Hydrocarbons are recovered from a sub-surface reservoir whereby a production flow is subjected to a separation process in the well hole. Gas and liquid are separated from each other using a cyclone separator, and condensate/oil is separated from water at high pressure in a subsequent cyclone separation. Membranes are used to separate unwanted gases, includeing H.sub.2 S, CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O, using membranes under high pressure in the well hole.

To separate oil and water in a well hole is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,810. The separator used is built up of semi-permeable membranes. The separated water, produced water, is injected into a waste zone above or below the production zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,343 makes known the separation of carbon dioxide from light hydrocarbons with the aid of a membrane arrangement. During the separation through the semipermeable membrane, a condensate emerges (hydrocarbons in liquid form) in contact with the membrane. These (liquified) liquid hydrocarbons are separated from the gases which do not pass through the membrane. This separation takes place by means of conventional membrane technology used in traditional processes within the processing industry.
Gravitation separation of hydrocarbons and water in a well hole is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,957. The produced water flows into a waste zone and the oil passes upward to the surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,697 describes the reinjection of produced water, resulting from the separation of hydrocarbons and water in a centrifugal separator, of the dynamic or static type, regulated as a function of the hydrocarbon content in the produced water.
Hollow fiber separation (the hollow fibers are of a semipermeable membrane material) is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,725.
NO B 173426 describes the use of cyclone separators in the separation of oil and water in a well hole.
The processing of a production flow in a well hole gives rise to great advantages, especially by virtue of the fact that one does not need to lift, separate or remove the produced water.

Method and apparatus for separating a well stream


A sample holding device for electrophoresis apparatus according to the present invention wherein a plurality of sample holding capillaries are laid out in an array and are immobilized to the supporting jig. This sample holding device is configured to ensure the lower ends of the capillaries can contact the sample injection portion of the electrophoresis separation part of the electrophoresis apparatus, and provides easy sample injection and prevents the gel capillaries of the electrophoresis separation part from being damaged when sample holding capillaries are filled with gels, thereby allowing repeated use of the gel capillaries of the electrophoresis separation part.

The present invention relates to the gel electrophoresis separation apparatus to analyze DNA, RNA or protein, and particularly to the sample holding device for fluorescence detection type DNA sequencer or the like, and to the sample injection method thereof.
DNA analysis uses gel electrophoresis. In recent years, there has been a widespread use of the apparatus which determines DNA sequences by fluorescence labeling of DNA and analyzing the DNA fragment length in real time. According to this apparatus, 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm thick polyacrylamide gel is formed in the gap between two sheets of glass, and is used as separation medium. Part of the gel top is made undulating to form sample injection wells. The sample is injected by the microsyringe into concave wells formed between sheets of glass.
In recent years, on the other hand, attention has been drawn to the method of using as separation medium the capillary gel, i.e. the gel formed in the capillary, in place of the slab gel. This is because high speed migration is enabled by providing high electric field since the capillary gel does not produce large joule's heat. Furthermore, electrophoresis systems provided with a great number of capillary gels have been developed. Such systems are disclosed, for example, in i) Kambara et al; Nature, vol. 361 (1993), pp. 565-566, ii) Mathies et al; Nature, vol. 359 (1992), pp. 167-169, iii) Takahashi et al; Japanese Patent Laid-Open 6-138037 (May 20, 1994) and iv) Takahashi et al; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/337,412 (Pending). According to this method, one end of the capillary is placed into the sample container, and voltage is applied between that end and another end of the capillary, thereby injecting DNA into the capillary by employing an electric field. Furthermore, v) Kambara; Japanese Patent Laid-Open-5-72177 (1991), vi) Kambara; U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,780 (Jan. 11, 1994) and vii) Kambara; U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,608 (Nov. 22, 1994) disclose an electrophoresis system wherein the capillary gels are connected to the sample injection holes at the side opposite to the sample injection side of the sample injection holes with which there is provided the sample injection plate having a great number of sample injection holes through which a great number of samples are injected.
Furthermore, viii) Kambara et. al; Bio/Technology, vol. 6 (1988), pp. 816-821 and ix) Kambara et. al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,677 (Nov. 20, 1990) show how the DNA fragments migrate in the gel.
The progress of genome analysis has come to require a great deal of the DNA base sequence determinations. This has resulted in the development of a DNA sequencer using the slab gel provided with a great number of migration lanes in the slab, and devices having many migration lanes with a great many capillaries arrayed. Despite increasing quantity of analysis, however, there has been a disadvantage of requiring much time and labor for the analysis, since the sample injection method has not been improved. Namely, in the slab gel apparatus, a great number of samples are injected one after another into the well by means of a microsyringe, requiring much time and labor.
According to the method using the capillary apparatus, on the other hand, the quantity of injected samples is about one hundredth of the samples stored in the sample container, with a great majority remaining unused. When the titer plate having holes exhibiting two-dimensional distribution for adjustment of the samples, it has not been possible to utilize the simplified method of controlling the temperature by pressing the capillary against the temperature controlled plate; this has disadvantageously been very inconvenient. Furthermore, electrophoretic injection of samples into the capillary gel to allow them to migrate has disadvantageously resulted in the tip end being damaged, which cannot be re-used.

Sample holding device for electrophoresis apparatus and sample injection method


The objective of this invention is to develop a method to reclaim functional sites on a CO2 sorbent that have reacted with an acid gas (other than CO2) to form heat stable salts (HSS). HSS are a significant concern for dry sorbent based CO2 capture because over time the buildup of HSS will reduce the overall functionality of the CO2 sorbent. A chemical treatment can remove the non-CO2 acid gas and reclaim functional sites that can then be used for further CO2 adsorption.

CO2 capture and sequestration is one of the only feasible means for significantly reducing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. One promising method of carrying out CO2 capture is the use of dry adsorbents in a temperature swing process. Potential sorbents are being invented and evaluated extensively in the industry. One of the most common types of solid adsorbents are those that are functionalized with an amine.
Although sorbents that utilize an amine have demonstrated promising traits related to CO2 capture, the amines will often react with SO2 or other acid gases commonly present in flue gas to form heat stable salts. If the heat stable salt sites cannot be reclaimed or regenerated then the sorbent used in a commercial process will need to be prematurely replaced due to loss of functionality. This could result in significantly increased operational costs for CO2 capture systems. It is commonly not feasible to replace only the sorbent that has formed a significant amount of heat stable salts.
A need therefore exists in the art for an amine-based sorbent having a longer working life cycle, superior degradation characteristics, and/or superior functional site regeneration characteristics.

Method and system to reclaim functional sites on a sorbent contaminated by heat stable salts


Inventions relates to scintillation substances and they may be utilized in nuclear physics, medicine and oil industry for recording and measurements of X-ray, gamma-ray and alpha-ray, nondestructive testing of solid states structure, three-dimensional positron-emission tomography and X-ray tomography and fluorography. Substances based on silicate comprising lutetium and cerium characterized in that compositions of substances are represented by chemical formulae CexLu2+2y−xSi1−yO5+y, CexLiq+pLu2−p+2−y−x−zAzSi1−yO5+y−p, CexLiq+pLu9.33−x−p−z□0.67AzSi6O26−p, where A is at least one element selected from group consisting of Gd, Sc, Y, La, Eu, Tb, x is value between 1×10−4 f.units and 0.02 f.units., y is value between 0.024 f.units and 0.09 f.units, z is value does not exceeding 0.05 f.units, q is value does not exceeding 0.2 f.units, p is value does not exceeding 0.05 f.units. Achievable technical result is the scintillating substance having high density, high light yield, low afterglow, and low percentage loss during fabrication of scintillating elements.

The invention is applied to scintillation materials and may be used in nuclear physics, medicine, and oil industry for recording and measuring of X-ray, gamma- and alpha-radiation; non-destructive testing of solid state structure; three-dimensional positron-electron computer tomography (PET) and X-ray computer fluorography. The relevance of the invention is that in fluoroscopy, X-ray computer tomography and PET, an introduction of new/improved scintillators has resulted in significant improvement of the image quality or/and reduced the measuring time. ("Inorganic scintillators in medical imaging detectors" Carel W. E. van Eijk, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A 509 (2003) 17–25).
The known scintillation substance is a lutetium oxyorthosilicate powder doped with cerium Lu1.98Ce0.02SiO5 (A. G. Gomes, A. Bril "Preparation and Cathodoluminescence of Ce3+ activated yttrium silicates and some isostructural compounds", Mat. Res. Bull. Vol. 4, 1969, pp. 643–650). This phosphor was created for an application in the cathodoluminescence devices, however this substance may be utilized also for the X-ray, gamma- and alpha-ray emissions recording.
It is known the scintillation substance/crystal of cerium doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5, where x is varied between the limits from 2×10−4 to 3×10−2 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,080, Sep. 18, 1990). The crystals of this composition are grown from a melt having composition of Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5. In scientific literature abbreviated name LSO:Ce is wide used for denotation of this crystal. The Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5 scintillation crystals have a number of advantages in comparison with other crystals: a high density, a high atomic number, relatively low refractive index, a high light yield, a short decay time of scintillation. The disadvantage of known scintillation material is the large spread of important characteristics of scintillation, namely, a light yield and an energy resolution, from crystal to crystal. The experimental results of systematic measurements of commercially produced LSO:Ce crystals grown by CTI Inc. company (Knoxville, USA) clearly display this (U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,311, Jul. 2, 2002). Another disadvantage is a significant reduction of light yield, when the containing LSO:Ce crystal device is operated under conditions when the temperature is above a room temperature, for example, in petroleum industry for the rock composition analyses in a borehole during the search of the new deposits. Another disadvantage of LSO:Ce crystals is an afterglow effect, that is the prolonging fluorescence after radiation exposure, for example, the luminescence intensity of the samples described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,080 is reduced to decibels during ten minutes.
It is known the scintillation substance the lutetium oxyorthosilicate containing cerium, Ce:Lu2SiO5, in the form of a transparent ceramics. The Lu2SiO5:Ce scintillator is formed into ceramics material through sintering the Lu2SiO5:Ce powder. Because the Lu2SiO5:Ce has a monoclinic structure rather than a cubic crystalline structure, the sintering produces a translucent ceramics rather than transparent. The cerium-doped lutetium orthosilicate is formed into a transparent glass scintillator by combining the silicate oxide, lutetium oxide, cerium oxide, potassium oxide, and barium oxide. The pores between the particles are removed which results in a consolidation of the scintillator material. As a result, the translucent ceramics is converted into a transparent ceramics applicable for using in the medicine tomographs (U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,828 from Dec. 12, 2002). The drawback of patent proposed is a quality of scintillation ceramics, which is made from, so-named, stoichiometric composition of lutetium oxyorthosi-licate mixture, a stoichiometric composition is characterised by ratio of formula units of (Lu+Ce)/Si is equal exactly to 2/1. Since the congruent composition of lutetium oxyorthosilicate does not coincide with stoichiometric one, the ceramics of stoichiometric composition apparently contains the components of oxides which did not react completely as a results the scattering centers are formed. The light yield is an important characteristic of a scintillator. The presence of scattering centers reduces a light yield appreci-ably. A transparent ceramics made from a cerium-doped gadolinium oxyorthosilicate has the same limi-tation (W. Rossner, R. Breu "Luminescence properties cerium-doped gadolinium oxyorthosilicate ceramics scintillators" Proc. Int. Conf. on Inorganic Scintillators and Their Application, STINT'95, Netherlands, Delft University, 1996, p. 376–379). The scintillation elements fabricated from the transparent ceramics have the 60% less light yield than the elements fabricated from the Ce:Gd2SiO5 crystals.
Presence of an afterglow is very unwanted effect for some applications, for example, for an imaging system, in which the electronic part of device indicates a photon flux from the scintillation elements absorbing the gamma radiation. The afterglow effect, i.e. a photon flux from the scintillation element does not exposed to gamma radiation, reduces a contrast range, a sensitivity and a precision of device. The afterglow impairs also the parameters of medical devices based on the utilization of positron emitting isotopes, for example, the three-dimensional medical tomographs (Fully-3D PET camera) for diagnostic of the cancer diseases, and, especially, for the MicroPET systems designed for testing of the new medicines. A principle of operation of the three-dimensional medical tomographs is that the microscopic concentration of substance containing an emitting positron isotope is introduced into the blood of a patient. This substance is accumulated in the cancer cells of patient. An emitted positron annihilates instantly with an electron this results in the emission of the two 511 KeV energy gamma-quantums scattering exactly in opposite directions. In tomograph the detection of both gamma-quantums occurs by means of the several ring detectors each of which contains hundreds of the separate crystalline scintillation elements. The high Ce:LSO density gives an effective absorption of all gamma quantums emitting from a body of patient examined. A location of the atom of a radioactive isotope in a patient body is determined by means of a time detection of both gammas and numbers of scintillation elements indicated these gamma quantums. In a patient body a part of gamma quantums is scattered because of Compton effect, as a result, the detection of gamma quantums occurs by the crystalline scintillation elements do not arranged in line. Therefore if an scintillation element has a strong afterglow then the indicating system may recognise it as a result of annihilation at a moment, however, actually, this detection is a consequence of exposure to gamma quantum radiation in previous moment of measuring. In the three-dimensional medical tomographs of regular resolution the several thousands 6×6×30 mm3 scintillation elements are used, they maintain the 6×6×6=216 mm3 volume three-dimensional resolution. Even a strong afterglow of the Ce:LSO crystals does not lead up to the considerable consequences when the comparatively thick 6×6 mm2 cross-section elements are used for a diagnostics of the cancer illnesses, because a desired recording accuracy may be achieved by an injection of the large doses of radioactive substances or by a reducing of the rate of translation of patient through tomograph's ring.
However condition is changed sharply for MicroPET, which are used for a study of the life processes in vivo, especially, in a human brain or for a measuring of a distribution of medicines in a animal body (mouse, rats) during testing of the new medicines. For MicroPET systems it is necessary to use the devices with a maximal space resolution. The 1×1 mm2 sectioned and even 0.8×0.8 mm2 sectioned scintillation elements are used just now. The 1 mm3 space resolution is achieved. Because of so small thickness of elements the numerous gamma quantums may cross direct the several scintillation elements at different angles. Consequently, to calculate which part of a scintillation radiation is induced by some or other gamma quantum is a complicate technical task. In this case an afterglow becomes a very undesirable effect, because it reduces an accuracy all system.
The afterglow and thermoluminescence phenomena are explored circumstantially for the Ce:LSO crystals (P. Dorenbost, C. van Eijekt, A. Bost, Melcher "Afterglow and thermoluminescence properties of Lu2SiO5:Ce scintillation crystals", J.Phys.Condens.Matter 6 (1994), pp. 4167–4180). According to this article an afterglow is observed both in the crystals having a high light yield and a low light yield, and a conclusion is that an afterglow is a property immanent to the Ce:LSO substance.
It is known substance the cerium doped gadolinium oxyorthosilicate, Ce2yGd2(1−x−y)A2xSiO5, where A is at least one element selected from the group La (lanthanum) and Y (yttrium), the x and y values are varied within the limits 0<x<0.5 and 1×10−3<y<0.1 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,781, Mar. 3, 1987). The main limitation of this group of scintillation crystals is a low light yield in comparison with the Ce-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate, Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5, described above.
The known method of crystal growing of the large size Ce-doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate, Ce:LSO, is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,311, where the Ce:LSO boules up to 60 mm in diameter and 20 cm long are grown by Czochralski technique. An appreciable demerit of these large-sized Ce:LSO boules is that a light yield is strongly differed even within a boule, decreasing to 30%–40% from a top to a bottom of a boule. Furthermore, a scintillation decay time (a time of luminescence) may be varied over the wide range of values from 29 nanoseconds to 46 nanoseconds, at that an energy resolution value may fluctuate within the 12%–20% limit. Such a large spread in performance leads up to necessity during an industrial production to grow a large number of boules by Czochralski method, to cut them into parts (packs), to test each pack and on the basis of such tests to select the packs which possibly to utilize for fabrication of scintillation elements for medical tomographs.
It is known the scintillation crystals, LU2(1−x)Me2xSi2O7, where LU is lutetium-based alloy which also includes one or more of Sc, Yb, In, La, and Gd; where Me is Ce or cerium partially substituted with one or more of the elements of the lanthanide family excluding lutetium; and where x is defined by the limiting level of LU substitution for Me in a monoclinic crystal of the lutetium pyrosilicate structure (U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,336). The crystal is formed by crystallization from a congruent molten composition of Lu2(1−x)M2xSi2O7, a congruent composition allows to use up to 80% of initial melt, and the crystals exhibit reproducible scintillation response to gamma radiation, a light yield spread over volume of boule did not exceed 20% and this commercial parameter was significantly better than for Ce:LSO crystals. However, the Lu2(1−x) Me2xSi2O7 crystals appreciably conceded to the Lu2SiO5 crystals in the basic scintillation parameters, namely, the light yield and density. Thus the lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals, Ce:LSO, are a more preferable scintillator for utilization in a three-dimensional positron-electron tomography, because a tomograph based on these crystals is a more sensitive and, in consequence, a dose of radioactive medicaments, adding in the blood of a patience on early stage of cancers, is reduced.
It is known the lithium containing scintillation substance of the cerium doped yttrium silicate of chemical formula LiHSiO4, (M. E. Globus, B. V. Grinev "Inorganic scintillators", publishing house 'AKTA' Kharkov, (2000) p. 51). The 5%Ce3+-doped LiYSiO4 crystal has a peak of luminescence at 410 nm, a luminescence time constant is equaled to 38 ns and a maximal light yield at detection of gamma quantums is 1000 photons/Mev, this value is two and half time less than for the known lutetium oxyorthosilicate scintillating crystals, Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5. A low efficient detection of gamma radiation is resulted from a low density of scintillator is equaled 3.8 g/cm3. This substance may be utilized for detection of neutron radiation, however material is a low efficient for a gamma radiation.
It is known the lithium containing scintillation substance of the cerium doped lutetium silicate of chemical formula LiLuSiO4, (M. E. Globus, B. V. Grinev "Inorganic scintillators", publishing house 'AKTA' Kharkov, (2000) p. 51). The 1%Ce3+-doped LiLuSiO4 crystal has a peak of luminescence at 420 nm, a luminescence time constant is equaled to 42 ns and a maximal light yield at detection of gamma radiation is about 30000 photons/Mev, this value is 10% higher than for the known lutetium oxyorthosilicate scintillating crystals, Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5. However, an essential limitation of given crystal is a low density equaled to 5.5 g/cm3. Such small density does not allow to use these crystals in tree-dimensional tomographs (Fully-3D PET camera) and, especially, for MicroPET systems, because the basic requirement for scintillating crystal for these applications is an attenuation length of gamma radiation, which should be less then 1.5 cm (W. M. Moses, S. E. Derenzo "Scintillators for positron emission tomography", Conference SCINT'95, Delft, The Netherlands (1995), LBL-37720). This parameter is equaled 2.67 cm for crystal having a density of 5.5 g/cm3, whereas for the Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5 crystal of 7.4 g/cm3 density an attenuation length is equaled 1.14 cm.
The Ce:LiYSiO4 and Ce:LiLuSiO4 crystals can not be recognised as a prototype for any variants of the given invention, because they are differed both a chemical formula and a crystal structure, which defines a crystal density. A high crystal density is a basic parameter for the applications which are the aim of the given invention.
The chemical formulae of the given invention are the numerous crystals of the solid solutions on the basis of the silicate crystal containing a cerium, Ce, and crystallising in the monoclinic syngony, spatial group B2/b, Z=4, and crystallising in a hexagonal syngony of apatite structural type with a spatial group P63/m, Z=1.
It is known the mono-cation cerium silicate crystallising in an apatite-brytolite structural type, Ce9.33□0.67(SiO4)6O2, where □ is a cation vacancy (A. M. Korovkin, T. I. Merkulyaeva, L. G. Morozova, I. A. Pechanskaya, M. V. Petrov, I. R. Savinova "Optical and spectral-luminescence properties of the orthosilicate crystals of lanthanide" Optics and Spectroscopy, value 58, issue 6 (1985) p. 1266–1269) and the double silicate of cerium, LiCe9(SiO4)6O2, (I. A. Bondar, N. V. Vinogradova, L. N. Dem'yanets et al. "Silicates, germanates, phosphates, arsenates, and vanadates. Chemistry of rare elements" monograph M. Nauka, (1983) 288 p.). A cerium presents in the Ce9.33□0.67Si6O26 and LiCe9Si6O26 crystals, however, a luminescence is completely quenched in them, this is explained by a concentration quenching in consequence of high concentration of cerium ions in crystals. These crystals are not applicable for utilization as a scintillator. An analogue of the substance claimed in the items 16, 17, 18 of given invention is a crystal of mono-cation cerium silicate, Ce9.33□0.67Si6O26, since it has the same symmetry, P63/m, Z=1, and has a closest composition to the variants aforecited. An analogue of the substance claimed in the items 19, 20, 21 of given invention is a crystal of double cerium silicate, LiCe9Si6O26, since it has the same symmetry, P63/m, Z=1, and has a closest composition to the variants aforecited. Both the Ce9.33□0.67Si6O26 crystal and the LiCe9Si6O26 crystal cannot be accepted as prototypes for each variant of scintillation substance of given invention since they are not a scintillation material, i.e. these crystals do not have a generic character of given invention reflecting a purpose.
A computer search of chemical compounds in the international X-ray library's database (PDF Database, International Center for Diffraction Data, Newton Square, Pa., U.S.A.) has shown that the individual chemical compounds on a basis mono-cations and doubles silicates, R9.33□0.67(SiO4)6O26 and LiR9Si6O26, respectively, where R=La, Sm, Nd, Gd, Ce are known. However, to our knowledge, there are no patents or publications in which these compounds were additionally doped with cerium what is necessary for an initiation of scintillation properties. Therefore the R9.33□0.67(SiO4)6O2 and LiR9Si6O26 substances, where R=La, Gd or their mixture, it is necessary to consider as an utilization of known substance on a new purpose.
The nearest analogue chosen as a prototype for all variants of the claimed scintillation substance, is a scintillation substance (variants) patented in the 2157552 patent, Russia, and the U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,832 patent, USA. The chemical formulae of this invention represent the numerous crystals of solid solutions of oxyorthosilicate crystal, including cerium, Ce, and crystallising in the Lu2SiO5 structural type with space group B2/b, Z=4, which composition is represented by the chemical formula CexLu1A1−xSiO5, where A is Lu and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Gd, Sc, Y, La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb. Other elements of periodic table can be occurred in a crystal as the impurities in the starting oxides or can be introduced into composition during a crystal growth or in a result of annealing in a special atmosphere. Partially the similar results are achieved in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,489. This patent protects the lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate crystal of composition having the chemical formula CezLu2−x−zYxSiO5, where 0.05<x<1.95 and 0.001<z<0.02. The main disadvantage of the above mentioned inventions is the use only molar ratio equaled to 50%Lu2O3/50%SiO2=1 of starting oxides for all patented scintillation materials, that corresponds exactly to stoichiometric composition of Lu2SiO5 structure. For all mixed crystals simultaneously containing several rare-earth ions, the ratio of 50% of the mix of different elements and 50% of SiO2 has been used. This composition does not allow to grow by Czochralski method the large commercial (diameter more than 80–100 mm) coating lutetium and Ce-doped crystals having a high uniformity of scintillation parameters on all volume of boule. Additionally, the crystals of stoichiometric composition cracked when being sawed for scintillation elements, for example, in the size of 0.8×0.8×10 mm3. Another essential disadvantage of specified scintillation materials is the presence of oxygen vacancies which increase a light output and reduce a probability of cracking of the boules at sawing, however, simultaneously, the presence of oxygen vacancies in two–four times increases an intensity of afterglow (thermoluminescence) after gamma-radiation of scintillation material.
Another confirmation of basic drawback of composition characterised by the 50%/Lu2O3/50%SiO2 molar ratio of oxides is the information described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,627. This patent protects a method of growing of lutetium orthosilicate crystal with a plane front of crystallization by Czochralski method from a melt of Ce2xLu2(1−x)SiO5 chemical formula, where 2×10−4<×<6×10−2. The gamma luminescence spectra of crystals grown with a conical front of crystallization and with a plane front of crystallization have the strong, fundamental differences both in a shape and in a position of maximum of luminescence. So the appreciable differences result from the composition of the initial melt, which has the 50%Lu2O3/50%SiO2 mole ratio of main components. A crystal growing from this melt has a composition differed from the composition of melt, the gradient of concentration is observed along a crystal cross-section, and the real Ce2xLu2(1−x)/Si ions ratio is differed from the ratio of 2/1=2 formula units. For the confirmation of the main declared in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,627 the crystals 26 mm in diameter were grown at the 0.5 mm/hour and 1 mm/hour rates, however, even at these very advantageous growth parameters, the crystals grown with a conical crystallization front can not be used for the commercial applications because of cracking and spread of scintillation performance.
For many years the growing of crystals with a planar crystal-melt interface by Czochralski method is used for commercial production of optical and piezoelectric materials, that is described in detail in the hundreds of papers in scientific journals and books. The well known commercial lithium metaniobate crystal (R. L. Byer, J. F. Young "Growth of High-Quality LiNbO3 Crystals from the Congruent Melt" Journal of Appl. Phys. 41, N6, (1970), p. 2320–2325) is being grown by Czochralski method from a melt of congruent composition, Li0.946NbO2.973. having the ratio of initial oxides is equaled to Li2O/Nb2O5=0.946, the congruent composition is differed from an ordinary, stoichiometric composition of lithium metaniobate, LiNbO3, where a ratio of component is equaled to 50%LiO/50%Nb2O5=1. (P. Lerner, C. Legras, J. Dumas "Stoichiometrie des mohocristaux de metaniobate de lithium", Journal of Crystal Growth, 3,4 (1968) p. 231–235). An existence of non-stoichiometric compounds is directly concerned with a structure of real crystal, in which the vacant lattice sites exist, and the excess atoms of one of the elements are placed in the crystal interstitial sites. (P. V. Geld, F. A. Sidorenko "Dependence of physical-chemical properties of non-stoichiometric compounds on structure of short-range order" Izvestia AN SSSR, seria Inorganic materials, 1979, v. 15, #6, p. 1042–1048). As a result, a ratio of components forming a structure does not correspond to the whole-numbered indices, and the chemical formulae of such compounds are described by the fractional numbers. A chemical composition is named the congruent composition, if a composition of melt is coincided with a composition of crystal growing from this melt. All the physical and mechanical properties of crystals grown from the melts of congruent compositions maintain the values constant over all volume of boule. For some applications a near stoichiometric composition, Li2O/Nb2O5=1, is a preferable use, U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,777 B2 dated Oct. 15, 2002. This patent clearly illustrates as the small variations of crystal composition lead up to the appreciable alterations of physical properties of crystal and this is important for the practical applications.
It is known (in the book D. T. J. Hurle "Crystal Pulling from the Melt" Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New-York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Budapest, 1993, p. 21) that because of the complex oxide systems of optics and electronics interests, such as garnets and spinels, do not correspond to a congruently melting composition it is necessary to induce growth only at a very low rate in order to give time for diffusion away from the interface of the excess component. Failure to do this leads to dramatic degradation in the perfection of the crystals due to the occurrence of constitutional supercooling. A search of congruent composition or very near to congruent composition is an important stage of development of commercial production of all optical materials, however, the authors of given invention do not know the data about congruent composition (or near to congruent composition) of lutetium oxyorthosilicate published in the scientific journals or in the patents. All known publications are dedicated to the crystals, in which a ratio of formula units, (Ce2x+Lu2(1−x)/Si, is exactly equaled to 2/1.
Generalising the above-mentioned, we may conclude that a basic technical drawback, immanent to both the known scintillation crystals on the basis of lutetium orthosilicate, CexLu2xSiO5, and prototype's crystals and a method of making of these crystals, are a longitudinal heterogeneity of optical quality of grown crystals, a heterogeneity of the basic scintillation parameters both in a bulk of boule grown by Czochralski method and heterogeneity from boule to boule grown in alike conditions and, at last, a low growth rate. These drawbacks substantially arise from the use in Czochralski method of melt having a composition which characterised a ratio of formula units, (Ce+Lu)/Si, which is exactly equaled to 2/1, i.e. the reason of these drawbacks resides in a non-congruent composition of melt. At the existence of congruent point, a crystal growth from a stoichiometric composition leads up to that the segregation coefficients of both the host crystal components, Lu, Si, and the additional component, Ce, are differed from unit, and, moreover, a crystal composition is shifting from the congruent point as a crystal pulling, that results in dramatic degradation of crystal quality despite on the extremely low growth speed. A segregation coefficient of component is a ratio of component's quantity in a crystal to component's quantity in a melt. Another common technical demerit of scintillation crystals on the base of lutetium orhtosilicate is the large losses of crystalline material because of cracking during slicing of a large, up to 60 mm in diameter, boules into 1 mm thickness pieces, which in their turn are cut into rods to produce the 1×1×10 mm3 dimensions elements in the quantity of several tens of thousands pieces needed for assembling of one tomograph.


A ribbon loom for making a material web at high speed operates through precise control of the weft thread. The ribbon loom comprises a weft insertion needle to insert a loop of weft thread into a shed. The weft thread loop is tied off by a knitting needle on the side of the web away from the insertion needle. The insertion needle is served by a feed device for the weft thread containing a pneumatically operated compensator in the form of a blower and/or a suction device. The insertion needle also has a separate guide eye for the weft thread. This thus provides a particularly effective compensator ensuring precise control of the weft thread when the ribbon loom is running at high speed. The web edges are always tensioned to the set width and maintained at a constant width.

1. Field of Technology
This invention relates to a ribbon loom having a weft compensating device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ribbon looms of the type stated in the introduction are known in diverse forms, for example from GB-B-2 039 547. The ribbon loom contains, a weft insertion needle, to which is assigned a weft supply device, which has--as viewed in the running direction of the weft--a weft source, a weft braking-device, a weft conveying device, and a weft compensating device. The weft compensating device is formed by a leg spring, which moves back and forth between a first and a second position. In the first position, the leg spring releases the weft for insertion of a weft loop, by means of a weft insertion needle, into a shed. Upon withdrawal of the weft insertion needle from the shed, the leg spring takes up the second position, in which it accepts a weft reserve and finally clamps the weft in a cleft formed with a leaf spring, in order to prevent further conveyance. Upon reinsertion of the weft into the shed, the weft is again tensioned, and the leg spring moves out of the second position into the first position, the weft simultaneously coming free from the clamping leaf spring. This compensating device has the disadvantage that it is relatively sluggish, so that a ribbon loom therewith equipped is limited in its drive speed of rotation, specifically the introduction and extraction of the weft on the braking leaf spring further limiting the efficiency of the ribbon loom.
Ribbon looms with such mechanical compensating devices have the disadvantage that they are limited in their performance, that is, in the maximum speed of rotation up to 2500 revolutions per minute (rpm). If such a ribbon loom is operated at a higher speed of rotation, serious problems arise. The leg springs can break and/or they enter into a critical vibration range, in which the tension of the weft can no longer be controlled. Natural vibrations and inertial forces require a greater spring force, which can become greater than the tear strength of the weft to be processed. As a consequence of the required greater leg spring force, the service life of the latch type weaving needles decreases to 1/2 hour. Moreover, as a consequence of the excessively high weft tension strong interlacing of the ribbons to be produced is caused, and the ribbon cannot be kept at a constant width, the ribbon being narrower, in particular on starting of the ribbon loom. Further, edge wire breaks occur as a consequence of the required excessively high weft tension.
In customary ribbon looms, today all the mesh edge types are produced with latch type weaving needles, also called latch needles. Such latch type weaving needles are suitable only up to speeds of rotation of 2500 rpm. At higher speeds of rotation, breaks occur by the hooks and latches, the latter as a result of the high acceleration upon deflection of the latches. The service lives of the latch type weaving needles at speeds of rotation of 2500 to 4000 rpm are approximately 1 to 4 hours, which is not acceptable in practice.
Known from each of F.R.-A-2 368 561 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,253 are pneumatic compensating devices for wefts for shuttle less looms, in which, from a weft reserve, in each case via a delivery mechanism, a weft is continuously withdrawn and supplied to a pneumatic compensating device. In the latter, the continuously supplied weft is formed into a reserve loop, from which the weft length required for weft insertion is periodically withdrawn for each weft insertion. For this purpose, the weft coming from the compensating device is led via a controlled clamping device to a blowing nozzle which, at the proper moment, blows a section of weft into an open shed.
The length of the blown-in section of weft is determined by the opening time of the clamping device. The weft insertion is interrupted by closing of the clamping device, and the inserted weft section (single pick) is separated from the supplied weft by means of a cutting device. The clamping device serves both for controlling the section of weft to be inserted and for preventing weft retraction from the blowing nozzle between two insertion operations. Obviously, such a weft supply is completely unsuitable for a ribbon loom having a weft insertion needle. In such a needle ribbon loom, the weft is at no time cut into sections, but is uninterruptedly connected to the fabric to be manufactured and is inserted into the shed in the form of a weft loop (double pick) and bound off at one material edge by means of a weaving needle. The clamping device would prevent not only the practically uninterrupted weft transport to the fabric, but also and in particular the retraction of the weft necessary for tensioning of the weft and for the formation of a proper woven edge.


A system and method are provided for monitoring an eye to determine eye closure. The system includes a video imaging camera oriented to generate images of an eye, and a video processor for processing the images. The processor includes an edge detector for detecting edges of the eye in the image, and a line selector for generating a plurality of lines at multiple angles representative of the detected edges. The processor determines the state of eye closure, such as eye open or eye closed, based on the number of lines at selected angles. The system may be employed on a vehicle to determine the eye closure of a driver of the vehicle.

Video imaging systems have been proposed for use in vehicles to monitor a subject person such as the driver and other passengers in the vehicle. Some proposed video imaging systems include one or two cameras focused on the driver of the vehicle to capture images of the driver's face. The video images are processed generally using computer vision and pattern recognition techniques to determine various facial characteristics of the driver including position, orientation, and movement of the driver's eyes, face, and head. Some advanced eye monitoring systems process the captured images to determine eye closure, such as open, half-open (half-closed), and closed states of the eye(s).
By knowing the driver's facial characteristics, vehicle control systems can provide enhanced vehicle functions. For example, a vehicle control system can monitor one or both eyes of the subject driver and determine a condition in which the driver appears to be fatigued or drowsy based on simple statistical analysis of the cumulated results of open or closed state of the eye(s) over time. Standard human factor measures such as PerClos (percentage of eye closure) and AveClos (average of eye closure) could be used to determine the drowsiness state of the driver. For instance, if the AveClos value is determined to be above a certain threshold, the system may initiate countermeasure action(s) to alert the driver of the driver drowsy condition and/or attempt to awaken the driver.
Some proposed vision-based imaging systems that monitor the eye(s) of the driver of a vehicle require infrared (IR) illumination along with visible light filters to control scene brightness levels inside of the vehicle cockpit. One such driver monitoring system produces bright and dark eye conditions that are captured as video images which are processed to determine whether the eye is in the open position or closed position. Such prior known driver eye monitoring systems require specific setup of infrared illuminators on and off the optical camera axis. In addition, these systems are generally expensive, their setup in a vehicle is not practical, and they may be ineffective when used in variable lighting conditions, especially in bright sunny conditions. Further, variations in eyelash contrast and eye iris darkness levels for different subject persons may cause such prior systems to make erroneous eye state discrimination decisions.
It is therefore desirable to provide for a cost affordable and effective method for monitoring an eye and determining the eye closure state. In particular, it is desirable to provide for an eye monitoring system for discerning the open and closed states of the eye(s) of a driver of a vehicle that overcomes drawbacks of prior known proposed eye monitoring approaches.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method of detecting eye closure based on edge lines


A method and device for guaranteeing performance of stream data processing wherein a latency guarantee and a processing accuracy guarantee are possible while ensuring a real-time property. An execution system determination unit evaluates an amount of data currently present in a queue of an input data reception unit, calculation time, and the processing accuracy. Then, during a query process, if the amount of data in the queue increases for some reason, and is likely to be larger than the requested latency, the execution system determination unit changes the system to a calculation system by which the latency can be reduced within a range that a final quality can be allowed, on the basis of the evaluation result. Under the condition that the accuracy is reduced, if the latency is likely to be greatly lower than the requested latency, the system changes to a calculation system having a higher processing accuracy.

Normal stream data processing continuously performs processing, judgment, interpolation, estimation, etc. on continuous data (see Patent Literature 1). However, upon a sudden data increase, latency is increased, and the real-time property desired by the user can no longer be maintained.
On the other hand, in a numerical value calculation field, there is a method of previously preparing a plurality of calculation systems, and by using past calculation results of each calculation system, in a manner such as to satisfy latency and processing accuracy requested by the user, making an automatic selection of a calculation system that is to be used (see Patent Document 2).

Method and device for guaranteeing performance in stream data processing


A shipping package and method of making a shipping package having a flexible inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The method includes providing one or more sheets of flexible material, joining the sheet(s) to form an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped, one or more expansion chambers, and an article retrieval feature. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the package and to protect the article in the article reservoir.

E-commerce, or the use of the internet to find and purchase goods, is becoming a very popular way for consumers to shop. The advantages of e-commerce are many including: time-savings; competition; shopping at home, work or virtually anywhere; and importantly, the purchaser not having to transport the purchased articles from the location of purchase to the place of use. In the e-commerce system, goods purchased by consumers are generally transported to their homes or places of use by the seller or a service used by the seller. Many e-commerce retailers rely on shipping their goods through the mail, including government mail services and other private and semi-private mail services, or through other parcel or parcel-like delivery services. Such mail and parcel services are typically quite convenient to both the buyer and seller. However, transportation of fragile, heavy and/or bulky goods can be quite expensive due to the cost of the manual labor and materials needed to protect the goods during shipment.
These aspects, and others, relating to the shipment of goods through current mail and parcel delivery services create unique issues that, if not addressed, can negatively affect the cost and quality of the goods sold. For example, when shipping goods to consumers, the goods generally need to be disposed in a package that is strong, lightweight and convenient for the shipper and for the customer. That is, it should be designed to be capable of protecting the products being shipped from external conditions throughout the shipping process, and preferably so as to minimize material usage, weight and bulkiness. It should also be easy to construct, pack, close, label, open, and discard. If the shipping package does not meet any one or all of these characteristics, it can lead to extra costs, inconvenience for the seller or buyer, product damage, and/or consumer dissatisfaction.
Currently, most shipping packages are some form of flexible pouch (e.g. envelope) made from paper or plastic, or a box, often constructed from corrugated paperboard or cardboard. Although these shipping packages can be used to ship many different types of goods and are reasonably inexpensive, they generally are generic in the sense that they do not provide a custom fit for the products being shipped. This can lead to additional packaging being required to prevent damage to the products being shipped, significant volume being taken up in shipping trucks and warehouses due to the ill-fitting packaging, and difficulty for the consumer to open and/or discard of the shipping packaging. To address the ill-fitting, generic packaging, sellers often stuff the outer shipping packages with some type of material intended to fill the open area not filled by the goods themselves. Alternatively, sellers may employ additional processes to manipulate the products, and/or add protective layers to the product or primary packaging to ensure the product can be safe when placed into generic containers. However, both of these scenarios add more steps to the process, weight, waste, and cost to the packaging and packing process, and often makes the consumer's experience when opening the package less than desirable (e.g. "packing peanuts" falling out of the package, needing a tool to open the package, etc.). Further, many of the current shipping packages are not weather or environment-resistant and can be damaged by or allow damage to the products being shipped by precipitation, wet surfaces and/or humidity. Accordingly, often such packages are wrapped in additional materials or must be placed in protected locations if they are to be left outside or unattended for any period of time.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a shipping package that is low cost, yet flexible in terms of fit to the products being shipped. It also would be desirable to provide a shipping package that requires no additional fill or dunnage to protect the goods. It also would be desirable to provide a shipping package that is easy to pack. It also would be desirable to provide a shipping package that is lightweight, yet provides protection to the goods being shipped. It also would be desirable to provide a shipping package that is easy to close. It also would be desirable to provide a shipping package that is easy to discard. It also would be desirable to provide a shipping package that takes up very little volume before and after use and is efficient in terms of volume when configured for shipping. The various aspects of the invention described herein can provide solutions to these problems, including by providing a shipping package made of flexible materials joined together to provide one or more expansion chambers and an article reservoir.
Another desirable feature of a shipping package is that is convenient for the user to open at the appropriate time, including for the purpose of inserting articles into the package and for retrieving them from the package. Also, it may be desirable to provide the packages in a convenient configuration for shipping and storage before use, such as in wicket, container, roll, cartridge, or stack. Further, it would be desirable to configure the packages such that when the package is presented for use (e.g. in fulfillment operations) it is presented such that the package opening is easy to locate and open, including configurations where the opening is at least partially open or opens upon presentation to the user (e.g. upon removal from a wicket). It would also be desirable to provide the package with a feature that helps the user locate the opening into which the article can be placed, to open the package, to locate one or more expansion ports and/or to help open one or more expansion ports. It would also be desirable to configure the package such that it is convenient for the user to expand or deflate the desired expansion chambers at the desired time. These and other benefits may be provided by one or more of the embodiments of the invention described herein.

Flexible shipping package and method of making


A system, method, and computer program for deploying a lighting system throughout a building using power over Ethernet is provided. In exemplary embodiments, one or more LED lighting structures may be powered using Ethernet cable in a building, and may be controlled by a distributed management system throughout a communication network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to systems and methods for a building lighting system that is powered using Power over Ethernet.
2. Related Art
Presently, many buildings have complicated electrical wiring systems that are installed when the building is first built. These wiring systems are typically required to be installed by a certified electrician, and the placement of overhead lighting and electrical outlets is predetermined by the wiring system that is pre-installed in the building. After the building is built, adding or moving light fixtures may be complicated and costly, requiring substantial re-wiring by an electrician.
Each light in a building may also be connected to a light switch module that is used for turning it on and off. The placement of this switch is also pre-determined by the electrical wiring system when the building is first built. Moving the placement of the light switch modules, or altering the control of the switch later typically also requires an electrician to re-wire the relevant portion of the house, which can be very complicated and costly.
These existing electrical distribution systems are typically high voltage (100-250V) AC (alternating current). Newer lighting technologies, like LED (light-emitting diode) lights, are more efficient than incandescent and even fluorescent lighting. However, they are inherently low voltage DC (direct current) driven devices. Adapting these devices to work in an existing AC distribution system requires conversion of the power sources, resulting in additional costs and complications.
Furthermore, existing light dimming schemes developed for AC powered incandescent bulbs do not work well by simply replacing the incandescent bulb with an LED light. Common dimming problems associated with using existing light dimming schemes with LED lights include flickering and flashing of the LED lights at low lighting levels, and an inability to dim below 10% of maximum lighting level.
Power over Ethernet, or PoE, is a standardized system to pass direct current (DC) electrical power along with data on Ethernet cabling. It allows a single cable to provide both a data connection and electrical power. It has typically been used to power devices requiring a small amount of energy, such as a phone or small camera. Unlike other standards such as universal serial bus (USB) which also power devices over data cables, PoE allows long cable lengths. However, PoE systems have not been previously used to power traditional lighting systems in a building.


A thermal test apparatus for measuring the thermal heat transfer characteristics of semiconductor packaging material as well as the thermal characteristics of the package design is disclosed comprising a substrate having the size and shape of a semiconductor die. The substrate is in contact with the semiconductor packaging material. A heating source for heating the substrate is located within the apparatus, along with a temperature sensitive element for which the voltage drop across the element is a function of temperature. The element is connected in series via a first set of conductive traces to forcing pads used to force current through the element. Sensing pads for measuring the forward voltage drop of the diode are connected in parallel via a second set of conductive traces across the element to two points very close to the element in order to greatly reduce the thermal resistance measurement error due to the resistance in the conductive trace material. In another aspect of the present invention the thermal measurement error is reduced by connecting the sensing pads via a second set of conductive traces to two points across the diode such that those two points are located not more than two microns from the diode. Once the voltage drop across the element is measured, the temperature of the element and the junction surrounding the element can be determined and standardized to indicate the relative thermal conductive properties of the various semiconductor designs and packaging materials used.

As the ability to reduce the physical size of semi-conductor circuits has increased, there exists a corresponding need to dissipate the power generated from these circuits. Effective cooling is required in situations involving high circuit density in order to maintain chip operating temperatures at acceptable levels. Therefore, there has been an ever increasing need to improve the heat transfer characteristics of semi-conductor packaging material.
Various techniques are available for measuring the thermal-characteristics of the packaging material used to package semi-conductor chips. One common technique is the use of a thermal test die as disclosed in Manual for Using Delco Electronics Thermally Sensitive Die, by D. L. Rodkey, Jan. 30, 1987. The apparatus disclosed within this manual relates to measuring the thermal resistance of semiconductor packaging material. In that apparatus, a test die consisting of an isolated diode, conductive traces, and heating elements are placed within semi conductor packaging material having the size and shape of a semi conductor chip. A fixed current is forced through the isolated diode, causing a fixed forward voltage drop across that diode. The heating element is then activated, causing the test die and the diode to heat up. As known to one skilled in the relevant art, the forward voltage drop of a diode changes in response to the temperature of that diode. For the apparatus disclosed in the Delco manual, the heat generated in the test die will cause a decrease in the forward voltage drop of the diode by 2 mV for each degree Celsius rise in temperature. The calculations from which this equation is derived are located in the Delco manual, page 3. Sensing pads are attached in parallel across the diode to measure the decrease in the forward voltage drop of the diode as due to the heat generated by the heating element. The better the thermal conductive properties of the semiconductor packaging material, the greater the power dissipation of that material, resulting in a lower decrease in the forward voltage drop of the diode.
A common problem which plagues this type of test die is its inaccuracy resulting from voltage drops caused by resistance in the trace material. In theory, the decrease in the forward voltage drop of the diode should be due purely to the rise in temperature of the diode. However, in reality, the voltage drop across the diode as measured at the sensing pads necessarily includes an error attributed to the resistance in the conductive trace. As commonly known to one skilled in the art, current passing through a resistive element will experience a voltage drop. Since a constant current is forced through the first set of conductive traces connecting the forcing pads to the diode, the resistance contained in the first set of traces results in a voltage drop along those traces. Thus, the sensing pads which are connected via a second set of conductive traces to the first set of conductive traces measure not only the forward voltage drop across the diode, but also the voltage drop due to the resistance in the first set of conductive traces. Depending upon the size of the die and the thickness of the conductive trace used, errors in excess of 44 percent have been calculated when measuring the forward voltage drop of the diode. This error ratio, known as thermal resistance measurement error, is attributable to the resistance in the first set of conductive traces which connect the forcing pads to the diode. The resistance contained in this first set of traces becomes significant because of the amount of current which is being forced through those traces.
Thus the thermal test die apparatus which is available for measuring the thermal characteristics of various semiconductor packaging materials has not proved to be as accurate as is desired.

Technique for measuring thermal resistance of semiconductor packages and materials


Impedance tuners used in high power measurements suffer fast heating and consequently mostly linear thermal expansion of the central conductor, which has a very small mass and is thermally isolated from the slabline walls and the tuner housing. This leads to false measurements or catastrophic tuner failure (short) of either the DUT or the tuner. Gold plated INVAR and SUPER-INVAR center conductor material is preferred to traditional stainless-steel rod. The body of the airline is made of high conductivity low cost Aluminum. INVAR type alloys quasi eliminate the thermal expansion, reducing it by a factor between 10 and 40 compared to Steel. Practical tests have shown significant improvement in thermal behavior.

This invention relates to RF load and source pull testing of medium and high-power RF transistors and amplifiers using remotely controlled electro-mechanical impedance tuners.
Modern design of high power RF amplifiers and mixers, used in various communication systems, requires accurate knowledge of the active device's (microwave transistor's) characteristics. In such circuits, it is insufficient for the transistors, which operate in their highly non-linear regime, close to power saturation, to be described using only non-linear numeric models.
A popular method for testing and characterizing such microwave components (transistors) in the non-linear region of operation is "load pull" (FIG. 1). Load pull is a measurement technique employing microwave impedance tuners (2, 4) and other microwave test equipment, such as signal sources (1), test fixtures (3) allowing efficient DC and RF access to the DUT (12) and power meters (5), bias networks (tees) (10) and (11), the whole controlled by a computer (6), which communicates and controls the tuners (2, 4) and the other equipment (1, 5) using digital cables (7, 8, 9). The tuners are to manipulate the microwave impedances presented to the Device Under Test DUT (12) (see ref. 1); tuners allow determining the optimum impedance conditions for designing amplifiers and other microwave components for specific performance targets, such as maximum gain, efficiency, inter-modulation etc.; this document refers hence to "tuners" as being "impedance tuners", in order to distinct from "tuned receivers (radios)", popularly called elsewhere also "tuners" because of the included tuning circuits (see ref. 2).
Impedance tuners, see FIG. 2, comprise a low loss transmission airline (24), typically a parallel-plate airline (slabline) (34) having, usually, characteristic impedance Zo=50 Ohm, a straight center conductor (23), anchored (29) freestanding suspended between the coaxial connectors of the test (25) and idle (26) ports to minimize transmission loss; and one or more adjustable tuning probes (22); the probes (22) are attached to precision vertical axes (21) which are mounted in mobile carriages (28); stepper motors (201, 202) control the axes (21), which move the probes (22) vertically (216) towards to or away from the center conductor (23); and the carriages (28), employing horizontal mechanisms, such as belts, rack-and-pinion or ACME rods (27), which control the horizontal (217) movement of the probes (22) parallel to the center conductor (23). The vertical movement (216) controls the amplitude and the horizontal movement (217) controls the phase of the reflection factor presented at the tuner test port (25). This way the whole reflection factor area (Smith chart) is covered, allowing for a quasi-infinity of impedances from Zmin to Zmax to be synthesized at any given frequency, within the "tuning range" of the tuner. Typical values of state-of-the-art tuners are |Zmin|≈2 Ohm and |Zmax|≈1250 Ohm; this corresponds to Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) of approximately 25:1 or |GAMMA|≈0.92). The relation between reflection factor GAMMA and impedance Z is given byGAMMA=|GAMMA|*exp(jΦ)=(Z−Zo)/(Z+Zo)   {eq. 1},wherein Z is the complex impedance Z=R+jX and Zo is the characteristic impedance. A typical value used for Zo is Zo=50 Ohm (see ref. 3). The equivalent is the Voltage Standing Wave Ratio:VSWR=(1+|GAMMA|)/(1−|GAMMA|)   {eq. 2}.
Metallic tuning probes (22) or "slugs" are made in a cubical form (31), see FIG. 3, with a concave bottom, which allows capturing, when approaching the center conductor (33) (see FIG. 11 in ref. 4) the electric field, which is concentrated in the area between the center conductor and the grounded walls (34) of the slabline. This "field capturing" allows creating high and controllable reflection factors. The critical part is the required close proximity of the probe to the center conductor and the accuracy of both the vertical (36) and horizontal (35) probe movements, whereby small changes ΔY in the vertical probe position (61), FIG. 6, of a few micrometers affects the VSWR by a large amount (Δ-VSWR), especially when the probe approaches mechanical contact (63).
When RF and DC dissipated power is injected into the tuner, some of it is absorbed by the center conductor of the slabline (44). This leads to a rise of its temperature and associated linear expansion (45, 48 in FIG. 4). Since the center conductor (46) has only limited range for expansion, because it is anchored on the port connectors, this will lead to "bending" (47), all this while the tuning probe (41) is in close proximity with the center conductor (46), to generate a high reflection (43); "bending" of the center conductor happens in different ways, depending on the pre-disposition and anchoring on the coaxial connectors at the test or idle slabline ports and since the center conductor cannot be "perfectly" straight (FIG. 5A to 5C). Whereas in an ideal situation (FIG. 5A) the center conductor (52) is positioned exactly in the center of the slabline channel (50), when heated it will bend (or "buckle") and deflect either sidewise (51) or downwards (53); of course it may also deflect upwards (not shown); in both cases (deflection sideways or upwards) we will have contact (56) with the tuning probe (57). In either case the effect is at best loss of accuracy (53) or at worst an electrical short (51, 56) and damage of the tuner and/or the DUT.
In case a short (56) happens with either temporary or permanent damage of the tuner or the DUT, at least the operator will be alerted and can take measures to correct the situation; but if it does not come to a short (53, case FIG. 5C), then the effect will be loss of calibration data and false measurement. This is because (as shown in FIG. 6) a relatively small movement of the center conductor will change the distance between center conductor and tuning probe and falsify the calibrated VSWR; in other words, the data retrieved from the measurement instruments (FIG. 1) will be recorded at the wrong VSWR values. There will be no warning, just wrong data; it comes even worse: would the operator have doubts about the tuner accuracy, and would he disconnect the tuner from the test setup in order to re-calibrate or verify the calibration on a vector network analyzer (VNA), he, probably, would find that the tuner is accurate. This is because, during the dismantling of the setup the center conductor will cool down and recover its initial (calibrated) position (transition from states FIG. 5C to FIG. 5A); this can be a very critical systemic problem for high power testing using such tuners.
This invention discloses an appropriate structure allowing avoidance of such catastrophic hazard and systemic operation and test problems.


A housing supports a parking brake lever assembly, including a manual lever, a brake cable tension adjustment control, and a cable coupling assembly for coupling the lever to the vehicle's parking brake cables mounted to the chassis of a vehicle during assembly. The cable coupling assembly, tension adjustment control and parking brake lever assembly are inter-coupled and mounted to the housing forming a floor console which can be snap-fitted into a vehicle quickly during assembly with the parking brake lever automatically coupled to the vehicle's parking brake cables and the tension quickly adjusted external to the console for proper tension and operation during assembly.

The present invention pertains to a floor console for a vehicle and particularly a floor console which includes both the transmission shifter mechanism and the parking brake control prior to installation of the console in a vehicle.
Vehicles such as automobiles, utility vehicles and the like typically include split driver and passenger front seats between which there is mounted the gear shift mechanism, parking brake and, in many models, a floor console which may includes accessories such as container holders, storage compartments and the like. In the past, the gear shift mechanism has been mounted to the vehicle during assembly as has the parking brake mechanism and the floor console subsequently placed over the existing gear shift assembly and parking brake lever. With the addition of significantly greater emphasis of the convenience afforded by floor consoles having additional convenience features, it is increasingly difficult to provide a floor console with multiple features and accommodate the assembly of the floor console onto existing vehicle structures which include parking brake levers and gear shift mechanisms. It would be desirable, therefore, to provide the console itself with the controls for both the transmission as well as the parking brake. It is, however, problematic to mount the controls for the gear shift levers on a console and couple the console to the gear shift control mechanism mounted to the vehicle floor in view of the precise adjustment necessary to assure proper operation of the transmission. A solution to this problem has been provided and is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/886,571 filed on Jul. 1, 1997, and entitled VEHICLE CONSOLE WITH BUILT-IN VEHICLE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER HAVING CABLE TENSION ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM AND METHOD. The structure disclosed in this application provides a console with a gear shift mechanism which automatically couples to the gear shift control cables previously assembled to the vehicle chassis during vehicle manufacturing and assures that the gear shift controls associated with the console properly operates the transmission once the console is mounted to the vehicle. There still remains, however, a need to incorporate in a console a parking brake control mechanism, and, as with the gear shift coupling mechanism, it is necessary to accommodate for the coupling of such a parking brake control to the parking brake cable mechanism associated with the vehicle in a manner which makes assembly easy during manufacturing of the vehicle as well as provide proper operation of the parking brake.


A method and seal assembly for sealing a rotary machine including a rotary component and a stationary component is provided. The method includes providing a plurality of flexible leaf plates in an opening defined between a pair of spaced walls that include an adjustable front wall and an adjustable back wall that is opposed to the front wall. The method also includes adjusting a width of the opening by axially adjusting at least one of the front and back walls with respect to a central rotational axis of the rotary component.

This application relates generally to rotary machines and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for sealing a rotary machine.
At least some known rotary machines such as, but not limited to steam turbines and gas turbines, include a plurality of seal assemblies in a steam-flow path or an airflow path to facilitate increasing operating efficiency of the rotary machine. At least some known seal assemblies are positioned between a stationary component and a rotary component and/or between a high-pressure area and a low-pressure area. For example, to facilitate thrust balancing, a turbine rotor may be sealed relative to a cooperating stator to facilitate maintaining a higher pressure in a forward direction of the rotor as compared to a lower pressure in an aft direction of the rotor.
At least some known seal assemblies include seals such as, but not limited to, brush seals, leaf seals, and/or shingle seals. Known leaf and shingle seals include an array of multi-layered flexible plates, known as leaf plates, which are aligned and inclined in a circumferential direction about a central rotational axis of a rotary component. More specifically, the leaf plates are generally arranged to engage and disengage the rotor or rotary component during various operating stages of the rotary machine. For example, during shut down of the turbine engine, leaf tips of the leaf plates are generally in contact with a rotary component. During rotation of the rotary component, various forces generally act on the leaf plates to cause upward and downward deflection of the plates. Such forces include, but are not limited to, leaf/rotor contact forces, hydrodynamic lifting forces, and differential pressure forces. Leaf/rotor contact forces are generated by an initial contact between the leaf plate and the rotary component. Hydrodynamic lifting forces are generated by rotation of the rotary component. Differential pressure forces include differential pressure lifting forces and radially inward blow-down forces that are generated by differential pressure changes, a weight of the leaf plate, and/or an inclination of the leaf plate. Because a negligible amount of clearance between leaf tips and the rotary component facilitates reducing wearing of the leaf plates, a balance or leveraging between such forces acting on the leaf plates is desirable to ensure that the leaf tips are disengaged from the rotary component during rotor rotation.
At least some known seal assemblies include seal housing and an adjustable clearance control mechanism that is coupled to the stationary component. The seal housing includes at least a high-pressure-side front wall that is separated from a low-pressure-side back wall by a fixed gap that is set by the manufacturer. The clearance control mechanism actuates the seal housing including the leaf plates to adjust a clearance between leaf tips and a rotary component.
Such seal assemblies are used to reduce air leakage through the clearance and maintain a differential pressure between various machine components by radially actuating the leaf plates. However, within such seals, the high-pressure-side front wall and the low-pressure-side back wall of the seal housing generally experience substantially no pressure drop. Rather, a pressure drop is mainly experienced by leaf plates of the seal assembly. Therefore, any adjustment of the seal housing including the leaf plates generally requires a mechanism that can overcome extreme forces such as, but not limited to, differential pressure forces and frictional forces. Because of radial adjustments to the seal assembly, known clearance control mechanisms may reduce the seal assembly life and increase the overall maintenance cost of the machine.

Methods and apparatus to facilitate sealing in rotary machines


A self terminating supported printed circuit strain gauge structure has a printed circuit including at least one strain gauge, interconnecting circuitry interconnecting the strain gauge to a connector circuit arrangement of a connector for connecting the circuit to a PC board. The entire circuit including the strain gauge, the interconnecting circuitry and the connector arrangement is formed on a single contiguous flexible dielectric substrate. The interconnecting circuitry and the connector elements are formed of a highly conductive material at least partially overplated onto the strain gauge printed circuit. A resilient support layer is laminated to the surface of the base substrate opposite the circuit to form a spring support structure for reinforcing and supporting the strain gauge circuit. The spring supported strain gauge printed circuit structure may have three or more strain gauges and be designed for incorporation in a joy stick strain gauge assembly for sensing the magnitude and direction of force applied to the joy stick by a user and such an assembly. The method of construction is also part of the invention, as are integrated connector features.

In joy stick assemblies, strain gauges are used to measure the force and the direction of the force applied to the joy stick by the user. Such prior art joy stick assemblies utilize a joy stick support structure that is deflected or strained by the joy stick. Individual strain gauges are laboriously adhered to the sides of the joy stick support structure to measure the deflection of the support structure, and electrical leads are tediously soldered to the contacts of the strain gauges. Due to the minute size of the strain gauges, it is very difficult and expensive to accurately adhere the strain gauges to the support structure. Likewise, it is very difficult to solder the electrical leads to the tiny contacts on the strain gauges.
As well as being very labor intensive and therefore expensive, the laborious and tedious assembly required in the prior art strain gauge joy stick assemblies greatly increases the probability of defects in the assembly that destroy the accuracy of the measurements, or even render the device inoperative. Also, since the electrical leads are soldered to the strain gauges, the assembly is not readily removable for repair or replacement.
The present invention provides a printed circuit strain gauge structure and a joy stick strain gauge assembly that can be readily and releasably connected with closely packed circuit terminals on a printed circuit board or directly to a printed circuit board.
A further objective of the invention is to provide a joy stick and strain gauge assembly that is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of the invention is to provide a joy stick and strain gauge assembly having improved reliability and enhanced performance.

Supported strain gauge and joy stick assembly and method of making


The invention refers to a self-propelled working machine comprising ground engaging means that are in drive connection with an engine for propelling the working machine, a desired speed input means having a range of movement for inputting a desired speed, a control unit receiving a desired speed signal from the desired speed input means and controlling an actuator that is influencing the speed of the ground engaging means based upon the desired speed signal.

Self-propelled harvesting machines, as combines, forage harvesters or cotton pickers, are usually propelled by a hydrostatic motor which is in hydraulic connection with a pump driven by a combustion engine. Such a harvesting machine is described in EP 0 819 562 A. There, the output speed of the hydrostatic motor is determined by a operator by means of an operating lever or drive lever mechanically controlling the position of a swash plate of the pump. The hydrostatic motor is driving the wheels of the harvesting machine via a gearbox with a transmission ratio selected by the operator. The speed range of the harvesting machine that can be obtained by moving the operating lever along its available path depends on the selected transmission ratio. Hence, in the first transmission ratio, a smaller speed range is achieved as in the third transmission ratio. Thus, independent of the selected transmission ratio, at least almost the full moving range of the operating lever is available for changing the propelling speed. A disadvantage however is that the operator has to perform the transmission ratio selection manually and that the machine has to stop before another transmission ratio can be selected.
Another drive system for a self-propelled harvesting machine is described in EP 1 431 619 A. There, the hydrostatic motor drives the wheels via a gearbox enabling a transmission ratio change even while the machine is driving. The position of the swash plate of the pump and of a swash plate of the hydrostatic motor are determined by an electronic control unit receiving a desired speed input signal from a potentiometer connected to the operating lever. In a work mode, only the first transmission ratio is selected and the moving range of the operating lever corresponds to the entire speed range for the work mode. In a transport mode, a first and a second transmission ratio are automatically selected and the moving range of the operating lever corresponds to the entire speed range for the transport mode. The control unit obtains input regarding the operating mode from an operator or derives the operating mode from the state of work elements of the machine. Here, only two speed ranges of the operating lever are available, such that the propelling speed of the machine cannot always be controlled as sensitively as desired, for example when the machine is in the transport mode, but driving slowly downhill or uphill or on narrow lanes.

Variable resolution single lever speed control for a hydrostatic transmission


A method of making vias in a semiconductor IC device having adequate contact to the surface of the interconnects and without inadequate landing is disclosed. The method has interconnects formed in a metal layer on the substrate of the IC device, and a first dielectric layer is formed covering the surface of the interconnects. An etch-stopping layer is then formed on top of the first dielectric layer, followed by the formation of a second dielectric layer on top of the etch-stopping layer. A photoresist layer then covers the second dielectric layer and reveals the surface regions of the second dielectric layer designated for the formation of the vias. A main etching procedure is then performed to etch into the second dielectric layer down to the surface of the etch-stopping layer, thereby forming the first section of the vias. An over-etching procedure is then implemented to strip off the etch-stopping layer and further etches into the first dielectric layer and the etching is then stopped when the surface of the interconnects are revealed to conclude the formation of the vias.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a process of fabricating semiconductor integrated circuit devices and, in particular, to a process of fabricating multi-level interconnects for the IC devices. More particularly, this invention relates to a process of fabricating unlanded vias for multi-level interconnects for IC devices.
2. Description of Related Art
As the integration density of semiconductor IC devices increases as a result of technology advancements brought about by refined fabrication resolution, more circuit elements are required to be packed into the same surface area of the device substrate. Supports for circuit elements such as interconnects necessary between MOS transistors of the IC device are also required to be fabricated in the same device substrate. Device configurations with multi-leveled designs utilizing multiple layers of metal to contain these interconnects are therefore developed to incorporate these high-density devices.
Between these multiple layers, electrically insulating material known as intermetal dielectrics are used in these configurations to provide isolation in between the layers. Vias are formed in these inter-metal dielectric layers that can be filled with electrically conductive material to form plugs that provide electrical connection between the interconnects in different metal layers.
Conventional fabrication methods employ the technique of photolithography to form vias in an inter-metal dielectric layer by etching into the dielectric layer covered by pattered photoresist layers. Plugs are formed inside these vias by deposition of selected electrically conductive material into the via holes. FIGS. 1A to 1C depict one such conventional fabrication process for making these plugs which is briefly examined bellow.
First, as is illustrated in FIG. 1A, interconnects 12 formed in the metal layer are covered by an inter-metal dielectric layer 16 that provides electrical insulation from other portions of the device. Though not shown in the drawing, however, circuit elements such as MOS transistors formed in the device substrate may be present directly underneath the interconnects 12, as is appreciable by those skilled in the art. Then, after the formation of the inter-metal dielectric layer 16, a photoresist may be formed over the surface of the dielectric and patterned into the desired configuration. Such patterns expose locations in the photoresist where the vias are to be formed, as is clearly seen in the configuration of the photoresist layer 20 schematically shown in the drawing.
Then, in FIG. 1B, etching procedures such as dry etching can be employed to remove the selected regions of the inter-metal dielectric layer 16, forming the vias 18 in the dielectric 16. In general, the etching in the inter-metal dielectric layer 16 can be a two-stage process. In the main etching stage, the majority of the material thickness of the inter-metal dielectric 16 of the intended vias 18 can be removed by etching, but the bottom of the vias at this stage may have not reached the metal layer 12 yet. In a following over-etching stage, residual material in the inter-metal dielectric layer 16 in the regions of the vias 18 is removed, ensuring that the vias 18 reach the metal layer 12.
After the formation of the vias 18 as illustrated in FIG. 1B, plugs 28 shown in FIG. 1C can be formed by deposition of electrically conductive material in the via holes. An etching-back processing based on dry etching or chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) can then be performed to finish the plugs 28, and another metal layer 22 can then be formed over the surface of the inter-metal dielectric layer 16 that can be used for the fabrication of another layer of interconnects.
In these conventional methods for forming vias 18, the etching operation in the main and over-etching stages is controlled on a time basis. However, etching timing control based on the estimation of the thickness of the inter-metal dielectric layer 16 can be tricky, with the etching results quite different. For example, typical procedures may need about 60 seconds for the main etching stage while only about 10 for the over-etching.
Since the inter-metal dielectric layer 16 is typically much thicker than other layers in the device, if the etch timing control is not governed well, there may be occasions wherein the vias do not reach to the metal layer 12, as is schematically depicted in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. Or, there may be occasions wherein the vias penetrate entirely through the inter-metal dielectric 16 to become short-circuited with the MOS transistor, as in FIG. 3, when they land on the device substrate. This later scenario is possible as the IC devices are required to pack more smaller circuit elements and the processing alignment becomes more difficult. The short-circuiting condition demonstrated in FIG. 3 is a result of misalignment of the via with the interconnect it is supposed to contact.


A carrier recovery apparatus of a liquid electrophotographic printer includes a condenser for condensing a gas carrier recovered from a photoreceptor belt, a filtering tube having a cavity, whose first end is connected to the condenser, and whose second end has a plurality of throughholes leading to the cavity radially formed thereat, a filter bonded on the outer surface of the filtering tube and which filters the gas carrier contained in air passing through the throughholes, and an exhaust tube having an internal diameter larger than the outer diameter of the filtering tube, and whose first end is tightly fitted to the second end of the filtering tube to which the filter is coupled, for exhausting the air to the outside.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid electrophotographic printer, and more particularly, to an apparatus for recovering a liquid carrier contained in a developer liquid supplied to a photoreceptor belt.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophotographic printer such as a laser color printer supplies a developer liquid in which a toner is mixed with a liquid carrier such as NORPAR, commercially available from Exxon, to an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoreceptor belt, and develops the electrostatic latent image. The carrier is then recovered by a carrier recovery apparatus.
FIG. 1 shows a carrier recovery apparatus employed in a conventional liquid electrophotographic printer. Referring to FIG. 1, in a manifold 21, there are provided a drying roller 22 for absorbing the liquid carrier from a photoreceptor belt 14 while rotating in contact with the photoreceptor belt 14, and a heating roller 23 for heating the drying roller in contact therewith and evaporating the absorbed carrier.
The evaporated gas carrier is accommodated within the manifold 21. Since a multitude of heat exchanging fins (not shown) are formed on the outer surface of the manifold 21, the gas carrier is condensed on the inner surface of the manifold 21 by heat exchange. The condensed liquid carrier is collected from the inner surface of the manifold 21 to then be induced to a cartridge 26 through a first recovery tube 25.
Further, the uncondensed gas carrier of the manifold 21 is induced to a condenser 28 along a supply line 27 by the driving of a supply fan 29. Since a liquid condensed carrier 28a is contained in the condenser 28, the induced gas carrier is liquefied by the heat exchange with the condensed carrier 28a. Then, the condensed liquid carrier is recovered in the cartridge 26 through a second recovery tube 31.
Also, the gas carrier which is not condensed in the condenser 28 is filtered via a filter 34 made of active carbon, together with the air exhausted by an exhaust fan 33 to the outside.
Reference numeral 30 represents a peltier chip for keeping the internal temperature of the condenser 28 constant, and reference numeral 32 represents a moisture reservoir, for separating moisture from the liquid carrier 28a stored in the condenser 28 and storing the same.
Since NORPAR, which is typically used as the carrier is an environmentally hazardous material, it is necessary to prevent the carrier from being effused.
Therefore, in order to increase the filtering capacity of the filter 34, the thickness (T) of the filter 34 must be large. In this case, the exhausting capacity of the exhaust fan 33 is noticeably reduced. To solve this problem, a large exhaust fan and a driver therefor (not shown) are employed. However, the overall structure of the printer becomes bulky.

Carrier recovery apparatus of liquid electrophotographic printer

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The separation of a lower mold from an upper mold in an injection molding machine is either temporarily paused or carried out at a lower speed so as to maintain deformation of a thin component within a permissible range, while a jet of air is applied to help remove the thin component from the upper mold. Also, the ejecting operation of the thin component is either temporarily paused or carried out at a lower speed before the deformation of the thin component exceeds the permissible limit while a jet of air is applied to help remove the thin component from the lower mold.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for injection molding of various thin components, such as optical disk substrates and magnetic recording mediums, which are made of synthetic resin and have relatively wide flat surfaces.
In a conventional injection molding machine as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, optical disk substrates are formed in a cavity 53 between two molds 51 and 52 at a stationary plate side and at a movable plate side, respectively. In a curing process of a resin material during the molding operation, a sprue portion 54a is separated from the optical disk substrate 54 by lifting up a gate cut punch 62 mounted at the center of the movable plate from a position shown in FIG. 7A to a position shown in FIG. 7B. The two molds are then opened after the optical disk substrate 54 is cooled down and cured by releasing heat to the molds. Generally, in order to minimize the duration required for the molding cycle, a jet of air is applied from slots 55 in the mold to the interface between the optical disk substrate 54 and the mold 51 while the molds are being opened at a high speed so as to swiftly cool down and separate the optical disk substrate 54 from the mold 51 at the stationary plate side.
After the separation of the two molds, the optical disk substrate 54 and the sprue portion 54a are ejected out by an eject rod (not shown), which is mounted at the center of the movable plate, lifting up in a sequence a sprue eject rod 56 and a substrate eject rod 57, both being joined to the mold 52, as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C, while a stream of air is applied from slots 58 in the mold 52 to the other side of the optical disk substrate 54 to ease the removal of the optical disk substrate 54 from the mold 52.
After the completion of the ejecting operation, the optical disk substrate 54 and the sprue portion 54a are transferred from the injection molding machine to the outside by a pickup device (not shown).
There is a demand for further reduction of the molding cycle. In order to achieve this object, it is essential to minimize the time for cooling. The cooling time at the time of separating the molds is, however, substantially short, and further reduction of the time may lead to undercooling of the substrates. If the temperature during the separation of the molds and the ejection of the optical disk substrate 54 becomes higher than a thermoforming temperature of the resin material, the resistance generated when the optical disk substrate 54 is separated from the molds 51 and 52 or the moment generated between the center and the rim of the optical disk substrate 54 when its central part is lifted up while the rim is not fully separated from the mold may cause a deflection or bend in the optical disk substrate 54 as shown in FIG. 8C.

Injection molding method for thin components

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A display device 10 comprises a base 16, a first flat display area 12 and a second flat display area 14, the first display area 12 being pivotally mounted and angularly movable relative to the base 16 about an axis of rotation, the second display area 14 being pivotally mounted to and independently angularly movable relative to the base 16 about said axis of rotation, the first and second display areas 12, 14 being arranged to align with one-another in the same plane to form a single flat display area in at least one position.

In universities, schools, boardrooms and other educational environments, there is a need to provide access to touch-screen technology, including in particular, interactive whiteboards and/or large screen displays.
It is known to provide display screens and projectors on stands, for example, as shown in GB 2456023A. However, it has been found in use that such devices are not ideally adapted to being moved, for example, between lecture theatres, do not provide displays which can be viewed easily from different positions relative to the display and are not particularly robust. Such devices are also often specific to a particular type of display technology, and are not adaptable to allow use of the many different interactive display technologies now available.
It is an object of the invention to provide a display device which reduces or substantially obviates the above mentioned problems.


A system for quantifying or assigning values to habitats and/or species occurring within a geographic site. In one implementation, for example, a baseline habitat value is assigned to a geographic site prior to the performance of a proposed activity impacting the site, such as development or construction. The baseline habitat value is based at least in part on the specific types of habitats found in the site, the number of species found in the site, and the key ecological functions associated with each species. The baseline habitat value can be adjusted to account for the potential presence of invasive plant species within the site. A future habitat value for the site following the performance of the activity also can be determined. A debit value associated with the proposed activity can be determined by subtracting the future habitat value from the baseline habitat value.

While traditional environmental management approaches have made significant improvements to the ecosystem, they nonetheless have various shortcomings. For example, current federal guidelines require developers of wetlands to provide replacement wetlands (known as wetlands "credits") on an acre per acre basis. Unfortunately, this system often does not result in long-term ecological success because replacement wetlands typically are not "in-kind"; that is, the replacement wetlands are not similar to the types of wetlands filled, primarily because the type and extent of the habitat types and species can vary greatly between two areas.
Recently, a new approach to wetlands management, called "wetlands mitigation banking," has been instituted in a number of jurisdictions. Under this approach, a land developer or a state Department of Transportation generates credits by developing or restoring wetlands. The credits are certified by the Army Corp of Engineers and then deposited in a "bank account" that can be drawn upon for future development. Mitigation banking offers greater oversight and greater incentive to generate credits, and therefore can increase the chances of ecological success. However, the credit/debit system is based on the arbitrary notion that filled wetlands can be replaced or restored on an acre per acre basis.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a system for quantifying or assigning values to habitats and/or species for use in mitigation banking programs and other conservation programs to more accurately determine the impact of development and the offsets needed to ensure ecological success.