The present invention provides a novel dicarbanionic initiator of formula (I).

'Living' anionic polymerization is the most useful technique for the synthesis of block copolymers because of the absence of transfer and termination reactions. Among different block copolymers, ABA triblock copolymers is an important class e.g. the most well known being styrenic thermoplastic elastomers with two glassy end blocks connected to an amorphous polydiene block. One of the most versatile methods for the synthesis of such triblock copolymers is the use of a dicarbanionic initiator with a two-step sequential monomer addition sequence. However, one major difficulty met is the limited solubility of dicarbanionic initiator in non-polar solvent media that is required for the preparation of a polybutadiene or polyisoprene central block with a microstructure constituted of a high percentage of 1,4-polybutadiene or 1,4-cis-polyisoprene units, which is required for optimal elastomeric properties. The latter goal explains why a lot of patents and papers have claimed or attempted the synthesis of various carbanionic species and particularly non polar solvent-soluble organolithium initiators.
Development of an ideal difunctional organolithium initiator, usable in hydrocarbon solvents for the anionic polymerization of dienes and/or vinyl aromatic hydrocarbon monomers has been a continuing effort since the past four decades. Because of the strong association of organolithium compounds, most of the dilithium initiators require some amount of polar additives to make them soluble in hydrocarbon solvents. Adduct of 1,3-divinylbenzene with sec-BuLi was the first example of difunctional initiator studied (U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,251 (1974), C. R. Hebd. Seances Acad. Sci. 283, 123 (1976), Plaste Kaustch, 26, 263 (1979), Makromol. Chem., 1985, 186, 2017). A mixture of soluble mono- and dilithiated and oligomeric species, with functionality higher than two due to possible polymerization of divinylbenzene, was obtained which did not guarantee a good control of diene polymerization. Another dianionic initiator was a bis-adduct of BuLi onto m-diisopropenylbenzene, which was an efficient bifunctional initiator in apolar solvent having good control over the molar mass and narrow molar mass distribution even in the presence of mixture of multiadduct, diadduct and unreacted sec-BuLi (Makromol. Chem., 1978, 179, 551; Polymer, 1982, 23, 1953). To avoid precipitation of the initiator was added σ-complexing polar agent such as triethyl amine (Macromolecules, 1977, 10, 287; Polymer, 1979, 20, 1129). However, even in the presence of triethyl amine, a mixture of species was still observed after the reaction between m-diisopropenylbenzene and sec-BuLi. Some other σ-complexing polar agents such as diethyl ether, tert-butyl methyl ether, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) and THF were found to be efficient polar additives, but leading to a high 1,2-microstructure of the polybutadiene block (Macromolecules, 1997, 30, 4254). It was observed that combination of the initiator seeding technique and weakly polar additives such as tert-BuOLi and anisole was necessary to prevent the presence of residual initiator and achieve equal reactivity of both end active centers so as to obtain SBS triblock copolymers with high content of 1,4-polybutadiene units (Macromolecules, 1997, 30, 4254; Macromolecules, 1997, 30, 7356). π-Complexing agents such as 1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene (durene) or tetraphenylethylene (TPhE) were also proposed which do not interact so strongly as σ-complexing agents with Li+ cation to bring about the dissociation of the organolithium aggregates (Polymer, 2003, 44, 4109; Polymer, 2003, 44, 6205, Polymer, 2005, 46, 303). Other researchers concentrated their efforts on the reaction of double diphenylethylene-type molecules with a stoichiometric amount of sec-BuLi in non-polar solvents (Polym. Prepr., 1984, 25 (2) 85). It was demonstrated that this difunctional initiator was efficient in the case of butadiene polymerization, but only at low monomer conversion. Dilithium initiator based on 1,3-di(1-phenylethenyl)benzene (PEB), although soluble in hydrocarbon solvents, led to bimodal molar mass distribution for molar mass lower than 50,000 and 150,000 g.mol−1 in the cases of polystyrene and polybutadiene, respectively (Polym. Int., 1991, 24, 197). Dilithium initiators based on different derivatives of double diphenylethylene-type molecules have been developed that are soluble in non-polar solvents. Although the addition reactions of these derivatives with sec-BuLi were found to be clean and rapid, the resulting dilithium initiators were insoluble forming fine suspensions, which would coagulate into hard particles after several hours (Macromolecules, 1994, 27, 2225; Macromolecules, 1994, 27, 1680; Macromolecules, 1994, 27, 2219). Finally, more complicated precursors such as α,ω-bis(phenylvinylidenyl)alkanes, 1,2-bis(isopropenyl-4-phenyl)ethane or (1,1,4,4-tetraphenyl)butane were developed and were found to be effective for the polymerization of dienes, but are difficult to synthesise (Polymer, 1981, 22, 1724; Polymer, 1982, 23, 73; Polymer, 1987, 28, 2093; Makromol. Chem., 1983, 184, 1983).
Whenever high contents of 1,4-polybutadiene or 1,4-cis-polyisoprene units are desired, the anionic polymerization of dienes has to be conducted in non polar solvent media, and with lithium as the counter-ion. sec-Butyllithium has proved to be an excellent monofunctional initiator. However, until now, no bifunctional initiator exhibiting carbon-lithium bonds, and yet soluble in non polar solvent media without additives has proved really satisfactory for the synthesis of polymers such as SBS or SIS thermoplastic elastomers and α,ω-difunctional polydienes with high 1,4-polydiene microstructure. Therefore, it is of great interest and importance to synthesise new bifunctional organolithium initiator soluble in non polar solvents and its use as an initiator for the synthesis of telechelic polydienes and polystyrenes and SBS or SIS triblock copolymers by anionic route with a high content of 1,4-units in polydienes without additives in non polar solvent.

Dicarbanionic initiator, a process for the preparation and use thereof

Abstract: The present process further provides a process for the preparation of dicarbanionic initiator of formula (I) comprising reacting 1-bromo-4-(4′-bromophenoxy)-2-pentadecyl benzene of formula (II)

Abstract: with alkyllithium compound for an effecting halogen-lithium exchange reaction of 1-bromo-4-(4′-bromophenoxy)-2-pentadecyl benzene with sec-butyllithium in the presence of a non polar solvent, at a temperature in the range of 0 to 25° C. and its use as an initiator for the synthesis of telechelic polydienes and polystyrenes and SBS or SIS triblock copolymers.

Council Of Scientific & Industrial Research


A lamp for a vehicle including a light source configured to emit light, and a light guide body including a light entering portion, a light exiting portion, and a recessed region disposed between the light entering portion and the light exiting portion and having a shape recessed upward in a lower surface of the light guide body, in which the recessed region includes a first surface formed in a region adjacent to the light entering portion, a second surface connected to the first surface through a first connection portion and extending toward the light exiting portion, and a third surface connected to the second surface through a second connection portion and extending toward the light exiting portion, and in which the second connection portion includes a curved connection portion.

Various types of vehicle lamps, which are classified depending on functions thereof, are mounted in a vehicle. For example, low beam lamps, high beam lamps, daytime running light (DRL) lamps, and the like are mounted on a front side of the vehicle. Among the vehicle lamps, the low beam lamp forms a light distribution pattern having a shape of a cut-off line formed at an upper side thereof.
The low beam lamp in the related art has a cut-off portion having a shape corresponding to a shape of the cut-off line, and the cut-off portion is formed at a position at which a focal point is formed in order to form the above-mentioned cut-off line. However, when parallel light (hereinafter, referred to as 'horizontal non-axial light') having an angle in a horizontal direction enters a cut-off portion provided in the form of a line existing on a single plane, a position of a focal point varies depending on a color of the light. For this reason, the focal point is not coincident with the cut-off portion provided in the form of a line existing on a single plane. As a result, light blurring occurs because of aberration.
The light blurring causes light blindness to a driver and pedestrian positioned in front of the vehicle and hinders a visual field of the driver and pedestrian, which may cause a traffic accident.

Lamp for vehicle and vehicle including the same


Content addressable data storage and compression for semi-persistent computer memory including providing a chunk of data that is a quantity of input data; retrieving a memory block from semi-persistent computer memory; searching for a segment of the chunk that matches the memory block; and if a matching segment is found: discarding the matching segment; providing a retrieval key for the memory block as a retrieval key for the matching segment; identifying an unmatched portion of the chunk that does not match the memory block; identifying a free memory block of a file system; storing the unmatched portion semi-persistently in the free memory block; and providing a retrieval key for the unmatched portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, systems, and products for content addressable data storage and compression for semi-persistent computer memory.
2. Description Of Related Art
Content addressable storage, sometime called associative storage, is a kind of computer memory storage in which items of data are stored and retrieved by analysis of their content rather than by fixed memory addresses or locations. Traditional approaches to content addressable storage confront a dilemma: content addressable methods can be efficient in terms of CPU utilization if they use fixed memory block sizes, but using a fixed memory block size is an inefficient use of underlying storage media. Traditional methods of content addressable storage also typically do not provide for data compression, although, in terms of efficient use underlying storage media, it would be beneficial if they did. Hard drives are almost always underutilized. Performance for many applications can be improved by providing semi-persistent storage based upon underutilized disk drive memory, that is, memory not allocated to any file or inode in a traditional file system. There are at least two classes of affected applications storage requirements: persistent storage of critical data such as data files, configuration information, and the like, and semi-persistent storage of optimization data such as database indices, file system caches, network caches, and so on. In order to insure that needs are met for the first class of storage, the second class of storage is often given very finite storage limitations that do not correspond to the amount of free space that may actually be available. There is therefore an ongoing need for improvement in the area of semi-persistent memory storage.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

International Business Machines Corporation


This dual use injection molding tool comprises injection molding tool with techniques for both low pressure and high pressure injection molding for injection of material into a bolster and a lifter. In the retracted, non-functional position, this tool is capable of low pressure injection molding techniques. In the extended, functional position, this tool is capable of high pressure injection molding techniques.

In the motor vehicle industry, currently high line vehicles are specified to have covered bolsters while low line vehicles are specified to have uncovered bolsters. Both high line and low line vehicles bolsters are generally specified to be of the same geometry. The low line vehicles utilize HPIM uncovered parts and the high line vehicles utilize LPIM covered parts. This has been a problem in the industry because it has been necessary to have separate tools for the low line and high line vehicles, even though they may be of the same geometry.
If a LPIM tool is used in making HPIM uncovered parts, then the molten plastic will vent from the unfilled shut-off edge. This venting will ultimately defeat the molding process. This invention solves that problem by utilizing a lifter that allows for both low pressure and high pressure injection molding from the same tool without having the problem of molten plastic vent from the unfilled shut-off edge.

International Automotive Components Group North America, Inc.


Embodiments of the present invention relate to billing for services in an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) environment. A first call is received at a service node from a service switching point located in the AIN. A second call is established through the service switching point to a called party. The first call is bridged with the second call and the bridged call is monitored for signaling information. The bridged call is processed based on the monitored signaling information. A billing module is created for the processed call at the service node. The billing module may include service values related to billing information for the processed call. The processed call may be merged back into the service switching point and the created billing module for the processed call may be sent to the service switching point for ultimate delivery to a billing system.

Interest in advanced intelligent networks (AINs) providing enhanced communications services has increased. Telecommunications service providers have begun to use equipment from multiple vendors to offer a variety of service features in an open-standard environment. Such features include call transfer, call conferencing, voice mail, call forwarding, caller ID, fax on demand, voice response services and many others.
The ability to provide enhanced features has come largely from the emergence of AIN. In order to connect to the AIN, intelligent AlN-compatible switches are used.
While there is significant enthusiasm to provide such enhanced features supported by the AIN, current AIN standards may not include methods that permit the recording and billing for features provided in a service node located in an AIN.
Accordingly, the need has arisen for a technology to provide recording and billing for AIN features provided by a service node.

Method and system for providing billing capability for a service node in an advanced intelligent network environment


Shadow paging is a technique used to achieve atomic and durable transactions, and provides the ability to manipulate pages in a database. During a transaction, the pages affected by the transaction are copied from the database file into a workspace, such as volatile memory, and modified in that workspace. When a transaction is committed, all of the pages that were modified by the transaction are written from the workspace to unused pages in the database file. During execution of the transaction, the state of the database exposed to the user is that in which the database existed prior to the transaction, since the database file still contains the original versions of the modified pages, as they existed before being copied into the workspace. If a user accesses the database before the transaction is complete, or upon recovery of a failure, it will appear as though the transaction has not occurred.

Databases and database products are in common use today. Increasing in demand are mobile database products. Mobile database products are popular for their small size and portability. However, mobile database products have limited memory. Desirable features of database products include the ability to perform atomic and durable transactions. An atomic transaction is a transaction that is never partially committed—it is performed either fully or not at all. A durable transaction is one in which the change in the state of the database is permanent. Another desirable feature of a database is the ability to recover from failures, such as power failures, disk crashes, and the like. Current systems that perform atomic and durable transactions, and to provide stabile database recovery tend to be complex and require large amount of memory. Complex, memory intensive processes are not suited for products having limited amounts of memory, such as mobile database products.
A technique for performing atomic and durable transactions and providing a means to reliably recover from unexpected failures in a device having a limited amount of memory is desired.


Disclosed are systems and methods for processing carnallite or sylvinite ores. The system includes a measuring hopper, a lye clarifier, two vertical ore dissolving apparatuses, two ore dehydrators and one wet product dehydrator, a crystallizer, and a dryer. Each dissolving apparatus has alternating supply and grounding electrodes arranged in axial alignment with the apparatus. The ore is run through both dissolving apparatuses in succession and dehydrated after each dissolving apparatus. A dissolving lye is fed to each dissolving apparatus in countercurrent flow to the solid phase ore. The saturated lye from the dissolving apparatuses is transported to a crystallizer to be cooled. Cooling the lye forms crystalline potassium chloride or artificial carnallite, which then goes for dehydration and drying.

Sylvinite ore is a mechanical mixture of sylvite (potassium chloride or "KCl") and halite (sodium chloride or "NaCl"). Common sylvinite ores have about 31% KCl and 66% NaCl with the balance being extraneous materials, such as insoluble clays, anhydrite, and carnallite. Sylvinite ore is mined throughout North America. Sylvinite ore must be processed to remove the extraneous materials and separate the potassium chloride from the sodium chloride. The potassium chloride can thereafter be used in the production of potash and fertilizer.
There are various processes for separating potassium chloride from sylvinite. One of these is the flotation method. The flotation method involves the sorption of potassium chloride salts on a surfactant and the producing potassium chloride from solution. The flotation method, however, suffers from the drawback that only a very low degree of potassium chloride can be recovered from the sylvinite ore. Recovery of potassium chloride (KCl) from the ore is approximately 85%, and flotation tails, which goes to the waste takes 2.5-3% of potassium chloride.
Another method is the halurgic method. The halurgic method is based on the varying solubility of potassium chloride (KCI) and sodium chloride (NaCl) in water at different temperatures. KCI crystallizes out of a saturated solution upon cooling. The disadvantages of this method are the high energy costs involved and the low degree of potassium chloride recovery from the ore. Recovery of potassium chloride (KCI) from the ore is approximately 87.5%, and tails, which goes to the waste, takes 2.5-3% of potassium chloride.
Yet another method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,505 to Lawyer. Lawyer illustrates an electrodynamic method for beneficiating sylvinite ore. The method recovers potassium chloride from potash-bearing ores. In one embodiment, dual electrostatic fields are used. Nonionizing fields with voltages varying between 1,000 to 5,000 volts or between 5,000 to 15,000 volts are disclosed.
RU 2,307,79 to Marakov et al. discloses a potassium chloride and sodium chloride production apparatus. Ground sylvinite ore is dissolved in recycled potassium chloride-saturated lye. The resulting solution is exposed to low-frequency (1-5 Hz) alternating electric fields at voltage source 30-100 v. A two column treatment method is also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,073,447 to Autenrieth et al. discloses a system for electrostatic separation of potassium-containing materials. A conditioning agent is used prior to an electrostatic separator. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,477,566 to Autenrieth et al. discloses a process for the electrostatic separation of the sylvite (KCI) component of a mineral. The process conditions particulate crude salt with inorganic mineral acids, inorganic alkaline reacting substances, and organic conditioning agents prior to electrostatic charging.
The background art also contains several examples of methods for processing carnallite ores. Like sylvinite ores, carnallite ores are a source of potash and fertilizer. Carnallite's chemical formula is KMgCl3.6(H2O). Naturally occurring carnallite is hard to find and typically occurs only in evaporating seas or sedimentary basins. For this reason, various efforts have been made over the years to produce artificial or synthetic carnallite. The background art contains various examples of producing synthetic carnallite from the crystallization of KCl and MgCl2.6H2O.
Artificial carnallite may be produced via known methods, such as the flotation and halurgic methods discussed above can also be used in the production of artificial carnallite. But again, these methods suffer from numerous disadvantages, including the low degree of the effective product recovery and the need for cumbersome technical procedures for ore processing.
Thus, there are inherent disadvantages found in the background art. These disadvantages include complexity of implementation due to the need for special equipment and the need for large production areas. There are also high energy and material costs associated with the background art. The systems of the background art also produce a low quality end product. The present disclosure is aimed at overcoming these and other shortcomings found in the background art.

Systems and methods for processing sylvinite and carnallite ores


A method and apparatus for reducing common mode noise in a three phase pulse width modulated (PWM) system the method comprising the steps of receiving modulating waveforms, identifying a first of the modulating waveforms that is instantaneously the maximum of the modulating waveforms, identifying a second of the modulating waveforms that is instantaneously the minimum of the modulating waveforms, for a first phase associated with at least one of the first and second identified waveforms, substituting a first substitute waveform for the one of the first and second waveforms, for the first phase, modifying at least one of the first substituted waveform and duty cycle signals generated by comparing the first substituted waveform with the carrier signal as a function of a first rule set to substantially minimize the effects of turn on delays and for at least one of the second and third phases, modifying at least one of the associated modulating waveform and duty cycle signals generated by comparing the modulating waveform with the carrier signal as a function of a second rule set to substantially eliminate the effects of turn on delays where the second rule set is different than the first rule set.

The present invention relates generally to methodologies for reducing the common mode noises generated by two-level rectifier/inverter variable frequency drive (VFD) systems. This invention more particularly relates to modulation techniques for common mode noise reduction.
Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary two-level rectifier/inverter variable frequency drive (VFD) system is shown that includes a three phase voltage source, a rectifier, a three phase inverter and a load (e.g., a motor). The rectifier may be either a diode type (i.e., constructed using diodes) or an active type (i.e., a boost type including controllable switching devices that is controlled via pulse width modulation (PWM) or the like). Where the rectifier is active, the rectifier typically includes six switching devices (e.g., solid state semiconductor-based switching elements such as silicon-controlled rectifiers (SCRs), gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs), gate commutated thyristors (GCTs), insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs)) that convert three phase input power to DC voltage across the two lines that connect the rectifier to the inverter.
In a three phase system the inverter typically includes six switching devices that link the DC lines to the three phase load. By switching the inverter switches on and off, the three phases of the load are linked to the positive and negative DC lines. By switching the inverter switches in a controlled fashion, the voltages and currents on the lines linked to the load can be controlled so that variable frequency power is delivered to the load.
To generate switch control signals, many systems employ pulse PWM techniques where modulating waveforms (e.g., sinusoidal or other) are generated for each system phase and are compared to high frequency carrier signals (e.g., often thought of as high frequency saw tooth waveforms). Based on the comparisons, switch control signals are generated that turn the active rectifier and inverter switches on and off. Several PWM schemes are commonly employed and are well known in the drives industry including space vector PWM (SVPWM) and discontinuous PWM (DPWM), where the different schemes employ differently shaped modulating waveforms.
Referring to FIG. 2, a PWM diagram is illustrated that includes eight different vectors V0, V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6 and V7 where each vector is associated with a unique switching state of the top three switches (e.g., G1, G3 and G5) in the inverter of FIG. 1 where a "1" indicates that an associated switch is closed or on and a "0" indicates that an associated switch is open or off. For instance, for vector V1, the (100) label indicates that switches G1, G3 and G5 are on, off and off, respectively. The bottom switch states are the inverse of the top switch states. For instance, when the state of switch G1 is "1" (i.e., on), the state of associated bottom switch G2 is "0" (i.e., off).
As well known in the drives industry, as the switches of either an active rectifier or an inverter are turned on and off, under certain circumstances, common-mode voltages (CMVs) are generated that appear in the output phases of the motor drive and hence on the motor windings. CMV pulses cause CMV dv/dts which in turn cause common mode current (CMC) spikes. The number of CMC spikes is equal to the number of CMV dv/dt steps. Referring still to FIG. 1, the CMV appears between the neutral point "n" of the motor windings and ground "g". CMV and associated CMC have been known to reach levels beyond motor winding insulation ratings and can result in undesirable bearing currents. Consequently, CMV and CMC often reduce system performance at a minimum and have been known to damage motor components.
Referring again to FIG. 1, CMV can be expressed by the following equations:CMV=Vng=Vno+Vog  Eq. 1Vno=(Vuo+Vvo+Vwo)/3  Eq. 2Vog=−(Vao+Vbo+Vco)/3  Eq. 3
As to diode rectifier/inverter systems, the frequency and amplitude of voltage Vog is determined by the frequency of the power supply linked to the front end of the converter. For instance, where the AC power supply provides 60 Hz power, the three phase rectifier generates voltage Vog having a positive 180 Hz ripple waveform and a negative 180 Hz ripple waveform and therefore the CMV likewise has a 180 Hz ripple.
Another portion of the CMV in a diode rectifier/inverter system, the Vno portion, is related to or caused by inverter modulation and has amplitudes as shown in Table 1 where the vectors (i.e., V0, V1, V2, etc.) are space vectors as shown in FIG. 2.
TABLE 1VectorState (G1, G3, G5)VuoVvoVwoVnoV0(0, 0, 0)−Vdc/2−Vdc/2−Vdc/2−Vdc/2V1(1, 0, 0)  Vdc/2−Vdc/2−Vdc/2−Vdc/6V2(1, 1, 0)  Vdc/2  Vdc/2−Vdc/2  Vdc/6V3(0, 1, 0)−Vdc/2  Vdc/2−Vdc/2−Vdc/6V4(0, 1, 1)−Vdc/2  Vdc/2  Vdc/2  Vdc/6V5(0, 0, 1)−Vdc/2−Vdc/2  Vdc/2−Vdc/6V6(1, 0, 1)  Vdc/2−Vdc/2  Vdc/2  Vdc/6V7(1, 1, 1)  Vdc/2  Vdc/2  Vdc/2  Vdc/2
According to table 1, instantaneous values of voltage Vno can be expressed as:
                              V          no                =                  {                                                                      ±                                                            V                      dc                                        2                                                                                for                                                                                V                    0                                                                                and                                                                                V                    7                                                                                ±                                                            V                      dc                                        6                                                                                for                                                                                other                                                                                states                                                                                Eq        .                                          4
Referring to FIG. 3, a CMV (Vno) waveform and an associated CMC waveform are illustrated that result during one switching period when standard SVPWM control is employed. As shown, at each of times t1, t2, t3, t4, t5 and t6 a dv/dt occurs which results in current spikes ands the peak to peak value of the CMV is Vdc. FIG. 4 shows an FFT spectrum plot of CMC corresponding to FIG. 3. FIGS. 5 and 6 include plots similar to those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, albeit where DPWM was employed instead of SVPWM.
In an attempt to reduce CMV and CMC, some modified modulators for diode rectifier/inverter systems have been developed that modify inverter switching patterns so that zero switching states (V0 and V7) are virtually (as opposed to actually) created by using two active vectors that are 180 degree out of phase. By virtually creating the zero switching states the peak-to-peak amplitude of the CMV can be significantly reduced. These modified modulators are based on direct-digital SVPWM where dwell-times must be calculated in real-time for optimal performance.
As to active rectifier/inverter systems, there are eight available output voltage vectors (V0-V7) for both the boost rectifier and inverter according to the eight different switching states depicted in FIG. 2. The possible CMV states for the various output voltage vectors of an active rectifier/inverter system are summarized in Table 2.
TABLE 2Inverter Output Voltage VectorV1, V3,V2, V4,V5V6V0V7BoostV1, V3,0Vdc/3−Vdc/32 Vdc/3RectifierV5OutputV2, V4,−Vdc/30−2 Vdc/3Vdc/3VoltageV6VectorV0Vdc/32 Vdc/30VdcV7−2 Vdc/3−Vdc/3−Vdc0In case of an asynchronous switching sequence or a different switching frequency between the boost rectifier and inverter, a CMV with peak-to-peak amplitude of 2Vdc can occur.
Nevertheless, it is well know that the CMV peak-to-peak amplitude generated by boost rectifier/inverter systems can be restricted to be no more than 1.33Vdc by synchronizing the switching sequence between the rectifier and inverter stages of the system. Unfortunately synchronization of the switching sequences is not easy to facilitate when the switching frequency of the boost rectifier is different than the frequency of the inverter.
Some modified modulators for active rectifier/inverter systems have been developed that can further reduce the number of CMV pulses in a three-phase system where synchronized switching is realized. In at least some schemes it is possible to eliminate one CMV pulse in every switching period by shifting the active voltage vectors of the inverter to align with those of the boost rectifier. Compared with the conventional three-phase SVPWM scheme, this proposed method can reduce the total number of CMV pulses by one-third.
Unfortunately, this vector shifting SVPWM control scheme cannot be applied to diode rectifier/inverter systems. Where this control scheme is used with an active rectifier/inverter system, for optimal performance, the dwell-time must be calculated in real-time to shift the active voltage vectors and the shifts should be performed in every switching period. Calculating dwell times in real time requires excessive dedicated computing power.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a system wherein common mode voltages can be reduced in rectifier/inverter systems generally without requiring dwell time calculations.

Modulation methods and apparatus for reducing common mode noise


Disclosed is an exercise apparatus for use in developing strength and flexibility in all muscular groups of a person's core as well as the major muscle groups of in the arms, legs and neck. The device uses an elastic ball and ball support to evenly distribute contact forces between the person's body and the device while preventing ball motion during stretching, exercising, and physical therapy. The exercise apparatus also comprises a torso support and a foot ladder to that are configured to provide stability and comfort to a user while enabling the user to undertake a multitude of optimal stretching, exercising and rehabilitation regimens. Additionally, the device may be used with free weights or elastic members. In some embodiments the exercise device further comprises elastic members comprised of elastic straps, wherein the exercise apparatus is configured to provide resistance directions, planes of motion, and range of motion to a user that are not achievable with other devices.

Large inflatable exercise balls have been available to the public for quite some time, and are commonly used in fitness routines, such as those involving yoga or pilates. A user basically sits on the ball and stretches or exercises. Such exercise, however, generally requires a great degree of balance to prevent accidental injury caused by the ball rolling out from under the user. In addition, because the ball is not prevented from rolling or rotating, only a limited number of exercises can be done with such a ball, even by the experienced user.
Therefore, what is needed is an exercise apparatus that does not rotate or react with universal motion when forcibly contacted by an individual, but rather one that translates the these reaction forces imposed by the stretching and/or exercising individual into static frictional forces that automatically maintain the stability of the exercising individual.

Whole body exercise apparatus for use with elastic spherical ball


The present invention is directed to a method and system for interfacing with various monitoring information sources from one or more computer systems with minimal user input. Each computer system may include one or more computers as well as any number of devices such as networking devices. Expert knowledge may be embedded in the data source monitoring software. These sources can later be used by data collection tools in order to extract monitoring information and present the information to the user or use it in another way (such as storing it or raising an alert when a certain monitored value exceeds a threshold). Furthermore, the user may decide which sources of information should be monitored by the data collection tools. The user may also use the present invention in order to inform him/herself of the configuration of the system he/she is monitoring.

Complex computer systems, such as e-commerce systems, may include web-servers, file servers, databases, billing servers, etc. Other examples of complex computer systems are Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) systems, other enterprise applications, distributed applications, infrastructure and telecommunication applications, and many more. Because of their complexity, such computer systems need continued attention from qualified persons to ensure error-free and efficient operation.
The complexity of the system makes errors and possible inefficiencies more likely to occur and harder to find, once they have occurred. As a result, maintenance of these systems can be challenging and time consuming. One aspect of the maintenance of such complex systems is monitoring the performance of all the applications that make up the system.
Computer systems often provide the ability for a person to check various information associated with such systems. This information may include status, throughput, performance, configuration, business, accuracy, availability, security, utilization, geographical, and usability information. This type of information is referred to as monitoring information. Some examples on how monitoring information can be accessed remotely are:                applications, devices, or operating systems may provide their monitoring information by making use of certain operating system services specifically designed for this purpose. For example, the SNMP agent service or Microsoft's remote registry are designed for being accessed remotely;        custom tools provided by an operating system or an application, such as command line tools;        custom services/daemons implemented by some applications or devices that can be accessed locally as well as remotely, such as dynamically generated WebPages which contain HTML formatted monitoring information;        an application or device may be shipped with tools that query this application or device once it is deployed, and return monitoring information, usually in a non-standardized format;        a network router or switch may provide monitoring information, such as network traffic statistics, via SNMP;        a computer may be configured to continuously produce files containing monitoring information pertaining to the system;        a database may provide monitoring information through standard database-client interfaces such as OCI (Oracle Calling Interface) or ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity);
In a more specific example, a user may be interested in measuring the utilization of a system's CPU(s). On Microsoft Windows platforms, the user would have to launch a Microsoft specific GUI tool, pick out of a large number of monitoring information options the one which allows the user to query a Microsoft specific service for accessing this kind of utilization information. On other systems it would suffice to execute a command line tool, which produces a tabular text output containing each CPU's utilization. Such tools can be utilized from remote locations and the tabular text output can be transferred back to the caller. For example, Sun operating systems feature the command line tool "mpstat", which provides CPU utilization information. The "mpstat" tool can be remotely executed by using the REXEC protocol, a commonly used remote execution protocol in Sun operating systems and other UNIX operating systems. Thus, in order to remotely retrieve the CPU utilization information from a SunOS powered host a user would need to:                connect to the host on port 512 using the REXEC protocol (port 512 is the default connection point of the REXEC protocol);        remotely execute a tool named "mpstat" via REXEC;        produce tabular text output;        find the needed utilization information in the tabular output.
A monitoring information service (service) is a service, daemon, tool or any other interface that is able to provide monitoring information concerning a particular computer system. However, these services are not standardized and may be very different for different computer systems. Often a computer system provides monitoring information in such a manner that a user must be very well versed in the configuration of the hardware devices as well as the software applications running on the devices, in order to access this information. Although some tools for collecting and analyzing monitoring information are available, usually these tools must be manually configured to indicate the location of the needed information and/or how to extract it. They are thus inefficient and difficult to use.

Method and system for automatic detection of monitoring data sources


An assist strap is made of a flexible exoskeleton of a tubular shape which overlies a high density foam core to provide a strong yet cushioned strap. Opposite ends of the strap are held by clamps which in turn are secured to a vehicle for attaching the strap to a vehicle.

The present invention pertains to an assist strap for use in a vehicle such as an automobile.
Assist straps, or grab handles are in common use in vehicles and frequently are mounted to the vehicle roof above a door for assistance in ingress and egress from the vehicle. Assist straps are also frequently mounted to vehicle doors for assistance in closing them. In the past, the construction of assist straps or handles have included a metal strap which has been cushioned and upholstered and anchored at opposite ends by suitable mounting brackets. Common to the assist strap art is the utilization of a central structural member, typically a flat metal band which is subsequently surrounded by padding material to provide a comfortable feel to the assist strap. Such construction, however, results in the relatively sharp edges of the flat strap being somewhat uncomfortable and, over a period of time, can lead to wearing of the assist strap due to the sharp edges of the band cutting into the covering material. Additionally, such construction typically requires multiple components and processing steps for the manufacture of the straps. The strap body alone includes a band, a foam cushion layer, and an outer decorative covering. This also increases the cost of such devices.

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A liquid level detecting apparatus has an ultrasonic sensor, a reflector, a first pipe and a second pipe. The reflector reflects an ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to a liquid level, and the ultrasonic sensor detects a reflection wave reflected on the liquid level to detect a liquid level position. The first and second pipe surrounds the ultrasonic wave transmission path from the ultrasonic sensor via the reflector to the liquid level. The first pipe and the second pipe are integrally configured and supported on a bottom of a tank to be rotatable about the first pipe.

As a conventional liquid level detecting apparatus for detecting a liquid level of a liquid in a tank, JP-06-249697-A, for example, discloses an apparatus that detects the liquid level with an ultrasonic wave. Specifically, the apparatus is for installing in a fuel tank mounted on an automobile. In the apparatus, an ultrasonic wave generated by an ultrasonic oscillation device is transmitted in fuel to the liquid level, the ultrasonic oscillation device receives a reflection wave reflected on the liquid level, and the liquid level is calculated based on the detection result of the reflection wave.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,808, for example, discloses another liquid level detecting apparatus that is integrally formed with a fuel pump, which is installed in a fuel tank to feed fuel outward from the fuel tank. In the liquid level detecting apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,808, one end of an arm is rotatably supported on a bottom portion of the fuel tank, and the other end of the arm holds an ultrasonic oscillation device, so that the arm and the ultrasonic oscillation device can be retracted in the fuel pump.
According to this construction, in installing the liquid level detecting apparatus in the fuel tank, the liquid level detecting apparatus is inserted through an opening portion formed in the fuel tank in a state that the arm and the ultrasonic oscillation device are retracted in the fuel tank. Then, by installing the fuel pump on a predetermined position in the fuel tank to come in contact with a bottom face of the fuel tank, the arm flips upward to be extended, to return the liquid level detecting apparatus to a predetermined service position.
Ordinarily, the liquid level detecting apparatus is installed in the fuel tank through the opening portion of the fuel tank that is provided for installing the fuel pump, to decrease the number of the opening portion formed on the fuel tank.
Recent vehicle design is diversified, to make the shape of the fuel tank from simple rectangular one to complicated three-dimensional one. Accordingly, relative positions of the liquid level detecting apparatus and the fuel pump in the fuel tank is also diversified.
However, in the liquid level detecting apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,808, the relative positions of the liquid level detecting apparatus and the fuel pump is limited, because the liquid level detecting apparatus has a construction to be retractable in the fuel pump. That is, the liquid level detecting apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,941,808 cannot be applied to an apparatus that is disposed distant from the fuel pump by a specific length or more.
Further, the liquid level detecting apparatus is formed to be retractable in the fuel tank, so that an outer size of the fuel pump increases, and the size of the opening portion of the fuel tank also increases.
Furthermore, in a case that the liquid level detecting apparatus is installed at a position distant from the conventional opening portion of the fuel tank, it is necessary to form a base of the liquid level detecting apparatus in a large size, to make it difficult to install the liquid level detecting apparatus through the opening portion into the fuel tank.


A fuel injection valve for internal combustion engines, having an associated valve body, wherein the valve body is inserted into the receiving bore of the housing of an internal combustion engine andxe2x80x94by means of a clamping element, which is screwed into an internal thread embodied at the end of the receiving bore remote from the combustion chamber, and a support element disposed in an annular groovexe2x80x94is clamped with an annular shoulder embodied on the valve body against a contact surface embodied in the bore. The inner circumference surface of the clamping element and the outer circumference of the support element are conically embodied so that the axial movement of the clamping element when it is screwed in, exerts a radial force on the support element as a result of which it is pressed with its cylindrical inner circumference surface into the annular groove and as a result, a high axial force can be transmitted to the valve body without high surface pressures occurring as a result.

The invention is based on a fuel injection valve for internal combustion engines according to the preamble to claim 1. A fuel injection valve of this kind has been disclosed by the published, non-examined German patent disclosure DE-OS 2 303 506. The fuel injection valve has an associated valve body which can be comprised of a number of parts. The valve body tapers toward the combustion chamber so that at least one annular shoulder is embodied on its circumference surface and rests against a contact surface embodied in the receiving bore. The valve holding body has an annular groove embodied on it, in which a support element is disposed, which is embodied as a snap ring that is open in at least one location on its circumference. The snap ring is dimensioned so that it protrudes with approximately half of its thickness beyond the valve holding body. At the end of the receiving bore remote from the combustion chamber, there is a clamping element embodied as a union nut which encompasses the valve holding body and, with its external thread, engages in an internal thread embodied on the circumference surface of the receiving bore. At the end of the union nut oriented toward the contact surface, there is a hollow embodied on the inside, which covers over the snap ring. As a result, the union nut is supported against the valve holding body by means of the snap ring and can therefore clamp the valve body with the annular shoulder against the contact surface. Due to a tapered design of the hollow in the union nut, when being clamped in the axial direction, the snap ring is pressed radially against the valve holding body so that the snap ring securely engages the valve holding body. The relatively deep annular groove containing the snap ring represents a weakening of the valve holding body because of the excess stresses brought about by the stress concentration. As regards future fuel injection valves with even higher injection pressures than are currently customary, strength problems can therefore arise in the vicinity of the annular groove. Due to the circular cross section of the snap ring, essentially a linear contact occurs when it is clamped radially against the valve holding body, which leads to high surface pressures and therefore to an additional weakening in this area.
The fuel injection valve for internal combustion engines according to the invention, with the characterizing features of claim 1, has the advantage over the prior art that due to the support element having a cylindrical surface on its inner circumference, when it is radially clamped against the valve holding body, there is a larger contact surface, which permits there to be a low surface pressure. In an embodiment according to the dependent claims 2 to 6, the outer circumference surface of the support element and the inner circumference surface of the clamping element are embodied conically, as a result of which during clamping, a radial force is exerted on the support element, which is embodied as radially elastic. The surface with which the support element contacts the valve holding body can be embodied as very large so that the surface pressure required for fixing the valve holding body turns out to be correspondingly low.
In order to dispose the support element in a definite position in relation to the valve holding body, it is useful to dispose it in an annular groove according to the dependent claims 7 and 8. As a result of the large contact surface of the support element, a depth of the annular groove of a few tenths of a millimeter is sufficient, wherein the annular groove is used essentially to fix the position of the support element before installation of the fuel injection valve in the internal combustion engine. The force transfer in the axial direction takes place by means of the force that can be transferred by means of the conically extending circumference surface with adhesion of the support element on the valve holding body produced by the contact pressure. Due to the only slight narrowing of the wall region by the flat annular groove, there is only a very slight weakening of the valve holding body in this region so that the valve holding body can withstand significantly higher injection pressures. Moreover, it is not necessary to harden the region of the annular groove in the valve holding body in a separate, costly process of the kind that is required when clamping with the aid of a snap ring and the annular groove can be produced at the end of the manufacturing process by means of a simple and inexpensive turning process.

Fuel injection valve for internal combustion engines


A control system for a dual stage turbo includes a control module, a variable geometry turbine (VGT) module, and a bypass valve module. The control module generates a turbo control signal based on an manifold absolute pressure (MAP) and a desired MAP. The VGT module generates a VGT control signal to actuate vanes in a VGT based on the turbo control signal. The bypass valve module generates a bypass control signal based on the turbo control signal and the VGT control signal. The bypass control signal actuates a valve to bypass the VGT.

Internal combustion engines combust an air and fuel mixture within cylinders of the engine to produce drive torque. Engines can include a turbocharger that increases torque output by delivering additional air into the cylinders. Some turbochargers are dual stage turbochargers. Dual stage turbochargers have a high pressure stage and a low pressure stage arranged in series. When the engine is operating at low speeds, exhaust flows through the high pressure stage and then through the low pressure stage. By allowing exhaust to flow through the high pressure stage and then the low pressure stage turbo lag may be reduced. As engine speed increases a bypass valve (BPV) may open bypassing the flow of exhaust through the high pressure stage and allowing the exhaust to flow through the low pressure stage.
Some dual stage turbochargers may use a variable geometry turbine (VGT) in the high pressure stage to further reduce turbo lag. The VGT typically has a set of movable vanes to control pressure of the exhaust flowing through the high pressure stage. At low engine speeds when exhaust flow is low, the vanes are partially closed to accelerate the VGT. Accelerating the VGT increases boost pressure delivered to a compressor in the high pressure stage. As engine speed increases, the vanes are opened to slow down the VGT. Slowing down the VGT prevents the boost pressure from reaching excessive levels.
The BPV and the VGT are typically controlled separately. A lookup table indexed by engine speed and torque is typically used to control the position of the BPV. The VGT is typically controlled with a feedback control system. As a result, the BPV may open before the VGT has fully opened, which is undesirable


An adsorbent pad including an elongated core positioned substantially in the center of the pad, wherein the core protrudes out of the top surface of the pad. The adsorbent pad helps to direct the flow of fluids such as urine and blood to the elongated core, so that the wearer of the pad experiences less leakage of fluids to help with leaks better coverage throughout the use of the pad.

There is a strong need for an update to the sanitary pad and incontinence industries. Nearly every single female will experience issues with the existing design of their feminine pad(s). Also, a staggering number of men and women are experiencing health issues resulting in incontinence. Many of these products have fallen short, from leaking, not being the right size/fit, to not even being absorbent enough. Millions of women suffer from excessive bleeding during their menstrual cycles. This is due to a variety of reasons, such as fibroids, post hysterectomies and menorrhagia (if her cycle is excessively heavy, prolonged, or irregular). This can cause her to soak through a sanitary pad in an hour, for several hours at a time.
These are just a few of the impact these conditions and many more can have on a female's daily routine:                Doubling-up on protection by needing both a sanitary pad and tampon        Wake up during the night because she need to change clothes and bedding.        A lot of clots during her flow.        Periods lasting more than a week.        Can't participate in your normal activities because your flow is too heavy.        Have signs of anemia, which include fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath and dizziness        Inconvenience at work, home or play
Although we can't control the amount or length of the menstrual cycle, we can direct the flow to the pad, where it belongs and not clothes or bedding.
The disclosed impacted cylinder core containing device also addresses incontinence issues that many men and women are experiencing. Currently, over 25 million people in North America alone, experience incontinence. While it is not a symptom of old age, rates of incontinence increase above age 65. With more people developing more and more health issues, such as strokes, infections, nerve damage from diabetes, incontinence is now becoming an epidemic. Incontinence can be caused by a variety of conditions and disorders (many times permanent problems), such as:                Birth defects, pelvic injuries or surgeries, damage to the spinal cord, neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS), infections, and changes that are a result of aging.        Exercising, excessive laughter, coughing, or sneezing.        Often women leak urine when they are pregnant or after they have given birth.        Women who have stopped having their periods-menopause-often report bladder control problems.        Athletes of all ages and genres sometimes have urine leakage during strenuous sports activities.        Obesity


An apparatus for preparing frozen comestibles including a container having an interior portion holding a refrigerant solution, and a mold insert attached to the container. The mold insert includes a base, molding cavities extending therefrom, and a heat exchanger in communication with the molding cavities. The mold insert is received within the container such that the molding cavities are housed within the interior portion of the container and the heat exchangers are submerged within the refrigerant solution. The molding cavities include exposed openings that receive fluids to be frozen. When the refrigerant solution is at a sufficiently cool temperature, the fluids freeze into a shaped frozen comestible.

Though frozen comestibles formed on a stick (such as ice pops, POPSICLES and the like) enjoy wide popularity, they are generally obtainable only through commercial and industrial sources, such as ice cream vendors or grocery stores. There have been few useful convenient devices or processes that have been proposed or introduced for the quick preparation of such food items in the home. While frozen comestibles can be molded and frozen in common refrigerator/freezer units, such methods can take hours for the comestible to form.
There have, by contrast, been many types of modern household ice cream makers introduced. By and large, they use double walled bowls that have heat exchangers and contain liquids with depressed freezing points, such as below 32° Fahrenheit. Ice cream makers typically only freeze liquids directly touching the wall, which is then continuously scraped off and mixed to produce, for example, ice cream or frozen yogurts. Accordingly, such ice cream makers are adapted for those specific comestibles only, and cannot generally be used for making ice pops, POPSICLES and the like.
Accordingly, there is a need for a process and apparatus for conveniently making frozen comestibles on a stick, which overcomes the disadvantages of existing technologies.

Method and apparatus for making frozen comestibles


The invention provides a method and a system for defeating a target containing a flammable or explosive fill and an incendiary penetrating projectile for use in the method and the system. The incendiary penetrating projectile contains a non-detonating incendiary composition that is ignited prior to penetrating a target.

Methods using explosive charges and hypergolic liquids to clear minefields are known. One such system uses a rocket to deploy a line charge that, upon detonation, detonates buried mines. The system is mounted on a trailer, and positioned next to a mine field to be cleared. When the system is triggered, a rocket deploys a flexible cord-like charge of explosive, i.e., the line charge, over the minefield. Detonation of the cord on or near the surface of the minefield substantially clears safe lanes for movement. However, a line charge requires placement of the system in close proximity to the minefield, and is not capable of clearing mines submerged underwater or in a surf zone.
Fuel-air explosives have also been used to detonate buried mines. Multiple rocket salvos that disperse clouds of fuel in the form of a vapor or aerosol that mixes with air are fired from a ground based launch platform above a mine field. Detonation of the fuel-air mixture creates a large pressure pulse to initiate mines under the blast. Timing of the fuel-air cloud initiation is complex, as the fuel-air mixture must be within flammability limits. In addition, the method cannot detonate mines submerged underwater or in a surf zone, and again requires the launch system to be in close proximity to mine field.
Mine field clearing systems that require close proximity to the mine field and cannot clear underwater mines are typically only capable of clearing inland mine fields using troops that are already in place on the ground. Therefore, such systems cannot be used to clear surf zones and beach areas to support amphibious landings.
As a result, high explosive munitions have been used to clear mines for amphibious landings. An area known to contain mines is repeatedly bombarded with high explosive weapons in an attempt to damage, detonate, or otherwise displace the buried mines. The method is highly ineffective, requiring multiple salvos. In addition, such a bombardment is typically not capable of clearing mines submerged underwater or in a surf zone. The method may also damage the landing area, rendering the beach unusable for amphibious operations. The use of high explosive weapons can also result in the additional problem of unexploded ordnance (UXO) when one or more of the weapons fail to detonate.
High velocity projectiles, also known as penetrators, filled with an explosive charge or hypergolic liquid, have recently been developed to defeat mines prior to an amphibious landing. The projectiles are reportedly capable of defeating at least a portion of buried and underwater mines deployed in beaches and surf zones. In addition, the penetrators can be deployed from over the horizon with guided or gun launched munitions to clear landing areas prior to troops being put on the ground.
An explosive filled, high velocity projectile or penetrator is intended to penetrate a mine and detonate after a short delay. The shock from the detonating projectile initiates the mine fill, resulting in a high order detonation or structural failure of the mine. This requires precise fusing, as detonation of the penetrator must occur inside the mine to be effective. Reliable target discrimination and timing are a challenge, as the penetrating projectile is typically initiated by impact with the mine case, which may be made of a wide variety of materials, ranging from soft plastic to hard steel. Where the target is relatively thin or lightly cased, and the projectile velocity is high, the projectile may detonate after passing though the target rather than inside. This may damage the mine without detonating or disabling the device. In addition, where the fusing fails to function on impact, or the target is missed, the penetrator may not initiate, creating an unexploded ordnance issue in the target area. A penetrator containing an explosive fill must also contain a safe and arm (S&A) mechanism to allow for safe handling, transport, and storage. Safe and arm mechanisms reduce reliability, reduce the energetic payload volume of a penetrator for a given size and add significant cost to the penetrator.
A projectile filled with hypergolic liquid is intended to penetrate a mine, and fracture the explosive fill. The payload section, containing the hypergolic liquid, ruptures on impact, allowing the liquid to permeate throughout fractured explosive fill of the mine. The hypergolic liquid reacts chemically with the nitro groups of the explosive fill, generating considerable heat and flame, and, preferably, igniting the explosive fill. The extent of the fracturing of the explosive fill of the mine determines the effectiveness of the hypergolic liquid. Without exposure of a sufficient amount of surface area of the explosive fill to the hypergolic liquid, the energetic material in the mine will not ignite readily and sustain combustion.
In addition, the penetrator must reliably rupture on-target when encountering a variety of mine case materials and overburdens. Typical overburdens of many target devices include water, sand, dirt, wood, or sheet metal. These overburdens offer similar resistance as soft plastic target cases. In addition, where the mine is submerged, water may render the hypergolic liquid ineffective by diluting or washing away the hypergolic liquid before reaction with the explosive fill.
There are also many different energetic fills used in mines. A given hypergolic liquid may be quite effective against one type of energetic fill, but totally ineffective against another. Hypergolic liquids are also extremely toxic, and, thus, pose a handling and storage risk should an unintentional leak or rupture of the penetrator occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,591 reports a device for clearing mines. The device has a housing assembly with a chamber that carries a surface contact chemical reportedly capable of consuming an explosive fill within a mine. A nose assembly, attached to the housing assembly, separates from the housing assembly when the device contacts a solid mass. The nose assembly is reportedly capable of penetrating a mine housing, and contacting the mine explosive fill sufficiently to expose the fill, such that the surface contact chemical can consume the fill. A plurality of the devices reportedly can be used to conduct a mine clearance operation in a surf zone or on a beach.
As discussed above, the extent of the fracturing of the explosive fill of the mine determines the effectiveness of the surface contact chemical. Without exposure of a sufficient amount of surface area of the explosive fill, the energetic material in the mine will not ignite readily and sustain combustion. In addition, the penetrator must reliably rupture on-target when encountering a variety of mine case materials and overburdens, and, where the mine is submerged, water may render the surface contact chemical ineffective by diluting or washing away the chemical before reaction with the explosive fill.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,842 reports a kinetic energy driven projectile for defeating unexploded ordnance or buried land mines. The projectile has a small amount of insensitive high explosive material that is cap sensitive in one tip of the projectile, along with an initiation mechanism. Detonation of the high explosive material reportedly more fully fractures the explosive material within a mine, allowing a neutralization agent to completely react with all of the explosive material within the mine, and consume the entire fill. As discussed above, detonation of the explosive in the projectile must occur inside the mine to be effective.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,175 reports a system and a method for deflagrating/detonating anti-tank and anti-vehicle land mines, beach zone mines, and surf zone mines located in mine belts or individually using delayed active ignition high temperature incendiary flechettes or darts that are dispersed over a target. Each flechette or dart reportedly has a cavity generating nose geometry, active ignition system employing a firing pin approach, reactive fill, body assembly, and tailfins to allow them to penetrate the soil or water overburden of the mine or the mine directly in surface positioned mines to fracture the mine fill and ignite that fill to cause deflagration or detonation using the high temperature incendiary fill contained in the countermine dart. The delayed ignition system ignites the high temperature incendiary fill of the flechette or dart at impact with the plastic or steel-cased mine. The reaction time from the point at which the flechette or dart hits the mine to the point at which the energy is released is on the order of 50 microseconds. Thus, the reported flechette or dart requires impact with the target for ignition.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,073 reports a bellows, spool, and collar system for dispensing projectiles and sub-munitions in a predictable and uniform pattern. The system uses a plurality of spools, packed with projectiles, where the spools are packaged in a missile, bomb, or similar tubular device with an energetic bellows actuator between each spool. The energetic bellows actuator expands rapidly to push a spool of projectiles out of the tubular housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,838 reports a projectile for the destruction of unexploded ordnance. The projectile is a dart filled with a reactive composition of a metal, an oxidizer, and a binder. The reactive composition is carried by the delivery dart to the mine, and is then initiated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,622 reports a projectile for the destruction of unexploded ordnance containing a reactive composition of a metal and an oxidizer. The reactive composition is only initiated after the projectile impacts the mine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,222 reports a projectile and a method for the destruction of normally explosive targets by deflagration that can be used in existing rapid fire guns without modification. The projectile uses a tracer material, ignited when the gun is fired, to ignite an intermetallic material in the projectile. The intermetallic is ignited after the projectile leaves the gun. The projectile is designed to impact the target and distribute hot fragments throughout the high explosive material of the target, causing deflagration.

Mine defeat system and pyrotechnic dart for same


Prior art quiet docking and undocking methods used an interface that was located within the notebook computer, thus adding to the complexity, weight, and power consumption of the notebook computer. The present invention provides for a method for quiet docking and undocking of a notebook computer using interface circuitry located within the docking station. Moreover, the method of the present invention provides for docking and undocking whether the notebook computer is in a powered-on or suspend mode. The notebook computer is docked and undocked to the docking station such that any transaction occurring on the system bus during the docking/undocking sequence is not affected.

Today, notebook (mobile) computers have incorporated many features that were once only available on desktop personal computers. Through the use of a docking station connected to a notebook computer, a user is allowed to access various services usually only available to desktop computers. Thus, when a notebook computer is connected to, or seated in, a docking station, the resulting system resembles a desktop computer.
A notebook computer is typically connected to a docking station through the use of a socket type connection. That is, the notebook computer is inserted into the docking station, and upon such insertion, connects through the use of a mating connector to the docking station. When disengaging the notebook computer from the docking station, the notebook computer is simply removed from the docking station.
One of the major problems with prior art methods of inserting and removing the notebook computer from the docking station is that the user must manually intervene before either the insertion or removal process can be performed.
Therefore, another prior art docking and undocking method uses circuitry that allows a user to insert and remove a notebook computer from a docking station without preconditioning by the user. Thus, even if an application program is running on the notebook computer, the notebook computer can be inserted or removed from the docking station without interruption of the application program.
This prior art system employs an interface, including a docking chip, that resides within the notebook computer that handles insertion and removal algorithms. While this prior art system is advantageous in that it allows docking and undocking without preconditioning, it has the disadvantage of complicating the notebook computer with more circuit components. The more circuit components included within the notebook computer, the higher drain there will be on the battery, the more expensive the notebook is to manufacture, and the larger the notebook computer will become.

Method and apparatus for docking and undocking a notebook computer to and from a docking station while the notebook computer is in an active state


Document, such as web pages of a domain, are annotated to facilitate extracting structured information from the documents. The documents are clustered. Each cluster is such that the documents within that cluster are similar to each other at least with respect to a first threshold, such as according to a shingling metric, where the first threshold is an 8/8 shingling match. There is at least one overlap cluster, each overlap cluster including at least one of the plurality of clusters such that documents of the at least one cluster included in that overlap cluster are similar to each other at least with respect to a second threshold that is lower than the first threshold. A particular overlap cluster is designated, as is a particular cluster of the particular overlap cluster. For the particular designated cluster, an obtained annotation is transferred to other clusters included in the designated particular overlap cluster.

Much of the data available on the world wide web is served from a logically well-organized structured collection of data (such as a relational database). For example, a website to sell event tickets may maintain a table in a database with a schema such as: concert id, artist, price of ticket, availability of tickets, location, time, etc. Typically, though, there is a web page for each event and a master page with links to each event. As another example, a company website that publishes job openings may be maintaining the job data with a schema such as: job id, title, location, qualifications required, and job description. Typically, though, there is a separate web page for each job opening. There may be a master page that links to office locations, which in turn link to each job page.

Reduction of annotations to extract structured web data


A traction battery of a motor vehicle includes a battery housing, and a plurality of battery modules which are arranged in the battery housing. Each battery module has a module housing and battery cells which are accommodated in the respective module housing. At least one particle sensor and/or at least one gas sensor are/is arranged in the battery housing.

A traction battery of a motor vehicle, which is designed as an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, has a battery housing in which a plurality of battery modules are accommodated. Each battery module has a module housing with battery cells which are accommodated in the respective module housing.
DE 10 2018 123 230 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a vehicle comprising a battery, wherein a venting pipe, which is coupled to the battery, lets gas out of the battery outside a vehicle cabin. A gas flow sensor is arranged in the venting pipe in order to measure a flow rate through the venting pipe.
EP 2 289 720 B1, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses an electric vehicle comprising a battery, wherein a gas sensor and/or a gas temperature sensor are/is provided outside the battery in a chamber of the vehicle, which chamber covers an upper section of the battery. Said chamber is connected to a gas outlet duct.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,616,754 B2, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses an apparatus and a method for protecting passengers of a motor vehicle from effects of battery damage, wherein a gas sensor is arranged outside the battery in a battery duct in which the battery is installed.
DE 10 2013 224 745 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a motor vehicle comprising a battery chamber in which a battery is arranged. A battery gas detector, which is designed to detect formation of battery gas in the battery chamber, is provided inside the battery chamber and outside the battery.


The present invention provides processes for crystallization of macrolides, specifically pimecrolimus and tacrolimus.

Macrolides are multi-membered lactone rings having one or more deoxy sugars as substituents. Erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin are macrolides that have bacteriostatic and/or bactericidal activity. Ascomycin, tacrolimus, and Pimecrolimus are also macrolides.
Ascomycin is an immunomodulating macrolactam that reportedly blocks T-cell activation, inhibits cytokine release, and inhibits mast cell activation. "The mechanism of action of ascomycin is very similar to that of cyclosporin and of tacrolimus, although the three compounds have different chemical structures." C. E. Griffiths, Ascomycin: An Advance in the Management of Atopic Dermatitis. 144 Br. J. Dermatol., No. 4,679,679 (April 2001). Ascomycin is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,592, which describes the compound as an antifungal agent. The use of ascomycin as an immunosuppressant is disclosed in European Patent Application No. 323865.
Tacrolimus (FK 506) is a macrolide antibiotic that is also an immunosuppressive agent. More potent than cyclosporin, tacrolimus has a selective inhibitory effect on T-lymphocytes.
Rapamycin is an immunosuppressive lactam macrolide produceable, for example by Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The structure of rapamycin is given in Kesseler, H., et al.; 1993; Helv. Chim. Acta; 76:117. Rapamycin is an extremely potent immunosuppressant and has also been shown to have antitumor and antifungal activity. Its utility as a pharmaceutical, however, is restricted by its very low and variable bioavailability. Moreover, rapamycin is highly insoluble in aqueous media, e.g. water, making it difficult to formulate stable galenic compositions. Numerous derivatives of rapamycin are known. Rapamycin and its structurally similar analogues and derivatives are termed collectively herein as "rapamycins". On oral administration to humans, solid rapamycins, e.g. rapamycin, may not be absorbed to any significant extent into the bloodstream.
Pimecrolimus is an anti-inflammatory compound derived from ascomycin, which is produced by certain strains of Streptomyces. Pimecrolimus is sold in the United States under the brand name ELIDEL®, and is approved for use against atopic dermatitis. The systematic nane of Pimecrolimus is (1R,9S,12S,13R,14S,17R,18E,21S,23S,24R,25S,27R)-12-[(1E)-2-{(1R,3R,4S)-4-chloro-3-methoxycyclohexyl}-1-methylvinyl]-17-ethyl-1,14-dihydroxy-23,25-dimethoxy-13,19,21,27-tetramethyl-11,28-dioxa-4-aza-tricyclo[22.3.1.04,9]octacos-18-ene-2,3,10,16-tetraone. Pimecrolimus is the 32-epichloro derivative of ascomycin. Its empirical formula is C43H68ClNO11, and its molecular weight is 810.47.
The crystalline form of a solid chemical compound (or the lack of a crystalline form) affects many of the compound's properties that are important with respect to formulation as a pharmaceutical. Such properties include, for example, the flowability of the milled solid. Flowability affects the ease with which the material is handled during processing into a pharmaceutical product. When particles of the powdered compound do not flow past each other easily, a formulation specialist must take that fact into account in developing a tablet or capsule formulation, which may necessitate the use of glidants such as colloidal silicon dioxide, talc, starch, or tribasic calcium phosphate.
Another important property of a pharmaceutical compound that may depend on crystallinity is its rate of dissolution in aqueous fluid. The rate of dissolution of an active ingredient in a patient's stomach fluid can have therapeutic consequences since it imposes an upper limit on the rate at which an orally-administered active ingredient can reach the patient's bloodstream. The solid state form of a compound may also affect its behavior on compaction and its storage stability.
These practical physical characteristics are influenced by the conformation and orientation of molecules in the unit cell, which defines a particular crystalline form of a substance. These conformational and orientation factors in turn result in particular intramolecular interactions such that different crystalline forms may give rise to distinct spectroscopic properties that may be detectable by such analytical techniques as powder X-ray diffraction, solid state 13C NMR spectrometry, and infrared spectrometry. A particular crystalline form may also give rise to thermal behavior different from that of the amorphous material or another crystalline form. Thermal behavior is measured in the laboratory by such techniques as capillary melting point, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and can be used to distinguish some crystalline forms from others.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,423,722 discloses crystalline forms of pimecrolimus, such as form A, form B, etc.
The crystalline form of a solid chemical compound (or the lack of a crystalline form) affects many of the compound's properties that are important with respect to formulation as a pharmaceutical. Such properties include, for example, the flowability of the milled solid. Flowability affects the ease with which the material is handled during processing into a pharmaceutical product. When particles of the powdered compound do not flow past each other easily, a formulation specialist must take that fact into account in developing a tablet or capsule formulation, which may necessitate the use of glidants such as colloidal silicon dioxide, talc, starch or tribasic calcium phosphate.
Another important property of a pharmaceutical compound that may depend on crystallinity is its rate of dissolution in aqueous fluid. The rate of dissolution of an active ingredient in a patient's stomach fluid can have therapeutic consequences since it imposes an upper limit on the rate at which an orally-administered active ingredient can reach the patient's bloodstream. The solid state form of a compound may also affect its behavior on compaction and its storage stability.
These practical physical characteristics are influenced by the conformation and orientation of molecules in the unit cell, which defines a particular crystalline form of a substance. These conformational and orientation factors in turn result in particular intramolecular interactions such that different crystalline forms may give rise to distinct spectroscopic properties that may be detectable by such analytical techniques as powder X-ray diffraction, solid state 13C NMR spectrometry, and infrared spectrometry. A particular crystalline form may also give rise to thermal behavior different from that of the amorphous material or another crystalline form. Thermal behavior is measured in the laboratory by such techniques as capillary melting point, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and can be used to distinguish some crystalline forms from others.
The discovery of new crystalline forms of a pharmaceutically useful compound provides a new opportunity to improve the performance characteristics of a pharmaceutical product. It enlarges the repertoire of materials that a formulation scientist has available for designing, for example, a pharmaceutical dosage form of a drug with a targeted release profile or other desired characteristic.
Thus, there is a need in the art for new methods for crystallization of macrolides.

Processes for producing crystalline macrolides

TEVA Gyógyszergyár Zártkörúen Müködö Részvénytársaság


Improved ultrasonic wave propagation in connection with operation of ultrasonic imaging systems is made possible by the method of attenuation leveling. Attenuation leveling allows effective focusing of systems that operate through irregular surfaces that cause uneven attenuation effects. Apparatus is provided to implement this method in clinical applications and research applications. The basic attenuation leveling is accomplished with material that attenuates like the body part to be imaged. The apparatus includes conformal surfaces that are in contact with a patient""s body that serve to prevent direct contact of the body with the attenuating material. It also includes fairing surfaces that modify shape of a patient""s body to enable scanning of surfaces. Alternate devices include stand-off devices and immersion configurations.

1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to creating images by transmitting signals and sensing the effect of objects in the field of view on the signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ultrasonic, or ultrasound, imaging devices depend on signal wavefronts that propagate into the body. A wavefront can be described by connecting points of equal phase at a given point in time to form a surface that is perpendicular to the direction that ray paths propagate. The wavefront emanates from a transducer aperture and is shaped by a combination of the transducer surface shape and phasing of signals from separate elements of the transducer surface. For focused operation, the wavefront converges to a point, except that diffraction prevents perfect convergence. Successive wavefronts act like new sources of the signal that are ever smaller and closer to the focus point. The reverse process similarly applies to reception where signals from a point source cause a wavefront of spherical shape which is ideally received by a spherical surface receiver. The body of knowledge of wave propagation physics is relied on to refine and extend this concept.
Effective system operation requires that signal amplitude along the wavefront be well behaved. Problems arise when attenuation is uneven for different paths such that amplitude variations occur along a wavefront. When a coupling fluid is used to allow waves to travel between a transducer and a body it often happens that uneven attenuation situations are set up. As the wavefront propagates through a medium, where the medium is a combination of coupling fluid and body tissue, different paths can undergo different attenuation processes. Undesirable deviations in amplitude can result. This can change the apparent sidelobe levels. Apparent sidelobes are the actual beam response functions that are caused by the propagation effects in combination with ideal aperture effects. Apparent sidelobes will be simply called sidelobes here. This problem is especially significant for high resolution imaging which depends on large apertures and high frequency signals.
Attenuation means the reduction in signal amplitude other than the reduction that comes from geometric spreading of waves. It is also considered separately from the opposite effect of signal level increase that coming from geometric focusing of waves.
Conventional ultrasound practice tends to involve direct contact of a transducer with the skin. Here the body tissue attenuates signals with uniformity over the ray paths to the degree that body tissue is uniform.
It is known in radio frequency antenna design to control power intensity over the antenna aperture with absorbing materials to achieve the desired radiation pattern. It is also known to taper or weight an aperture, where an aperture is a radiating surface of an array of transducers, to reduce sidelobe response.
It is known in ultrasound clinical practice to couple ultrasound signals from transducers to the body by use of a water stand-off. Hitachi Part Number EZU-WL1 is a water bag attachment where the water volume can be adjusted by a syringe. There is a danger with such water filled accessories because the signals at a focus point are not attenuated for shallow operation as they are naturally for deep operation. Although the power levels can be adjusted, it is an action that could be easily forgotten.
Another accessory for oblique stand-off is Hitachi part number EUP-L53ST which is also water filled.
The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,748 (May 1999) Madsen et al. describes a water bag to couple ultrasonic signals from a transducer to a phantom where the phantom mimicks tissue. This method couples the maximum power to the focal point but may not satisfactorily control sidelobe response for a variety of phantom shapes.
It is also known to use a tank or bath wherein a fluid couples signals between a transducer and a subject of examination. A coupling fluid means that the fluid serves as an ultrasonic transmitting medium. Water is commonly used as the fluid but a variety of other fluids are used to enable signal coupling. Castor oil is known to match fat for speed of propagation, thus preventing refraction at a boundary. Johnson and Johnson baby oil is also known as a good match for breast tissue. Like water stand-offs in clinical practice, this method couples the maximum amount of power intensity to the focal point but it may not necessarily produce the desired control of sidelobe response.
It is known to produce tissue mimicking materials for use in forming ultrasound phantoms. U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,748 (May 1999) Madsen et al. discloses useful recipes for making materials that attenuate and propagate as necessary to represent human body parts.
It is known in manufacturing of composite materials to vacuum bag an assembly to remove air bubbles and cause flexible surfaces to mutually conform to each other.
Subjects of examination by ultrasound are commonly human or animal. Other uses are known in other fields.
Referenced documents, in entirety, are incorporated herein. They contribute to the description of the present invention, but in case of conflict, the present document takes precedence.
A general object is to realize maximum resolution benefits of large aperture, high frequency ultrasonic imaging apparatus by utilizing an attenuation leveling method. This method provides controlled attenuation over propagation paths so that signals are at desired amplitudes over wavefronts. This would be able to accommodate different human tissue types. The same applies to animal tissue.
An object is to provide a signal transmission method that is generally useful in clinical practice or laboratory experimental procedure.
An object is to provide safety in ultrasound imaging without causing undue reduction in level of transmitted signals from transducers.
An object is to provide flexible surfaces that comfortably conform to body parts.
An object is to provide shallow viewing near the skin surface.
An object is to establish a fairing surface that enables effective scanning by transducer motion.
An object is to establish a fairing surface that simplifies control of signal amplitudes that are transmitted from various transducer elements.
An object is to establish a fairing surface that shapes body parts to an acceptable degree so as to enable variations between subjects to be accommodated.
An object is to enable treatment access simultaneously with real time imaging.
An object is to establish a laboratory method where uniform wavefronts are maintained by using attenuating material to fill in paths between body parts and transducers.
An object is to provide pre-compensation to balance attenuation variations over different paths.
An object is to enable sidelobe control using tapered or weighted amplitude distribution functions.
An object is to combine attenuation compensation with lens functions.
An object is to utilize these methods in industrial inspection and other fields that involve wave front propagation.
Further objects of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.
The invented method is called attenuation leveling and the invented apparatus enables this method. The basic method involves use of attenuating fluid to maintain a desired amplitude distribution over the surface of a signal wavefront as the wavefront travels between a transducer and human tissue.
A combination including a fairing surface, a conformal surface, and special coupling fluid is devised to convert a human body surface into a surface that is more amenable to high quality ultrasound imaging.
The present invention is a general method that relates to development of materials disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,748 (May 1999) Madsen et al. as the invention of eye glasses relates to development of clear glass. The present invention relates to use of water filled stand-off devices as the development of eye glasses relates to glass windows.
This invention can be described as a drum where one end of the drum has a thin rubber sheet fastened to one end of the cylindrical shell of the drum. The other end of the drum has a sheet of Mylar drawn tightly over the other end. The cylindrical shell of the drum is actually a tapered cylinder, that is, a hollow cone. This forms a container that is filled with attenuating fluid that attenuates at the same rate per cm per MHz. as does the body part that is to be examined. The rubber sheet conforms to the body part. The Mylar sheet remains planar. A transducer operating outside the drum through the Mylar sheet will produce the same signal amplitude at the focus point regardless of its lateral position. A coupling fluid efficiently transfers signals from the transducer to the Mylar sheet surface. This would be in a container formed on the opposite side of the Mylar sheet. Better control of the wavefront will be achieved by making this coupling fluid an attenuating coupling fluid. This will give a capability to move the transducer axially while still maintaining the same power intensity at the focus point and maintaining the quality of the focus.
Detailed features include a vacuum method to improve adherence and coupling between human skin surfaces and the rubber sheet and fluid pressure control. Both the Mylar and the rubber sheet are thin such that they have no effect on signal propagation.
An immediate system application involves a transducer that is mechanically scanned. This system enables breast imaging where a variety of breast sizes and shapes can be accommodated. Mechanical scanning is facilitated by the fairing surface formed by the taut Mylar sheet.
Another variation is a pre-compensating attenuating pad that allows for variations in the fluid in which the transducer is immersed. Pre-compensation is an uneven way to control attenuation because wavefronts are allowed to be uneven in amplitude over different successive positions and this can give rise to scattering effects.
Variations include use of conventional, hand held ultrasound transducers with fluid filled cushions that are thin walled, rubber pouches that are filled from a reservoir or with a syringe. In such cases, the fluid is an attenuating fluid such as evaporated milk. Fluids vary to suit the applicable tissue type. Fluids can be gels or other firm or solid materials as desired.
Safety is improved over conventional water stand-off methods since the power level transmitted can be kept at the maximum level needed for deep penetration.
Other variations exclude the fairing function. These include a fluid bath wherein both a transducer and a subject of examination are immersed and the fluid is an attenuating fluid that enables uniform amplitude wavefront.
The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents and not by the examples and variations given. Actual medical practice would be expected to result in many variations of this concept.

Attenuation leveling method and apparatus for improved ultrasonic wave propagation


A two-piece fitting for corrugated tubing having a body and one or more snap rings. Each snap ring is securely housed within the body near an opening to an inner area of the body. A plurality of first and second slots can extend in opposing directions through a ring wall of the snap ring. The first slots can, at least in part, define ring fingers having retention projections, and which are configured to provide an inwardly directed spring force at least at a first end of the snap ring. The second slots extend into at least some of the ring fingers, and can provide a second end of the snap ring with a generally outwardly directed spring force. An inner surface of the snap ring can be outwardly tapered at the second end of the snap ring to reduce the force used to insert the tube through the snap ring.

Tubes can be mechanically coupled to other tubes or fittings in a variety of manners, including for example, by mechanical fasteners. At times, at least certain types of mechanical fasteners can present difficulties, or at least temporarily interfere, with the ability to securely insert a tube into a mating fitting. Often such difficulties can be overcome by application of relatively large insertion forces being exerted against the tubing and/or fitting. Yet, having to resort to the use of such relatively large insertion forces can increase the overall difficulty, and time associated with, installing assemblies having such tubings and fittings, as well as place undue burdens on the installer(s). Further, in at least some situations, such relatively high insertion forces can enhance the possibility of damaging the tubing and/or fitting, which can result in undesired breaches or interruptions in the resulting coupling or connection. Use of such relatively high insertion forces can also lead to damaging the tubing and/or fitting, which may necessitate the replacement of one or more of those components, thereby further increasing installation costs.
Additionally, at least certain types of fasteners utilized with fittings can fail to provide sufficient strength to prevent subsequent disconnection between the tube and the fitting. For example, at least certain types of mechanical fasteners can provide insufficient retention force, and thus the associated connection between the tubing and mating fitting can be susceptible to disconnection via the tube being pulled out of the fitting. Further, attempts to overcome such deficiencies are often directed to overbuilding the fastener, which can result in higher costs for the fastener and/or associated fitting.
Accordingly, although various mechanical fasteners for use with fittings are available currently in the marketplace, further improvements are possible to provide various types of fittings having a mechanical fastener(s) that can accommodate a tube being inserted into the mating fitting using relatively low insertion forces, while also providing ample force to prevent subsequent disconnection between the tube and the fitting.