An image forming apparatus comprises an intermediate transfer unit associated with a photoconductive medium. A first unit transfers a developed image on the photoconductive medium to the intermediate transfer unit such that an intermediate image on the intermediate transfer unit is formed. A second unit transfers the intermediate image from the intermediate transfer unit to a copy sheet such that a reproduced image on the copy sheet is formed. The intermediate transfer device of one aspect of the present invention comprises a surface layer of a mixture containing a friction reducing substance which reduces a coefficient of friction on the surface layer. The intermediate transfer device of another aspect of the present invention comprises a surface layer of a mixture containing a fluorocarbon polymer component and a secondary resin component which are compatible with each other, a visible developed color image being formed on the surface layer.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic technique, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus in which an intermediate image, transferred from an electrophotographic photoconductive medium to an intermediate transfer unit, is transferred from the intermediate transfer unit to a copy sheet so that a reproduced image is formed.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Recently, electrophotographic image forming systems which are capable of forming a multiple-color or full-color image have come into practical use. These systems include a color copier system, a color printer system and a color facsimile system.
In the image forming system of the above type, a full-color image is transferred to a copy sheet as follows. Each of developed images in secondary colors (including cyan, magenta, yellow and black) is formed on a rotary photoconductive drum with a corresponding color toner or developer. These developed images are sequentially transferred to an intermediate transfer unit by a first transfer process, so that an intermediate full-color image is formed on the intermediate transfer unit. The intermediate full-color image on the intermediate transfer unit is transferred to a copy sheet by a second transfer process so that a reproduced full-color image is formed on the copy sheet.
The color toners which remain on the surface of the intermediate transfer unit after the second transfer process are removed by a cleaning blade, so that the surface of the intermediate transfer unit is cleaned and is ready for a subsequent transfer process.
In the above-described image forming system, an endless belt member arranged between a drive roller and follower rollers under a tensile stress is used as the intermediate transfer unit. The endless belt member is in contact with the rotary photoconductive drum at one location of the endless belt member. Each of the developed images, formed with one of the color toners on the photoconductive drum, is transferred to the intermediate transfer unit to form the intermediate color image on the intermediate transfer unit.
There are two types of intermediate transfer units which are used for the image forming system. One of the two types is an intermediate transfer unit which is formed with a dielectric material, or an intermediate transfer unit having at least a toner-transferred surface which is formed with a dielectric material. The other type is an intermediate transfer unit which is formed by using a medium-resistance material.
The image forming apparatus of the present invention uses the intermediate transfer unit of the latter which is formed by using a medium-resistance material. The intermediate transfer unit of this type is used to eliminate the problem of non-transfer defect of a reproduced image on a copy sheet to which an intermediate image on the intermediate transfer unit is transferred.
There are several publications in the prior art which teach improvements related to the transfer efficiency from the photoconductive medium to the intermediate transfer unit and/or the transfer efficiency from the intermediate transfer unit to the copy sheet so as to increase the quality of the reproduced image. The above-mentioned publications are as follows.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.59-50475 teaches an intermediate transfer unit having a surface with a specific surface roughness or having an adhesion-layer surface, which is formed so as to improve the transfer efficiency.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.59-23975 teaches an intermediate transfer unit having a surface of an addition-polymer silicone rubber which is formed so as to improve the transfer efficiency.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.2-213881 teaches an intermediate transfer unit having a surface formed with a protective layer of zinc stearate, which provides a lubrication on the protective layer so as to improve the transfer efficiency.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.2-198476 teaches an intermediate transfer unit including fluororesin or silicon resin which provides a small wettability of the intermediate transfer unit so as to improve the transfer efficiency.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.5-142955 teaches that the intermediate transfer unit is electrically grounded, which prevents the interference between primary transfer electric field and secondary transfer electric field, so as to improve the transfer efficiency.
In order to provide a desired level of optical density of a reproduced image, it is necessary that the transfer toner ratio of the amount of toner (the reproduced image) on the copy sheet to the amount of toner (the intermediate image) on the intermediate transfer unit is 90% or above. The image forming apparatus of one or any combination of the above-mentioned prior art references takes only a macro measure and is directed to increasing the transfer toner ratio to 90% or above.
However, even if the transfer efficiency is above 90%, a small amount of toner may remain on the intermediate transfer unit as pinpoint spots and it may not be transferred to the copy sheet. In such a case, the reproduced image on the copy sheet has non-transfer spots in a microscopic view. The occurrence of non-transfer spots in the reproduced image will lower the quality of the reproduced image. Hereinafter, this problem is called the non-transfer defect of the reproduced image.
The image forming apparatus of any combination of the above-mentioned prior art references takes no countermeasure against the occurrence of the non-transfer spots in the reproduced image, and is not effective to eliminate the non-transfer defect in the reproduced image in the microscopic view.

Image forming apparatus having an intermediate transfer unit with a surface having reduced coefficient of friction


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: providing a substrate having an insulating layer and a single crystal silicon layer formed on the insulating layer; forming a strain-inducing semiconductor layer on the single crystal silicon layer, the strain-inducing semiconductor having the lattice constant differing from the lattice constant of the single crystal silicon layer; changing the single crystal silicon layer into a strained silicon layer by matching a lattice of the single crystal silicon layer with a lattice of the strain-inducing semiconductor layer; and removing the strain-inducing semiconductor layer.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device which includes a semiconductor element having a strained silicon layer and a method of manufacturing such a semiconductor device.
Accompanied by reduction of size and an increase in speed of semiconductor devices in recent years, a substrate including a strained silicon layer has attracted attention as a substrate for forming a high-speed and low-power-consumption semiconductor device. A strained silicon layer is obtained by causing a layer of silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge) (SiGe layer) to grow on a silicon substrate, and causing a single crystal silicon layer to grow on the SiGe layer. The band structure changes in such a strained silicon layer. As a result, electron scattering is limited due to removal of degeneracy, whereby electron mobility can be increased.
A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate including a buried oxide film in a silicon substrate has also attracted attention as a substrate for forming a high-speed and low-power-consumption semiconductor device, and has been put into practical use. In recent years, a technology of forming an SOI structure including a strained silicon layer has been proposed in order to deal with a demand for a further reduction of size and increase in speed of semiconductor devices (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 9-321307).
In the case of forming an SOI substrate including a strained silicon layer as described above, a silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer is formed on a semiconductor layer of the SOI substrate. A single crystal silicon layer is then formed on the silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer to obtain a strained silicon layer. In this method, there may be a case where a silicon-germanium layer in which a misfit dislocation or a threading dislocation occurs is formed due to a lattice matching between the semiconductor layer of the SOI substrate and the silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer. If the strained silicon layer is formed on the silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer having such a dislocation defect, the defect is introduced into the strained silicon layer, whereby an excellent field effect transistor cannot be formed. Therefore, it is necessary to form a silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer having a large thickness, whereby a considerable time is necessary for the crystal growth of the silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer.
In order to obtain effects of the SOI substrate such as reduction of the parasitic capacitance, the thickness of the SOI layer of the SOI substrate must be equal to or less than the diffusion depth of the source/drain region of the field effect transistor. However, if the strained silicon layer is formed after forming a silicon-germanium mixed crystal layer having a large thickness, the effects of the SOI substrate cannot be achieved. In the case of using a step of injecting a high concentration of oxygen ions, the strained silicon layer is damaged to a large extent.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same


This power generation module includes: a power generating portion (30) including a power generating element (19); and a wiring substrate. The wiring substrate includes: a reinforcement plate; and a flexible printed circuit (79) provided above the reinforcement plate. The flexible printed circuit (79) has: an FPC land portion (70) configured to have the power generating portion (30) mounted thereto; and a FPC wire portion (73) connected to the FPC land portion (70). The width of the FPC wire portion (73) is smaller than the width of the FPC land portion (70).

There have been developed concentrator photovoltaic apparatuses in which sunlight is converged onto solar cell elements by use of lenses and the like to increase the power generating efficiency of the solar cell elements.
As one example of a concentrator photovoltaic apparatus, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2013-84855 (PATENT LITERATURE 1) discloses a technology as below. That is, a concentrator solar cell module includes: a plurality of solar cell elements; an elongated receiver substrate having the solar cell elements arranged thereon in a single line at constant intervals; and a module substrate having a plurality of the receiver substrates arranged thereon in parallel at constant intervals. In the concentrator solar cell module, each receiver substrate includes: an elongated receiver base; and a plurality of wiring members arranged on the receiver base in a single line along the longitudinal direction, with their adjacent ends facing each other. A positive electrode pad portion is provided on one end of each wiring member, and a negative electrode pad portion is provided on the other end thereof. The positive electrode terminal of each solar cell element is connected to the positive electrode pad portion and the negative electrode terminal of the solar cell element is connected to the negative electrode pad portion, whereby a solar cell element mounting portion is formed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Power generation module and wiring substrate


A hair conditioning composition containing very little water from which a hair conditioner can be easily produced by diluting with water, and a low energy production method thereof.

Many of conventional hair conditioners adopt a form in which components are dissolved or dispersed in a large amount of water. Products with such form are basically realized by stably dispersing various formulation components in water that is an excellent solvent. In addition, in most hair conditioners, a cationic surfactant that is a basic component forms a lamellar α-gel structure in combination with a higher alcohol and water or via emulsification of oil and water, and the hair conditioner may turn into a high-viscosity gel. Therefore, also for viscosity control of a composition, it has been preferred to contain a large amount of water up to an extent that would not impair its usability and its texture by excessively diluting the components.
On the other hand, the product containing a large amount of water requires energy for transportation and transfer for its weight and bulkiness. In addition, water or the composition containing water has a problem in energy efficiency on the product manufacturing since energy consumption is excessively required for its heating and cooling. Furthermore, the product containing a large amount of water is susceptible to the conditions during production and storage (history of load stress and temperature) and is difficult to maintain qualities such as viscoelasticity for a long period of time.
Therefore, reduction in the water content of hair conditioner leads to quality maintenance as well as reductions in a lot of energy consumption, production and transportation, and in product cost, and is believed to be one of the breakthroughs in the art also from the viewpoint of improvement in global environment.    Patent Literature 1: PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2004-534807    Patent Literature 2: PCT Japanese Translation Patent Publication No. 2005-516026    Patent Literature 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-300812

Hair conditioning composition and low energy method of producing the same

Abstract: A hair conditioning composition including (a) 10 to 90% by mass of specifically structured higher alcohols and/or derivatives thereof, (b) 5 to 35% by mass of cationic surfactant, and (c) a polyhydric alcohol and/or polyethylene glycol having a melting point of 70° C. or less, wherein the melting point of a gel which is formed from (a) and (b) in the composition is 70° C. or less, the water content is 10% by mass or less, and the molar ratio of (a) to (b) is 2.5 or more to less than 6.0. Also, a low energy method of producing a hair conditioner by melting the hair conditioning composition under heating at the temperature of the melting point of gel or more to 70° C. or less, and diluting it with water in an amount of 3 to 15 times by mass.


A transmission lubrication system for a vehicle providing a continuous return flow of a lubricant. The transmission lubrication system includes a differential housing, a transmission housing, a lubricant tank, a suction line, a lubricant pump, and an air suction pump. The transmission housing is connected to the differential housing in an air-tight manner and a lubricant through-passage is provided between the transmission housing and the differential housing. The lubricant tank is provided in the differential housing and has a lubricant suction opening in a lower region. The lubricant pump conveys lubricant from the lubricant tank through the suction line and conducts the lubricant to the lubrication points in the differential housing and transmission housing. The air suction pump pumps air from the lubricant tank into the transmission housing so that an excess air pressure is maintained in the transmission housing.

Lubricant systems serve to provide lubricant at various points in a vehicle, in particular in engines and transmissions of all types. Consequently, different requirements are set according to the application.
Transmissions and other machine parts are mounted in housings which serve at the same time as a collection container for the lubricant. Generally, in this case the housing floor is configured as an oil sump in which the oil flows back and is pumped out again therefrom and brought into circulation.
In order to remove heat and also to guarantee the lubricant film, a basic quantity of oil is set. However, an excessive quantity of oil has to be avoided. In the case of a level which is too high, moving parts may be immersed in the oil and are slowed down by the resistance. At the same time, the swirling of the oil leads to foaming which results in a temporary loss of lubricant in the oil circuit, so that the oil level drops and potentially the circulation of lubricant comes to a halt.


A simple system for determining a non-invasive sleep state of a person is described. The system comprises: (a) means for measuring the person's cardiac R-R waves interval; (b) means for calculating the power spectrum of the cardiac R-R interval, thus obtaining a ratio between spectral power in the and high frequencies; (c) means responsive to the measuring and calculating means for generating output signals, one output signal having a first value when said ratio is above a specific predetermined threshold, designated as REM sleep-and one outputs signal having a second value when the above ratio is below this threshold, designated as non-REM sleep, and (d) means responsive to the output signal for designating a time period of predetermined duration as a REM period or a non-REM period, respectively. The system enables an accurate determination of the sleep state.

Normal individuals experience several distinct sleep states. One important sleep state is characterized by Rapid Eye Movement, known as REM sleep, small muscle twitches, changes in autonomic activity and the absence of other body movements. The other sleep state, known as Non-REM (NREM) sleep is subdivided into four stages, wherein the first stage is the most shallow, i.e., the least restful or refreshing, and the fourth stage is the deepest.
Monitoring an individual's sleep is very important for diagnosing sleep disorders. It also is useful in various fields, such as therapy, diagnosing and following response to treatment of depression and narcolepsy in which REM latency is significantly reduced, or in research.
For diagnosis, the patient's sleep stages should be monitored to determine the pattern and duration of various sleep stages. Sleep is qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated by measuring electrical signals produced by brain and muscle activity, using electrophysiological technique and electronic instruments.
A widely used technique for this purpose, involves a simultaneous and continuous measuring of electroencephaographic (EEG) data. EEG data are signals derived primarily from the cortex of the brain and also are referred to as electrocortigram (ECoG). At the same time an electromyogram (EMG) signal which monitors muscle activity, generally from one of the muscles of the lower jaw is measured, together with left eye and right eye electro-oculogram (EOG) signals produced by eye movements. These EEG, EMG and EOG signals are conventionally recorded on a multichannel physiological recorder.
Photographic techniques also have been used to evaluate sleep state. According to Hobson et al.(Science 201,1978, p.1251-5), the mobility of sleeping subjects is measured photographically and the predicted transitions between NREM and REM are done on the premises that major body posture shifts occur immediately preceeding and following REM sleep.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,162, an apparatus is described for monitoring sleep disorders using a plurality of sensors adapted for attachment to a patient. The sensors generate analog signals which are subsequently converted to binary data to be transmitted by low-power radio. According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,219, a method and device are described for reporting an individual's sleep state using electronic filters applied to analog signals representative of eye movements and head movements from detectors attached to a headgear.
Among the main disadvantages of the above methods, there can be mentioned the following:
A high rate of false positive REM detections, by providing a signal indicating the occurrence of REM sleep, when no REM sleep actually is involved. The reason is that the eye movement detector also indicates pick gross body movements which are not part of the typical changes in REM sleep.
The robust construction of the various components as well as the costly equipment and skilled labour required for the interpretation of the results obtained.
In view of the difficulties with existing sleep evaluation techniques, there are many cases, where sleep disorders are not tested with the above known techniques and are treated with sedative-hypnotic drugs without a prior detailed sleep evaluation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive system to determine a non-invasive sleep state. It is another object of the present invention to provide a simple system to determine an accurate non-invasive sleep state. It is yet another object of the present invention, to provide a system for determining a non-invasive sleep state, which does not require skilled personnel.

Monitor system for determining the sleep stages of a person

The Sleep Disorders Diagnostic And Treatment Center, Ltd.


A proximity sensing apparatus is provided. The proximity sensing apparatus includes an encoded signal transmission unit, an interference signal transmission unit and a reception unit. The encoded signal transmission unit transmits an encoded signal, and the interference signal transmission unit transmits an interference signal. The interference signal interferes with the encoded signal to generate an interfered signal. The reception unit receives a sensing signal and outputs the sensing signal to a signal processing unit. The sensing signal is either the interfered signal or the encoded signal. The signal processing unit is electrically connected to the reception unit, and determines whether the sensing signal matches the encoded signal. The signal processing unit further outputs a proximity signal when the sensing signal does not match the encoded signal.

With fast developments in automation techniques and artificial intelligence, the role of robots is becoming increasingly important. Robots have gradually evolved towards service robots in the recently years, particularly towards cleaning robots. Cleaning robots, applied to a large and diversified scope, can be mainly divided into two categories—an industrial category and a household category. For example, a household floor cleaning robot, also referred to as a self-propelled vacuum cleaner, has rapidly emerged to become a market mainstream product and possesses a high development potential.
A current self-propelled cleaning robot usually performs an anti-falling detection via infrared sensing, which commonly adopts strength of received energy as a determination reference. A sensing result obtained according to such determination reference may be affected due to interferences from ground colors and ambient light sources, to even lead to a robot falling event. Further, in order to counteract environmental effects, circuit parameters are designed and adjusted based on element characteristics, and a complex amplifying filter circuit is often inevitable. When moving on a black floor, a current self-propelled cleaning robot is prone to conclude a misjudged falling event if circuit parameters are inappropriately adjusted, resulting in a malfunction such as a standstill of the robot.

Proximity sensing method, proximity sensing apparatus and mobile platform using the same

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A base for supporting a component of an appliance and a method of assembling the same, is formed from a single sheet having four opposing sides and a top of the base when erected. Two of the opposing sides include inner and outer panels that are affixed to one another to maintain the base in the erected configuration, and define an internal cavity therein for receiving the appliance component. When a force is applied to the appliance, the erected base supports the component, which may be the motor of a washing machine, within the internal cavity to inhibit movement of the component.

Conventional top-loading washing machines include a cylindrical tub that is located within an exterior housing. The motor which provides rotational movement for the tub is suspended within the housing, and is positioned below or underneath the tub and elevated above the surface on which the washing machine rests. This configuration is advantageous in that it allows for the motor to drive both the motion of a central agitator and a perforated basket, both of which are located within the cylindrical tub. However, the suspended motor configuration exposes the motor to the potential for impact damage from either contact with the tub or housing during shipment of the washing machine.
Providing a lower support that extends upwards into the washing machine housing and inhibits movement of the motor during shipment and storage of the washing machine decreases this potential for impact damage to the motor. However, such lower supports or shipping bases are often formed of multiple pieces or blanks of corrugated board that are folded and/or adhesively retained in the desired shape. This multiple piece construction is time consuming, expensive to manufacture, and introduces increased potential for inaccurate assembly. In the context of large scale manufacturing and shipment of washing machines, the additional steps required to combine multiple pieces to construct a lower support or shipping base constitutes a significant overhead cost and investment of time.
The present invention solves the aforementioned drawbacks by providing a lower support that is formed from a single piece or blank of packaging material, which can easily and accurately be assembled into the desired lower support shape by means of folding and adhesive bonding. The present invention provides a lower support that is particularly well suited for use in shipping washing machines, but may also be beneficial for other shipping and distribution needs, including the shipment of appliances that require internal component support.

Lower shipping support for an appliance such as a washing machine


A method of transferring energy from a power source into an output node including the steps of separately charging each of a plurality of energy storage elements from the power source; after the plurality of energy storage elements are charged, discharging a selected one of the energy storage elements through an inductive element into the output node; and as the selected energy storage element is being discharged through the inductive element, when its voltage reaches a preselected value, discharging another one of the energy storage elements through the inductive element into the output node.

The invention relates to AC to DC power conversion and/or rectification.
Standard rectification using diode brides causes both harmonics and a reactive power on the AC line. This is because power is drawn from the line when its AC voltage is higher than the output voltage and no power is drawn from the line when its AC voltage is lower than the output voltage. This uneven loading of the line throughout the AC cycle introduces harmonics onto the line. Current is only drawn out of the system when the voltage is high relative to the output voltage. As a consequence, conventional bridge or half wave rectification techniques seriously distort the input waveform. This problem is solved by using harmonic filters and capacitors to eliminate the harmonics. In addition, filtering is added on the DC side to reduce ripple that the processes tends to cause.
In an earlier patent (i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,913 filed Apr. 6, 1992, and incorporated herein by reference), I described a transformerless power conversion system (referred to hereinafter as PCS). In very general terms, the PCS works by charging a set of capacitors from a power source, possibly transforming the voltage across the set of capacitors by inverting the voltages on selected capacitors, and then discharging the set of capacitors at the transformed voltage into a distribution node or load. In other words, a complete cycle of operation in the PCS includes a charging phase, possibly an inversion phase, and a discharging phase. By employing many cycles of operation per second (e.g. 1 to 2 kHz), the PCS can extract charge from the power source and inject it into the distribution node or load to reconstruct an output having a desired waveform. The PCS is extremely versatile in the transformations which it can be configured to perform. For example, it can be configured to convert AC to DC, DC to DC with step-up or step-down, DC to AC, or AC of one frequency to AC of another frequency, to name a few.
In the case of AC to DC conversion, charging the PCS from a low voltage source (e.g. when the instantaneous voltage of the input AC waveform is low) presents the same type of problem that is encountered with conventional rectification. If the transformed voltage in the PCS is less than at least two times the output voltage, it will not be possible to fully discharge the capacitors into the DC output terminal. Therefore, it follows that the PCS system can also impose a nonuniform load on the input line and thereby distort the input waveform by introducing harmonics back onto the input line.
As described in the earlier patent, however, this problem can be solved by using multiple charging cycles per discharge cycle. In this way, the output voltage of the PCS can be made sufficiently high to permit a complete discharge of the storage capacitors during the discharge cycle. Though that technique works, it may be more complex than necessary, it involves more computation, and it requires capacitors with higher voltage ratings.

Sequential discharge and its use for rectification


An apparatus and method for performing single-instruction multiple-data instructions using a single multiply-accumulate unit while minimizing operational latency. The multiply-accumulate unit generates a first half and a second half of a data result. A register stores the first half of the data result. A miscellaneous-logic unit determines when to release the first half of the data result from the register to synchronize the first half and the second half of the data result.

SIMD instructions are those instructions that perform the same operation on two or more pieces of a data word at the same time. A SIMD data word consists of two single-precision floating-point numbers, packed into a floating-point word. In an example of a 82-bit floating-point word, the low-SIMD data is stored in bits 31–0, and the high-SIMD data is stored in bits 63–32. Remaining bits (81–64) of the 82-bit word are set to a predefined constant.
Currently, two miscellaneous units 5, 6 and two MAC units 3, 4 are used to perform SIMD instructions. Miscellaneous units (MISC) 5, 6 are devices that perform operations not requiring a multiply-accumulate operation, such as, logical functions. A first MAC unit 3 is responsible for performing a multiply-accumulate operation on the high-bits of the SIMD word. The second MAC unit 4 is responsible for performing a multiple-accumulate operation on the low-bits of the SIMD word. MAC unit results are forwarded to a single register file 7. A block diagram of an example of the prior-art system architecture to perform SIMD instructions using multiple MAC units 3, 4 is illustrated in FIG. 1. This prior-art implementation, which includes two full-precision MAC units 3, 4, further includes, two MISC units 5, 6, and two single-precision SIMD units 1, 2. The prior-art system architecture can simultaneously perform any of two SIMD instructions, one SIMD and one non-SIMD instruction, or two non-SIMD instructions.
Thus, a heretofore-unaddressed need exists in the industry to perform SIMD instructions using a single MAC unit while minimizing operational latency.

Apparatus and method for performing single-instruction multiple-data instructions

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A transmission apparatus includes a processor, a bridge connected to the processor, a device that is connected to the bridge but is not connected to a reset signal output terminal of the bridge, and a controller that controls resetting of the device according to a kind of reset for the processor.

A peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus system is known as disclosed in JP 2005-122337 A and JP 2000-259507 A, for example.
JP 2005-122337 A and JP 2000-259507 A discloses, for example, bus systems which include a plurality of devices and a bridge (a host bridge or a bus bridge) connected to a CPU, and the devices and the bridge are connected to a PCI bus.
For example, JP 2005-122337 A discloses that, when an abnormality occurs in any one of the plurality of devices, the host bridge rapidly restarts the device in the abnormal state while suppressing an influence thereof on the other normal devices as much as possible.
Meanwhile, JP 2000-259507 A discloses that a dedicated reset signal line is provided between the bus bridge and each of the plurality of devices and that the bus bridge selectively applies a reset signal to the plurality of devices.
However, both of JP 2005-122337 A and JP 2000-259507 A fail to disclose an operation performed in a case where a link between the CPU and the bridge is down according to a restart of the CPU.


A STB resource sharing (RS) group of a home network comprises a plurality of STBs. In the STB RS group, a STB communicates with one or more other STBs to mutually share available device resources comprising hardware and software resources, and/or capabilities. The STB functions as an elected master (EM) or a STB RS client in the STB RS group. As an EM, the STB receives advertisements from other STBs to determine available resources. The determined available resources are announced to other STBs in the STB RS group. The STB manages the use of the determined available resources according to resource sharing requests received from other STBs. As a STB RS client, the STB advertises inherent resources to an EM of the STB RS group. The STB receives announcements from the EM for available resources in the STB RS group. The STB shares its available resources, accordingly.

A home network is an Internet Protocol (IP) based network that interconnects various clients such as set-top boxes (STB), modern game computers, digital video recorders, and other electronic devices in a home to each other to access external networks through a home gateway for various IP-based services such as, for example, video broadcasting, video on demand, instant messaging, online conferencing, and/or Internet gaming in the home.
With increasing scalability of the clients such as personal digital video recorders, demand for a higher data rate is expected to increase inside the home network. For example, a high data rate is required for the home network to be evolved along with emerging video standards from standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) to support applications such as HD TV in the home.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Method and system for sharing resources for setup boxes (STB) in a home network


In an internal combustion engine with two cylinder banks, each cylinder bank having a cylinder head mounting thereon a valve operating device enabling both valve timing and valve lift characteristic to be varied, each valve operating device drives an engine valve through an eccentric cam, a substantially ring-shaped link, a rocker arm, a rod-shaped link, and a rockable cam, by rotation of a drive shaft. A control shaft varies the attitude of the rocker arm via a control cam by rotary motion thereof, in order to change a valve lift characteristic of the engine valve. As viewed in the same axial direction, a lifting direction of the rockable cam relative to a rotational direction of the drive shaft is the same in the two cylinder banks.

The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine with two cylinder banks each having a valve operating device enabling valve timing and valve lift characteristic to be varied, and in particular being capable of changing both valve timing and valve lift characteristic (working angle and valve lift) of intake and/or exhaust valves depending on engine operating conditions, and specifically to a variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic device applicable to a two-bank engine in which a cylinder head and intake and exhaust valves arranged in one cylinder bank and a cylinder head and intake and exhaust valves arranged in the other cylinder bank are substantially mirror-symmetrical with respect to a centerline of the two cylinder banks.
In recent years, there have been proposed and developed various types of variable valve timing and valve lift characteristic mechanism which variably adjust both valve timing and valve lift characteristic (working angle and valve lift) of intake and/or exhaust valves, for the purpose of improved fuel economy (low fuel consumption) and enhanced stability (stable engine operations) at low-speed light-load operation, and sufficient engine power output resulting from the enhanced charging efficiency of intake air at high-speed heavy-load operation. One such variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism or device has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 55-137305 (hereinafter is referred to as JP55-137305). The variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism or device as disclosed in JP55-137305, includes a drive shaft rotating in synchronism with rotation of an engine crankshaft, a camshaft having cams and fitted on the outer periphery of the drive shaft to be relatively rotatable about the drive shaft, a rockable cam provided on the outer periphery of a support shaft for driving intake and exhaust valves, an eccentric cam provided eccentrically on a control shaft, and a rocker arm rotatably fitted onto the outer periphery of the eccentric cam for mechanically linking the associated cam with the rockable cam therethrough. Rotating the control shaft varies the center of oscillating motion of the rocker arm, thereby varying a valve lift characteristic of intake and/or exhaust valves.
Assuming that the variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism or device as disclosed in JP55-137305 is applied simply to each of two cylinder banks of a V-type engine without full deliberation upon the layout of the variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism or device with regard to a direction of rotation of each of the drive shafts, there is a possibility that valve lift characteristics of left and right banks differ from each other.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an internal combustion engine with two cylinder banks each having a valve operating device enabling variations of valve timing and valve lift characteristic (working angle and valve lift), which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages.
It is another object of the invention to provide a valve operating device for an internal combustion engine with two cylinder banks each having a variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism in which a valve lift characteristic of a first bank of the two cylinder banks is essentially equivalent to that of the second bank during variable valve-lift control.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects of the present invention, an internal combustion engine with a crankshaft and two cylinder banks, each cylinder bank having a cylinder head and a valve operating device enabling both valve timing and valve lift characteristic to be varied, each valve operating device comprises a drive shaft installed in the cylinder head of each cylinder bank and rotating in synchronism with rotation of the crankshaft, the drive shaft having a center and an axis of rotation, an eccentric cam fixedly connected to the drive shaft so that a center of the eccentric cam is eccentric with respect to the center of the drive shaft, a rockable cam arranged to drive at least one engine valve, a power-transmission mechanism mechanically linking the eccentric cam to the rockable cam, a control mechanism provided for varying an attitude of the power-transmission mechanism, and as viewed in the same axial direction, a lifting direction of the rockable cam arranged in a first one of the two cylinder banks relative to a rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the first cylinder bank, and a lifting direction of the rockable cam arranged in the second cylinder bank relative to a rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the second cylinder bank are set to be identical to each other.
According to another aspect of the invention, an internal combustion engine with a crankshaft and two cylinder banks, each cylinder bank having a cylinder head and a valve operating device enabling both valve timing and valve lift characteristic to be varied, each valve operating device comprises a drive shaft installed in the cylinder head of each cylinder bank and rotating in synchronism with rotation of the crankshaft, the drive shaft having a center and an axis of rotation, a control shaft extending substantially parallel to the drive shaft and rotated toward and held at an angular position based on engine operating conditions, a rockable cam fitted to an outer periphery of the drive shaft so as to be relatively rotatable about the drive shaft and to drive at least one engine valve, an eccentric cam fixedly connected to the drive shaft so that a center of the eccentric cam is eccentric with respect to the center of the drive shaft, a first link member fitted to an outer periphery of the eccentric cam so as to be relatively rotatable about the eccentric cam, a control cam fixedly connected to the control shaft so that a center of the control cam is eccentric with respect to a center of the control shaft, a rocker arm whose one end is linked to a tip end of the first link member so as to be rotatable relative to the first link member, the rocker arm being fitted to an outer periphery of the control cam so as to be relatively rotatable about the control cam, a second link member linked to both the other end of the rocker arm and the rockable cam so as to be rotatable relative to both the rocker arm and the rockable cam, as viewed in the same axial direction and when using a valve stem axis of the engine valve as a reference, the valve operating device arranged in the first cylinder bank and the valve operating device arranged in the second cylinder bank are laid out substantially similarly to each other, and the rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the first cylinder bank and the rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the second cylinder bank are set to be identical to each other.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a valve operating device for a V-type internal combustion engine equipped with a crankshaft and left and right cylinder banks, each cylinder bank having a cylinder head and a variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism, comprises a drive shaft installed in the cylinder head of each cylinder bank and rotating in synchronism with rotation of the crankshaft, the drive shaft having a center and an axis of rotation, an eccentric cam fixedly connected to the drive shaft so that a center of the eccentric cam is eccentric with respect to the center of the drive shaft, a rockable cam arranged to drive at least one engine valve, a power-transmission mechanism mechanically linking the eccentric cam to the rockable cam, a control mechanism provided for varying an attitude of the power-transmission mechanism, and as viewed in the same axial direction, a lifting direction of the rockable cam arranged in a first one of the left and right cylinder banks relative to a rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the first cylinder bank, and a lifting direction of the rockable cam arranged in the second cylinder bank relative to a rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the second cylinder bank are set to be identical to each other, the lifting direction being defined as a direction of oscillating motion of the rockable cam from a position that the engine valve begins to lift to a position that the engine valve reaches a maximum valve-lift state in which a magnitude of valve lift of the engine valve is a maximum value.
According to a still further aspect of the invention, a valve operating device for a V-type internal combustion engine equipped with a crankshaft and two cylinder banks, each cylinder bank having a cylinder head and a variable valve timing and variable valve lift characteristic mechanism, comprises a drive shaft installed in the cylinder head of each cylinder bank and rotating in synchronism with rotation of the crankshaft, the drive shaft having a center and an axis of rotation, a control shaft extending substantially parallel to the drive shaft and rotated toward and held at an angular position based on engine operating conditions, a rockable cam fitted to an outer periphery of the drive shaft so as to be relatively rotatable about the drive shaft and to drive at least one intake valve, an eccentric cam fixedly connected to the drive shaft so that a center of the eccentric cam is eccentric with respect to the center of the drive shaft, a first link member fitted to an outer periphery of the eccentric cam so as to be relatively rotatable about the eccentric cam, a control cam fixedly connected to the control shaft so that a center of the control cam is eccentric with respect to a center of the control shaft, a rocker arm whose one end is linked to a tip end of the first link member so as to be rotatable relative to the first link member, the rocker arm being fitted to an outer periphery of the control cam so as to be relatively rotatable about the control cam, a second link member linked to both the other end of the rocker arm and the rockable cam so as to be rotatable relative to both the rocker arm and the rockable cam, as viewed in the same axial direction and when using a valve stem axis of the intake valve as a reference, the valve operating device arranged in the first cylinder bank and the valve operating device arranged in the second cylinder bank are laid out substantially congruently with each other, and the rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the first cylinder bank and the rotational direction of the drive shaft arranged in the second cylinder bank are set to be identical to each other.
The other objects and features of this invention will become understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Engine with two cylinder banks each with a valve operating device enabling variation of valve timing and valve lift characteristic


It is determined whether printing of an image having a size corresponding to a preset size set as print settings for data to be printed on a print medium is allowed based on the preset size and one or more candidates of the size of the print medium obtained by detecting the size of the print medium using a sensor. If it is determined that the printing is allowed, a screen inquiring whether an image based on the data to be printed having a size corresponding to the preset size is printed is displayed. If the printing is instructed via the screen, the image is printed on the print medium.

1. Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a print control apparatus for printing an image to be printed, a print control method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology for controlling a print operation by comparing the sheet size specified through an operation panel of a printer or an operation screen of a device that transmits a print job with the size of sheets set in the printer has been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-203703 describes the following technology. That is, a sensor for detecting a sheet size is provided in a printer. By comparing the sheet size preset in a print job with the detected sheet size, mismatch of the sheet sizes can be detected. If mismatch occurs, a mismatch message is sent to a user.
However, according to the technology described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-203703, if mismatch of the sheet sizes occurs, two options "continue the print process" and "cancel" are displayed on a display screen for a user.
In such a case, when the sheet size preset in the print job is larger than the size of sheets set in the printer and if the user selects "continue the print process", the image to be printed may be printed beyond the edges of the sheet.

Print control apparatus causing a print unit to print an image


Methods and systems of controlling power of a computer system. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising actuating a power button of a peripheral device coupled to a computer system, sending a message from the peripheral device to the computer system over a message-based communication pathway indicating actuation of the power button, and performing an action by the computer system based on the message.

There are separate, and somewhat competing, trends in the computer industry regarding size of computer equipment. On one hand, the diagonal size of display devices (e.g., color liquid crystal displays (LCD)) is increasing, while on the other hand the enclosure size for computer systems is shrinking. Many times computer users, especially home-based users, place the computer system physically behind the display device, effectively hiding the computer system.
However, while placing the computer system physically behind the display device may be aesthetically pleasing, such a placement makes access to the power button on the computer system difficult. Some manufactures have attempted to address power button access difficulties by having a double pole, single throw (DPST) push button on the display device. One set of contacts on the DPST push button performs power control on the display device, while the other set of contacts couple to the computer system over dedicated power control lines and perform power control on the computer system. However, such an arrangement requires a separate, dedicated and non-standard connection between the display device and the computer system to accommodate providing the power-on or power-off signal to the computer system. Moreover, the additional cost of a DPST switch in the display device drives up cost, which cost may make the display device less attractive to consumers, especially where an attached computer system does not have the capability to have power remotely controlled. Other options for controlling power to both the display device and the computer system include use of a power strip; however, removing power from the computer abruptly and without warning, as is the case by turning off the power strip, may cause computer system errors.

Method and system of controlling operational state of a computer system via power button of a peripheral device


An apparatus for producing container bundles without a shrink film or strapping has container guides, which are either base or head guides, a grouping unit, one or more application elements, a multiple track container feed providing multiple container streams, and a container transporter for each stream. The guides are disposed on the container transporter. An application element near the transporter applies adhesive to containers. The grouping unit groups and compress a predetermined number of containers to form a container bundle.

The combining or forming of a plurality of articles into a group of articles and from the groups of articles to produce firm and/or transportable storage and transport units or bundles using shrink films, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,464 is known. One of the disadvantages of this is that the films used, and in particular the shrinking-on of the films by the application of heat or energy, is expensive.
It has also already been proposed to produce transportable bundles by strapping containers together, as described in DE 102009025824, DE 102009044271, and DE 4126212. This is a particularly inexpensive and simple way of producing bundles or transport and storage units. The strapping can also be bonded with the containers.
One disadvantage of strapping, however is that when one container is first removed from such a bundle, the containers remaining in the bundle are no longer held together by the strapping. This is the case not only when the strapping is removed or cut, but also when one takes a container from the bundle without severing the strapping.
Moreover transporting such bundles on a belt conveyor presents the danger that cylindrical or chiefly cylindrical articles, such as cans, bottles or containers, assume a nesting position, i.e. slip into a gap in the adjacent row, due to vibration, impacts etc. With known bundles, a very high tension must be applied to the strapping in order to avoid this.
DE 102006037105 discloses to a method for combining bottle packets in which a rotary star wheel that presses bottle necks into clips on flat carriers is provided on both sides of a track. The bottle packet is also wrapped with a tape or an envelope, or film).
According to DE 2331193, an adhesive is applied to containers in narrow surfaces or rows, with contiguous surfaces that are not provided with adhesive being intended to facilitate a gripping of the packing for carrying purposes. The containers stick to one another at the adhesive points.
EP 2096039 also relates to containers being provided with an adhesive, with a shrink film also being disposed around the bottle packet however. DE 102008038146 discloses a shaft drive system that has a coaxial direct drive containing the motor and in which the motor's rotor is mounted directly on the shaft and the stator, the shaft and the rotor are externally fixed and enveloped. EP 1647518 discloses a sealing machine that has a fixed-position central pillar that is free from elements for mechanical force transmission and so only contains lines.


A golf club has a high modulus of elasticity grip which is, preferably, an all-metal grip. The grip is connected to the shaft and the shaft is connected to the head without intervening material, such as by welding, brazing, force fit, pinning or similar method, or by intervening material having a modulus of elasticity 100,000 psi or greater. The golf club, or its parts, may be cast, forged, bonded, or otherwise manufactured and assembled. In the preferred embodiment, which is a putter, the grip and shaft both have high modulus of elasticity. In the putter, there is achieved a very stiff, but sensitive, low frequency "feel". Such metal or high modulus of elasticity grip is also used in irons, woods and playing utility clubs and provides an improved "feel" and sound.

A playing golf club should provide "feel" to the golfer. Feel and sound are both generated at ball impact. In the irons, and particularly in the putter, the "feel" should be more intense so as to provide increased precision in controlling the ball. That is, the putter should provide a feeling of precision in controlling the ball. This invention discloses that high frequencies should not be felt even though some golfers may desire to hear high frequencies. As to "feel", high frequencies should be damped, or diffused, and not felt. This invention also discloses that the mid-range frequencies should be diffused or suppressed enough so as not to be felt and, thus, confuse the golfer.
Each golf club has a "sweet spot" on the face of the head. The "sweet spot" is the point on the face of the head, in which the golf ball is best struck and which moves the ball in a straight direction. The "sweet spot" is located on the face of the head on a line passing through the center of inertia of the head. When a ball is struck at the "sweet spot", there is a solid "feel" to the strike and little or no torque is imparted to the club. Presently, golfers test for the "sweet spot" on a putter by holding the face of the putter horizontally and dropping the ball on the face. They then listen for a "chunk", or low frequency, sound rather than a "ring", or high frequency sound. The "chunk" sound denotes the "sweet spot". The "sweet spot" are is a general area around the "sweet spot" which, if the golfer hits within the "sweet spot" area, provides an acceptable golf shot. The "sweet spot area" may be approximately 2.5" in length, on, say, a face which is approximately 4 inches long. The best part of the "sweet spot" area, to hit the ball, is approximately one third the diameter of a golf ball in width, or 0.56", although striking within a distance of 0.8" around the "sweet spot", will likely be quite an acceptable hit.
In one embodiment of this invention which enhances the high frequency sound in the head of the golf club, the golfer will hear a "ring" when he drops the ball on the "sweet spot" of the club.
In putting, it is intended that the ball be struck on the "sweet spot" on the face of the putter, which is generally at or near the central area of the face. It is common for golfers to strike the ball within the "sweet spot" area, however, it is also common to strike outside the "sweet spot" area, which is a bad strike.


The present invention relates to a hard coating film, and, more particularly, to a hard coating film having hardness and excellent physical properties. According to the present invention, the hard coating film has high physical properties including hardness, scratch resistance, transparency, durability, light resistance, and light transmittance. Thus, the hard coating film can find useful applications in various fields thanks to its excellent physical properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hard coating film, and, more particularly, to a hard coating film having excellent physical properties, including hardness and impact resistance.
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0092529, filed on Aug. 23, 2012, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0092532, filed on Aug. 23, 2012, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0092533, filed on Aug. 23, 2012, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0089109, filed on Jul. 26, 2013, which are all hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties into this application.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the advance of mobile appliances such as smart phones, tablet PCs and the like, substrates for displays have recently been required to become lighter and slimmer. Display windows or front panels of such mobile appliances are generally made of glass or reinforced glass both of which have excellent mechanical properties. However, glass suffers from the disadvantage of mobile applications being heavy due to the weight thereof and glass being easily broken by an external impact.
As an alternative to glass, plastic resin films have emerged. Their light weight and resistance to impact are consistent with the trend of pursuing lighter and slimmer mobile appliances. Particularly, a film with high hardness and wear resistance is required. In this regard, it is proposed to utilize a structure in which the substrate is coated with a hard coating layer.
First of all, increasing the thickness of the hard coating layer is considered as an approach to improving the surface hardness thereof. In fact, the hard coating layer should be of a minimal thickness to ensure the surface hardness of the hard coating layer. As the hard coating layer increases in thickness, the surface hardness thereof may become higher. However, a thicker hard coating layer, although increasing the surface hardness, is more prone to setting shrinkage which leads to wrinkling or curling with the concomitant production of cracks or exfoliations, and thus thick hard coating layers are difficult to employ in practice.
Recently, some methods have been proposed for conferring a high hardness on hard coating films, without the problems of cracking and setting shrinkage-induced curling.
Korean Patent Application Publication No. 2010-0041992 discloses a hard coating film composition, free of monomers, comprising a binder resin based on ultraviolet-curable polyurethane acrylate oligomers. However, this hard coating film has a pencil hardness of about 3H, and thus the strength thereof is not sufficient to be a substitute for glass panels for displays.


A roadwork safety unit mounts on the receiver hitch of a vehicle and connects to the conventional trailer lighting coupling. The unit includes a carrier for carrying the usual equipment to a site where the safety unit is to be used, for example cones, picks, shovels, rakes and pole-mounted signage. The carrier also carries a telescopically extendible standard supporting a light unit that includes a red stop light and a flashing amber warning light. The lights may be operated by a traffic control person also handling the pole-mounted signage. The unit is quickly and easily mounted on a vehicle for transport to a roadwork site and can be transported along the road with moving roadworks. Floodlights are mounted on the standard to illuminate the area beside the vehicle where the traffic control person would normally be standing. This provides added visibility and safety in night use.

The present invention relates to the field of traffic control and more particularly to warning systems used in temporary traffic control on highways.
Traditional traffic control for highway roadworks and the like is a traffic control person (TCP) or xe2x80x9cflaggerxe2x80x9d, that is an individual with a hand-held sign or flag signalling the traffic to slow down or stop for roadworks or other activity ahead. TCP""s and their hand-held signs are with some frequency not seen or heeded by drivers, leading to significant dangers to the TCP and all others in the vicinity.
In some cases, where elaborate and relatively long-term roadworks are undertaken, it is useful to install portable traffic lights. These are usually self-powered units carried on trailers. They have conventional red, green and amber lights controlled in sequence. These portable traffic lights are usually set up in pairs to control alternating one-way traffic on a stretch of road. This requires either communication between the two units or very precise timing of the signals.
In many cases, for example with mobile roadworks and short-term roadworks or traffic accidents, traffic control must be established quickly and must be quite mobile. The prior art portable traffic lights are unsuitable for this purpose because of the length of time that it takes to set them up and their lack of mobility. The present invention addresses these concerns.
According to the present invention there is provided a roadwork safety unit for use with a road vehicle having a trailer hitch, a vehicle electrical system and a trailer wiring connector connected to the vehicle electrical system, said safety unit comprising:
a hitch connector for connection to the trailer hitch;
a light unit mounted on the hitch connector and including:
an upright standard; and
a light head mounted on the standard; and
a light operating electric circuit connecting the electrical connector and the light head, the circuit including:
an electrical connector connectable to the trailer wiring connector;
a switch for selectively controlling the supply of electricity from the electrical connector to the light head.
This safety unit is readily mounted on a road vehicle with appropriate trailer fittings. These may be a standard receiver type hitch and a conventional connector for trailer lighting. This makes the unit highly mobile, and capable of being put into use immediately upon arrival at a site.
In preferred embodiments, the safety unit includes a base mounting the light standard on the hitch connector at a position offset to one side, so as to be adjacent one side of the transporting vehicle. The light unit itself may be mounted on the standard by an offset bracket for rotation from a transport position behind the vehicle to an in use position projecting to one side of the vehicle. It is also possible to make the standard telescopic, so that the light unit may be lowered for transport purposes.
The preferred base includes a carrier that may be used to transport flag signs, cones, shovels, picks and other items that may be required at a site where the unit is to be used.
It has been found that a flashing amber light and a steady red light provide a good advance warning to drivers. For night use it is useful to have one or more floodlights mounted on the standard to illuminate the area beside the vehicle where a TCP would normally be standing.
The safety unit is preferably equipped with a remote control handset, linked to the remainder of the light operating system through a long flexible cord. This allows the light to be operated by a TCP at any convenient location, including on the road or even sitting in the vehicle under the appropriate circumstances.
Further safety is provided by a yellow and black checkered panel mounted on the back side of the carrier.


Management information for specifying use environments of devices and application softwares at a plurality of user terminals is created at an administrator terminal. User-specific configuration information is generated at a server according to the management information obtained from the administrator terminal. The user-specific configuration information is referenced by installation support programs when a use environment of the devices and application softwares is built at a user terminal. The user-specific configuration information is distributed from the server to the user terminal, together with device drivers of the devices, the application softwares and the installation support programs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server apparatus and a system for providing device drivers and application softwares. The server apparatus and the system for providing device drivers and application softwares are used to provide, from the server apparatus to a user terminal, programs and data that are necessary for using various devices, such as printers, and application softwares at the user terminal.
2. Description of Related Art
A printing system, in which a plurality of user terminals (consisting of PCs) and a plurality of printers are connected via a network and the printers are shared by users using the user terminals, is widely used in offices where routine office works are performed. However, when the number of printers connected to the network is large, it can be troublesome to obtain a device driver compatible with a printer assigned to each user. It is therefore desirable to have a system in which a suitable device driver can be easily obtained.
To address such demand, a system for providing a required device deriver to a user terminal by using a web server has been disclosed (see Related Art 1). In particular, in this system, a function for building a device driver according to specification information of a user terminal is implemented in the web server, and a predetermined device driver possessing a user-interface and functions that are suitable for a use environment of the user terminal can be provided to the user terminal at low cost.
[Related Art 1] Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication 2004-110678
However, according to the above-mentioned conventional technology, after a user terminal is provided with a device driver from the web server, a configuration process, such as a process for specifying printers assigned to a user, is still necessary in order to build a use environment required at the user terminal. In particular, when the number of printers connected to the network is large, or when the types of usage of the printers are restricted, the configuration process can be cumbersome. It is therefore desirable to have a system in which installation and configuration of a device driver can be easily performed at a user terminal.
Further, when a use environment at a user terminal is configured in such a way as to restrict the types of usage of printers according to work assignments of a user, for example, to permit only predetermined users to use expensive color printing, or to require all users to use double-sided printing for the purpose of paper saving, it is effective in reducing the overall cost of the printing system. However, when the installation of device drivers necessary for using the printers and the configuration for building the use environment are performed freely at user's choice, it is no longer possible to manage the printers in a way an administrator would like to operate. It is therefore desirable to have a system in which the use environment of the printers at a user terminal can be suitably built according to specifications given by the administrator.
When installing an application software to a user terminal, in the same way as in the case of a device driver described-above, an effort is required to obtain from the administrator the application software and information required for installing the software. It is therefore desirable to have a system in which the installation of the application software to the user terminal can be easily performed. Further, in order to properly manage the system so that the installation of an application software to a user terminal will not be performed freely at user's choice, the burden on the administrator side is increased. It is therefore desirable to have a system in which the use environment of the application software at a user terminal is suitably built according to specifications given by the administrator.

Server apparatus and system for providing device drivers and application softwares


There is provided a liquid crystalline organic semiconductor material that can effectively develop electron conductive properties which a liquid crystal system inherently has. The liquid crystalline organic semiconductor material has both an isotropic phase and a smectic liquid crystal phase and comprises an electronically conductive liquid crystal material, wherein the concentration of an impurity in the liquid crystal material is controlled to a lower value than the critical concentration at which the electron conductivity of the liquid crystal material disappears or is significantly reduced rendering ion conduction dominant.

In recent years, various information recording media such as magnetic recording media, thermal recording media, and optical recording media have been developed and put to practical use. Up to now, the present inventors have made studies on optical, physicochemical or electrical properties of liquid crystal materials and have proposed liquid crystalline charge transport materials in which attention has been focused on charge transport properties of specific liquid crystal systems (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 76820/1998). These liquid crystalline charge transport materials are utilizable as organic semiconductors.

Liquid crystalline organic semiconductor material and organic semiconductor structure using the same


An image forming apparatus includes: a drum cartridge to which one of a first toner cartridge and a second toner cartridge is attachable; a frame including a first slot and a second slot; and a controller including a control memory and a processor. The drum cartridge to which the one of the first toner cartridge and the second toner cartridges is attached is attachable to one of the first slot and the second slot. The control memory stores first color information allocated to the first slot, and second color information allocated to the second slot. In a state where the drum cartridge is attached to one of the first slot and the second slot and when the drum memory does not store any color information, the processor is configured to perform: writing, into the drum memory, one of the first color information and the second color information which is appropriate.

There has been known an electro-photographic type image forming apparatus including a plurality of toner cartridges and a plurality of drum cartridges. The toner cartridges separately accommodate toner of yellow color, toner of magenta color, toner of cyan color, and toner of black color. Each of the plurality of toner cartridges is attachable to and detachable from the corresponding one of the plurality of drum cartridges. The toner cartridge is attachable to a main body of the image forming apparatus in a state where the toner cartridge is attached to the corresponding drum cartridge. This type of image forming apparatus is disclosed in, for example, the prior art.

Image forming apparatus capable of determining whether toner cartridge is attached to appropriate slot provided in main casing


An arrangement of a designation of a drive element number using mother boards interposed between an upper grade device and a plurality of drive elements includes a plurality of groups of drive elements, each of which drive elements has a specifically designated drive element number, an upper grade device for carrying out a signal communication through tag bus line cables with a selected drive element, and a plurality of mother boards interposed between the upper grade device and the plurality of drive elements, each of the mother boards corresponding to one of the plurality of groups of drive elements. The plurality of mother boards has a same potential level arrangement of connection pins for a drive element number designation in connecting portions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement of a designation of a drive element number using mother boards interposed between an adapter, as an upper grade device, and a plurality of drive elements. A mother board is a printed circuit board having connecting portions enabling a connection between a plurality of circuits. The arrangement according to the present invention is used, for example, for an interface circuit used in connection with an adapter for a magnetic disk storage and a plurality of drive elements for the magnetic disk storage.
2. Description of the Related Arts
For example, in a magnetic disk storage apparatus in which a plurality of drive elements are controlled by a single adapter, usually one or a plurality of mother boards are connected between the tag bus line of the adapter and the plurality of drive elements. The designation of the drive element number is carried out by designation the potentials of a predetermined number of pins of the connecting portion of a mother board to a LOW or logic HIGH level of potential, in the mother board.
By connecting the drive portions to the mother board through connection arrangement, the acknowledgement of an own drive element number is automatically carried out by a drive element based on the condition of the connection predetermined connection pins, and a control of only a specific drive element having a drive element number coinciding with the drive element number designated from the adapter is carried out.
It is possible to use a plurality of mother boards which are interposed between the adapter and the drive elements, but the size of a print circuit board for a single mother board tends to be increased as the number of drive elements connected to the single mother board is increased; this increase of the size of a print circuit board for the mother board can be avoided if the plurality of mother boards are used.
When two mother boards, i.e., first and second mother boards, are used between an adapter and a plurality of drive elements, e.g., No. 0 to No. 7 drive elements, the first mother board is used for No. 0 to No. 3 drive elements, and the second mother board is used for No. 4 to No. 7 drive elements.
In each of first and second mother boards, connection terminals corresponding to, for example, bits b.sub.0, b.sub.1, and b.sub.2 of a drive element number, are included in connection terminals of a connecting portion for the drive side, to constitute the connections corresponding to the drive element numbers.
Nevertheless, a problem arises in that, since the drive element numbers of the drive elements connected to the first mother board are different from those of the second mother board, different arrangements of the connecting portions are required for the first and second mother board, and accordingly, the provision of two kinds of mother boards becomes necessary. This causes an undesirable complication of the structures of the mother boards, the occurrence of inadvertent failures in the drive element number designation, an increase of the number of components, complications of the manufacturing process, and an increase of the manufacturing cost.

Arrangement of designation of drive element number using mother boards


A method, system, and computer program are provided for filtering a signal. The method, system, and computer program receive a sample of a signal being filtered and identify a bias associated with the sample. The bias includes a cushion and an increment. The method, system, and computer program also output an expected value for the sample of the signal being filtered combined with a portion of the bias. The portion of the bias is based at least partially on a size of the cushion.

The use of signal processing systems is becoming more and more common in a wide variety of applications. Among other things, these signal processing systems are often used in telecommunications equipment to process wireless signals and in process control equipment to analyze feedback signals. The signals being processed by the signal processing systems are often corrupted by noise or other anomalies.
Conventional signal processing systems filter signals using low-pass filters to remove noise or other anomalies. The low-pass filters often cannot eliminate much of the noise or other anomalies from the signals without impeding the performance of the signal processing systems. Allowing the noise or other anomalies to remain in the signals typically interferes with the operation of the signal processing systems. For example, the signal processing systems may be unable to extract needed information from the corrupted signals.

Apparatus and method for filtering a signal


The present disclosure provides engineered Class 1 Type I CRISPR-Cas (Cascade) systems that comprise multi-protein effector complexes, nucleoprotein complexes comprising Type I CRISPR-Cas subunit proteins and nucleic acid guides, polynucleotides encoding Type I CRISPR-Cas subunit proteins, and guide polynucleotides. Also, disclosed are methods for making and using the engineered Class 1 Type I CRISPR-Cas systems of the present invention.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) constitute CRISPR-Cas systems. The CRISPR-Cas systems provide adaptive immunity against foreign polynucleotides in bacteria and archaea (see, e.g., Barrangou, R., et al., Science 315:1709-1712 (2007); Makarova, K. S., et al., Nature Reviews Microbiology 9:467-477 (2011); Garneau, J. E., et al., Nature 468:67-71 (2010); Sapranauskas, R., et al., Nucleic Acids Research 39:9275-9282 (2011); Koonin, E. V., et al., Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 37:67-78 (2017)). Various CRISPR-Cas systems in their native hosts are capable of DNA targeting (Class 1 Type I; Class 2 Type II and Type V), RNA targeting (Class 2 Type VI), and joint DNA and RNA targeting (Class 1 Type III) (see, e.g., Makarova, K. S., et al., Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 13(11):722-736 (2015); Shmakov, S., et al., Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 15:169-182 (2017); Abudayyeh, O. O., et al., Science 353:1-17 (2016)).
The classification of CRISPR-Cas systems has had many iterations. Koonin, E. V., et al., (Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 37:67-78 (2017)) proposed a classification system that takes into consideration the signature cas genes specific for individual types and subtypes of CRISPR-Cas systems. The classification also considered sequence similarity between multiple shared Cas proteins, the phylogeny of the best conserved Cas protein, gene organization, and the structure of the CRISPR array. This approach provided a classification scheme that divides CRISPR-Cas systems into two distinct classes: Class 1 comprising a multiprotein effector complex (Type I (CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense ("Cascade") effector complex), Type III (Cmr/Csm effector complex), and Type IV); and Class 2 comprising a single effector protein (Type II (Cas9), Type V (Cas12a, previously referred to as Cpf1), and Type VI (Cas13a, previously referred to as C2c2)). In the Class 1 systems, Type I is the most common and diverse, Type III is more common in archaea than bacteria, and Type IV is least common.
The Type I systems comprise the signature Cas3 protein. The Cas3 protein has helicase and DNase domains responsible for DNA target sequence cleavage. To date, seven subtypes of the Type I system have been identified (i.e., Type I-A, I-B, I-C, I-D, I-E, I-F (and variants for I-F (e.g., I-Fv1, I-Fv2), and I-U) that have a variable number of cas genes. Type I cas genes include, but are not limited to, the following: cas7, cas5, cas8, cse2, csa5, cas3, cas2, cas4, cas1, and cas6. Examples of organisms having Type I systems are as follows: I-A, Archaeoglobus fulgidus; I-B, Clostridium kluyveri; I-C, Bacillus halodurans; I-U, Geobacter sulfurreducens; I-D, Cyanothece sp. 8802; I-E, Escherichia coli K12; I-F, Yersinia pseudo-tuberculosis; I-F variant, Shewanella putrefaciens CN-32 (Koonin, E. V., et al., Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 37:67-78 (2017)).
Type I systems typically encode proteins that combine with a CRISPR RNA (crRNA or "guide RNA") to form a Cascade complex. These complexes comprise multiple proteins and a CRISPR RNA (crRNA), which are transcribed from this CRISPR locus. In Type I systems, primary processing of a pre-crRNA is catalyzed by Cash. This typically results in a crRNA with a 5′ handle of 8 nucleotides, a spacer region, and a 3′ handle; both 5′ and 3′ handles are derived from the repeat sequence. In some systems, the 3′ handle forms a stem-loop structure; in other systems, secondary processing of the 3′ end of crRNA is catalyzed by ribonuclease(s) (van der Oost, J., et al., Nature Reviews Microbiology 12:479-492 (2014)).
The Cascade effector complexes of the Type I CRISPR-Cas systems comprise a backbone having paralogous Repeat-Associated Mysterious Proteins (RAMPs; e.g., Cas7 and Cas5 proteins) containing the RNA Recognition Motif (RRM) fold and additional "large" and "small" subunit proteins (see, e.g., Koonin, E. V., et al., Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 37:67-78, FIG. 2 (2017)). These Cascade effector complexes typically have a Cas5 subunit protein and several Cas7 subunit proteins. Such Cascade effector complexes also comprise the guide RNA. The Cascade effector complexes comprise the various subunit proteins arranged in an asymmetric fashion along the length of the guide RNA. The Cas5 subunit protein and the large subunit protein (Cas8 protein) are positioned at one end of the complex, enveloping the 5′ end of the guide RNA. Several copies of the small subunit protein interact with the guide RNA backbone, which is bound to multiple copies of the Cas7 subunit protein. The Cas6 subunit protein, another RAMP protein, is associated with the Cascade effector complex primarily through association with the 3′ handle (repeat region) of the crRNA. The Cas6 subunit protein usually functions as the repeat-specific RNase involved in pre-crRNA processing; however, in Type I-C systems, Cas5 functions as the repeat-specific RNase and there is no Cas6.
The primary sequences of the CRISPR-Cas Type I Cascade subunit proteins have little sequence identity; however, the presence of homologous RAMP modules and the overall structural similarity of the multiprotein effector complexes supports a common origin of these effector complexes (Koonin, E. V., et al., Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 37:67-78 (2017)).
The adaptive immunity mechanism of action in the Type I CRISPR-Cas systems involves essentially three phases: adaptation, expression, and interference. In the adaptation phase, a foreign DNA or RNA infects the host and proteins encoded by various cas genes bind regions of the infecting DNA or RNA. Such regions are called protospacers. A protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) is a short nucleotide sequence (e.g., 2 to 6 base pair DNA sequence) that is adjacent to the protospacer. PAM sequences are typically recognized by a Cas1 subunit protein/Cas2 subunit protein complex, wherein the active PAM-sensing site is associated with the Cas1 subunit proteins (Jackson, S. A., et al., Science 356:356(6333) (2017)).
In the expression phase, the CRISPR array comprising multiple spacer-repeat elements is transcribed as a single transcript. Individual spacer repeat elements are processed by an endonuclease (e.g., Type I, a Cas6 protein; and Type I-C, a Cas5 protein) into individual crRNAs. Cas subunit proteins are expressed and associate with the crRNA to form a Cascade effector complex.
The Cascade effector complex scans foreign polynucleotides infecting the host to identify DNA complementary to the spacer. In Type I systems, interference occurs when the effector complex identifies a sequence complementary to the spacer that is adjacent a PAM; and the Cas3 protein is recruited to the DNA-bound Cascade effector complex to cleave and progressively digest the foreign polynucleotide.
Makarova, K. S., et al., (Cell 168:946 (2017)) provide a summary of genes, homologs, Cascade complexes, and mechanisms of action for Type I CRISPR-Cas systems.
Although CRISPR-Cas systems have been used for genome editing, there remains a need to improve editing efficiency and editing fidelity of these systems.

Engineered cascade components and cascade complexes


An interior permanent magnet synchronous motor capable of significantly restraining cogging torque and torque pulsation during feeding of electricity thereto. Each of the outer peripheral surface sections of a rotor core and a magnetic pole surface of each of magnetic poles of a stator core are arranged so as to have a gap defined therebetween and having a size xcex4d which satisfies an expression xcex4d=xcex4d0/cos(pxcex8d), wherein xcex4d0 is a size of the gap which is determined along a virtual center line defined so as to extend through centers of two virtual lines extending from a center of a shaft through both ends of the outer peripheral surface section defined in a peripheral direction thereof and xcex8d is an angle between the virtual central line and each of the virtual lines.

This invention relates to an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor wherein a rotor core has a plurality of permanent magnets incorporated or embedded therein and includes magnetic salient pole sections defined between each adjacent two of the permanent magnets adjacent, and more particularly to a permanent magnet-equipped synchronous motor utilizing both reluctance generated due to the salient pole sections of the rotor core and torque by the permanent magnets.
One of conventional synchronous motors each having permanent magnets incorporated therein is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 18328/1999. The conventional synchronous motor disclosed is so constructed that a width of a core between magnetic poles of permanent magnets is set so as to establish relationship represented by the following expression, to thereby restrain generation of cogging torque:
xcex8minxe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa6maxxcex8max
wherein xcex8 is an open angle of the core of the magnetic poles of the permanent magnets, xcex8 min is a minimum value of an angle defined by two straight lines obtained by connecting distal ends of two end surfaces maximumly spaced from each other of plural end surfaces of teeth corresponding to the width of the core and a center of a revolving shaft to each other, and xcex8 max is a maximum value of an angle between two straight lines defined by connecting two ends maximumly spaced from each other of plural ends of teeth heads of the teeth corresponding to the width of the core and the center of the revolving shaft to each other.
Another conventional synchronous motor wherein a core between magnetic poles of permanent magnets is provided with magnetic salient pole sections is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 205499/1996. The synchronous motor is constructed in such a manner that rotation of a rotor is limited to only one direction, to thereby displace the salient pole sections, resulting in restraining generation of torque pulsation.
In the former synchronous motor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 18328/1999, the open angle xcex8 is defined to be within a range of xcex8minxe2x89xa6xcex8xe2x89xa6max determined depending on the number of teeth, a configuration thereof and a size thereof. However, a timing at which torque is generated between the magnetic poles of the permanent magnets is varied depending on xe2x80x9cthe number of slots per pole and per phasexe2x80x9d q of a stator, so that the synchronous motor fails to satisfactorily restrain cogging torque and torque pulsation.
In the latter synchronous motor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 205499/1996, it is required to displace the salient pole sections of the magnetic poles of the permanent magnets in a direction determined by the direction of rotation of the rotor. This causes the rotor to fail to freely repeat normal rotation and reverse rotation, resulting in failing to sufficiently restrain torque pulsation.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing disadvantage of the prior art.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a permanent magnet-equipped synchronous motor which is capable of sufficiently restraining both cogging torque and torque pulsation during feeding of electricity thereto.
In accordance with the present invention, a permanent magnet-equipped synchronous motor is provided. The permanent magnet-equipped synchronous motor includes a stator including a stator core provided with a plurality of magnetic pole sections having windings of at least one phase wound thereon, as well as a rotor of which the number of pole pairs is p (p: a positive integer of 1 or more). The rotor includes a shaft and a rotor core fixed on the shaft. The rotor core has a plurality of permanent magnets incorporated therein in a manner to be spaced from each other at intervals in a peripheral direction thereof. The permanent magnets each constitute a permanent magnet magnetic pole section formed on an outer periphery of the rotor core The rotor is formed with a plurality of magnetic salient pole sections so as to interpose the permanent magnet magnetic pole sections therebetween. The rotor core includes outer peripheral surface sections each positioned between each adjacent two of the magnetic salient pole sections. The magnetic poles of the stator core each include a magnetic pole surface. Each of the outer peripheral surface sections of the rotor core and the magnetic pole surface of each of the magnetic poles of the stator core are arranged so as to have a gap defined therebetween and having a size xcex4d which satisfies the following expression:
xcex4d=xcex4d0/cos(pxcex8d)
wherein xcex4d0 is a size of the gap which is determined along a virtual center line defined so as to extend through centers of two virtual lines extending from a center of the shaft through both ends of the outer peripheral surface section defined in a peripheral direction thereof and xcex8d is an angle between the virtual central line and each of the virtual lines.
The outer peripheral surface sections of the rotor core each may have a contour formed into an arcuate or elliptic configuration. In this instance as well, the arcuate or elliptic configuration may be so determined that a size of the gap has a value approaching to the value determined by the above-described expression.
The gap satisfying the above-described expression constitutes a so-called cosec gap. Such a gap configuration permits a distribution of density of a magnetic flux from the permanent magnets in the gap to approach a sinusoidal wave irrespective of a direction of rotation of the motor, to thereby restrain cogging torque.
The stator core may be so configured that when xe2x80x9cthe number of slots per pole and per phasexe2x80x9d q of the stator core is an integer of 1 or more, an open angle xcex1 of the magnetic salient pole sections which is defined as an angle between two virtual lines defined so as to extend through a center of the shaft and both ends of each of the magnetic salient pole sections in a peripheral direction thereof is defined so as to satisfy an expression xcex1≈nxc2x7xcfx84s wherein n is a natural number and xcfx84s is a slot pitch of the stator core. xe2x80x9cThe number of slots per pole and per phasexe2x80x9d q may be found by an expression q=Ns/(2xc3x97pxc3x97m) wherein Ns is the number of slots, p is the number of pole pairs and m is the number of phases.
Also, the stator core may be so configured that when xe2x80x9cthe number of slots per pole and per phasexe2x80x9d q of the stator core is a fraction of 1 or more, an open angle xcex1 of the magnetic salient pole sections which is defined as an angle between two virtual lines defined so as to extend through a center of the shaft and both ends of each of the magnetic salient pole sections in a peripheral direction thereof is defined so as to satisfy an expression xcex1≈(n/2)xcfx84s wherein n is a natural number and xcfx84s is a slot pitch of the stator core.
Also, an angle xcfx86p between two virtual lines extending from a center of the shaft through both ends of each of the outer peripheral surface sections and an open angle xcex1 of the magnetic salient pole sections which is defined as an angle between two virtual lines extending through the center of the shaft and both ends of each of the magnetic salient pole sections in a peripheral direction thereof are defined so as to satisfy an expression (180/p+xcex1xe2x88x92xcfx86p)/xcfx84s≈2nxe2x88x921 wherein xcfx84s is a slot pitch of the stator core, n is a natural number, xcex1 greater than 0, xcfx86p  greater than 0, and xcex1+xcfx86pxe2x89xa6180/p.
In a motor wherein the gap does riot constitute a so-called cosec gap as well, torque pulsation may be satisfactorily restrained by setting the angles xcex1 and xcfx86p so as to permit the relationship described above to be established.

Interior permanent magnet synchronous motor