Methods and apparatus for precise positioning of an object using linear actuators based on linear stepper motors operating in microstepping or full step mode, a control algorithm based on compensation table, and a calibration apparatus for obtaining the compensation table.

The present invention relates generally to linear stepper motors and more particularly to systems and methods for precisely positioning an object using a linear stepper motor.
Linear stepper motors typically include a platen 10 and a forcer 20 as shown, for example, in FIG. 1. The platen 10 is the fixed, passive part of the motor and its length will determine the distance the motor will travel. The platen 10 typically has a number of teeth 12 equally spaced along its length, and is like the rotor in a traditional rotary stepper motor, except it is not a permanent magnet. The forcer 20 typically includes four pole pieces 22 that each have three or more teeth 24. The pitch of each tooth 24 is staggered with respect to the teeth 12 of the platen 10. The forcer 20 uses mechanical roller bearings or air bearings to ride above the platen on an air gap so that the two never physically come into contact with each other. The magnetic field in the forcer is changed by passing current through its coils (e.g., coils A and B). This action causes the next set of teeth 24 to align with the teeth 12 on the platen and causes the forcer to move from tooth to tooth over the platen in stepwise travel. When the current pattern is reversed, the forcer reverses its direction of travel. A linear stepper motor controller controls the current energizing pattern (switching cycle) applied to the coils so that the motor moves in a stepwise, controllable manner. A complete switching cycle includes four full steps, which moves the forcer 20 the distance of one tooth pitch over the platen 10. In a microstepping mode, the forcer can be controlled to move a fraction of a full step, for example, by breaking each applied current step into multiple current steps. For example, multiple current steps can be applied between full positive, zero current and full negative. The typical resolution of a linear motor is of the order of 100 full steps per inch. In microstepping mode, the resolution is greatly increased.
It is known that linear stepper motors are limited in terms of precision and smoothness of motion due, for example, to the presence of cyclic positioning error, thermal expansion error, straightness of the actuator, and other errors due to imperfection in manufacturing of the motor. As a consequence, an error may be introduced between the desired and actual position of the object moved by the motor, especially if the object is located at some distance from the center of the forcer. Also, an error may be introduced between the desired and actual orientation of an object attached to the moving part of the motor (i.e., forcer 20). This is illustrated in FIG. 2.
The positioning of the forcer (point C in FIG. 2) is affected by the cyclic, thermal and random errors in the platen teeth. However, the position of the object P that is off-centered from the ideal line of the motion (X) is affected not only by the positioning error in point C, but also the orientation error (φ), which is mostly due to imperfect straightness of the platen. The positioning error of the object P along the axis X′ that is parallel to the axis X can be described as E=Ex+r sin (φ), where Ex is the positioning error in point C, r is the distance between points C and P, and φ is the orientation error. Clearly, the positioning error E is critical in achieving high precision positioning of the object P. It is therefore desirable to provide systems and methods to compensate for not only the linear position error Ex of the forcer; but also the total error E.
For some applications, such as a microarraying apparatus, or a high-precision X-Y stage used in various instruments and machines, it is highly desirable to achieve precise and smooth motion within given specifications. In many applications the solution is based on a lead-screw mechanism rotated by a DC, AC, or stepper motor, and a linear guide that guides the object along the lead-screw. However, the construction of a lead-screw mechanism is not suitable for high speed, high-acceleration applications. For such applications, a mechanism that is based on a linear motor and linear optical encoder offers a range of advantages over the traditional lead-screw mechanism: no transmission (gear), very small friction (when wheels are used) or negligible (when air-bearings are used), very high speed (often exceeding several meters per second), very high accelerations (often exceeding 1G), flexibility in length (platen can be made several meters long), etc. Typically, the linear encoder or some other measuring device is used as a feedback device. However, the cost of typical brushless DC or AC linear motor and a linear optical encoder may be prohibitively expensive and would qualify this technology for "high-end" applications. In other words, many laboratory instruments and machines cannot afford this technology from a cost of goods standpoint.
Hysteresis is an effect that exists in most of electromechanical systems. Linear stepper motors also show differences between achieved positions when moving to the same desired position from two different directions. In some applications, such as printing of biological samples in a form of an array, it may be very important to achieve high positioning precision, regardless of the direction of motion towards the desired position.
Control of linear stepper motors in microstepping mode is performed using microstepping stepper motor drivers. Although these drivers are calibrated to achieve equal distance between microsteps, there exist differences in actual positions of the object attached to the forcer, if different drivers are used with the same motor. The impact of driver characteristics is also one of the effects that should be taken into account when high positioning precision is desired.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods that combine a relatively affordable linear stepper motor with an advanced controller that would provide high positioning precision, but without any position-measuring device. Further, such systems and methods should provide enhanced movement and positioning precision capabilities, including the ability to compensate for cyclic error and hysteresis.

Method and apparatus for precise positioning of an object with linear stepper motors


A noise-suppression assembly of a mechanical drive system having a rotational frequency includes an audio filter unit configured to receive a first audio signal and a timing signal of the mechanical drive system. The audio filter unit generates a noise-cancellation signal based on a frequency of the timing signal to suppress a noise generated by the mechanical drive system and to apply the noise-cancellation signal to the first audio signal to produce a filtered first audio signal. The frequency of the timing signal is based on the rotational frequency of the mechanical drive system.

Embodiments of the present invention pertain to the art of noise suppression, and in particular to the suppression of noise from mechanical drive system in an audio signal.
Vehicles and structures having ambient noise may require an audio system to transmit audio signals from one person to another within the vehicle or structure. For example, in a helicopter, airplane, or ground vehicle, one or more occupants may have a headset including speakers and a microphone. The occupants talk into the microphone to communicate with other occupants, and the communication is received by the speakers of one or more occupants. Examples of speakers include earphones and earplugs.
However, when an occupant transmits an audio signal from the microphone, the ambient noise of the vehicle or structure is also transmitted, inhibiting communication between the occupants of the vehicle or structure.

Noise suppression device, system, and method


The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for importing data into dynamic distributed databases. Embodiments of the invention include an import service that facilitates data imports without any distribution logic on a tenant. A tenant (caller) provides data in essentially any order. The import service understands the distribution of data across multiple databases and determines for any given piece of import data what database the import data is to be inserted into. Accordingly, the tenant (caller) is relieved from having to know how the data is distributed across a set (of potentially hundreds or thousands) of databases. The import service can group sets of data destined for a given database together and can use batch operations to increase efficiency.

1. Background and Relevant Art
Computer systems and related technology affect many aspects of society. Indeed, the computer system's ability to process information has transformed the way we live and work. Computer systems now commonly perform a host of tasks (e.g., word processing, scheduling, accounting, etc.) that prior to the advent of the computer system were performed manually. More recently, computer systems have been coupled to one another and to other electronic devices to form both wired and wireless computer networks over which the computer systems and other electronic devices can transfer electronic data. Accordingly, the performance of many computing tasks is distributed across a number of different computer systems and/or a number of different computing environments.
In database environments, users can use tools and algorithms to load data into databases. These tools normally only work on a single table (or at best database) at a time. However, as databases become larger, there is a need to split data across many databases to handle the scale. When data is split, users are forced to perform various manual actions and/or write tenant side code that understands the data distribution. The tenant code can then be executed to import data. However, each time data is split (or subsequently merged), the tenant side code has to be rewritten and compiled to adjust for the new distribution. Thus, adjusting for changed distributions can result in considerable work for a user.
Alternately, it is possible to write code so that data distribution can be changed via configuration. However, it takes a configuration change and downtime to update the system.
In many organizations, responsibilities for importing data and splitting databases can belong to different individuals. For example, a database administrator may be responsible for maintaining an appropriate database distribution based on available resources. On the other hand, an application developer may be responsible for maintaining an application that imports data into a database. Lack of communication between the database administrator and application developer can result in non-functioning applications. For example, if the database administrator fails to communicate a new database distribution from splitting a database, a data import application may stop working. Even when the application developer is made aware of the split, it may take some amount of time for the application developer to modify the data import application for use with the new data distribution.
In other environments, such as, for example, multi-tenant, multi-database environments, a database administrator may have no control over data distribution. For example, cloud database environments can maintain multiple databases per tenant and can service many tenants. In a cloud database environment, modules within the cloud environment can automatically split and/or merge databases as appropriate. Splitting and/or merging databases can be based on a customer's needs, available resources within the cloud environment, needs of other customer's, etc. As such, an application developer may have no way to know a data distribution for corresponding data. Further, in a cloud environment, data distributions can change with some regularity. Thus, when a database is operated in a cloud environment, it can be extremely difficult for an application developer to maintain a data import application.

Importing data into dynamic distributed databases


A panel construction device building set assembly includes: a plurality of building partitions, each building partition having: a first planar surface area; a second planar surface area generally parallel to the first surface area and generally equidistant apart from the first surface area at a predetermined distance; a plurality of flutes disposed within the first surface area and the second surface area and generally perpendicular to the first surface area and the second surface area; and a corrugated core disposed within each of the plurality of flutes, thereby to create a plurality of hollow channels within the flutes within the first surface area and the second surface area, and wherein each channel runs a continuous length within the first surface area and the second surface area; and a plurality of connectors with which to couple a pair of the building partitions.

Certain toy constructions sets and building toys are known in the background art to enable one to build various structures. Known devices and systems are inefficient and limiting in many ways. Others have attempted to overcome these deficiencies with building sets and construction sets having various constructions; however, these devices also have been found to have various shortcomings and deficiencies as well.
Related utility patents known in the art include the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,530, issued to Italiano on Nov. 13, 2007, discloses a lightweight, portable and expandable small animal enclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,620, issued to Daenen on Mar. 25, 1975, discloses a panel construction toy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,252, issued to Oliff on Feb. 9, 1999, discloses a divider panel with anchor panel window architecture.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,255,262, issued to Duyst on Aug. 14, 2007, discloses a single piece bulk bin blank and container.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,967,156 issued to Hsu on Jun. 28, 2011, discloses a storage rack.
Related U.S. patent application publications known in the art include the following:
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0187295, filed by Spivey, Sr., et al. and published on Jul. 29, 2010, discloses a carton with interlocking divider.
The foregoing patent and other information reflect the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and are tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the technology described herein. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.


Method and apparatus for removing residual magnetization in a data transducer, such as a recording head used to write data to a recording medium in a data storage device. A residual magnetization sense circuit senses a residual magnetization of a pole of the data transducer as a result of the application of a data transmission current to the transducer. A demagnetization current generator removes the residual magnetization by supplying the transducer with a demagnetizing current that decreases to a final magnitude in accordance with a selected profile. The demagnetization current preferably comprises a bi-directional, time varying current of selected frequency to the transducer that tapers linearly, exponentially or in a step-wise fashion to the final magnitude. The demagnetization profile is preferably continuously adapted during operation. Preferably, the sense circuit and demagnetization current generator are incorporated into a preamplifier/driver circuit which performs the demagnetization operation in a self-contained fashion.

Magnetic data transducers are used to transmit data in the form of magnetic pulses. Such transducers (heads) generally comprise a coil that surrounds a magnetically permeable pole structure.
Bi-directional, time varying data transmission currents applied to the coil result in the transmission of corresponding bi-directional, time varying magnetic pulses. In a magnetic transmission system, the pulses are generally conveyed through an appropriate medium to a remote receiver. In a data storage device, such pulses generally operate to magnetically orient a recording medium such as a disc.
It has been observed that at the conclusion of the application of a sequence of data transmission currents, the magnetically permeable pole of a transducer can exhibit a residual magnetism. That is, magnetic domains within the pole are not substantially randomly arrayed, but are more or less commonly aligned along a particular axial direction.
Such residual magnetism will tend to have a natural decay life and return to the desired net random alignment over time. However, during this decay interval the aligned magnetism of the pole can adversely affect operation of the transducer by introducing noise in subsequent transmissions. When the transducer is used to write data to a medium, such magnetization can undesirably erase data previously written to the medium as the medium moves adjacent the transducer.
While various approaches have been proposed in the art to address residual magnetism in a transducer, there nevertheless remains a continued need for improvements in the art, and it is to such improvements that the present invention is directed.

Removing residual magnetization in a data transducer


A glass sheet is heated to a forming temperature in a heating furnace, the heated glass sheet is conveyed along a conveying plane defined by a plurality of rollers of a roller conveyer, and is moved up and down on the rollers according to a position of the glass sheet to curve a part of the conveying plane with respect to a glass sheet conveying direction to bend the glass sheet to have a desired curvature by its own weight. The rollers are curved rollers.

The inventors of the present application proposed in JP-A-2000-72460 a forming apparatus for bending a glass sheet heated to a temperature close to the softening point in a heating furnace into a glass sheet having a desired curvature. This apparatus conveys a glass sheet heated in the heating furnace, along a conveying plane defined by a plurality of rollers of a roller conveyer, and by moving the rollers up and down according to the position of the glass sheet, a part of the conveying plane is bent with respect to the glass sheet conveying direction and the glass sheet is bent to have a desired curvature.
Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,246 discloses an apparatus for bending a glass sheet heated to a temperature close to the softening point in a heating furnace, by conveying the glass sheet on a roller conveyer constituted by a plurality of curved rollers each curved with respect to the direction perpendicular to the glass sheet conveying direction.
According to the apparatus disclosed in the above two documents, the softened glass bends down by its own weight along the curved plane, whereby the glass sheet can be bent according to the curved conveying plane.
However, although, JP-A-2000-72460 discloses that a glass sheet is formed to have a plane curved with respect to the glass sheet conveying direction, it does not disclose that a glass sheet is formed to have a plane curved with respect to the direction perpendicular to the glass sheet conveying direction.
Further, the conventional apparatus for bending disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,246 had a problem that although it could form a glass sheet to have a curved plane with respect to the direction perpendicular to the glass sheet conveying direction, it could not form a glass sheet to have a curved plane with respect to the glass sheet conveying direction.
Both of these apparatuses have a conveying plane curved only with respect to one direction, and therefore, it is difficult to form a complicatedly curved glass having a plane curved with respect to two directions.
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems of the conventional techniques, and to provide a curved roller whose curvature can optionally be changed, and an apparatus for bending a glass sheet, so that a glass sheet having a complicatedly curved shape can be produced.

Apparatus having a curved roller for bending a glass sheet


Multicast groups provide a mechanism to deliver simultaneous media content to a plurality of users. In streaming media systems, such as audio and video systems, each multicast recipient simultaneously receives similar content. Accordingly, each recipient must initiate transmission at the same time. A data communications device delivers multiple media streams of similar content to each of a plurality of users by converging a set of media streams and merging the converged streams onto a single stream for simultaneous delivery to each of the plurality of users from a single media stream resource. A convergence processor identifies a set of streams carrying similar content in a slightly time-shifted manner with respect to the other streams. The convergence processor filters certain streams to augment the streams to converge at a particular point, at which time the streams align respect to media content therein, and merge onto a multicast stream for the duration.

Modern computer networks are capable of delivering ever-increasing quantities of multimedia data to end-user recipients. In a conventional data communications network system, a media content provider delivers real-time audio and video images in a continuous sequence of packets called a media stream, or so-called streaming audio and video.
Conventional media providers employ the existing conventional network infrastructure, including TELOPS POTS lines, coaxial lines carrying cable TV signals, fiber optic lines, high-volume trunks and other interconnections supporting Internet and other related networks for transmitting media content. Consumer demand for media content services, such as streaming audio and video services, often drives network bandwidth capacity of the conventional infrastructure to its limit. Accordingly, conventional media content providers employ optimizing techniques such as compression, multiplexing, and deployment of new and additional hardware capable of increased throughput, and driven by processors at higher and higher frequencies (speeds).
One such optimizing technique is the use of multicast streams operable to deliver a single streaming audio or video content source to a plurality, or set, of recipients called a multicast group. In a conventional multicast stream, recipients elect to join a multicast group corresponding to the stream. The routers or other intermediary devices in the network propagate the membership of such a multicast group including each of the recipients to which the multicast stream is to be delivered across the network. Conventional Internet Protocol (IP) methods propagate packets in the stream to the multicast group according to a known protocol outlined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in RFC 1075: Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol (DVMRP), and in RFC 3376: Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP), and others, as is known to those skilled in the art.
Such a conventional media provider, therefore, establishes a set of recipients of the particular media content source as a multicast group, according to the known multicast protocol. The media content provider transmits a single multicast stream, therefore requiring transmission resources only for the individual multicast stream, rather than for allocating separate transmission resources for individual streams from the content provider to each of the plurality of users included in the multicast group. In this manner, a single stream emanates from the media content provider for multicast transmission to each of the multicast group recipients.
Conventional media content providers typically receive revenue from such streaming media on a fee-for-service is basis, such as via a so-called pay-per-view broadcast. Conventional multicast groups, therefore, provide a vehicle to maximize service delivery, and therefore the revenue, from each of multiple recipients, while allocating only a single transmission stream resource, therefore freeing up other transmission stream resources for other recipients.


The packed electric lamps have a box (1) provided with a base (2) having a base wall (7) and side walls (3, 4, 5, 6) connected thereto. First seats (31) and corresponding second seats (41) are present in the base (2) at a first side wall (3) and a second (4) side wall, in which seats cushion-shaped cartons (50) with electric lamps (20) are held. The packed electric lamps have a comparatively small volume, but the packaging also protects comparatively vulnerable lamps against damage.

Such packed electric lamps are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,813.
These lamps may form part of a Christmas tree set. In such a set, lamps are electrically connected in series so as to be connected to the mains. Accordingly, only a fraction of the mains voltage is across each of the lamps during operation. The lamps for this reason have a comparatively small incandescent body made of comparatively thick wire, and are also robust in other respects.
In the known box, the first and the second seats are present at adjoining walls of the base. They keep the walls separate from the lamps.
It was found that less robust lamps such as, for example, incandescent lamps with incandescent body sections positioned in one or two planes, for example, in a tungsten frame, are subject to too great risks of damage during transport when packed in this manner. Such lamps are used, for example, for studio, theatre, or disco lighting or for scene illumination during video takes. Because of the required high colour temperature of the light to be generated by these lamps, they are highly loaded and a tungsten frame must often be used. When the lamps are flashed at the end of their manufacturing process, the tungsten of the frame and of the incandescent body crystallizes, so that the latter becomes vulnerable to shocks.
However, other types of lamps such as, for example, high-pressure gas discharge lamps, for example lamps in which a discharge vessel is arranged in an outer bulb, may also have such a vulnerability to shocks, for example, because the outer bulb breaks when the suspension assembly of the discharge vessel hits against this bulb with force.
The lamps described are wrapped in an instruction leaflet and then in a sheet of synthetic resin foam and inserted in a carton. A few of these cartons are put in an outer container together between buffers which surround them. The volume of the packed lamp as a result is great, as are the packaging and shipment costs. The diversity of materials used: synthetic resin and cellulose fiber material, furthermore, is disadvantageous for the recycling possibilities of the packaging.


A method is described for producing a target substance utilizing a microorganism by culturing the microorganism in a medium to produce and accumulate the target substance in the medium, and then collecting the target substance from culture. The microorganism is imparted with isomaltase activity, or modified to increase isomaltase activity.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for producing a target substance by using a microorganism. More precisely, the present invention describes a method to improve production using a microorganism of final target products, such as L-amino acids, nucleic acids, and so forth.
2. Background Art
Methods are well-known for producing substances such as L-amino acids by fermentation using microorganisms. L-amino acids are used not only as seasonings and in foodstuffs, but also as components of various nutritional mixtures for medical purposes. Furthermore, they are used as additives for animal feed, reagents in the drug manufacturing and chemical industries, and as growth factors for production of L-amino acids such as L-lysine and L-homoserine. Microorganisms that can produce L-amino acids by fermentation include coryneform bacteria, Escherichia bacteria, Bacillus bacteria, Serratia bacteria, and so forth.
In the production of target substances by fermentation, most of the raw materials contain saccharides such as blackstrap molasses. Also in amino acid fermentation or nucleic acid fermentation, the culture is performed using a saccharide as the raw material. Although sugarcane and so forth contain abundant amounts of starch, it is rarely used as a raw material, but can be present as a decomposition product of starch, for example, monosaccharides or disaccharides. Starch decomposes in the presence of a solution of a saccharifying enzyme such as amylase, and polysaccharides are decomposed into relatively low molecular weight saccharides, such as glucose, maltose and isomaltose.
When using a starch hydrolysis solution in fermentation, if the fermentation is terminated when all the glucose is consumed, oligosaccharides such as maltose and isomaltose are not assimilated. Escherichia bacteria do not have the ability to assimilate these oligosaccharides, especially isomaltose, and they cause the Maillard reaction with the products of the fermentation, especially L-amino acids, which poses a problem when purifying the fermentation product.
Moreover, once all the glucose is consumed, the remaining oligosaccharides such as maltose that were not consumed due to the presence and consumption of glucose must be consumed, thus extending the culture time and needlessly increasing the heating expense.
A technique has been disclosed to utilize the maltose produced by starch decomposition, specifically, to use a microorganism in which an interaction is attenuated or eliminated between the IIAGlc protein of the glucose PTS and the MalK protein involved in the non-PTS uptake of maltose, resulting in the microorganism being able to take up glucose and maltose simultaneously (U.S. Pat. No. 7,097,999, European Patent Laid-open No. 1254957). It is known that the suppression of the uptake of other oligosaccharides by glucose is generally observed in E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium. That is, when glucose and other carbon sources such as maltose are present during fermentation, glucose is assimilated first, and then the other carbon sources are assimilated. However, the aforementioned technique enables simultaneous assimilation of glucose and maltose.
Furthermore, an α-amylase can be expressed in a cell surface layer to decompose starch into glucose and maltose (which is an α-1,4-glucan), which are then taken up into cells, which can result in an improved ability to produce amino acids (Tateno, T., et al., Appl. Microbiol. Biotech., 74, 1213-1220 (2007)).
Maltose is known to be taken up into cells by the GlvC protein, also known as the PTS maltose enzyme IICB, encoded by the glvC gene of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis). Once in the cell, maltose, present as phosphorylated maltose, is hydrolyzed by GlvA (6-phospho-α-glucosidase) encoded by the glvA gene (Schonert S. et al., J. Bacteriol., 2006, June; 188 (11):3911-22). However, the relationship between the glvAC genes and isomaltose assimilation has not been reported to date.
The enzyme α-glucosidase decomposes maltose, sucrose, and isomaltose into monosaccharides, and is present in B. subtilis. α-glucosidase is encoded by the malL gene (Schonert, S., et al., J. Bacteriol., 180, 2574-2578 (1998)).
The presence of such an enzyme as described above has not been reported for coryneform bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, including E. coli. Therefore, it is considered in the art that these bacteria cannot assimilate isomaltose, and whether they can take isomaltose up into cells is unknown. Furthermore, a microorganism that extracellularly secretes an enzyme that decomposes isomaltose has also not been reported.

Method for producing a target substance by fermentation


A fire suppression system including at least one heat-sensing device attached to a CPU-controlled sprinkler, which upon detection of a heat signature, activates the sprinkler to selectively dispense water from a fire sprinkler system pipe or a fire suppressant contained within a canister from a nozzle directly aimed at the source of the heat signature.

Various types of fire detection and suppression systems are known in the prior art. However, what is needed is a fire suppression system providing at least one central processing unit controlled sprinkler devised to activate upon the detection of a heat signature by a heat-sensing device, such as an infrared camera and a laser tracker, disposed on the sprinkler itself and to directly target the source of the heat signature for spraying with a nozzle on the sprinkler.


A landscape edging system having an edging strip co-extruded from two different materials to form a core layer and a thin shell layer, with the shell layer generally encapsulating the core layer. The core layer can be made from relatively lower cost, quality and weight materials, such as re-grind or recycled plastic materials, and the shell layer can be made from higher quality materials that are selected for durability, appearance and resistance to corrosion, mildew and impacts. The core layer has one or more longitudinally disposed channels that receive a connector configured to connect adjacent edging strips together to form a boundary between landscaped and/or non-landscaped areas. The connector has a sleeve portion with an internal body member having extending portions configured to interact with the interior wall of the channels. A stake can be driven through the edging strip to secure it in place on the ground.

A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to landscape edging used for creating borders or dividers around various landscape features, such as gardens, lawns, flower beds, trees and the like, so as to form a boundary between adjacent landscaped areas. More particularly, the present invention relates to landscape edging strips that are flexible to use and inexpensive to manufacture. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to such landscape edging strip that is produced by co-extruding different materials and which is can be cut at any point along the strip.
B. Background
Landscape edging strips are utilized for borders or dividers so as to separate one portion of a landscaped area from other portions of the landscaped area or from non-landscaped areas and to provide a minimal barrier to the movement of water between adjacent areas. Because most landscaping does not follow nice straight lines, landscape edging strips are generally made out of materials and configured such that the individual strips are somewhat flexible. In addition, because landscape edging strips must be provided in section lengths that are suitable for sale, transport and handling, as opposed to being provided in single fixed-length sections, it is necessary that a mechanism be provided to interconnect the individual landscaping strips into lengths sufficient to extend the full distance around the desired landscape area. Due to the outdoor environmental use for landscaping edging strips, it is well known that landscape edging strips must be made out of materials that are suitably resistant to corrosion, mildew and pests. Generally, landscape edging strips are configured to be anchored into the ground either directly by hammering or otherwise hitting or pushing the edging strips themselves into the ground or by way of separate stakes that are configured to be placed in the ground so as to hold the strips in their desired position. Because the landscape edging is used in and around areas where gardening tools and activity takes place, it is necessary that the landscape edging be sufficiently durable to maintain its functionality when contact, inadvertent or otherwise, with such tools and activity occurs. In addition, because landscaped areas are generally designed to be visually appealing, it is important that the landscape edging be made out of materials and be configured such that, at the least, it does not significantly detract from the visual nature of the landscaping.
Many different materials are utilized for landscape edging strips to achieve various functional and aesthetic objectives. For instance, edging strips have been made out of relatively thin strips of metal, including aluminum and steel, for some time. Often these metal edging strips are painted green or other colors to attempt to blend in with the landscaped areas and are coated or otherwise treated to reduce the likelihood of corrosion. To solve the inevitable corrosion problem, many manufacturers make the edging strips out of plastic and like materials, which are typically selected for specific cost, appearance, durability, flexibility and weight characteristics. In addition, plastic materials are selected based on their ability to resist cracking, discoloration, ultraviolet light intrusion and mildew. Plastic edging strips can be made in a variety of different shapes by a variety of different process. Some materials are known to have certain characteristics that achieve certain desired objectives but do not do well at others. For instance, a material may be very durable, but be lacking in the flexibility, appearance and/or cost characteristics or result in an edging strip that weighs too much to be practical. As a result, the desired material that provides as much positive attributes as possible often results in a relatively expensive edging strip.
A significant number of prior art landscape edging systems, utilizing a wide range of materials and configured in a variety of different ways, are known in the industry. Some of these prior art edging materials, exemplified by U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0024157 to Conde (published Feb. 6, 2003), U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,128 to Smith, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,045 to Bradley et al. and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 426,322 to Anderson, et al. are configured such that at least a portion of the edging is shaped to permit it to be inserted into the ground to form the edging boundary. For instance, the patents to Bradley, et al. and Anderson and the patent publication to Conde, utilize variable contoured bottom edges that have a series of arches and points and which are tapered to facilitate insertion into the ground. The patent to Smith, et al. describes landscape edging having an elongated vertical plate with a lower longitudinal edge adapted for piercing engagement with the ground. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,369 to VerHoeve, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,583 to Reum, U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,521 to Kontz, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,782,561 to R. A. Smith, utilize stake portions that is attached to (i.e., part of) the edging strip or attachable to the edging strip and which are configured to be driven into the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,461 to Zwier discloses a landscape edging that has an elongated ribbon strip configured to receive a ground-engaging stake and U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,867 to Fritch discloses a landscape edging that has a generally horizontal flat mowing strip through which one or more spikes or stakes are driven into the ground. Other landscape edging systems, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,001 to Balfanz, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,821,809 to Collier, have a portion of the edging strips buried or covered by soil or other landscaping materials.
The different prior art landscape edging systems disclose a variety of connectors used to connect one strip to another. For instance, the patents to Fritch, Reum and Kontz, Jr. identified above disclose the use of separate insertable connectors that fit within tubular sections of adjacent edging strips. The patents to Smith, et al., Bradley, et al., Zwier, Collier, R. A. Smith and Anderson, et al. disclose the use of the attached connectors that interlock, in one form or another, with an adjacent edging strip to form a somewhat continuous strip of landscape edging. The patent to Balfanz, Jr., discloses the use of a generally C-shaped connector with flanges that interconnects the upper portion of T-shaped edging strips.
The various prior art landscape edging systems, including those identified above, have various advantages and disadvantages that affect the cost, functionality and usefulness of the edging strips. For instance, while the art of plastic extrusion in general is well known (for instance for fencing as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,311 to Lemelson and for co-extruded synthetic wood components U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,605 to Zehner and roofing shingles in U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,688 to Parsons), none of the above edging systems disclose or suggest the use of edging strips that are made out of a double-layer plastic extruded material that provides significant cost, weight and appearance benefits with the use of multiple channels for receiving a connector anywhere along the edging strips where it is desired to cut the strip. The patent to Zehner discloses a wood component having an interior layer made out of a first synthetic wood composition layer co-extruded with a outer second synthetic wood composition layer to reduce cost by utilizing an inexpensive and lower weight interior layer integrally formed with the better quality outer layer. Compared to a single layer material, an edging strip made out of multiple layered materials provides the desired characteristics for the edging strip at a significantly reduced overall cost and, if desired, weight. The manufacturing or prior art edging strips generally requires the manufacturer to execute a secondary operation to make the edging strip's connection mechanism, such as drilling holes or making a lap joint. These secondary operations make the edging strip more difficult and more expensive to manufacture. They can also make the edging system (i.e., the edging strip and connection mechanism) more difficult to use. Therefore, what is needed is landscape edging strip that utilizes lower weight and cost materials and which does not require any secondary operations to manufacture or prepare the edging strip for the connector. The preferred edging strip should be relatively inexpensive to make, easy to use and adaptable for use as landscape edging. To be effective, such landscape edging should allow the user to cut the strip at any place desired and still be able to utilize connectors to join two adjacent strips together. In addition, the preferred edging strip should provide an aesthetically appealing boundary.

Extruded landscape edging strip and method of making same


An antenna element (10) has two dielectric layers (12, 13), which separate three ground planes (17, 18, 21, 22, 23). The three ground planes have respective slots (26, 27, 28), which collectively define a slotline communicating at an inner end with a balun hole (57) that extends through all of the ground planes and dielectric layers. Two capacitive switches (121) are supported within the balun hole, and each have terminals respectively coupled to the same ground plane on opposite sides of the balun hole. The capacitive switches are independently and selectively operated to dynamically vary the impedance characteristic of the overall balun structure that includes the balun hole and two switch assemblies, and which gives the antenna element good electrical performance over a wide bandwidth. The antenna element includes a stripline (36), and a stripline to a slotline transition exists at the end of the slotline adjacent the balun hole.

This invention relates in general to techniques for improving bandwidth of devices having a stripline to slotline transition and, more particularly, to techniques for improving bandwidth of antenna elements having a stripline to slotline transition.
Various different types of devices include a stripline to slotline transition, one example of which is an antenna element configured for use in a phased array antenna. In one form of such an antenna element, a balun is provided to improve the bandwidth of the antenna element, and communicates with the end of the slotline nearest the region of the stripline to slotline transition.
In the most common existing antenna element of this type, the balun has a predetermined configuration which does not change during normal operation of the antenna element. This type of balun provides good electrical performance within a limited bandwidth, but suffers from electrical performance degradation when used over a relatively wide bandwidth. It is desirable to be able to provide an antenna element which has a relatively wide 10:1 bandwidth, commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cdecadexe2x80x9d bandwidth. However, known balun structures that can be used to achieve a decade bandwidth have a relatively large physical size. In an array antenna, the spacing between adjacent antenna elements becomes progressively smaller as the highest operational frequency of the antenna increases. Consequently, the space available for each antenna element, often called the unit cell size, is so small in comparison to low frequency wavelengths that the known balun structure capable of providing a decade bandwidth is too big to fit within the unit cell size.
From the foregoing, it may be appreciated that a need has arisen for a balun structure which is suitable for use with a stripline to slotline transition and which avoids some or all of the disadvantages of pre-existing arrangements.
According to one form of the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided to address this need, and involve operation of an apparatus which includes a conductive section having a recess with a balun portion and an elongate slot portion communicating at one end with the balun portion, and which includes an elongate conductive element extending generally transversely with respect to the slot portion in the region of the one end thereof. The technique includes selectively operating a capacitive element in one of first and second modes in which the capacitive element respectively has first and second capacitances that are substantially different, the capacitive element having first and second terminals which are respectively coupled to the conductive section at spaced first and second locations disposed along a periphery of the balun portion, wherein in the first mode the balun portion and the capacitive element collectively have a first effective impedance, and in the second mode the balun portion and the capacitive element collectively have a second effective impedance different from the first effective impedance.
According to a different form of the present invention, a method and apparatus involve operation of an apparatus which includes a conductive section having a recess with a balun portion and an elongate slot portion communicating at one end with the balun portion, the balun portion having in a radio frequency band an effective impedance which is substantially larger than an effective impedance of the slot portion, and which includes an elongate conductive element which extends generally transversely with respect to the slot portion in the region of the one end thereof. The technique involves selectively operating a switch in one of first and second modes in which the switch respectively is substantially transmissive and substantially non-transmissive to radio frequency signals, the switch having first and second terminals which are respectively coupled to the conductive section at spaced first and second locations disposed along a periphery of the balun portion, wherein in the first mode the balun portion and the switch collectively have a first effective impedance and in the second mode the balun portion and the switch collectively have a second effective impedance different from the first effective impedance, the first and second effective impedances each being substantially larger than the effective impedance of the slot portion.

Method and apparatus for increasing bandwidth of a stripline to slotline transition


A silicon condenser microphone is described. The silicon condenser microphone of the present invention comprises a perforated backplate comprising a portion of a single crystal silicon substrate, a support structure formed on the single crystal silicon substrate, and a floating silicon diaphragm supported at its edge by the support structure and lying parallel to the perforated backplate and separated from the perforated backplate by an air gap.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a silicon condenser microphone, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a high performance silicon condenser microphone using a silicon micro-machining process.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Silicon condenser microphones have long been an attractive research and development subject. Various microphone designs have been invented and conceptualized by using silicon micro-machining technology. Despite various structural configurations and materials, the silicon condenser microphone consists of four basic elements: a movable compliant diaphragm, a rigid and fixed backplate (which together form a variable air gap capacitor), a voltage bias source, and a pre-amplifier. These four elements fundamentally determine the performance of the condenser microphone. In pursuit of high performance; i.e., high sensitivity, low bias, low noise, and wide frequency range, the key design considerations are to have a large size of diaphragm and a large air gap. The former will help increase sensitivity as well as lower electrical noise, and the later will help reduce acoustic noise of the microphone. However, the large diaphragm requires a large span of anchored supports and correspondingly a large backplate. Also, a large air gap requires a thick sacrificial layer. These present major difficulties in/silicon micro-machining processes. Due to constraints of material choices and intrinsic stress issues in silicon micro-machining, the silicon microphones reported so far have not achieved sensitivity of more than 20 mV/Pa.
Miniaturized silicon microphones have been extensively developed for over sixteen years, since the first silicon piezoelectric microphone reported by Royer in 1983. In 1984, Hohm reported the first silicon electret-type microphone, made with a metallized polymer diaphragm and silicon backplate. And two years later, he reported the first silicon condenser microphone made entirely by silicon micro-machining technology. Since then a number of researchers have developed and published reports on miniaturized silicon condenser microphones of various structures and performance.
Some of these reports include the following:    1) D. Hohm and R. Gerhard-Multhaupt, "Silicon-dioxide electret transducer", J. Acoust. Soc. Am., Vol. 75, 1984, pp. 1297–1298.    2). D. Hohm and G. Hess, "A Subminiature condenser microphone with silicon nitride membrane and silicon backplate", J. Acoust. Soc. Am., Vol. 85, 1989, pp. 476–480.    3) Murphy, P. et al., "Subminiature silicon integrated electret capacitor microphone", IEEE Trans. Electr. Ins., Vol. 24, 1989, pp. 495–498.    4) Bergqvist, J. et al., "A new condenser microphone in silicon", Sensors and Actuators, Vol. A21–23, 1990, pp. 123–125.    5) Kuhnel, W. et al., "A Silicon condenser microphone with structured backplate and silicon nitride membrane," Sensors and Actuators, Vol. 30, 1991, pp. 251–258.    6) Scheeper, P. R. et al., "Fabrication of silicon condenser microphones using single wafer technology", Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, Vol. 1, No. 3, 1992, pp. 147–154.    7) Scheeper, P. R. et al., "A Review of Silicon Microphones", Sensors and Actuators A, Vol. 44, Jul. 1994, pp. 1–11.    8) Bergqvist, J. et al., "A Silicon Microphone using bond and etch-back technology", Sensors and Actuators A, vol. 45, 1994, pp. 115–124.    9) Zou, Quanbo et al., "Theoretical and experimental studies of single-chip-processed miniature silicon condenser microphone with corrugated diaphragm", Sensors and Actuators A, Vol. 63, 1997, pp. 209–215.    10) Brauer, M. et al., "Silicon microphone based on surface and bulk micromachining", Journal of Micromech. Microeng., Vol. 11, 2001, pp 319–322.    11) Bergqvist, J. and V. Rudolf, "A silicon condenser microphone with a highly perforated backplate", Transducer 91, pp. 266–269.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,482 to Loeppert et al reveals a silicon microphone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,220 to Loeppert shows a condenser and microphone device. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0067663 to Loeppert et al shows a miniature acoustic transducer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,463 to Rombach et al teaches a silicon condenser microphone process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,965 to Moret et al shows a capacitive transducer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,146,435 and 5,452,268 to Bernstein disclose acoustic transducers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,072 to Murphy reveals a shielded electret transducer.
However, none of the silicon condenser microphones mentioned above has been reported to achieve sensitivity above 20 mV/Pa. In terms of conventional condenser microphones (i.e. non-silicon), very few products can have sensitivity as high as 100 mV/Pa. For example, Bruel & Kjoer, Denmark (B&K) has only one microphone available with this high sensitivity (B&K 4179, 1-inch diameter). Its dynamic range is about 140 dB (200 Pa) and frequency range is 5–7 kHz. However, this microphone must be fit onto a bulky pre-amplifier and requires a polarization voltage of 200 V.

High performance silicon condenser microphone with perforated single crystal silicon backplate


A shift control method and system of a hybrid vehicle that prevent engine clutch slip occurring when a transfer torque of engine clutch is greater than an allowable transfer torque under unfavorable driving conditions by controlling a shifting time, may include, (a) detecting an engine torque. (b) determining an input torque of an engine clutch based on the engine torque. (c) comparing the determined input torque and a predetermined allowable transfer torque of the engine clutch. (d) increasing a present shifting time by a predetermined value when the determined input torque is greater than the allowable transfer torque and applying the increased shifting time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift control method and system of a hybrid vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shift control method and system of a hybrid vehicle that prevent engine clutch slip from occurring when a transfer torque of engine clutch is greater than an allowable transfer torque under unfavorable driving conditions by controlling a shifting time.
2. Description of Related Art
As is generally known in the art, a hybrid vehicle uses an internal combustion engine and a battery power supply together. That is, the hybrid vehicle efficiently combines power of the internal combustion engine and power of a driving motor for use.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the hybrid vehicle may include, for example, an engine 10, a driving motor 20, an engine clutch 30 for intermitting between power between the engine 10 and the driving motor 20, a transmission 40, a differential gear device 50, a battery 60, an integrated starter-generator 70 for starting the engine 10 or generating electricity by rotational force of the engine 10, and vehicle wheels 80.
Furthermore, the hybrid vehicle may include a hybrid control unit (HCU) 200 for controlling an entire operation of the hybrid vehicle. an engine control unit (ECU) 110 for controlling an operation of the engine 10. a motor control unit (MCU) 120 for controlling an operation of the driving motor 20. a transmission control unit (TCU) 140 for controlling an operation of the transmission 40. a battery control unit (BCU) 160 for controlling and managing the battery 60.
The battery control unit 160 may be called a battery management system (BMS). The integrated starter-generator 70 may be called an integrated starter & generator (ISG), or a hybrid starter & generator (HSG).
The hybrid vehicle may be driven in a driving mode such as an electric vehicle (EV) mode which is a true electric vehicle mode using only power of the driving motor 20, a hybrid vehicle (HEV) mode which uses rotational force of the engine 10 as main power and uses rotational force of the driving motor 20 as auxiliary power, and a regenerative braking (RB) mode for collecting braking and inertial energy during driving by braking or inertia of the vehicle through electric generation of the driving motor 20 to charge the battery 60.
The hybrid vehicle may use a dry-type engine clutch, and the dry-type engine clutch should be maintained fully closed condition while shifting. Therefore, an allowable transfer torque of the dry-type engine clutch may be determined by a motor, a rotational inertia of the engine, an angular acceleration, and an engine torque.
However, engine clutch slip may occur because a transfer torque is greater than an allowable transfer torque when the hybrid vehicle is operated under unfavorable driving conditions. For example, the engine clutch slip may occur when the hybrid vehicle is operated at an extremely low temperature or the hybrid vehicle shifts according to an additional torque of the engine.
That is, when the hybrid vehicle is operated under unfavorable conditions, the engine clutch slip may occur due to a difference of rotational inertia between the motor and the engine that is generated when the transfer torque is greater than the allowable transfer torque during shifting. when such an engine clutch slip occurs, the hybrid vehicle is negatively influenced with regard to shifting safety, vehicle vibration, and fuel consumption.
In order to prevent the aforementioned problem, the allowable transfer torque of the engine clutch is increased, but the size of the engine clutch and a secure space for installing it need to increase.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Shift control method and system of hybrid vehicle


The present invention relates to a screening method to identify individuals at risk of developing diseases associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype p53; which comprises the steps of: a) obtaining a biological sample from said patients; and b) determining the presence of p53pro or p53arg wildtype alleles in said sample; wherein the allele pattern of patients selected from the group consisting of p53pro/p53pro, p53arg/p53arg and p53pro/p53arg are indicative of a risk factor for developing disease associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype p53. Notably, individuals who are p53arg/arg are at greater risk of developing pathologies associated with human papillomavirus infections, including cervical cancer.

(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a screening method of to identify individuals at risk of developing diseases associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype p53.
(b) Description of Prior Art
The cellular tumor suppressor protein, p53, is one of the major regulators of cell proliferation. Depending upon the context of the stimulus, p53 will induce cell growth arrest or programmed cell death (apoptosis). As a consequence this prevents continued proliferation of cells which have acquired DNA mutations and this regulation represents one of the organism""s key defenses against cancer. In many human tumors inactivation of p53 is one of the principal factors in the development of the tumor. In Human Papillomavirus (HPV) associated cancers, however, p53 is almost always wild type. This is due to the activity of the viral E6 protein which labels p53 for ubiquitin mediated degradation and thus overcomes normal p53 functions. For this reason, HPVs are a major carcinogen for the development of cervical cancer in women, one of the most common forms of cancer world wide.
Two polymorphic forms of p53 exist which can encode either proline or arginine residues at amino acid position 72 of the p53 protein. This polymorphism results in a change in the migration of the p53 protein in polyacrylamide gels but, to date, both forms of p53 appear to have indistinguishable levels of activity. Indeed, numerous epidemiological surveys have been performed over the last 6-7 years in order to determine whether either polymorphism represents a risk factor for the development of several human tumors. Until now, the evidence has been overwhelmingly in favor of the view that the presence of proline or arginine at amino acid position 72 is not a significant risk factor in the development of any particular cancer.
However, based on our recent observations, it would be highly desirable to be provided with a screening method of to identify individuals at risk of developing diseases associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype p53.
One aim of the present invention is to provide a screening method to identify individuals at risk of developing diseases associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype p53.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a screening method to identify individuals at risk of developing wildtype p53 related diseases; which comprises the steps of:
a) obtaining a biological sample from said patients; and
b) determining the presence of p53pro or p53arg wildtype alleles in said sample; wherein the allele pattern of patients selected from the group consisting of p53pro/p53pro, p53arg/p53arg, p53pro/p53arg are indicative of a risk factor for developing disease.
The diseases may be selected from the group consisting of neoplasia, cancers, viral infections and viral pathologies which may (or may not) be caused by a virus.
Such viruses include, without limitation, human papillomaviruses, hepatitis B, adenoviruses or any other viruses which infect humans.
More particularly, the diseases include, without limitation, cervical warts, cervical neoplasia or cervical cancer.
For example, when a patient allele pattern is p53arg/p53arg it is indicative of an individual at greater risk of developing diseases including cervical warts, cervical neoplasia or cervical cancer which are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infections.
Viral pathologies also include skin cancer caused by human papillomaviruses, and including long term viral infections and susceptibility to initial viral infections in individuals who are p53arg/p53arg. More precisely, the determining of step b) of the present method consists in at least one of but not limited to:
a) amplifying by polymerase chain reaction;
b) sequencing DNA or protein;
c) hybridizing with at least one probe specific to either p53pro or p53arg DNA; and
d) immunodetecting with at least one antibody specific to either p53pro or p53arg protein to identify the p53pro or p53arg alleles.
The screening method of the present invention may also be used to screen for patients which are under immunosuppressing therapy and are more susceptible for viral infections and viral pathologies.
In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a screening method for potential vaccination candidates in any HPV vaccination program, which comprises the steps of:
a) obtaining a biological sample from said patients;
b) determining the presence of p53pro or p53arg wildtype alleles in said; wherein p53arg/p53arg patients should be preferentially vaccinated.
In accordance with the methods of the present invention, the patients may have an abnormal PAP smear, low grade cervical lesions, may be newborns, or newborns to mothers with genital HPV infections.
For the purpose of the present invention the following terms and abbreviations are defined below.
xe2x80x9cDiseases associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype p53xe2x80x9d is intended to mean any diseases involving p53 and wherein wildtype p53arg or p53pro behave differently. Such diseases include, without limitation, cancers caused by viruses such as papillomavirus.
xe2x80x9cp53argxe2x80x9d is intended to mean p53arginine, wherein an arginine is found at amino acid position 72 of the p53 wildtype protein.
xe2x80x9cp53proxe2x80x9d is intended to mean p53proline, wherein a proline is found at amino acid position 72 of the p53 wildtype protein.
xe2x80x9cHPVxe2x80x9d is intended to mean human papillomaviruses.

Screening method for determining individuals at risk of developing diseases associated with different polymorphic forms of wildtype P53

International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology


An apparatus for detecting the presence of a substrate that is carried by an end effector of a substrate handling assembly positioned within a substrate processing system comprises a receiving member that is coupled to an end effector and a light sensor that is operatively coupled to the receiving member and is configured to detect an amount light transmitted by the receiving member. In a modified embodiment, the apparatus also includes a transmitting member that receives light from a light source and is also coupled to the end effector.

1. Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to substrate processing and, in particular, to methods and apparatus for detecting the presence or position of a substrate located within a substrate processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor devices, such as transistors, diodes, and integrated circuits, are typically fabricated on a thin slice of semiconductor material, termed a substrate or wafer. The substrate is fabricated within a substrate processing system, which typically includes one or more load locks, a wafer handling module and one or more processing modules. The one or more load locks provide a substantially particle free environment from which substrates may be selectively withdrawn into the substrate handling module. The substrate handling module typically includes a substrate handler, which is configured to move substrates to/from the one or more load locks and to/from the one or more processing modules.
There are several general problems that are associated with prior art substrate processing stations. For example, as the substrate is moved within the processing station, the substrate can become misaligned or mispositioned for various reasons. Such mispositioning can result in damage to the substrate as it is moved within the processing station and/or errors in the fabrication process if the mispositioning occurs within a processing module. As such, some substrate processing system include several sensors to monitor the position of the substrate position. Each sensor adds to the complexity and cost of the processing system. These sensors are also typically difficult to maintain and require frequent alignment.


A temperature controlled conveyor system where a non contact sensor detects the presents of a product to be treated and then supplies a signal to a control device to regulate a radiant heating device. Also the conveyor has an adjustment device to set the optimal distance between the radiant heater and the article being treated.

Conveyor dryers or ovens are often utilized where it is necessary to raise the temperature of various article to a specific temperature, and where high production rates are required. Such dryers are frequently utilized in manufacturing of screen printed shirts and other clothing articles. In order for the process to be effective, the dryer must raise the temperature of all of the thermal-setting ink on the garment to a specific temperature range in order to activate the thermal-setting process. If the garment is raised to a temperature substantially greater than the thermal-setting limit, scorching of the material and/or inks can take place. If the garment is not raised to the appropriate temperature, cross-linking of the ink will not take place.
Prior dryers have resolved the conflicting requirements of setting the ink without scorching by utilizing an extremely long heat path. Such dryers may have a heat path as long as 30 to 40 feet. By exposing the garment to the elevated temperatures for an extended period of time, by utilizing a very long heat path, acceptable production rates can be obtained at the expense of considerable energy expenditure and wasted floor space. Such dryers are also expensive to purchase and maintain.
One method used by production dryers to maintain precise temperature control is to vary the distance between the heater and the surface of the garment. Production dryers have raised or lowered the heater elements to maintain the optimum spacing. However, the movement of the heater required flexing electrical connections and an adjust mechanism within the heated chamber. These mechanisms increase the cost and reduce the reliability of the dryer.
There have been conveyor dryers that are capable of bringing a garment up to temperature much more rapidly than the long path dryers. These dryers utilize a combination of radiant heat and heated air flow. The heated air surrounds the garment to supplement the directly radiated heat and raise all portions of the inked surface to the thermal-setting temperature. Such dryers are capable of drying garments in a much shorter conveyor length, and therefore are much more energy and space efficient. However, such dryers are much more sensitive to the maintenance of exact temperatures within the heat chamber and are more sensitive to temperature fluctuations when garments are again placed on the conveyor belt after an interval where there has been an absence of garments.
It is therefore desirable to have a temperature control for conveyor dryers transfer heat to garments at an increased rate. Such a dryer would be particularly desirable where it accurately senses the actual temperature of the garment passing through the dryer and regulates the heaters and belt speed within the chamber to maintain temperatures as close as possible to an optimum set point. It is also desirable to have a temperature control for conveyors that compensates for the temperature draw down effect when the garments are reintroduced to a chamber that had been empty of garments.


A capillary structure for a heat transfer device, such as a heat pipe is provided having a plurality of particles joined together by a brazing compound such that fillets of the brazing compound are formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of particles. In this way, a network of capillary passageways are formed between the particles to aid in the transfer of working fluid by capillary action, while the plurality of fillets provide enhanced thermal transfer properties between the plurality of particles so as to greatly improve over all heat transfer efficiency of the device. A method of making the capillary structure according to the invention is also presented.

It has been suggested that a computer is a thermodynamic engine that sucks entropy out of data, turns that entropy into heat, and dumps the heat into the environment. The ability of prior art thermal management technology to get that waste heat out of semiconductor circuits and into the environment, at a reasonable cost, limits the density and clock speed of electronic systems.
A typical characteristic of heat transfer devices for electronic systems is that the atmosphere is the final heat sink of choice. Air cooling gives manufacturers access to the broadest market of applications. Another typical characteristic of heat transfer devices for electronics today is that the semiconductor chip thermally contacts a passive spreader or active thermal transport device, which conducts the heat from the chip to one of several types of fins. These fins convect heat to the atmosphere with natural or forced convection.
As the power to be dissipated from semiconductor devices increases with time, a problem arises: over time the thermal conductivity of the available materials becomes too low to conduct the heat from the semiconductor device to the fins with an acceptably low temperature drop. The thermal power density emerging from the semiconductor devices will be so high that copper, silver, or even gold based spreader technology will not be adequate.
One technology that has proven beneficial to this effort is the heat pipe. A heat pipe includes a sealed envelope that defines an internal chamber containing a capillary wick and a working fluid capable of having both a liquid phase and a vapor phase within a desired range of operating temperatures. When one portion of the chamber is exposed to relatively high temperature it functions as an evaporator section. The working fluid is vaporized in the evaporator section causing a slight pressure increase forcing the vapor to a relatively lower temperature section of the chamber, which functions as a condenser section. The vapor is condensed in the condenser section and returns through the capillary wick to the evaporator section by capillary pumping action. Because a heat pipe operates on the principle of phase changes rather than on the principles of conduction or convection, a heat pipe is theoretically capable of transferring heat at a much higher rate than conventional heat transfer systems. Consequently, heat pipes have been utilized to cool various types of high heat-producing apparatus, such as electronic equipment (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,613,778; 4,046,190; 4,058,299; 4,109,709; 4,116,266; 4,118,756; 4,186,796; 4,231,423; 4,274,479; 4,366,526; 4,503,483; 4,697,205; 4,777,561; 4,880,052; 4,912,548; 4,921,041; 4,931,905; 4,982,274; 5,219,020; 5,253,702; 5,268,812; 5,283,729; 5,331,510; 5,333,470; 5,349,237; 5,409,055; 5,880,524; 5,884,693; 5,890,371; 6,055,297; 6,076,595; and 6,148,906).
The flow of the vapor and the capillary flow of liquid within the system are both produced by pressure gradients that are created by the interaction between naturally-occurring pressure differentials within the heat pipe. These pressure gradients eliminate the need for external pumping of the system liquid. In addition, the existence of liquid and vapor in equilibrium, under vacuum conditions, results in higher thermal efficiencies. In order to increase the efficiency of heat pipes, various wicking structures have been developed in the prior art to promote liquid transfer between the condenser and evaporator sections as well as to enhance the thermal transfer performance between the wick and its surroundings. They have included longitudinally disposed parallel grooves and the random scoring of the internal pipe surface. In addition, the prior art also discloses the use of a wick structure which is fixedly attached to the internal pipe wall. The compositions and geometries of these wicks have included, a uniform fine wire mesh and sintered metals. Sintered metal wicks generally comprise a mixture of metal particles that have been heated to a temperature sufficient to cause fusing or welding of adjacent particles at their respective points of contact. The sintered metal powder then forms a porous structure with capillary characteristics. Although sintered wicks have demonstrated adequate heat transfer characteristics in the prior art, the minute metal-to-metal fused interfaces between particles tend to constrict thermal energy conduction through the wick. This has limited the usefulness of sintered wicks in the art.
Prior art devices, while adequate for their intended purpose, suffer from the common deficiency, in that they do not fully realize the optimum inherent heat transfer potential available from a given heat pipe. To date, no one has devised a wick structure for a heat pipe, which is sufficiently simple to produce, and yet provides optimum heat transfer characteristics for the heat pipe in which it is utilized.

Brazed wick for a heat transfer device and method of making same


A process and system to provide damage identification and assessment of damage to a geographic area may include acquiring imagery data of a geographic area, processing the imagery data using wavelet transformation to identify damage to the geographic area and outputting a map showing damage condition of the geographic area. Processing the imagery data may use wavelet transformation that outputs wavelet transformation images. Damage categories for at least one location in the imagery data may be provided using discriminant analysis applied to the wavelet transformation images. The outputted maps and damage categories may be used to assess damage to areas affected by catastrophic-like events such as, e.g., hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and the like. This process is faster and may be more accurate than current assessment techniques thereby permitting quick responses to catastrophic-like events.

1.0 Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a process, computer program product and system of image processing to identify, map and/or classify damage of geographic areas and, more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a process, computer program product and system of image processing using wavelet transformation to identify, map and/or classify damage of geographic areas, such as damage caused by, e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and the like.
2.0 Related Art
Hurricanes on average make landfall on U.S. soil 1.2 (for El Niño years) to 2.1 times per year (for La Niña years) resulting in normalized mean damage of $7.7 (El Niño years) to $9.2 billion (La Niña years) per year. Since the 1990s tornadoes have impacted the U.S. approximately 1,000 times per year causing severe localized damage. These disasters raise immediate questions about the extent and severity of damage, which can be answered by image-based damage assessments to aid in the response and recovery phases. Image-based damage assessments can meet the response and recovery information needs only if they are collected soon after the event and over the correct location, contain sufficient geographic detail, and are evaluated by skilled interpreters. The National Academy's Committee on Planning for Catastrophe has suggested that processes which can reduce the time between image acquisition and delivery to responders to twenty-four to forty-eight hours are of particular interest.
Such a methodology with an analytical component can also be used by the United States Federal Courts, which according to the Daubert decision are required to consider several factors when evaluating the suitability of scientific evidence, including the scientific validity, acceptability and accuracy of the methodology, and acceptability of the methodology. An algorithmic methodology would more easily allow an analytical assessment of offered damage assessment evidence against the Daubert falsifiability, and potential error rates factors.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) currently produces image-based damage assessments (FIG. 1 is an example from hurricane Katrina) using skilled visual interpretations of post event imagery. These damage assessments have been performed by a varied number of interpreters working with an evolving set of rules, requirements and tools. For example, NOAA collected post hurricane Camille imagery long before now commonly available remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) tools became available. Hurricane Andrew in 1993, the World Trade Center attack in September 2001, and hurricane Katrina in August 2005, accelerated the collection and use of high resolution aerial imagery for response, recovery and study of U.S. disasters. For example, NOAA collected and posted online over 3,000 post hurricanes Isabel, Ivan and Jeanne images for immediate damage assessment and long-term research.
There are several potential issues with a visual interpretation based damage assessment approach that may be addressed by use of an algorithmic image damage assessment approach. Rapid response visual interpretation of overhead imagery requires significant human and infrastructure resources. Hurricanes typically cause wide areas of damage resulting in large volumes of imagery. Many skilled interpreters working concurrently on this large volume of imagery requires access to at least a workstation with image processing and geographic information system (GIS) software running on relatively robust, multi-monitor workstations. Second, damaging hurricanes make landfall at unpredictable times and with uncertain periodicity. This sporadic and unpredictable nature of hurricane landfall hinders the development and maintenance of a dedicated, trained, ongoing human capability for visual damage assessment. The result is that visual interpretation teams are pulled together at the last minute from wherever they are available. This ad hoc human capability makes it difficult for damage assessments to be performed consistently across large storms and from storm to storm. Fourth, a human visual interpreter based method for damage assessment is not easily calibrated. The research herein addresses these damage assessment issues with a methodology for algorithmic damage assessment using overhead imagery informed by a wavelet transform based approach.
Moreover, past systems and techniques have been slow (often providing results in terms of days or weeks) and at times inaccurate to identify and assess damage to target areas. Often human interpretation is required of current type systems that may lead to inaccurate assessments.
Therefore, a method and system to provide fast analysis, identification and categorization of damage due to natural or man-made events such as hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes which provides accurate damage information within a short time period measured in hours or less would greatly aid identifying and assessing where and how severe damage has occurred, and also to improve recovery efforts of many kinds.

Process and system for identifying damage


A method for transmitting power includes providing power using a contactless power transfer from a transmitter to a receiver that is mutually coupled with the transmitter. The method also includes managing and regulating the contactless power transfer being provided, where the managing and regulating are integrally and autonomously performed by the transmitter.

Contactless charging technology makes it possible to contactlessly transfer power from a power source (e.g. a charger) to a load, e.g., a wireless communication device such as a mobile cellular phone, through the air space separating the charger and the load.
Among the various existing contactless charging standards, the Qi standard developed by the "Wireless Power Consortium" (WPC) is well known to the person skilled in the art and notably, the low power version capable of delivering a power up to 5 W.
For all intents and purposes, the person skilled in the art may refer to the document entitled "System Description Wireless Power Transfer" volume I: Power, Part 1: Interface Definition, Version 1.1.2 Jun. 2013.
Briefly, contactless power is transferred from a base station or transmitter to a receiver magnetically coupled to the transmitter via coils, for example.
The transmitter conventionally comprises a capacitive-inductive resonant system in which the inductive element is also the coil that generates the magnetic field. This resonant system is excited by a driver circuit which together forms a switching resonant circuit.
The power transfer is based on a magnetic field generated by the transmitter, via coils, for example, and captured by the receiver.
The Qi standard allows various techniques (topologies) for generating the magnetic field on the transmitter side. But this magnetic field is always an oscillating field and the frequency range is between 110 kHz and 205 kHz.
The way in which the magnetic field is generated and the way in which the power varies depends on the topology used on the transmitter side.
The receiver converts this magnetic field into an electrical potential used for charging the batteries or powering a device.
So as to be able to regulate and secure the system, a communication channel exists between the receiver and the transmitter.
The receiver measures the power that it receives and compares it to the power that it needs. The difference between these two power values is a regulation error.
This regulation error is transmitted to the transmitter using the communication channel and the transmitter adapts the power of the transmitted field taking account of the received regulation error.
The measurement by the receiver of the power received by the transmitter requires the implementation of measurement means configured for measuring the power received by the transmitter, comparison means for comparing the power received to that which it needs and for extracting the regulation error therefrom. These means have a cost.
In addition, in some situations, the transmission of the regulation error by the receiver to the transmitter via coils can be laborious. The use of a specific contactless power transfer solution is recommended and this demands an additional cost.
Also, according to the bandwidth of the communication channel, the transmission of the regulation error is delayed.
Because of this delay, some solutions may undergo fast charge transition states.


A protective collar means for surrounding the lower periphery of a cylindrical water heater. The collar means comprises a cylinder attached at the top and bottom edges to flanged and grooved rings for keeping the cylinder stable. The collar means may be easily assembled by placing the cylinder inside the flange of the lower ring and placing the flange of the upper ring on top of the cylinder. The collar means is preferably secured by a plurality of springs, which attach to the upper and lower rings to keep the collar means assembled. The collar means is spaced away from the walls of the water heater so as to ensure adequate ventilation of the air space surrounding the water heater, but is close enough to contain any fires or explosions that may occur near the gas flames.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a protective covering for a gas-fueled water heater. In particular, the invention relates to a collar for surrounding the lower periphery of a cylindrical gas-fueled water heater, to prevent spills on the floor from contacting the water heater and to contain any explosions or fires resulting from the ignition of fumes by the heater's gas flame.
2. The Prior Art
Natural gas-fueled water heaters have become very common in households, due to the efficiency and low cost of natural gas. One problem that has developed as a result of these water heaters, however, is the danger of fire and explosion from fumes and/or spills contacting the gas flames at the bottom of the water heater. These explosions and fires can cause substantial property damage, injury to household occupants, and even death. One proposed solution has been to elevate the water heater approximately 18 inches off of the floor. The drawbacks of this solution are that often there is insufficient headroom to elevate the heater in a small, low basement, or that the required revisions to the pipe system connected to the heater make the elevation unfeasible and too expensive.


A headlamp for a vehicle includes a lamp housing having an opening portion; a discharge lamp removably contained in the lamp housing; and a lighting circuit unit, mounted in such a manner so as to cover the opening portion from a rear surface side of the lamp housing, for lighting the discharge lamp. A plug is separated from a cord connector when the lighting circuit unit is removed from the lamp housing. Thus, when the work of removing the lighting circuit unit is completed, the plug is necessarily separated from the cord connector, to thereby cut off the power supply to the lighting circuit unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved headlamp for a vehicle, which is of a type containing a discharge lamp.
2. Description of Related Art
A headlamp for a vehicle is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Publication No. 2542962 entitled "Headlamp for Vehicle." The technique, as shown in FIG. 1 of this patent publication, describes a headlamp 1 for a vehicle, which includes a lamp housing 2 in which an opening on a front surface side thereof is covered with a lens and a rear surface thereof has an opening. A discharge lamp 8 is disposed in the lamp housing 2, wherein a lighting circuit 27 for lighting the discharge lamp 8 is provided in the opening provided in the rear surface of the lamp housing 2. The discharge lamp 8 is required to be applied with a high voltage, so that a low voltage is converted into a high voltage by the lighting circuit 27.
On the other hand, manual work is sometimes required to be performed in a lamp housing for the exchange of a discharge lamp. In a headlamp of a type in which a lighting switch is omitted, such manual work must be performed with care taken not to touch a portion that is applied with a high voltage. In other words, a lighting circuit is not configured to be cut off whenever work is performed.


A nursing pillow is provided, having a continuous body structure, a receiving area configured to receive a torso of a user, and a nursing surface configured to accommodate an infant in an inclined position on the nursing pillow. A method for displaying a plurality of nursing pillows on a salesfloor, is also provided.

Nursing pillows are cushioned devices worn by caretakers when feeding or nursing an infant. Current nursing pillow designs result in the infant being positioned improperly for swallowing. In particular, the current nursing pillows hamper the swallowing of the infant when feeding, as well as increase an air intake into the infant's stomach, which can be a source or cause for gas and colic. Often times, the caretaker must shift the nursing pillow during feeding from side-to-side, which can disrupt the infant's feeding position. Moreover, the bulky nature of the nursing pillow prohibits proper and efficient shelf-utilization on a salesfloor, which limits the number of nursing pillows that may stocked for customers.
Thus, a need exists for a nursing pillow that promotes a proper infant swallowing position, which can be effectively displayed on a shelf on a salesfloor.

Nursing pillow and methods for efficient display of nursing pillows


Each acquisition record in a random repetitive oscilloscope is time stamped and stored in a location in the acquisition memory indexed by the associated value of trigger offset. Those acquisition records that are older than a selected and variable amount can be discarded instead of being used to contribute data to the waveform record. This has the effect of preventing old data from intruding into a new measurement. When reformulating the waveform record to pan or zoom while using data already acquired, it is possible to ensure that the newest waveform records are included in that reformulation. This has the effect of ensuring that new data is displayed. The time stamp may be a binary count of an elapsed time interval, in units of the sample clock, since some cardinal event, such as the last time ERASE or RESET was pressed. To maximize the random distribution of the trigger offsets represented in the acquisition memory, the rule for deciding which of m-many acquisition records receives this latest data is based on the trigger offset. The first of the acquisition records gets acquisitions whose trigger offsets are at least zero but less than 1/m of a sample period t, the second receives acquisitions whose trigger offsets are at least t/m but less than 2 t/m, and so on.

Among the advantages offered by digital oscilloscopes is the ability to display the same captured data in different ways. The ability to do this arises from there being more captured data than is displayed at any one time on the screen. Depending upon certain constraints connected with sampling rate, memory size and selected sweep speed for the displayed waveform image, one would like to be able to have the oscilloscope reformulate the displayed waveform image to effect zooming in or out (changes in sweep speed) or panning (what segment of the waveform is displayed relative to the trigger). High performance top-of-the-line digital oscilloscopes allow these sorts of operations, but at the price of possessing an expensive architecture. They have very fast sampling rates and relative large sample memories organized as one long time axis. These may be termed "real time" oscilloscopes. Even so equipped, there is often a significant sluggishness in responsiveness to the controls of a real time scope when reformulating the displayed waveform image, owing to the techniques used to interpolate pixels in the frame buffer for x axis locations in the frame buffer not having a corresponding y value in a data record stored in the sample memory.
An architecture that can be used in lower cost digital oscilloscopes of modest performance is one called "random repetitive sampling". The February 1992 issue of the Hewlett-Packard Journal is devoted almost entirely to a description of an early form of this digital oscilloscope architecture (in the form of the then new products HP 54600A and HP 54601A oscilloscopes). In random repetitive sampling the signal to be measured is sampled at a fairly low rate for perhaps a considerable length of time; or a time at least long enough to acquire one sample per pixel position in the x direction (ala real time). This produces a single instance of an acquisition record. This single acquisition record would be suitable for forming a displayed trace if the time span of the displayed trace were to equal the time interval expended to acquire it, and it contained a sufficient number of samples. If that were all there were to random repetitive sampling, then it would be nothing more than very low performance real time sampling. Instead, steps are taken to automatically arrange that the segment of the waveform to appear on the screen is but a fraction of the acquisition record. It will be understood that the points in that fraction are too far apart to produce a satisfactory display. However, owing to the repetitive nature of the waveform, it is possible to acquire many consecutive acquisition records. The performance of the architecture becomes quite acceptable when steps are taken to take notice of the particular offset in the time axis of each acquisition record relative to its associated trigger event, and to ensure relative randomness (as between acquisition records) of the start of the time axis, so as to avoid both redundant samples and holes where there are no acquired data for use in the intended display. With this arrangement the display is formed by investigating the data in not just a particular segment of a single acquisition record, but for an entire collection of such records. If the collection of acquisition records is large enough, there will be almost no holes. It allows pan and zoom by simply selecting the segment of interest in the collection of acquisition records. Panning is accomplished by sliding the segment of interest back and forth along the time axis of the acquisition records, while zooming changes the width of the segment of interest, and relies on there being many acquisition records whose time axes are aligned so as to avoid holes and redundant samples. This scheme does not have the single shot bandwidth that real time does, but is a good compromise for viewing repetitive signals.
Typically, the inspected segments of the acquisition records contribute their data to a waveform record, which when complete, is loaded into a frame buffer composed of video RAMS's. It is the contents of the frame buffer that actually appear on the screen. Now, consider the process of inspecting the acquisition record segments to build the waveform record. There may be, perhaps, one hundred acquisition records, of which only ten percent of each record is the segment presently of interest. Let us say, for the sake of explanation, that each acquisition record holds data for five microseconds worth of time. Each acquisition record is made subsequent to a trigger, and will hold data values for, say, one thousand consecutive samples, say, five nanoseconds apart. The triggering event might not be so agreeable as to occur on exact multiples of the 5 ns sample clock; it can happen whenever it wants to. This gives rise to the trigger offset mentioned above. To characterize the offset it is sufficient to note the time interval between the trigger event and a nearest (either always before or always after) sample clock. The period of the sample clock sets a definite maximum value for the trigger offset. In a conventional digital oscilloscope the newest acquired data is simply stored in the next available acquisition record.
If the signal being measured is ideally repetitive, and never changes, then all the data in the acquisition records is equally valid, and no anomalies will occur in the construction of the waveform record. It can happen, however, that certain acquisition records are "outdated", in the sense that they were made a relatively long time before the latest one. It can be the case that the data in an older acquisition record is, while not wrong, in significant disagreement with newer data, and ought to be suppressed. This happens naturally in a (non-storage tube) analog oscilloscope, owing to the decay of the trace (finite, and short, persistence). It would be desirable if a random repetitive oscilloscope could avoid displaying data older than is appropriate for the measurement being made.
It may also happen with a conventional digital oscilloscope that there is not a random distribution of the trigger offset values represented in the acquisition memory. While this condition cannot entirely be avoided, simple sequential storage of acquisition records in the order that they occur can compound the problem by using up the acquisition memory during an accumulation of too many acquisition records of similarly valued of trigger offset. It would be desirable if a random repetitive digital oscilloscope wold operate in a way that maximized the retention of a collection of acquisition records having a random distribution of trigger offset vales.

Digital oscilloscope with pan and zoom produced from time stamped data records indexed by trigger offset