. Degenerative conditions which often require spinal fusion surgery include spondylolisthesis, chronic degenerative disc disease, traumatic fractures, and other forms of spinal instability such as scoliosis.
Degenerative conditions may lead to the spinal cord or nerve roots being squeezed as to cause difficulty with back pain, numbness or weakness in one or all extremities, difficulty with instability and gait, as well as clumsiness and proprioception. In extreme cases, certain degenerative conditions can also lead to losing control over the bladder or bowels.
Implant systems used in spinal fusion surgery can be summarized into the following groups: rods; pedicle screws; hooks; plates; and interbody cages. Rods are used in conjunction with hooks and screws to immobilize involved spinal levels and to contour the spine to correct alignment. Screws are implanted into the pedicles of the spinal vertebrae to provide strong anchorage points for rods, which can then be contoured to correct deformities to facilitate spinal fusion. Hooks are used with rods and other implants to anchor them to the vertebrae. Plates, often used in the cervical spine, are designed to conform to the contour of the spine, and are held in place by screws set into adjacent vertebrae. Interbody cages are small, hollow devices packed with bone graft or other osteogenic fusion graft material (i.e., biologics) used to restore lost disc height between two vertebrae.
A problem that is encountered when using interbody cages in spinal fusion surgery is that current devices are bulky, difficult to introduce through an incision into the disc and cannot be expanded, anchored or filled with biologics in situ. Moreover, current devices are designed by engineers on a naked spine, which necessarily lacks an appreciation for the true conditions of spinal fusion surgery. For example, nerve compression, root injury, dural tears and spinal fluid leaks are frequently produced by oversized interbody cages that are significantly larger in size than the entry point allowed by the axilla of the nerve root, which may result in compression of the dorsal root ganglion.
Oversized interbody cages are often needed to accommodate a large disc space, but current devices are inserted via a small entry point, which is bordered by the spinal dura (medially), nerve root and dorsal root ganglion (cranially), pedicle (caudally), and in case of posterior lumbar interbody fusion, the residual lamina (laterally), which is usually removed when transforamenal interbody fusion is done. In some cases this can result in significant post-operative pain and/or neurologic deficit. Another problem with current devices is that they do not fully permit biologics to be injected into interbody cages in situ. Current devices also have problems with revision, adjustment and repositioning when placed in the spine, and cannot be coupled with another interbody cage in situ. Moreover, when using current devices, biologics must first be inserted into the space between the vertebral bodies, and then again inside the interbody cage after said cage is inserted into the spine. Thus, there is a need in the art for an interbody cage that has the capability to introduce biologics into an interbody cage while it is in final position in situ.
While current devices exist, in part, of other expandable cages there is still a need in the art for an expandable interbody cage that is equally concerned with both the safety and well-being of the patient and the utility of the invention. For example, some current expandable devices, when fully expanded, the devices change in length, causing screws to protrude from the interbody cage. This is a safety concern to the patient, particularly if the protruding screws are directed toward the spinal cord. Should the interbody cage then move or dislodge, it will cause a direct puncture into the spinal cord.

Expandable self-anchoring interbody cage for orthopedic applications


A method for gasifying carbon-containing materials in which the material for gasification and oxygen, usually in the form of air, are supplied to a gas generator where the gasification takes place in a fixed bed reactor. The product gas is drawn off via a product gas line and introduced into a hot gas filter. A filter, preferably provided with filter candles, removes solids such as particles not yet gasified, ash and foreign bodies, while clean gas passes through and is taken off via a clean gas line. An outlet is provided in the bottom region of the hot gas filter to remove residual solids. The hot gas filter is supplied through a line with oxygen, preferably in the form of air, in its middle height region, between the filter bottom and the outlet.

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for gasifying wood or other carbon-containing material in accordance with the appended claims, and with WO 95/24591.
This publication discloses a fluidized bed furnace for a combined-cycle power plant, and provides for the reactor to have a secondary air supply and a tertiary air supply, which enter the reactor at different heights.
US 2008/0127824 A1 discloses a regenerative filter for a coal gasification plant, in which uncombusted material is combusted by supply of oxygen, taking place by means of nitrogen/air mixing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,490 provides for similar by means of two filter candles. Regarding the prior art in general the following may be stated: wood is composed chemically of three principal components:
cellulose
hemicellulose
lignin
remainder
Cellulose
The principal constituent of all woody plants, at about 50%, is cellulose. Cellulose is a molecule with a chain construction formed of individual glucose units. The actual building block of the cellulose is cellobiose, a disaccharide.
Hemicellulose
Hemicellulose consists of polymeric carbohydrates whose constituents are composed of pentoses and hexoses. Like cellulose, hemicellulose is a polysaccharide.
Lignin
The third component of wood, at about 25-30% by mass, is lignin, a polymer composed of phenylpropane units.
Remainder
In addition to cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, the wood also contains fats, resins, terpenes, dyes, and tannins, and also mineral constituents.
Elemental Composition
Empirical formula of wood:C6.1H9O4.2  (1.2)
Table sugar for comparison:C12H22O11  (2.2)
WoodAsh typeC [m-%]H [m-%]O [m-%]N [m-%]Cl [m-%][m-%]Beech496440.10.0010.9Spruce506430.050.0010.95Thermochemical Conversion
Thermochemical enhancement methods (gasification) transform solid bioenergy carriers, primarily under the influence of heat, into gaseous secondary energy carriers. In the course of the gasification, biomass is converted at high temperatures very largely completely into burnable gases (i.e., into what is called synthesis gas). The operation is supplied substoichiometrically with an oxygen-containing gasifying agent (air), one of whose abilities is to convert the carbon present in the biomass into carbon monoxide. At the same time, the partial combustion of the feed material provides the required process heat, to allow the gasification process actually to take place (autothermal gasification). The resulting gas, which is of low calorific value, can be used in burners to provide heat and, among other applications, in gas engines or gas turbines for generating electricity.
Cocurrent Fixed Bed Gasification
With this mode of gasification, the particulate solids (wood) are not agitated by the gas stream. The fuel moves in the form of a bed through the gasifier. The gasification residue is collected in the bottom region of the gasifier. Fuel and gas travel the same route.
Heating and Drying
The first phase is characterized in that the wood is slowly heated from the outside inward. Unbound water is given off in the form of steam. This process is endothermic (energy is required).
Degassing and Thermal Decomposition (Pyrolysis)
The temperature in the pyrolysis phase or pyrolysis zone ranges between 200° C. and 400° C. At these temperatures, oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2) are degassed.
In this phase, the wood building blocks identified in the section above are degassed. In the course of the pyrolysis, from cellulose and hemicellulose, carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) are formed, as are acetic acid (CH3COOH), acetone (C3H6O), phenols (C6H5OH), and water (H2O). The long-chain hydrocarbons formed during the pyrolysis are referred to as tars.
The thermal decomposition of lignin produces methanol (CH3OH) and aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g., benzene (C6H6)).
The solid product of the pyrolysis is charcoal.
Oxidation
The energy needed for the drying, pyrolysis, and reduction is formed in this zone. Carbon and hydrogen give off energy as they combust (exothermic). In this zone, the temperatures range between 650° C. and 1100° C., and CO2, H2O and CH4 are formed (without subscription hereinafter), as shown in FIG. 1.
Reduction
In the reduction zone, the formation of burnable gas is made possible. This is where the actual gasification of the solid carbon occurs. In the reduction zone, the intermediates formed in the preceding oxidation, such as CO2 and H2O, are reduced over the glowing charcoal. The products here are CO, H2, and higher hydrocarbons. This occurs at about 1100-650° C.
The process of reduction is dependent on the prevailing temperature. The reaction of hydrogen and carbon to form methane decreases sharply between 400° C. and 600° C. At temperatures above 1000° C., methane is no longer formed. At high temperatures, the Boudouard reaction attains a good yield of carbon monoxide. This reaction is relatively slow.
There is a divergent tendency, dependent on temperature, between high CO production and high hydrogen production. Furthermore, hydrogen production falls back in favor of methane formation. Both components act to increase the heating value. High hydrogen content also increases the problem of engine knocking. Knock-resistant methane is a good fuel gas, but experience suggests that gas generation conducted to a high methane content also entails a high tar loading in the gas.
Course of the Gasification Process
First, wood is heated by supply of heat, and at the same time the water present in the gasifier material is evaporated. The quantity of heat required is generated by the partial combustion of the resultant carbonization gases and the oxidation of carbon and hydrogen.
The resultant charcoal serves as a reaction area for the oxidation and reduction of carbon, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen. In the course of this process, the charcoal reduces in size, meaning that the surface area of the particles becomes greater, and hence the reaction rate goes up.
It is clear here that the reaction zone must be regarded as a whole and that the reduction and oxidation proceed simultaneously.
Since the reduction of the carbon dioxide by the charcoal is endothermic, the temperature falls from bottom to top, causing the reactions to subside. There is no clear separation between reduction zone and oxidation zone.
It is thought that in the oxidation zone the carbon undergoes combustion to form CO2, since CO2 is no longer stable at the high temperatures prevailing there, of 1000-1300° C.
A portion of the carbon monoxide is supposed then to be combusted to form CO2 in the presence of oxygen. This CO2, however, is unstable on account of the high temperatures, and is reduced to CO over the glowing carbon. When the oxygen has all been used up, CO no longer undergoes combustion, and remains stable in its concentration in spite of the decreasing temperature. Therefore, according to the last consideration, however, reduction reactions must also be assumed here, since to start with CO2 is present.
As becomes clear from the procedures referred to above, the gasification produces a mixture of burnable and nonburnable gases, which divide up as follows:    1. burnable gases:
carbon monoxideCOhydrogenH2methaneCH4higher molecular mass hydrocarbon compounds    2. nonburnable gases:
carbon dioxideCO2nitrogenN2steamH2Osmall amounts of oxygenO2
VolumeHeatingMinimumfractionvalueair massMethaneComponents[vol %][MJ/m3][m3air/m3gas]numberHydrogen H217.1-19.810.82.36 0Oxygen O20.4-0.60——Nitrogen N2450——Carbon  20-23.812.62.4175-100monoxide COCarbon dioxide 8.5-16.20——CO2Methane CH41.5-2.935.99.57100Higher HCs0.2≈50-90variable—CmHn
Process regime, residence time, temperature and fuel type, particle sizing and moisture influence the composition of the wood gas. Typical heating values for wood are in the order of magnitude of 3.5-5.5 MJ/m3, making wood gas a weak gas.
Given that 5-10 wt % of the starting material remains as ash, but primarily as ungasified wood residues, and must be properly disposed of, there is both economic and environmental interest in likewise maximizing the gasification of these wood constituents that are obtained in uncombusted form in wood gasifications in accordance with the prior art. This is also the object of the invention.
The invention achieves this object with an apparatus and method having the features indicated in the appended claims.

Method for gasifying carbon-containing material


A conveyance system provides for storing, monitoring, and retrieving (multi-purpose) canisters "MPC" for intermediate storage of spent fuel rods from nuclear power plants. The system includes a shielded transport system, an access corridor shielded for radiation, a lifting transport conveyance, an elevation chase, a dry-pool, seismic bracing to support the canisters in storage, associated shielding to confine radiation to the dry-pool, and air manifold system for cooling, and facilities to add alternative liquid radiation shielding around the canisters in the dry pool.. A RR-locomotive moves a RR-car having a radiation shielded transport container to communicate with a dry-pool access corridor. A bridge crane carries an "MPC" through the corridor to a vertical chase which accesses to the dry-pool. The bridge crane places the "MPC" at a cooling vent manifold. A seismic brace engages the "MPC" secure to the dry-pool wall. A configuration of radiation shielding confines emissions. An air manifold system enables convection air to cool the canisters. The system is operated from a remote control facility. Cask conditions are monitored, retrieved, collected, and reviewed an off-site date base. The dry-pool may be filled with water to provide additional radiation shielding.

108 nuclear power plants operate in the U.S. without any servicing off-site facility for storage of their spent nuclear fuel rods. When fuel rods can no longer efficiently produce steam, they are taken out of commission and are immediately put into under water storage at a power plant pool where the water absorbs the inherently generated heat. In time the fuel rods decay and the heat generation diminishes. After five years the fissile material is sufficiently spent (decayed/transformed) such that the fuel rods can be stored unconfined in an open air arena. A permanent spent fuel storage facility is planed in the Yucca Mountain region of Nevada. Until then, a "Monitored Retrievable Storage" (MRS) facility is being sought for the intermediate storage of the spent fuel. The author of this patent has worked on many varieties of nuclear material transport equipment and facilities for nuclear fuel since 1958. U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,604 describes an "MRS" facility serviced with railroad equipment.

Canister, transport, storage, monitoring, and retrieval system


The present invention relates to an optical connector and an optical connector assembling method allowing simplification of assembly, improvement of reliability, and lower prices. The optical connector comprises a connector plug for holding a coated optical fiber and a connector socket for holding a coated optical fiber. The connector plug has a fiber holding portion disposed in a plug housing, and a fiber inserting hole is provided in the fiber holding portion. A fiber deflection space for allowing deflection of the coated optical fiber, when the coated optical fibers are butted, is provided in the plug housing. The connector socket has a fiber holding portion disposed in a socket housing, and a fiber inserting hole is provided in the fiber holding portion. A fiber deflection space for allowing deflection of the coated optical fiber, when the coated optical fibers are butted, is provided in the socket housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector for butt-connecting of, for example, coated optical fibers themselves and to a method for assembling the optical connector.
2. Related Background Art
As for an optical connector used conventionally, one described in, for example, patent document 1 is known. The optical connector described in this document is provided with a pair of ferrules for holding an optical fiber, an alignment sleeve for allowing butt-connecting of front edge surfaces of these ferrules, a pair of plug housings for accommodating each ferrule, a pair of coil springs disposed in each of the plug housings for exerting a biasing force to the ferrule, and a pair of adapters for connecting each of plug housings.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-216304

Optical connector and optical connector assembling method


A wiper motor (10) comprises: a motor body (11) comprising

As a drive source for driving a wiper member, a wiper motor is used in a rear wiper device for wiping a rear window glass mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. The wiper motor has an electric motor such as a brushed motor and rotatably supported one end to an axial direction of a motor shaft supported by a yoke. A speed reduction mechanism comprising a worm rotated by the motor shaft and a worm wheel meshing with the worm is contained inside a gear case mounted to the yoke. The speed of rotation of the motor shaft is reduced by the speed reduction mechanism and transmitting the rotation to the worm wheel. A motion conversion mechanism converting a rotational motion of the worm wheel into a swinging motion and transmitting the swinging motion to the output shaft is contained in a gear case. The wiper member attached to a distal end of the output shaft is swung back and forth within a predetermined angular range.
Such wiper motors are described, for example, in JP 2006-151092 and JP2006-94693. As a wiper motor, there are a narrow-angle type (link type) with a narrow range of swing of the wiper member and a wide-angle type (differential gear) with a wide range of swing of the wiper member. The motion conversion mechanism mounted on the wiper motor of the narrow-angle type has a pivoting lever fixed to a proximal end of the output shaft, and a connecting rod converting the rotary motion of the worm wheel into the swinging motion and transmitting the swinging motion to the pivoting lever. The connecting rod is rotatably connected to the worm wheel at a position deviating radially from an axial center of the worm wheel and another end of the connecting rod is rotatable connected to the pivoting lever.
On the other hand, the motion conversion mechanism mounted on the wiper motor of the wide-angle type has a pinion gear fixed to the proximal end of the output shaft and a motion conversion member converting the rotary motion of the worm wheel into the swinging motion and transmitting the swinging motion to the pinion gear. One end of the motion conversion member is rotatably connected to the worm wheel at a position deviating radially from an axial center of the worm wheel and another end is a sector gear portion meshing with the pinion gear. A retaining plate swingably connecting the output shaft and a gear shaft set at an axial center of the sector gear portion is set up and retains meshing of the pinion gear and the sector gear portion.

Abstract: a motor case (13) rotatably supporting an end of the motor shaft (17) in the axial direction thereof; a reduction mechanism (26) reducting the speed of rotation of the motor shaft (17) and transmitting the rotation having the reduced speed to a worm wheel (35); and a motion conversion mechanism (29) converting the rotational motion of the worm wheel (35) into a rocking motion and transmitting the rocking motion to an output shaft (28). The position of the output shaft (28) is set up that the axis (C1) of the output shaft (28) is closer to the motor case (13) than the axis (C2) of the worm wheel (35) and farther from the axis (C2) of the worm wheel (35) than the axis (C) of the motor shaft (17).


An exemplary logging system and a method are for detecting, conditioning and presenting installation-specific and/or process-specific operator control actions, process reports, alarm reports, system events, installation parameters and digital text messages for a technical installation or a technical process. The logging system having at least one input apparatus that automatically converts audible and/or spoken information and information that is present in written form into digital text messages and provides the information, together with information relating to operator control actions, information relating to navigation steps performed and further text information that is present in digitized form, for a processing unit, that can automatically attribute timestamps.

In exemplary commercial installations, a large amount of installation-specific or process-specific information, including operator control actions, process reports, alarm reports, system events, audit logs and installation parameters, is stored as alarm and event logs.
WO 2009/112252 describes a method and a device for storing data that are in each case part of an alarm or event report containing a plurality of attributes, wherein a stipulated table is used to directly store a first portion of the attributes that are part of an alarm or event report in normalized form, and additionally both the first portion and a remaining second portion of the attributes are stored as a provision data record.
Operating and observation systems currently used in commercial installations, such as control systems, also called a digital control system (DCS), log time series data and/or historic process values from process signals and also event data, from process alarms, system events and audit logs, and store these data in appropriate archives, for example in special databases with real-time functions, where said data are stored for long-term storage at stipulated intervals of time. In particular, the historical process values comprise instances of limit values being exceeded and/or instances of limit values being undershot, which are usually linked to a timestamp.
The stored data are used, inter alia, to analyse accidents and incidents and also the process as an initial basis for improvements, for example for control loop tuning, for alarm management, for monitoring or inspection logs, what are known as audit trails, and for evidence about the observance of limit values for legal and environmental regulations.
The handling of the data stored in logs can be rendered more difficult by the fact that important information relating to the operational context is not incorporated. Often, it is unclear whether a reduction in the production volume can be attributed to a process problem or whether this was an intentional change of the production plan.
By way of example, a faulty pump with reduced capacity would be known to the operators of the installation. If this state is not input directly into the logging system of the installation, however, it is difficult at a later time to comprehend why there is a reduced capacity from the pump, which is indicated by appropriate reports, since the reason for the fall in capacity is incomprehensible. The fault in the pump, that is to say information relating to the operational context, is often no longer retrievable in the logs provided, even though it would be essential for particular analyses.
At the present time, operators use control or SCADA systems in order to manage industrial processes or a power supply system. In addition to this, it is desirable for them to work together with the servicing personnel, for example, who are located outside the control room. This cooperation often involves numerous telephone calls, the exchange of e-mails and exchange with superordinate systems, such as a computerized maintenance management system CMMS or an enterprise resource planning system (ERP), which manages the action planning for the resources that are existent in a company.
Often, important information is also written down as reminders on sticky notes or note paper, which can later be lost.
Many installation operators also avoid inputting texts into an available computer, such as an electronic shift book, since this often appears too time consuming.

System and method for event logging in a technical installation or a technical process


Disclosed are an apparatus and related methods for quickly deactivating or otherwise plugging a sprinkler, wherein the deactivated sprinkler may automatically reactivate in view of an unexpected fire. Generally, the disclosed apparatus comprises: a forked clamping arm and a jaw arm with a stopper plug, wherein the forked clamping arm is positioned around a body of a fire-sprinkler and the plug is squeezed against an outlet of a fire-sprinkler via locking plier action between the clamping arm member and the jaw arm member. Suitably, a water tight seal is created by the plug over the outlet. Preferably, the plug of the apparatus may be configured to melt whenever ambient temperatures surrounding the sprinkler reach a threshold level so that the sprinkler may reactivate in view of an unexpected fire in its proximity.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and related methods for blocking the flow of water from a broken or activated fire sprinkler.
2. Description of Related Art
Fire sprinkler systems are occasionally placed in buildings for fighting unexpected or out of control fires. The individual sprinklers within the system generally feature a plugged nozzle that is (a) located at the end of a fluid filled or fluid fed pipe and (b) directed toward a deflector plate. Typically, the plug in the nozzle is configured to give way to the fluid whenever the same is heated beyond a threshold temperature. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,710 (issued Oct. 14, 1986); see also vials filled with heat-expanding fluids which rupture when heated to a threshold temperature. While a sprinkler nozzle is unplugged, a condition known colloquially as "activated," the fluid flows from the sprinkler and is deflected by the deflector plate over an area within the building until the pipe is either drained of fluid, the fluid feed is shut-off, or the nozzle is re-plugged. Sprinklers are typically coupled to water piping with one half inch male national pipe thread (NPT) or three quarters inch male NPT for high volume water flows. Many buildings have a combination of different sized, and sometimes differently shaped, sprinklers.
For fluid filled sprinkler systems, occasions arise wherein plugging the accidentally activated nozzle is more preferable than draining the pipe or shutting-off the fluid feed. For example, plugging an accidentally activated nozzle is preferred to draining the pipe because, otherwise, the fluid is unnecessarily wasted or causes damage. Furthermore, plugging an activated nozzle is also preferred to draining the pipe whenever either: (1) all the fluid is not necessary to extinguish a fire because water is otherwise wasted; or (b) historic pipe conditions (e.g., rust, bacteria, mold and the like) or chemical additives have rendered toxic the fluid since the toxic fluid can cause damage to humans and environments proximate to the sprinkler system.
For fluid fed sprinkler systems, circumstances arise wherein plugging activated nozzles is more preferable than shutting-off the fluid feed of the system. Like fluid filled systems, fluid fed sprinkler systems should be plugged whenever its sprinklers are either activated accidentally or contain toxic fluid to avoid wasted fluid or fluid damage. Plugging an activated sprinkler in a fluid fed system is usually preferred to shutting-off the fluid feed to the pipe whenever shutting-off the fluid feed: is an expensive or difficult undertaking; results in no mechanisms for firefighting while the feed is shut-off (i.e., the building is at risk because there is no fire prevention mechanism); or expensive or difficult to turn back on.
In view of the foregoing, a need exists for mechanisms which are capable of deactivating or otherwise plugging a sprinkler. Apparatus and related methods have been developed to meet said need. Yet, until now none of said apparatus and methods have completely met said need.
Wedge apparatus are known which are configured to plug a sprinkler nozzle whenever positioned between the deflector plate and nozzle. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 845,918 (issued Mar. 5, 1907), U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,423 (issued Jan. 25, 1955), and, U.S. Pub. Pat. App. No. 2008/0083544 (published Apr. 10, 2008). Although useful for quickly deactivating sprinklers, wedge apparatus are not entirely satisfactory for all circumstances. One unsatisfactory aspect of a wedge apparatus is that the interface between the wedge and the nozzle is not always water tight because of the wedge incline. Another unsatisfactory aspect of a wedge apparatus is that the wedge must be manually removed with the result being that the sprinkler cannot automatically activate in view of an unexpected fire.
Capping apparatus are further known for deactivating sprinkler nozzles. See e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,986,242 (issued May 23, 1961), U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,320 (issued Jan. 30, 1987), U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,117 (issued May 16, 1989), U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,942 (issued Dec. 3, 2002). While capping apparatus are capable of plugging a sprinkler nozzle, capping apparatus cannot ordinarily be universally applied to all sprinklers. Also, like the wedge and lift apparatus, capping apparatus must be manually removed and, as a result, the sprinkler cannot automatically activate in view of an unexpected fire.
Balloon apparatus are known which are configured to expand between the deflector plate and nozzle opening whereby the expansion plugs the nozzle. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,285 (issued Apr. 11, 2006). Balloon apparatus can be useful for quickly deactivating a sprinkler. However, balloon apparatus require a substantial amount of compressed air to accomplish deactivation of a sprinkler nozzle. Furthermore, compressed air sources are not always available. Accordingly, balloon apparatus are not satisfactory for deactivating sprinklers in all circumstances.
Lift apparatus (whether by spring or screw operations) are also known for deactivating sprinklers, wherein a lower portion of the device is positioned against the deflector plate and an upper portion of the device is raised into plugging interface with the nozzle. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,417,265 (issued Mar. 11, 1947), U.S. Pat. No. 2,520,588 (issued Aug. 29, 1950), U.S. Pat. No. 2,743,782 (issued May 1, 1956), U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,685 (issued Jun. 29, 1965), U.S. Pat. No. 3,223,171 (issued Dec. 14, 1965) U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,687 (issued Dec. 29, 1970), U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,141 (issued Aug. 24, 1976), U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,866 (issued Jan. 27, 1987), U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,430 (issued Oct. 1, 1996), U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,252 (issued Jun. 10, 2003), U.S. Pat. No. 7,743,838 (issued Jun. 29, 2010), and U.S. Pub. Pat. No. 2006/0042803 (published Mar. 2, 2006). Lift apparatus are sometimes unsatisfactory for deactivating sprinklers because such apparatus require careful, tedious, or difficult positioning and manipulation of the lift to plug the nozzle in a fluid tight manner. Frequently, installation of a lift apparatus involves extended exposure to toxic sprinkler discharge or the unsafe practice of climbing a wet ladder to reach the sprinkler. Lift apparatus are also unsatisfactory because the same do not accommodate different volume sprinkler heads. That is to say, lift apparatus are not typically configured for stopping both sprinklers for one half inch NPT and sprinklers for three quarters inch NPT. This means that multiple versions of a lift apparatus must be used depending on the sprinkler system. Additionally, lift apparatus, like wedge apparatus, must be manually removed from a sprinkler with a consequence that the sprinkler cannot automatically activate in view of an unexpected fire.
Finally, wedge, lift, capping, and balloon apparatus are not capable of plugging sheared or otherwise severely damaged sprinklers.
In view of the foregoing, a need still exists for apparatus and related methods of deactivating a sprinkler without the drawbacks or shortcomings of known apparatus for the same purpose.

Apparatus and related methods for stopping water flow from fire sprinklers


Briefly, embodiments disclosed herein relate to switching between versions of digital content to be displayed, such as to a user, in a real-time searching environment, for example.

Field
Subject matter disclosed herein relates to switching between versions of content to be displayed, such as to a user.
Information
With networks, such as the Internet, gaining popularity, and with a vast multitude of content, such as pages, other electronic documents, other media content and/or applications (hereinafter 'digital content'), becoming available to users, such as via the World Wide Web (hereinafter 'Web'), it may be desirable to provide more efficient and/or more streamlined approaches to gather, organize, store, modify, search, and/or retrieve digital content, for example. Internet-type business entities, such as Yahoo!, for example, may provide a wide range of digital content storage, search, and/or retrieval services for a wide range of applications. Such digital content storage, search, and/or retrieval services may involve distributed systems, particularly for large amounts of digital content to be accessed, stored, modified, and/or searched, for example, by large numbers of clients (e.g., client computing devices).
Reference is made in the following detailed description to accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, wherein like numerals may designate like parts throughout to indicate corresponding and/or analogous components. It will be appreciated that components illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale, such as for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration. For example, dimensions of some components may be exaggerated relative to other components. Further, it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized. Furthermore, structural and/or other changes may be made without departing from claimed subject matter. It should also be noted that directions and/or references, for example, such as up, down, top, bottom, and so on, may be used to facilitate discussion of drawings and/or are not intended to restrict application of claimed subject matter. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken to limit claimed subject matter and/or equivalents.


A headwear piece has a crown defining a receptacle for the head of a wearer. The crown has an exposed external surface and an exposed internal surface with there being a circumferential portion of the exposed internal surface to engage the head of a wearer. The crown is defined by a plurality of joined fabric gores. Each of the fabric gores in a first plurality of the fabric gores has a single sheet of material that defines a part of the external surface of the crown and extends continuously to a folded portion which defines a part of the circumferential portion of the exposed internal surface of the crown.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to headwear and, more particularly, to a headwear piece with a crown formed at least partially from a fabric sheet.
2. Background Art
It is well known to construct caps, such as baseball-style caps, from fabric gores. Typically, the gores are triangularly shaped and are sewn edge-to-edge to produce an inverted cup shape to accept a wearer's head. A circumferential bottom edge of the crown extends around and grips the wearer's head to maintain the headwear piece in place. A sweatband is commonly attached adjacent to the bottom edge within, and fully around, the crown to contact the wearer's head. One of the main purposes of the sweat band is to absorb perspiration and thereby avoid migration of perspiration through to the external surface of the crown as might detract significantly from its appearance.
It is also known to use a spandex-type material on gores of the crown. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,415, to Beckerman, it is taught that the rear gores can be made from a spandex material which allows the circumferential dimension of the gripping portion of the crown to change slightly. This allows each hat construction to fit a range of head sizes with a custom fit appearance. As a result, purveyors of these caps can offer a full range of sizes with fewer caps, thereby reducing inventory and simplifying inventory control. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,415, it is taught to construct the sweat band from material that is stretchable uniaxially around the circumference of the head gripping edge of the crown. To accommodate circumferential stretching of the crown, the sweatband is described to be sewn continuously around the entire bottom edge thereof and to be tacked to the crown at spotted locations near the top edge of the sweat band.

Headwear having integral crown and headband