A cooling system circulates a coolant between an engine, an inverter and a radiator to cool the engine and the inverter. A driving mode of the vehicle can be changed between an EV-mode in which the vehicle is driven only by the motor and an HV-mode in which the vehicle is driven by at least one of the motor and the engine. When a driving mode is EV-mode, a coolant temperature is increased to cool the inverter. In the EV-mode, a vehicle is driven by motor only. When the inverter temperature is increased, the allowable current of the inverter can be increased and an allowable output of a motor can be increased.

A hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle have been developed to reduce emission and improve fuel economy. In such a hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle, the direct current voltage of a battery is changed into the alternating voltage by an inverter to drive a motor. JP-2008-5615A shows a system which avoids overheat of the inverter. In this system, the coolant is circulated between the inverter and the radiator. When the temperature of the inverter exceeds a predetermined threshold, the motor is controlled to reduce the output torque.
Since the hybrid vehicle has an engine and a motor, an engine cooling system and an inverter cooling system are necessary.
Moreover, a plug-in hybrid vehicle has been developed. In the plug-in hybrid vehicle, a motor driving period (EV mode) is longer than a normal hybrid vehicle. Thus, the motor should output higher power to improve the power performance in the EV mode. However, such a high power motor and inverter increase manufacturing cost of the vehicle.


The invention relates to a transmitting and receiving arrangement for radios having a baseband component and a radio-frequency component that are connected via an interface for interchanging payload data. The interface includes a bidirectional data link that can be operated in a half-duplex mode for transmission of digital payload data to be transmitted from the baseband component to the radio-frequency component and for transmission of received digital payload data from the radio-frequency component to the baseband component.

Within transmitting and receiving arrangements in mobile stations, modulators and demodulators are used which modulate the data to be transmitted onto a radio-frequency carrier oscillation, and demodulate them for reception, in accordance with standardized modulation and demodulation methods. One of these mobile radio standards is the TD-SCDMA (Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) Standard.
For simplicity, the TD-SCDMA method can be described as a combination of the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) method and the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) method. The transmission time is subdivided into time slots in the TD-SCDMA method in precisely the same way as in the GSM method. Furthermore, the data to be transmitted from a transmitter is coded using orthogonal code words in the sense of a code-division multiplexing method, with the TD-SCDMA method being characterized by a chip rate of 1.28 MHz. The orthogonal spread coding makes it possible for a number of users to transmit and to receive on the same frequency at the same time.
In the case of the TD-SCDMA method, the transmission and reception of signals by a subscriber do not take place at the same time, and, instead of this, a subscriber transmits and receives during different time slots. This so-called half-duplex method has the advantage that the transmitting and receiving arrangements do not need to be designed to be as complex. A further advantage of the TD-SCDMA method is that the data rates need not be symmetrical for the two transmission directions.
Further information relating to the TD-SCDMA Standard can be found in the TD-SCDMA specification "China Wireless Telecommunication Standard (CWTS); 3G digital cellular telecommunications system; TD-SCDMA System for Mobile (TSM); Radio transmission and reception (Release 3)", CWTS TSM 05.05 V.3.0.0 (2002-08).
Generally, the modulators and demodulators in transmitting and receiving arrangements in mobile stations comprise a baseband component and a radio-frequency component. During transmission, the baseband component uses digital signal processing to create a generally complex signal, which complies with the standard, from the data to be transmitted, wherein complex signal is shifted to radio frequency by the radio-frequency component and is transmitted via the antenna as a real signal after suitable amplification. During reception, the received payload data is demodulated in a corresponding form by the radio-frequency component to form a complex signal. The received data is then processed further in the baseband component.
Owing to the different physical requirements for the baseband and radio-frequency components, these functional units are generally produced in separate integrated circuits using different production technologies. In the transmission direction, the modulated baseband signal must be passed in a suitable form to the radio-frequency component. In the reception direction, the demodulated radio-frequency signal must be passed in a suitable form to the baseband component. A suitable interface must be provided between the baseband component and the radio-frequency component for this purpose.
In this case, the transmission between the baseband component and the radio-frequency component is normally in analogue form. However, this has the disadvantage that analogue components are also required both in the baseband component and in the radio-frequency component, which is disadvantageous, for example, bearing in mind the progress in digital semiconductor technologies.
In conventional mobile stations that are based on the TD-SCDMA Standard, a complex analogue signal, represented by a real and an imaginary part, is produced in a hybrid baseband module (mixed signal module) which has both digital and analogue circuit components, and, in order to achieve as high a signal transmission quality as possible, is transmitted to the radio-frequency assembly in the form of differential analogue signals, and is received by the radio-frequency assembly. Those circuit parts that are required for production and transmission of the differential signals in particular occupy a significant proportion of the chip area and are not required for the actual signal processing. As a result of the analogue transmission, the interface is also sensitive to radiated interference and noise, and requires four analogue line connections just for the transmission of the payload information.
In addition to the payload information, configuration information and synchronization information is transmitted via various analogue and digital control lines and via a serial bus, thus resulting in further lines.
The German Laid-Open Specification DE 100 35 116 A1 describes a conventional analogue radio-frequency interface for dual-standard baseband chips in mobile radios.

Transmitting receiving arrangement for TD-SCDMA mobile radios


The present invention relates to a nectarine tree, Prunus persica, and more particularly to a new and distinct variety broadly characterized by a medium size, medium vigor, self-fertile, productive and regular bearing tree. The fruit matures under the ecological conditions described approximately the third week in June, with first picking on Jun. 20, 1997. The fruit is uniformly large in size, sub-acidic in flavor, globose in shape, freestone in type, very firm in texture, and nearly full red in skin color. The variety was a first generation cross using `Ruby Diamond` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,918) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed white flesh nectarine seedling as the selected pollen parent.

In a continuing effort to improve the quality of fresh market and shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of nectarine and peach seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally `Candy White`. The present variety was developed by us in 1992 in a cultivated area of our experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). It was a first generation cross using `Ruby Diamond` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,918) nectarine as the selected seed parent and unnamed white flesh nectarine seedling as the selected pollen parent. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of Nemaguard Rootstock, the standard of the stone fruit industry in central California, upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The fruit produced by the present variety is most similar to the `June Pearl` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,360), by producing white flesh nectarines that are sub-acidic in flavor, firm in texture, almost full red in skin color, and virtually free from red texture bleeding, but is distinguished therefrom and an improvement thereon by producing fruit that ripens nine days later, that is sweeter in flavor, and that is freestone in type instead of clingstone.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, `Ruby Diamond` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,918) by producing nectarines that are large sized, freestone, very firm, and nearly full red in skin color, but is very distinguished by producing fruit that is white flesh instead of yellow flesh, and that is sub-acidic in flavor instead of acidic.


An expandable trailer for transporting and using exercise equipment on the expanded trailer platform, comprising a boxcar shaped trailer mounted on wheels with a hitch for connecting to a motor vehicle. The boxcar walls are hingedly connected to the floor and pivotally open, extending the boxcar platform. Preferred embodiments include truss systems mounted to the platform equipped with cylinder type braces or pulleys that facilitate manually or automatically opening and closing the boxcar walls.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to expansible trailers adaptable to provide increased usable floor area, and relates more particularly to expansible trailers adaptable for use as a mobile gym.
2. Description of Related Art
Expandable trailers are not new. However, up to now, expandable trailers have been cumbersome to use, complicated to make, and expensive to build. A typical prior art example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,755 to Steffens. In the Steffens patent the roof, walls, and floor of the structure are interconnected by a sophisticated arrangement of fastening elements, which are hydraulically or pneumatically controlled and operated. Design and assembly of the structure disclosed in the Steffens patent requires a fair amount of precision among interconnected parts. An error in arrangement of one element renders the entire structure inoperable. The precision design demands of the Steffens patent drives up manufacturing costs. Manufacture of the typical expansible trailer, in general, exceeds the purchase price of most motor vehicles (such as heavy duty pick up trucks) required to tow such trailers. An object of the present invention is to develop an expansible trailer, the manufacturing costs of which are in the range of the retail purchase price of a typical heavy duty conventional trailer.
The mobile gym disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,267 to Talucci appears simplistic. The Talucci patent discloses a trailer with expandable side panels which are lowered and raised by spring tensioning means, the construction and operation of which are very simple. However, the spring tensioning means themselves obstruct the usable area of the expanded floor. The Talucci patent is very simple to make and operate but does not disclose a simple means for maximizing the usable area of the expanded floor. An object of the present invention is to provide an expandable trailer that maximizes the usable area of the expanded floor, and whose operation is simple. Another object is to develop an expansible trailer whose walls are easily extended and retracted by a single person and in a substantially short time. An additional object of the present invention is to develop an expansible trailer, the manufacturing costs of which are in the range of the purchase price of a typical heavy duty conventional trailer.

Portable outdoor weight training platform


A valve actuator including a body, a rotatable drive screw having an external thread over at least a portion of its length and extending through the body and projecting out at least one side of the body. An internally threaded member is captured on the drive screw on the interior of the body, the member being held against rotation during rotation of the drive screw, so as to cause the member to travel along a length of the drive screw as the drive screw is rotated in both a first and second rotational direction. At least one sleeve having an abutment surface engagable by the member upon a sufficient rotation of the drive screw in one of the two directions. The sleeve surrounds the drive screw and may be axially adjustable relative to the drive screw from the exterior of the body. The sleeve may be threadingly engaged with the drive screw and slidingly carried in the body such that a load created by the threaded member pressing against the abutment surface of the sleeve is transferred from the sleeve to the drive screw as a tensile load.

The present invention generally relates to actuators for valves, for example external actuators for valves such as butterfly valves.
Actuators for valves, such as butterfly valves, are well known. In some arrangements, a drive screw is rotated to cause a traveling nut to move a crank arm attached to the valve axle to rotate the valve member into and out of engagement with the valve seat.
In the case of a butterfly valve, the valve member is rotated approximately 90 degrees between an open position and a closed position. The precise closed position may change over time as the valve seat wears, or as conditions require greater or lesser closing force of the valve member against the valve seat. Typically some type of abutment occurs between the traveling nut and a fixed nut carried on the drive screw, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 29,253 and 3,147,766, or between the crank arm and an adjustable stop, such as a screw projecting through a wall of the actuator body, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,120.
Screws projecting through the actuator body are not useful for large valves in that the torques required to close the valve either cause failure of the body wall at the location of the screw penetration, or require an overly thick wall at the penetration point, increasing the cost of the actuator.
The use of adjustable stop nuts located in the interior of the actuator body requires the body to be opened to make adjustments to the stop positions. Usually the interior of the actuator body is filled with grease making the adjustment a messy operation, but also, the operation is time consuming in that the actuator body must be opened, the nut located and cleaned to provide access, a locking pin must be located and driven out of the openings where it is located, generally in tight quarters, the nut rotated to a new position, the pin re-driven into the openings, again in tight quarters, grease repacked into the interior, and then the body being sealed closed. This is often a trial and error process requiring the body to be opened more than once.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,378 discloses a sleeve 36, secured axially in place on the drive shaft 13 by stop collars 43 and 44. The sleeve 36, and drive shaft 13 are held in an exteriorly adjustable position by a setscrew 41. The setscrew 41 may be loosened to allow an axial repositioning of both the sleeve 36 and the drive shaft 13, but does not allow for adjustment of the sleeve relative to the drive shaft from the exterior of the body. The setscrew 41 must hold against the closing force of the nut 16 driven by the drive shaft 13, however, a side pressing setscrew is not capable of providing support against 450 ft-lbs of load often created in closing large butterfly valves. Further, the setscrew 41 transfers the load created by the press of the nut 16 against the collar 43 directly to the fixed support portion 35 of the housing 20, requiring a substantially thickened housing wall.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,253 provides a collar 60 which defines an end stop 66 for the operating nut 100 carried on the operating shaft 28. The collar 60 is exteriorly adjustable, relative to the housing 26 via a threaded connection 58 with the housing, however, the collar is positionally fixed relative to the operating shaft 28 via a retainer nut 80 holding a stem bushing member 76 against the collar, with the stem bushing member being pinned to the operating shaft 28 at 78. Thus, when the position of the collar 60 relative to the housing 26 is changed, the axial position of the operating shaft 28 is also changed, and the axial position of the collar cannot be adjusted relative to the operating shaft from the exterior. Further, the load created by the operating nut 100 pressing against the collar 60 or the stop 50 is transferred directly to the housing 26 via the threaded connection 58 of the collar with the housing.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,146,050, 3,262,535 and 1,406,748 show various types of externally adjustable sleeves for different types of valves.


Repeaters are arranged at arbitrary positions to substantially improve transmission speed of a signal. In the semiconductor integrated circuit device 1, repeater regions 10 where repeaters are provided as relay points for wiring are provided in the central parts of the core power source regions 2, 3 and 5, on the left side of the core power source regions 4 to 8 and at the upper and lower parts of the semiconductor integrated circuit device 1. A power switch region for repeater 11 is formed so as to surround the core power source regions 2 to 8 and the repeater regions 10. The power source lines of the reference potential connected to the repeater regions 10 are laid out at equally spaced intervals throughout the core power source regions 2 to 8, which enables the repeater regions 10 to be flexibly laid out. This permits the repeaters to be more effectively arranged, which improves the performances of semiconductor integrated circuit device 1.

The present invention relates to a technique to sophisticate a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and in particular, to a technique effective for improvement in transmission speed in a semiconductor integrated circuit device including power source regions supplied with a plurality of power source voltages.
Of late years cellular phones have been popularized as one of means of mobile communications, of which functions have required to be diverse. For example, there are very strong demands for low power consuming semiconductor integrated circuit devices used in cellular phones.
It has been known that low power consumption techniques used in semiconductor integrated circuit devices include one in which, for example, core power source regions supplied with different voltage levels are divided and power is ON/OFF controlled for each divided region.
A power switch is provided for each core power source region. The power switches are provided so as to surround the core power source regions and are connected between each core power source region and reference potential VSS.
The power switch connects an arbitrary core power source region to reference potential VSS and disconnects an arbitrary core power source region from reference potential VSS on the basis of a control signal to turn on/off power supply.
When signals are transmitted to or received from different core power source regions, a repeating buffer, so-called repeater is provided to repeat wires long in length, preventing electrical signal characteristics from being deteriorated.
Power source technique of this type in a repeating buffer for repeating signals between core power source regions includes one in which, for example, another power except for power supplied for a buffer-inserted block is supplied for the signal repeating buffer to realize power control for each layout block while securing power supply to an inter-block signal repeating buffer (refer to Patent Document 1).
(Patent Document 1): Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-78009


A method and system for managing inventory under price protection plan determine an inventory replenishment plan for one or more goods considering a price protection agreement including at least length of price protection between at least two supply chain partners in a supply chain having decentralized control over a predetermined time period.

Price protection is a common business practice intended to counteract the effects of high technological obsolescence. For example, in high-technology industries where the risk of technological obsolescence is high, price protection has become a standard element of contracts between manufacturers (OEMs) and distributors or retailers. Distributors perceive price protection as a fair and necessary mechanism through which manufacturers (OEMs) decrease the effects of brutal price erosion on operations of distributors. To exercise a price protection contract, an OEM evaluates its distributors' purchases over the price protection period at the time of a price change, and compares the purchase quantity to the distributor's current inventory holdings. Whichever is smaller is the price protected quantity. The OEM issues the distributor a credit equal to the product of that quantity and the price decrease.
The following illustrates a simple example of how price protection works. A computer distributor places an order for 100 server computers at $800 per unit. There is a price protection contract with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), with the price protection period being 4 weeks. At the end of 3 weeks, the distributor is left with 30 units after a demand of 70 units is satisfied. At this point, the OEM reduces the wholesale price to $700 per unit, reducing the value of the distributor's inventory by $100 per unit. The price protected quantity is the unsold inventory of 30 units as it is lower than the 100 units ordered within the last 4 weeks. The price protection credit given to the distributor is the product of the unsold inventory and the price decrease, or $3,000 dollars in this example.
Previous studies on price protection contracts have considered only a single-period setting using parallels to buy-back contracts. Those studies do not address price protection in a natural multi-period setting. In addition, while known methodologies have addressed optimizing inventory stocking levels at a distributor location, those methodologies do not consider the effects of price protection on the stocking decision. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a method and system that capture time-dynamics of price protection programs in inventory stocking or replenishment.

Method for managing inventory under price protection

International Business Machines Corporation


In the improved thermal recording method in which image data supplied from an image data supply source are subjected to specified image processing jobs and in which a thermal head is driven in accordance with the processed image data so as to perform thermal recording, image processing jobs are performed in a specified order such that sharpness correction and tone correction are followed by shading correction and correction of resistance values which, in turn are followed by compensation for temperature elevation, provided that calculation treatment of respective values of the image data for the compensation for temperature elevation is performed either prior to or after either one of the corrections that are performed subsequent to the tone correction. It is preferred that black ratio correction and/or load variation correction are also performed after the shading correction and the correction of resistance values, and prior to the compensation for temperature elevation. The improved thermal recording apparatus is used to carry out the thermal recording method described above. According to these apparatus and method, high quality images can be recorded consistently.

This invention relates a thermal recording method using a thermal head. This invention also relates to a thermal recording apparatus.
Thermal recording materials comprising a thermal recording layer on a substrate such as a film, which are hereunder referred to as thermal materials, are commonly used to record the images produced in diagnosis by ultrasonic scanning.
This recording method, commonly referred to as thermal image recording, eliminates the need for wet processing and offers several advantages including convenience in handling. Hence, the use of the thermal image recording system is not limited to small-scale applications such as diagnosis by ultrasonic scanning and an extension to those areas of medical diagnoses such as CT, MRI and X-ray photography where large and high quality images are required is under review.
As is well known, thermal image recording involves the use of a thermal head having a glaze in which heat-generating elements are arranged in one direction and, with the glaze a little pressed against the thermal material (thermal recording layer), the thermal material is relatively moved in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the glaze extends, and the respective heat-generating elements of the glaze are heated imagewise by energy application to heat the thermal recording layer of the thermal material, thereby accomplishing image reproduction.
In such a thermal recording apparatus, the image processing unit receives image data from an image data supply source such as CT or MRI diagnosis apparatus, and subjects these image data to specified image processing (compensation) jobs, such as sharpness correction, tone correction and the like, to obtain data for the image to be thermally recorded. The thermal head is driven according to these thermal recording image data to heat the respective heat-generating elements, whereupon the image in accordance with the image data supplied from the image data supply source is thermally recorded.
The image processing jobs performed in the image processing unit of the thermal recording apparatus include specifically sharpness correction for edge enhancement of the image; tone correction for producing an appropriate image in accordance with the gamma (.gamma.-) value of the thermal material and individual differences of the thermal recording apparatus; compensation for temperature elevation for adjusting the energy of heat generation in accordance with the temperature of the heat-generating elements; shading correction for correcting the uneven density caused by the shape variability and other factors of the glaze on the thermal head; correction of resistance values for correcting differences between the resistance values of the individual heat-generating elements; and black ratio correction for ensuring that image data representing the same density will yield a color of the same density in spite of the variation in the drop of supply voltage to the thermal head due to the change in the pattern of the images to be recorded; and load variation correction for correcting the stripe-shaped unevenness in density due to the friction force variation in the interface between the thermal material and the thermal head in accordance with the recording density.
In image recording apparatus, image data are usually supplied as numerical data and this is also the case with thermal recording apparatus; image data are supplied as numerical data, say, 10-bit digital data from an image data supply source and subjected to various kinds of image processing jobs such as multiplication of the image data by coefficients of corrections and averaging of the image data.
However, if more than one kind of such image processing jobs that involve direct change of image data are performed, appropriate image processing jobs cannot be accomplished depending on the order of processing and the intended effects of corrections cannot be attained but only reduced image quality of recorded images will sometimes result, thus failing to produce images of the desired quality.
Such a reduced quality of the recorded images can be a serious problem in applications that require the recording of high quality images. Especially, in the applications that require high quality images such as the above-stated medical applications, the reduction in image quality is an obstacle to the viewing of the correct image, potentially leading to a wrong diagnosis.

Method and apparatus for thermal recording


A device for preventing foam or air bubbles from accumulating in a measuring zone of a turbidity sensor connected in a wash-water circuit of a dishwasher or washing machine includes a main flow conduit and a bypass conduit connected to the main flow conduit. The bypass conduit includes a first conduit section branching off from the main flow conduit, a second conduit section leading back into the main flow conduit at a junction, and an enlarged region of reduced flow velocity connected upstream of the junction. The enlarged region provides the measuring zone for the turbidity sensor, and includes a curved baffle and a downward-facing bulbous protuberance opposite the baffle so as to form a backflow region. The measuring zone is located within the backflow region in the bulbous protuberance.

In modern, water-using household appliances, in particular, in program-controlled dishwashers, turbidity sensors are used to optimize the wash-program sequence. Ideally, during a measuring interval, a turbidity sensor which, in particular, is configured with optical means sends signals to an evaluation device provided in the appliance, these signals including signals representative of the degree of discoloration or of the transparency of the wash water as well as signals representative of the number of dirt particles detected in the wash water during the measuring interval. Based on the degree of discoloration and the number of dirt particles, the evaluation device then calculates the degree of turbidity which, in turn, influences the program sequence of the appliance. However, in practice, it turned out that the measuring zone of the turbidity sensor is also traversed by air bubbles and foam. However, the turbidity sensor cannot differentiate between air bubbles and dirt particles. Therefore, the turbidity sensor sends faulty signals for the number of dirt particles to the evaluation device, making it more difficult to calculate an exact degree of turbidity. A comparable problem occurs in washing machines when foam bubbles increasingly accumulate in the washing liquid.
In the earlier German Patent DE 100 59 112 C1, the applicant proposed to solve these problems by moving the circulating wash water at a reduced flow velocity within a measuring zone. In this connection, the measuring zone, together with the turbidity sensor, is disposed in a horizontally extending wash water conduit section which continuously widens upward with respect to the horizontal plane and forms a stilling section for the fluid flow. In the space of reduced flow velocity, it is possible for air bubbles to accumulate in a plane above the measuring zone and to be removed with the flow.
However, this approach was found to have the disadvantage that when the circulating pump moving the wash water operates at full flow, the dwell time of the wash water in the stilling section is very short so that there are still some air bubbles and foam passing through the measuring zone.
In German Patent DE 101 46 641 C1, the applicant proposed to solve the problem by a device having a main flow conduit and a parallel bypass conduit which is connected to the main flow conduit and features an enlarged region of reduced flow velocity in which is located the measuring zone for the turbidity sensor.
This was an improvement over the prior art described earlier, but tests have shown that, occasionally, there are still air bubbles traversing the measuring zone during the washing operation.

Device for a turbidity sensor for a dishwasher or washing machine


To a frequency divider having a reset function, a second clock of a frequency N×Y times higher than that of a first clock is inputted. Upon receipt of a signal indicating that the stop of the input clock is detected by a start/stop detection circuit, the frequency divider having a reset function resets the dividing of a frequency. Then, upon receipt of a signal indicating that the resumption of the input clock is detected by the start/stop detection circuit, the frequency divider generates and inputs a third clock to a phase comparator by starting the dividing of a frequency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a PLL circuit used in a digital device such as an optical transmission device or a mobile communications device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A PLL circuit is heretofore known, which generates and outputs, based on a predetermined clock originating from an input clock, an output clock of a frequency N times (where N is a positive integer including 1) higher than that of the predetermined clock. This PLL circuit is a circuit, which is favorably incorporated into a digital device such as an optical transmission device or a mobile communications device, and which generates a basic clock required for the digital device.
The purpose of having a PLL circuit in a digital device is to convert a frequency of a clock, which is inputted to the PLL circuit, into a frequency required for the digital device. In addition, a PLL circuit is also used for the purpose of suppressing noise which is superimposed on a clock to be an input. Moreover, even in a state where a clock is not inputted to the PLL circuit, in a digital device, the PLL circuit is also used as a circuit for supplying a clock to a digital circuit which requires a clock to be continuously supplied thereto. This is because the PLL circuit generates a clock of a predetermined frequency without discontinuing a generation of an output clock.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional PLL circuit using an active filter.
A PLL circuit 100 shown in FIG. 5 is provided with a frequency divider 101. The frequency divider 101 generates a first clock CLK1 by dividing an input clock CLKIN by M (where M is a positive integer not less than 1).
In addition, the PLL circuit 100 is provided with a phase comparator 102 to which the first clock CLK1 and a third clock CLK3 to be described later are inputted. This phase comparator 102 compares a phase of the first clock CLK1 with that of the third clock CLK3. Then, the phase comparator 102 outputs a phase comparison result signal POUT corresponding to a phase difference between these first and third clocks CLK1 and CLK3.
Moreover, the PLL circuit 100 is provided with a pre-filter 103, an active filter 104 and a post-filter 105. The pre-filter 103 is configured of a resistive element 103a and a capacitor element 103b. The active filter 104 is configured of a resistive element 104a, an operational amplifier 104b, a resistive element 104c, a capacitor element 104d and a power supply section 104e. The resistive element 104c and the capacitor element 104d are connected between an input and an output of the operational amplifier 104b, and form an integration circuit. The power supply section 104e generates a reference voltage. Furthermore, the post-filter 105 is configured of a resistive element 105a and a capacitor element 105b. It should be noted that the pre-filter 103 and the post-filter 105 are provided for the purpose of removing a signal of a further higher frequency component than a signal of a high frequency component to be removed by the active filter 104, in the phase comparison result signal POUT to be outputted from the phase comparator 102.
Furthermore, the PLL circuit 100 is provided with a voltage controlled type oscillator 106. This voltage controlled type oscillator 106 outputs a second clock CLK2 of a frequency N times (where N is a positive integer including 1) higher than that of the first clock CLK1, upon receipt of a control input signal CNT to be described later. The second clock CLK2 is outputted to the outside thereof as an output clock CLKOUT via a buffer 107 while being inputted to a frequency divider 108 as well.
The frequency divider 108 outputs the third clock CLK3 by dividing a frequency of the second clock CLK2 by N. The third clock CLK3 is inputted to the phase comparator 102.
In the PLL circuit 100 configured in the manner described above, a phase comparison result signal POUT corresponding to the phase difference between the first CLK1 and the third CLK3 is outputted from the phase comparator 102. The phase comparison result signal POUT is then inputted to one end of the operational amplifier 104b via the pre-filter 103. The operational amplifier 104b obtains a voltage by causing the integration circuit to integrate an output voltage from the operational amplifier 104b and to feed back the result of the integration operation, the integration circuit being configured of the resistive element 104c and the capacitor element 104b. The operation amplifier 104b extracts a low frequency component of the phase comparison result signal POUT by comparing the obtained voltage with the reference voltage inputted to the other end of the operational amplifier 104b. Then, the operation amplifier 104b inputs the low frequency component of the phase comparison result signal POUT, as a control input signal CNT, to the voltage controlled type oscillator 106 via the post-filter 105. As described above, in the PLL circuit 100, the phase comparison result signal POUT, which is a phase error signal corresponding to the difference between the first clock CLK1 and the third clock CLK3, is reflected in a control input signal CNT of a level of a direct current, which is inputted to the voltage controlled type oscillator 106. By this reflection, a loop operation is performed so that the phases of the first clock CLK1 and the third clock CLK3 can be matched with each other. By this loop operation, the output clock CLKOUT to be outputted from the PLL circuit 100 can be synchronized in phase with the input clock CLKIN, and thus an output frequency defined by the following relationship can be obtained.(Frequency of Output Clock CLKOUT)=(Frequency of Input Clock CLKIN)×N/M
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional PLL circuit using a passive filter.
A PLL circuit 200 shown in FIG. 6 is different from the PLL circuit 100 shown in FIG. 5 in that the pre-filter 103 and the active filter 104 are replaced with a lag-lead filter 201.
The lag-lead filter 201 is a low-pass filter constituted of a resistive element 201a, a resistive element 201b and a capacitor element 201c. One end of the resistive element 201a is connected to an output of the phase comparator 102. The resistive element 201b and the capacitor element 201c are connected in series between the other end of the resistive element 201a and the ground.
In this PLL circuit 200, the phase comparison result signal POUT, which corresponds to a phase difference between the first clock CLK1 and the third clock CLK3,and which is outputted from the phase comparator 102, is inputted to the lag-lead filter 201. Subsequently, a low frequency component of the phase comparison result signal POUT is extracted by the lag-lead filter 201. The extracted low frequency component is inputted as a control input signal CNT to the voltage controlled type oscillator 106 via the post-filter 105. As described above, in this PLL circuit 200 as well, the phase comparison result signal POUT, which is a phase error signal corresponding to the phase difference between the first clock CLK1 and the third clock CLK3, is reflected in the control input signal CNT to be inputted to the voltage controlled type oscillator 106. By the reflection, a loop operation is performed so that the phases of the first clock CLK1 and the third CLK3 can be matched with each other. By this loop operation, the output clock CLKOUT outputted from the PLL circuit 200 can be synchronized in phase with the input clock CLKIN.
In general, in a PLL circuit, a period from the time when an input clock is inputted, to the time when an output clock is synchronized in phase with the input clock is termed as a pull-in time, and is considered as one of performances of the PLL. This pull-in time is largely dependent on a loop band (cutoff frequency) and a damping factor, which are main performances of the PLL. Accordingly, in order to shorten the pull-in time, it is necessary to increase the loop band or to decrease the damping factor. To this end, in the pull-in process, arrangement for the loop band to increase and for the damping factor to decrease is made, and thus the pull-in time is shortened.
Here, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Official Gazette No. 10-308667, proposed is a technique for shortening a pull-in time in a PLL circuit in which an intermittent operation is employed for the purpose of reducing power consumption. This technique makes it possible to shorten a pull-in time even in a case where a large difference between the phases of an input clock and an output clock is present when returning to a PLL operation. In this technique, reset functions are respectively provided for both a static frequency divider which divides a frequency of the input clock, and a variable frequency divider which divides a frequency of the output clock. At the point when the PLL circuit returns to the PLL operation, an initial phase difference is detected by comparing the phases of the corresponding signals respectively from the two frequency dividers. Then, one of the frequency dividers, in which the signal is advanced in phase, is reset. Subsequently, by releasing the reset in conjunction with the start of the outputting of the frequency divider, in which the signal is delayed in phase, the matching of the phases is performed.
In the technique proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Official Gazette No. 10-308667, however, the signals, which are inputted to the phase comparator respectively from the two frequency dividers, are transmitted to the subsequent stage after approximately matching the phases of the signals with each other. Accordingly, although the pull-in time after transmitting the signals to the subsequent stage can be shortened, the transmission of the signals to the subsequent stage is blocked until the phases are approximately matched with each other. For this reason, there is a problem that it takes time to complete the pull-in operation when viewed from the time when the input clock is restarted. Moreover, there is a possibility that the phases may change when switching from a period for which to detect the initial phase difference to a period after the matching of the phases is performed.


Film spectral properties are measured by projecting chopped monochromatic light onto a luminescent film sample deposited on a substrate, and coupling through use of immersion oil the reflection of light therefrom to a light detector.

Light detectors include solar cells, used to convert light to electrical energy, and photocells and photodiodes used to measure light intensity. Materials for light detectors include semiconductors such as silicon, gallium arsenide, germanium, selenium, and the like. Typically, the light gathering efficiency of these devices is improved by providing them with an Anti-Reflection (AR) coating. If less light is reflected, then more is available for absorption and conversion to an electrical signal. These coatings can be a single layer thick, in which case they are typically a 1/4 wavelength of light thick, or they may be multilayer coatings for even greater efficiency. Such coatings are typically composed of glassy insulators such as aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride or magnesium fluoride. Furthermore, high sensitivity in the blue and ultraviolet (UV) region of the spectrum is difficult to achieve with conventional semiconductor detectors, since reflectance of semiconductor materials strongly increases in this spectral range. Also, a typical AR-coatings is typically optimized for the green spectral range, becoming less effective in the blue and UV spectral regions.

Method and apparatus for measuring film spectral properties


The invention concerns the use, in the induction of an immune response, of a synthetic microparticle polymer carrying on the surface one or more covalently bonded proteins capable of carrying one or more epitopes, the molecular weight of the protein(s) on the surface of the microparticles, being adjusted so as to direct the immune response to the induction of a humoral and cellular response or to the induction of a mainly cellular response, said microparticles have an average diameter of approximately 0.25 to 1.5 .mu.m.

The B cells which express immunoglobulin receptors specific for an individual antigen are highly effective for the presentation of this antigen (Rock et al. C., J. Exp. Med. (1984) 160; 1102; Hutchings et al. Eur; j; Immunol. (1987) 17: 393). For example, specific B cells can present tetanus toxin to T cells at antigen concentrations 10.sup.4 times lower than those required for the presentation by non-specific B cells or peripheral blood monocytes (Lanzavecchia, Nature (1985) 314:537).
In addition, in vivo studies with mice deficient in B cells show that these cells are required for the activation of T cells of lymphatic ganglions (Janeway et al., J. Immunol. (1987) 138:2848; Kurt-Jones et al. A. K. J. Immunol. (1987) 140:3773).
Mice deficient in B cells also show reduced responses with respect to specific CD4.sup.+ and CD8.sup.+ T cells from tumors, after immunization with Freund's murine leukemia virus (Schultz et al., Science, (1990) 291).
The capacity of B cells to modify and to present the antigen with a view to recognition by CD4.sup.+ helper T cells restricted by the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) forms the basis of a model for the activation of the B cells by T cells (Noelle et al., The Faseb Journal (1991) 5:2770).
The recognition of the peptide-class II MHC complex by CD4.sup.+ helper T cells on the surface of the B cells leads to the formation of physically stable conjugates between the T cells and the B cells (Kupfer et al. S. J., Proc. National acad. Sci. USA (1986) 83:6080).
This direct recognition results in the proliferation and the differentiation of B cells in response to lympholines such as Interleukin-2, Interleukin-4 or Interleukin-5.
The induction of the antibody response against an antigen requires the presentation of the antigen by the B cells.
The majority of the studies on antigen presentation have been carried out using soluble proteins such as tetanus toxoid, lysozyme, hemocyanin (LH). However, most of the antigens to which the immune system is exposed are contained in complex particulate structures such as bacteria or parasites.
It is well known that cells which are capable of phagocytosis such as the macrophages can present bacterial antigens to T cells.
However, it is not known whether cells which do not phagocytose, such as B cells, can present complex antigens of significant size.
It has recently been shown that, in vivo, bacterial antigens must be in a soluble form in order to induce an antibody-dependent response by the T cells (Leclerc et al., J. Immunol. (1990) 144:3174; Leclerc et al., J. Immunol. (1991) 147:3545).
However, it seemed advisable to determine also that, in vivo, bacterial protein antigens are exclusively presented to the T cells by the phagocytic cells and that the B cells cannot modify antigens in particle form.
The study of antigen presentation and the induction of the cellular and/or humoral T response is of particular scientific and medical importance.
In fact, directing the response towards a purely cellular response or a purely humoral response could allow vaccination against certain pathogens, modification of certain biological dysfunctions and curing certain pathologies.
For example, such direction would enable the elimination of persistent infections or the regulation of allergic responses.
In addition, there are two sub-populations of CD4.sup.+ T cells, Th1 and Th2, which have different capacities to produce various lymphokines (Mosmann; Cherwinski, Bond, Giedlin and Coffman, J. Immunol., 136, 2348-2357 (1986)). The induction of Th1 or Th2 plays a major role in the resistance to bacterial, parasitic or viral infections. Thus, in the case of murine cutaneous leishmaniasis, the Th1 protect from infection while the Th2 aggravate the disease. In vitro, B lymphocytes optimally stimulate the proliferation of Th2 clones while a strong proliferation of Th1 clones is observed with adherent cells (Gajewski, Pinnas, Wong and Fitch, J. Immunol., 146, 1750-1758 (1991)).
Directing of the antigen towards presentation by the B cells or macrophages could allow induction of Th1 or Th2 responses.
Various techniques have been developed in the past to achieve a better immune response.
The oldest method consists of activating the immune system with adjuvants. Thus, Freund's adjuvant leads to an increased intensity of the humoral and cellular responses. However, such adjuvants have major disadvantages due to their lack of specificity, toxicity, and immunological side-reactions which may be caused by their lack of purity.
The iscomes (immuno-stimulating complexes) are composed of an antigenic complex and an adjuvant, QuilA, which is extracted from trees. These particles have a diameter of about 35 nm and are composed of sub-units of about 12 nm. They lead to the induction of an immune response but more often the antigens are encapsulated and thus then released in the external medium. In addition, the technique does not allow accurate control of the type of cells presenting these particles, and these particles therefore induce a double humoral and cellular response.
Lastly, from a practical standpoint, these particles are difficulty to prepare, lack stability and have significant toxicity.
Liposomes, which have also been tested for use in inducing an immune response, have the same disadvantages as the iscomes.
Biodegradable microparticles such as for example lactic and glutamic acid polymers have also been developed (Aguado and Lambert, Immuno. Biol., 184, 113-125 (1992)). These particles liberate the antigen in a soluble form during their degradation. This liberation enables presentation of the antigen by different cells and the induction of a humoral response without the possibility of direction towards a specifically cellular response.
Particles composed entirely of recombinant proteins have also been synthesized. Thus, French patent application FR 2 635 532 describes particles composed of a hybrid protein between Hbs antigen and an immunogenic sequence presumed to induce neutralizing antibodies directed against the HIV virus.
Particles containing poliomyelitis toxin have also been produced.
These particles have significant disadvantages. Thus, it is very difficult to insert long sequences into these particles. In addition, they induce as much humoral as cellular response and it is thus not possible to obtain specifically one or the other.
Polyacrolein or polystyrene particles to which antibodies have been coupled have already been used for the development of separation techniques (Rembaum et al., Immunol. (1982) 52:341-351).
However, no use for the preparation of vaccines and in vivo immunization has been reported. The beads used have diameters of 20 to 35 nm (polyacrolein) or of 40 to 120 .mu.m (polystyrene).
Polyacrolein particles of 2 .mu.m diameter have also been used for the in vitro study of T response stimulation (Ziegler et al., Eur J; Immunol. (1987), 17: 1287-1296). The activity of these beads was not tested in vivo.
Porous microspheres (1 to 1000 .mu.m) in which the antigens are immobilized inside the micropores by captation or physical coupling have been disclosed by Cahn in U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,116. In this patent the antigen is progressively released in the circulation and is therefore under soluble form.
In all this work, the size of the particles was not considered to be a critical criterion. Moreover, particles of small size (nanoparticles) such as Hbs particles could be presented by B lymphocytes. On the other hand, particles with too large size (greater than 5-10 microns) could not be presented by phagocytic cells.
The various solutions proposed in the prior art, on the one hand to induce a significant immune response and on the other to direct this response specifically towards one of the two response routes, humoral or cellular, are thus not satisfactory.

Antigen-carrying microparticles and their use in the induction of humoral or cellular responses


A compact electromagnetic valve device for fuel injection apparatus for engines is provided with which occurrence of cavitation erosion due to rapid change in pressure in a small gap is prevented without increasing in size. Through holes are drilled in a platy armature connected to a poppet valve for opening and closing a fuel passage connecting a fuel feed/spill passage to a plunger room of a fuel injection apparatus, and a thin plate valve or check valve is provided to the armature to allow the holes to be opened or closed in accordance with upward or down ward movement of the armature connected with the popped valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic valve device having a platy armature connected to an end of a valve body for opening and closing a fluid passage, a solenoid device which attracts the armature by attraction force generated when a solenoid coil is energized to allow the valve body to close the fluid passage and releases the armature from the attraction force when the energization is shutoff, and a return spring which thrusts back the armature so that the valve body opens the fluid passage when the energization is shutoff, and a fuel injection apparatus equipped with the electromagnetic valve device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electromagnetic valve device having a platy armature connected to an end of a poppet valve for opening and closing a fuel passage between a plunger room and fuel spill side, a solenoid device which attracts the armature by attraction force generated when a solenoid coil is energized to allow the poppet valve to close the fuel passage and releases the armature from the attraction force when the energization is shutoff, and a spring which thrusts back the armature so that the poppet valve opens the fluid passage when the energization is shutoff, is widely used in unit injector type fuel injection apparatuses for diesel engines. Fuel injection begins when the armature is attracted by the solenoid device by energizing the solenoid coil and the poppet valve closes the fuel passage to bring the plunger room into closeness, and ends when the armature is thrust back by the spring by shutting off the energization so that the poppet valve opens the fuel passage to allow the plunger room to be communicated with the fuel spill side.
One of such electromagnetic valve device is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 7-279792 (patent literature 1).
This electromagnetic valve device has a platy armature connected to an end of a needle valve for opening and closing a fuel passage between a plunger room and fuel spill side, a solenoid device which attracts the armature by attraction force generated when a solenoid coil is energized to allow the needle valve to close the fuel passage and releases the armature from the attraction force when the energization is shutoff, and a spring which thrusts back the armature so that the needle valve opens the fluid passage when the energization is shutoff. With this valve, fuel injection begins when the armature is attracted by the solenoid device by energizing the solenoid coil and the needle valve closes the fuel passage to bring the plunger room into closeness, and ends when the armature is thrust back by the spring by shutting off the energization so that the needle valve opens the fuel passage to allow the plunger room to be communicated with the fuel feed/spill line.
The electromagnetic valve device is composed such that a damper room is formed by an end face of the solenoid device and an end face of the armature with a small gap between them and an armature room is formed by the other end face of the armature and the inner face of the valve casing, and a communicating passage is provided in the valve casing at a side of the armature to communicate the armature room with the damper room, a check valve being provided in the communication passage so that fluid can flow from the armature room to the damper room and not vice versa.
When the needle valve closes the fuel passage, the check valve is closed by increased pressure in the damper room to bring the damper room into closeness, fuel pressure in the damper room rises to slow down downward velocity of the needle valve to allow the needle valve to sit on the valve seat slowly, and occurrence of bouncing of the needle valve which occurs when the needle valve sit on the valve seat at high speed is prevented.
However, when the needle valve moves up to open the fuel passage, pressure in the armature room rises and pressure in the damper room decreased rapidly, so fluid in the armature room flows into the damper room through the check valve at high velocity. Therefore, cavitation erosion tends to occur on the surface of the armature facing the damper room. Further, as the communication passage and check valve are provided in the valve casing at a side position of the armature, the electromagnetic valve device necessarily becomes large in size to prepare a space for the communication passage and check valve.

Electromagnetic valve device and fuel injection apparatus with the valve device


A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for providing device information to an operating system. A first instance of an open firmware is loaded. Device information is generated for devices in the data processing system using the first instance of the open firmware. An operating system is loaded for the data processing system using the open firmware. A second instance of the open firmware is loaded. The second instance of the open firmware is enabled to provide device information in response to a request from the operating system during runtime operation of the operating system.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for initializing a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for establishing a runtime environment using a firmware image for booting a data processing system.
2. Description of Related Art
Open firmware is a nonproprietary boot firmware that is usable on different types of processors and buses. Boot firmware is the read only memory (ROM) based software that controls a computer from the time that it is turned on until the primary operating system has taken control of the machine. The main function of boot firmware is to initialize the hardware and then to "boot" (load and execute) the primary operating system. Additionally, open firmware also describes the functional topology of a data processing system. At boot-time, open firmware is less constrained by limitations than firmware components, which are invoked by an operating system after the boot stage.
Runtime firmware is required to be sensitive to the amount of memory and which memory can be accessed because runtime firmware can not assume that it has control of the entire system. Likewise, the functionality demanded from runtime firmware is a subset of that required at boot-time or initialization. The runtime firmware only needs to describe, but does not need to operate new devices added after boot or initialization of the data processing system.
IEEE 1275-1994 Open Firmware specification describes a firmware, which is incompatible with runtime requirement. For example, on servers with large configurations, such as ones with more than 100 PCI devices, the amount of memory required to represent device tree devices and methods may be large. The memory may, in some cases, take up 10 or more megabytes. For this reason, data processing systems only use open firmware at boot-time and use a different firmware after the operating system has been booted because of the memory requirements and usage by open firmware. The use of different firmware after booting of the operating system requires processes to be coded a second time for the runtime firmware. Such a system can be time consuming. First, open firmware is typically coded in a computer language called Forth, while runtime firmware is often coded using C. These two languages also have different structures. As a result, in addition to having to generate code in a different language, debugging of the runtime firmware also is required.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method, apparatus, and computer instructions for establishing a runtime open firmware environment using open firmware design for initializing a data processing system.

Method and apparatus for providing device information during runtime operation of a data processing system


A new distinct variety of grapevine named ARRATEN abundantly forms attractive medium-to-large seedless berries having a 90% fire red skin coloration with 10% creamy yellow, in medium-to-large clusters. The fruit displays a sweet crisp flavor and is film in texture. The fruit commonly is ready for harvesting during the end of June in San Joaquin Valley of Central California, U.S.A., and displays good eating qualities as a table grape. The fruit firmness renders the fruit well amenable for handling, shipping, and storage.

A breeding program was initiated during the late 90's near Bakersfield in San Joaquin Valley of Central California. In 2000, during this breeding program, a new variety of Vitis vinifera was created by deliberate cross breeding of two parent plants by emasculation of the pollen bearing organ of the male and introducing pollen from another male origin. The female parent of the new variety was the GAR4 which is a dark red, elongated meaty grape variety with a very small seed trace and low sugar content (non-patented in the United States). The male parent (i.e. the pollen parent) of the new variety was GZR2 which is an oval shaped, meaty, juicy and sterile grape variety (non-patented in the United States).

Agricultural Research and Development Limited Liability Company


Improvements on latency are achieved for highest priority messaging and channel utilization in a time-slotted access channel structure. New superframe structures are presented where scheduled, but unused access slots can be utilized by secondary nodes. The messaging is accomplished by defining user priorities for nodes and the nodes sensing an ongoing transmission in the network. The time slotted channel access structure has at least one access phase which is divided into access slots. In the beginning of the access phase the nodes sense if a highest priority transmission exist and if not, another node with a lower user priority may initiate transmission.

Various different wired or wireless computer network systems and protocols exist for exchanging data between computing devices, nodes, connected to the network. Some network systems are based on using beacon signals in coordinating the data communication between the nodes. The beacon signal is generally a specific data transmission sent periodically carrying network specific information for the nodes connected or in vicinity of the computer network.
The problem and the current invention are relevant for many network systems. Let us consider an example: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics, IEEE, defines a standard for a wireless network 802.11 which is a set of medium access control (MAC) and physical layer, (PHY) specifications for implementing a wireless local area network, WLAN aka Wi-Fi. Another example of a standard defined by IEEE is 802.15.6 defining MAC and PHY specifications for packet-based short-range communications in a wireless body area network, WBAN. The MAC layer defines differentiated access phases for exclusive, scheduled and random access communication in a superframe-structured network, where a superframe is bounded by two beacon signals. In one superframe there can be maximum of two phases each (exclusive, scheduled and random access communication) and a contention access period. Structure of the superframe is explained in detail later on.
IEEE 802.15.6 defines two exclusive access phases, EAP, for highest priority communications.
One of the drawbacks of the solutions defined in the current standards is that those are not able to provide delay guarantees for time-critical applications, especially if a significant portion of the superframe duration is not reserved for EAPs. However, if long EAPs are allocated to the superframe but highest priority communications remain minimal or zero, there are less opportunities for other than the highest priority communications to access the medium, since only the highest priority communications are allowed to transmit during EAPs.
Current standards do not allow transmissions in the scheduled, but unused slots in the scheduled access phase. Z-MAC: a Hybrid MAC for Wireless Sensor Networks by Manesh Aia, Ajit Warrier, Jeongki Min, Injong Rhee, Department of Computer Science, North Carolina State University tries to solve the problem of allocated but unused slots by introducing a carrier sense multiple access, CSMA/time division multiple access, TDMA hybrid protocol for wireless sensor networks. According to the Z-MAC the nodes always perform carrier sensing and transmit only if the channel is clear. Slot owners are given a higher priority bit—they are given an earlier chance to transmit than non-owners. Therefore, if the slot owner does not have data to transmit, the non-owners can "steal" the slot by utilizing a contention-based CSMA channel access mechanism. Due the carrier-sensing feature the Z-MAC is suitable only for communication systems utilizing narrowband transmissions. Therefore it cannot be utilized as a general MAC layer scheme for standards utilizing broadband physical layers. Furthermore, the Z-MAC does not support application-prioritized traffic, such as highest priority transmissions.


A micro-climate heating/cooling method and apparatus for vests and the like operates with reaction of working fluid, such as water, with an adsorbent material. A lightweight pump is the only moving component needed to provide the desired heating and cooling requirements.

The present invention relates to a micro-climate heating and cooling method and to a device that is lightweight, needs only a small, battery-operated pump as the only moving component, and is regeneratable. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method in which heating or cooling is generated by reaction of water vapor or other working fluid with an adsorbent material and which does not require the use of refrigeration to keep phase-change material cold. The present invention is especially appropriate for micro-climate cooling and heating of soldiers wearing NBC overgarments, cooling systems for firefighters, nuclear power workers, foundry workers, and construction workers, and for a passive cooling system used by race car drivers and configured to be lighter than the currently used ice water cooling systems.
The passive cooling approach available up to now has been the use of a phase change material that "melts" and adsorbs body heat as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,294. Passive methods have not, however, generally been used for heating. Heating can be accomplished by use of a phase change material that is melted so as to provide heat to the body by recrystallization. Although this heating approach works, the weight penalty becomes prohibitive for heating or cooling times greater than one hour and is, therefore, unacceptable for long periods of use.
An active refrigeration system is known for cooling in which a fuel is used to power an active air conditioning system. More specifically, a vapor-compression-type system is used in which the fuel powers an engine to provide shaft work which, in turn, drives a compact vapor-compression-air conditioning system, thereby achieving the cooling. Such a system is superior to Stirling or Brayton cycle approaches in terms of efficiency and weight. Today's technology for the internal combustion power source dictates, however, an approximate engine mass of 3 pounds, which consumes approximately 6 pounds of fuel during a 6-hour cooling period. In addition, all of these known active systems produce an unacceptable level of noise due to the engine.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to solve the problems of weight, noise, and the like for heating and cooling requirements which exceed short periods of time, i.e. periods in excess of one hour and up to about six hours.
These problems have been solved in accordance with the present invention by the utilization of a body temperature control system that is regeneratable and uses a lightweight, battery-operated circulating pump as the only moving component to provide both the heating and the cooling requirements. Two heat exchangers are used, one in the water reservoir for cooling and a second in the adsorption bed for heating.
Inasmuch as a heating or cooling requirement is not continuous but instead is only needed for six hours due primarily to protective capacity time constraints, an intermittent air conditioner in accordance with the present invention offers improved mass, noise, and reliability features.
One presently contemplated embodiment of the present invention includes a water-filled vest for both heating and cooling. The vest is configured with a small battery-operated circulating pump for either the heating system or the cooling system. The systems can supply up to 300 watts of cooling or 540 watts of heating for a period of up to six hours as maximum design requirements. The user-controlled needle valve is used to control a vest temperature, even under varying heating or cooling requirements, up to the maximum design cooling requirement of 300 watts or maximum design heating requirement of 540 watts for six hours. After the six-hour heating or cooling period, the backpack is removed and recharged on a recharge stand by heating either electrically with, for example, resistance heaters/multiple voltage operation or by using fuel in a ceramic-wick, e.g. a kerosene heater-type configuration. The fuel for the ceramic wick is, for example, a JP-8-type kerosene fuel. Of course, the present invention can also be used in either types of clothing, e.g. gloves, without departing from its inventive principles.
Another advantage of the present invention in the form of a personal heating/cooling device resides in the fact that only one moving part is needed, namely, a battery-operated circulating pump. The cooling system evaporates the water from a sealed reservoir and captures this water in an adsorption bed that rejects heat to the environment. The rate of adsorption of water vapor on the bed is very fast, and a user-controlled needle valve between the water reservoir and the adsorption bed controls the evaporation to maintain the desired amount of cooling or heating. A heat exchanger in the water reservoir cools the circulating water in the water-vest heat exchanger. The heating system adsorbs water onto the desiccant bed and then pumps the heat generated through a heat exchanger to a water-vest heat exchanger.

Innovation adsorption heating and cooling device for micro-climate applications


An apparatus and method for defibering paper and dry pulp in a substantially dry processing environment is disclosed. The apparatus and method for defibering paper and dry pulp uses a dry processing cell into which cellulose material is supplied. The dry processing cell includes a rotating element for creating a turbulent air flow within the cell. The turbulent air flow causes the cellulose material to be circulated within the dry processing cell and to collide with the rotating element, cell walls, and the cellulose matter, itself. This circulation causes disassociation of the cellulose material from the filler, inks and other materials into single cellulose fibers that are capable of being removed from the cell for further processing.

Various types of defibering systems for paper and pulp processing are known. Typically, in these systems, cellulose fiber, in the form of dry pulp sheets or paper, is added to large volumes of water and continuously agitated during the defibering and pulping process. In these known systems, complete defibering of dry pulp sheets or clean recycle paper fiber sheets involves high process times, high energy consumption and large volumes of water.
Generally, in the present known defibering systems, the use of a wet process environment necessitates hydraulic processing where the process water contains 4 to 16% solid matter. In this wet environment, contaminants from the cellulose material mix with the process water and impede disassociation of the cellulose fibers. Furthermore, removal of the contaminants from the process water can create environmental hazards and effluent treatment problems.
In addition, the wet defibering and pulping processes are unable to recover many grades of paper for recycling because the paper may be resistant to the process water or cause other problems associated with the wet environment processing. As a result, many grades of paper that are difficult, expensive or incapable of being processed in a wet environment are disposed of in landfills or used in non-paper related end products, such as animal bedding.
For example, paper containing wet strength is manufactured to provide durability for long term weatherproof use in contact with moisture. As a result, wet strength paper is difficult to defiber and can cause block screens and pumps used in defibering the paper in wet pulp processing systems and are, typically, disposed of in landfills. Similarly, paper containing internal or surface latex is resistant to moisture and is virtually impossible to defiber using a wet environment. Currently, these latex paper products are not easily or economically recyclable using wet pulp processing systems.
In addition, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) generating materials, such as starch, are added to most grades of paper to provide surface characteristics on the paper sheet to allow for clear printing and assist the bonding of the filler and cellulose. These materials are proportionally present in the effluent stream causing regulatory problems and creating a negative environmental impact on receiving stream quality. Since the presence of BOD generating materials in wet pulp processes creates significant environmental and effluent problems, government regulations have been introduced to reduce BOD content in waste streams. Therefore, due to these strict government regulations, the recycling of paper containing BOD generating materials in wet pulp processes may be reduced.
In present wet pulp processes, paper containing laser or toner type inks reduce brightness to the pulp or paper product and generally result in a high dirt count rendering the final product unacceptable. As the use of laser and toner type ink increases, recycling mills using wet pulp processing systems will be unable to maintain the quality of the final product. As a result, wet pulp processes designed to remove laser or toner inks will produce high volume waste streams that will increase cost and cause environmental hazards. In addition, paper containing high filler levels cause processing problems for some wet pulp processing systems. A high filler level can interfere with flotation, bleaching or screening of the wet fiber stock and, therefore, increase the erosion and abrasion on the process elements resulting in increased processing costs.
Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved method and device for addressing the operating problems that occur in wet pulping processes. This need intensifies as paper products that resist moisture are used, and as the government more stringently regulates the content of waste streams and effluent from paper processing mills.

Apparatus and associated method for derfibering paper or dry pulp


A method of evaluating a power plant having a design life based on operating the plant within an allowable chemical exposure range includes accumulating a history of a chemical exposure of a steam generating portion of the power plant. The method also includes determining a remaining life of the plant based on the history of the chemical exposure and assuming continued operation of the plant within the allowable chemical exposure range. The method may also include evaluating an economic value of operating the plant based on the remaining life of the plant.

In the past, electricity generating power plants were typically operated continuously with few starts and stops over the plant's operating life. More recently, the economic effect of deregulating of the power generation industry in the United States has been to require a larger portion of electrical generating power plants to be cycled off line during periods of low electrical demand and to be cycled back on line during periods of high demand. For example, a power plant may be operated for a peak power demand period of 8 to 16 hours each day, then shut down when the peak power demand period ends. As a result, power plants, such as gas fired combined cycle plants, are being designed for cyclic operation.
One important factor that influences a power plant's projected design life (which typically may be 30 years) is the chemistry associated with the working fluids of the power plant, such as impurities in the steam used to drive a steam turbine. Accordingly, chemical impurity requirements, comprising Normal and Action Levels, that set limits for chemical impurities have been developed to ensure that a power plant remains undamaged due to over exposure to such chemicals during the plant's design life. Despite the migration towards cyclic operation of power plants, the Action Levels defined for a power plant's design life are typically based on the science and experience of continuously operating power plants. However, it has proven difficult to meet predetermined Action Level guidelines for cyclically operating plants, especially during startup of the plant when chemical impurities may exceed specified Action Levels. Increasingly, the economic benefit of operating power plants in cyclic modes may override a concern to ensure the plant is only operated within Normal and allowed Action Levels to avoid damage. A degree of damage that may shorten the life of a plant may be acceptable if an economic benefit of generating electricity under conditions that may cause damage to the plant (such as exceeding specified action level for a certain period of time) offsets an economic loss corresponding to a shortened life of the plant and/or an increased maintenance requirement. For example, it may be economically feasible to corrode a steam turbine of a power plant with impure steam to generate comparatively high cost power during a period of high demand.


A plate type heat exchanger (102) includes a heat exchanger assembly (104), end panels (106) and end panel connection members (107) connecting the end panels (106). The heat exchanger assembly (104) has a stack of heat exchanger plates (112) and a pair of outer heat exchanger plates (114) located on opposing sides of the heat exchanger assembly (104). At least one outer heat exchanger plate (114) is mechanically connected to an adjacent end panel (106) and has an outer main surface portion (122) facing the adjacent end panel (106) that is thermally connected to an end panel contacting region (125) of the adjacent end panel (106). The in-plane thermal expansion properties of the outer main surface portion (122) are identical to in-plane thermal expansion properties of the end panel contacting region (125).

A conventional plate type heat exchanger generally consists of a plurality of heat exchanger plates, forming spatially separated but thermally connected fluid channels through which fluid streams with a different temperature are allowed to flow. This enables heat transfer to take place from the hotter fluid to the colder fluid.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,516 a plate type heat exchanger is known, having a heat exchanger assembly or core consisting of heat exchanger plates, which is enclosed within a rigid frame consisting of corner beams and end panels. Elastic seals are provided between the core and the casing. Four sealing elements are provided between the core and the corner beams, in order to prevent leakage of fluids that are supplied to the fluid channels. Furthermore, two pairs of sealing elements are provided between the core and the top and bottom end panels.
The disadvantage of the known heat exchanger is that the latter sealing elements are indispensable in the connection between the heat exchanger core and the frame, due to the expected differential thermal expansion between the heat exchanger core and the frame during use. The construction and mounting of these sealing elements is a delicate and error-prone process, increasing the costs of production and maintenance.

Plate type heat exchanger having outer heat exchanger plates with improved connections to end panels


According to one embodiment, a Programmable Video Recorder (PVR) receives streaming multimedia data from a data source and stores the multimedia data in a backing store. Prior to being stored, the multimedia data is assigned Presentation TimeStamps (PTS)s according to a capture graph clock that is associated with the PVR. Thereafter, system clock times that correspond with the times in which each data packet is read from the backing store are compared with the corresponding PTSs of each data packet to generate a clock scaling value that is used to slave the system clock with the capture graph clock. The clock scaling value may include the average of a plurality of scaling values that are calculated during a predetermined duration of time corresponding with the most recently read data packets.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to clock-slaving in a computing system and, more particularly, to synchronizing the effective rates of different clocks that are used when writing and reading streaming multimedia data in a Programmable Video Recorder (PVR).
2. Related Technology
The PVR, also known as the Digital Video Recorder (DVR), has recently entered the home entertainment market as a device that is capable of providing many conveniences not previously considered practical for the traditional Video Cassette Recorder (VCR). Once particular benefit provided by the PVR is that the PVR is capable of simultaneously recording and playing different data content. In particular, the PVR utilizes a writer that is capable of writing data to a storage medium at the same time a reader accesses and reads the same or different data from the storage medium.
The utility of being able to record and play data at the same time is a significant advantage over the traditional VCR. In particular, the PVR enables the viewer watching a live or broadcast program to temporarily pause, rewind or replay a portion of the recorded program without interrupting the contemporaneous recording of the broadcast. Accordingly, the viewer can later watch the portions of the program that were broadcast and recorded during the temporary pause in the play of the program.
To enable this functionality, the PVR includes a temporary storage buffer that is included within a storage medium. The buffer that is utilized by many PVRs includes a ring buffer that is configured to store a predetermined amount of data. Ring buffers, which are well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, are configured to sequentially record data until the ring buffer becomes full. Then, once the ring buffer becomes full, the most recently received data is written over the oldest data in a continuous and cyclical manner.
The ring buffer is useful for maintaining a copy of the most recently received data. Accordingly, even if the viewer pauses, slows down, or stops the play of the program, the most recently received data will continue to be written to the buffer for access at a later time. However, if the viewer pauses the program for such a lengthy period of time that the capacity of the buffer is exceeded, then portions of the recorded data that have not yet been rendered will be overwritten and lost, which is typically undesirable.
Even when a viewer is not pausing or stopping the play of the recorded program for an extended period of time, however, the recorded data may still be undesirably overwritten and lost. This may occur, for instance, when the reader continuously reads the data at a slower rate than the data is written to the buffer. This may actually occur without the viewer's knowledge. One reason data may be read at a relatively slower rate than it is recorded is that different clocks associated with the PVR may be set at different speeds or frequencies.
The PVR may be associated with numerous clocks for controlling the rate at which data is received, processed, recorded and rendered. However, only two clocks are specifically addressed herein. A first clock, which is referred herein as a capture graph clock, may be used as a reference for assigning Presentation TimeStamps (PTS)s to the data before the data is written to the buffer. The PTSs that are assigned to the data correspond with an intended presentation playback rate of the recorded data. A second clock, which is referred to herein as a system clock, may be used as a reference for reading and rendering the data with respect to the assigned PTSs.
A description of the relationship between the capture graph clock and the system clock will now be provided with reference to the data sample 110 that is shown in FIG. 1. As a matter of example, data sample 110 includes a plurality of data packets (D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5). Data sample 110 may include audio data, video data, and any other type of multimedia data. Data sample 110 may also include non-multimedia data, such as events, markers, metadata, and so forth. The data packets (D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5) represent portions of the data sample 110 that have been assigned PTSs according to a capture graph clock. For instance, data packet D1 has been assigned a PTS of PTS=1, data packet D2 has been assigned a PTS of PTS=2, and so forth, wherein the increments may correspond with seconds or other units of time.
The data sample 110 may be stored in a ring buffer or any other type of storage medium that is associated with the PVR. When the data sample 110 is read, it will be rendered according to the PTSs that have been assigned to the data packets. For instance, if the PTSs correspond with seconds, then data packet D1 will theoretically be rendered one second after commencing the playback of the data sample, then one second later data packet D2 will be rendered, then one second later data packet D3 will be rendered, and so forth.
However, the actual duration associated with one theoretical second may vary between the capture graph clock and the system clock due to slight variations as described below. Accordingly, even though the capture graph clock may intend for the data packets to be rendered at desired presentation times, the system clock may cause the data packets to be read and rendered at a slower rate if the system clock runs at a slower rate than the capture graph clock.
When the system clock runs at a slower rate than the capture graph clock for an extended period of time, the capacity of the buffer will eventually be exceeded, thereby causing the data to overwritten and lost. In contrast, when the system clock runs faster than the capture graph clock for an extended period of time, the playback rate will eventually exceed the rate in which the data is written to the buffer, thereby causing an underflow problem and a choppy playback.
It is desirable, therefore, to ensure that the capture graph clock and the system clock are running at the same rates. However, even when the capture graph clock and the system clock are programmed to run at the same rate, slight irregularities may still cause the two clocks to run at slightly different rates. This phenomena may be more clearly understood in reference to other types of time-keeping devices. For instance, wristwatches that are synchronized will typically become unsynchronized over an extended period of time, notwithstanding the fact that they are originally configured to run at the same rate (e.g., a 24 hour/day, 60 minute/hour and 60 second/minute). The reason for this is that the watches may have slight variations or irregularities that cause the wristwatches to run at slightly different rates. Variations in the power supply to the watches may also cause them to run at slightly different rates. This is also true of the capture graph clock and the system clock that are associated with the PVR.

Clock-slaving in a programmable video recorder


The invention is directed to making a lithiated manganese dioxide using low and high temperature calcination steps.

Manganese dioxide is a known material for use as a cathodic material in batteries. It also is known that it is not suitable for rechargeable batteries. Apparently irreversible structural changes occur in manganese dioxide during discharge which do not permit recharging.
Lithiated manganese oxide made from MnO.sub.2 has been investigated for use in rechargeable batteries. The method of making the lithiated manganese oxide and the manganese dioxide starting material appears to materially affect the effectiveness of the lithiated manganese oxide used in rechargeable batteries. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,312,930 and 4,246,253 to Hunter describes a lithiated manganese oxide which Hunter says has a particularly effective utility for rechargeable batteries. Each of these Hunter patents is incorporated herein as if fully rewritten.
Making lithiated manganese compounds is not necessarily new. Monchilov and Manev describe making 35 lithiated manganese compounds (see Journal of Power Sources, 41 (1993) 305-314 and Log Batteries, Battery Mater., Vol. 14 (1995), respectively), but do not describe making such compounds from relatively impure compounds which have a high sodium and/or potassium content and making relatively pure lithiated manganese compounds by removing the sodium and/or potassium and replacing those alkali metals with lithium to make a pure lithiated manganese compound.
An object of this invention is to provide a process for making lithiated manganese oxide.
Another object of this invention is to use chemically made manganese dioxide in making the lithiated manganese oxide by the process of the invention.
Yet another object of this invention is to make a pure form of lithiated manganese oxide from the reduction of an alkali metal permanganate or manganate such that the lithiated manganese oxide has a utility that is particularly effective for a cathodic material for rechargeable batteries.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be found by reference to the following specification.
As used herein, LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 means a lithiated manganese oxide with the general formula Li.sub.x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4 where x is greater than 0, less than about 2 and, in an important aspect is about 1.
As used herein, "amorphous manganese dioxide" means a manganese dioxide which does not have a substantially identifiable crystal structure as determined by x-ray diffractometry.
As used herein, "delta manganese dioxide" means a manganese dioxide which does not have a single crystal structure which dominates to provide a manganese dioxide with at least one identifiable crystal structure. Delta manganese dioxide is often described as having the following general formula M.sub.2 O.4MnO.sub.2 where M is an alkali metal cation.
As used herein, "reducing permanganate" means taking manganese (VII) to manganese (III or IV).
As used herein, "substantially all Mn IV" means at least about 90 weight percent Mn IV and not more than about 10 weight percent Mn III.


An apparatus for applying a magnetic field has a permanent magnet, pivotally supported, which has an approximate cylindrical shape, respective semicircles of a circular section thereof being magnetized as N and S poles, and a driving coil, located in the vicinity of the permanent magnet so that the permanent magnet can partially penetrate inside the loops of the driving coil, the rotation and the positioning of the permanent magnet being controlled by the strength and/or directions of current flow in the driving coil. The apparatus is used for a magneto-optical disk storage. Since the driving coil is close to the permanent magnet, the pivoting of the permanent magnet can be controlled with a fast response. In addition, the apparatus can be made relatively small.

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for applying a magnetic field to a recording surface of a magneto-optical disk in order to record/erase information thereon/from, and a magneto-optical disk storage having such an apparatus.
In magneto-optical recording, it is necessary to locally heat up a magneto-optical disk by a laser beam to reverse the magnetization while a coercive force Hc is being applied. Hereupon, Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. 64-42503 has disclosed an apparatus for applying a bias magnetic field, which is the coercive field Hc, to a recording surface of a magneto-optical disk by reversing a permanent magnet in magneto-optical recording/erasing. The apparatus comprises, as shown in FIG.1, a permanent magnet 1, a pair of driving coils 2 and 3, a support plate 5 and a magnetic field detecting means 6. The permanent magnet 1 applies a bias magnetic field, which is the coercive field Hc, to the recording surface 101 of the magneto-optical disk 102. The permanent magnet 1 is flat, located parallel to the recording surface 101, and pivotally supported via an axis 4. The driving coils 2 and 3 are symmetrically located with respect to the axis 4, and are respectively located on the support plate 5 parallel to the recording surface 101. The magnetic field detecting means 6 comprises a hall element. The optical head 103 is located opposite to the apparatus on the other side of the magneto-optical disk 102. When the driving coils 2 and 3 are simultaneously electrified in a direction i.sub.1 or i.sub.2 the apparent magnetic poles, generated on the center lines thereof, pull and repel the magnetic poles of the permanent magnet. Thus, the permanent magnet 1 can be controlled to be rotated by the direction of the current i.sub.1 or i.sub.2. Since the driving coils 2 and 3 are located on the same plane symmetrically with respect to the axis 4, the rotating control of the permanent magnet 1 can be stabilized.
However, the above conventional apparatus has following disadvantages.
1. Since the driving coils 2 and 3 are located in parallel, the apparatus cannot be miniaturized, and thus the apparatus cannot be used for an magneto-optical disk smaller than 3.5 in.
2. Since the magnetic poles of the permanent magnet 1 are too far from the apparent magnetic poles, the rotating of the permanent magnet 1 cannot be controlled with a response time of less than 10 ms. That is, as shown in FIG.2B, if the current is turned off after the driving coils 2 and 3 are electrified and thus the permanent magnet 1 is reversed, the permanent magnet 1 traces a damped oscillation curve shown in FIG.2A so that a settling time takes more than 15 Ms. Hereupon, the term "a settling time", as used herein, means the time for the permanent magnet 1 to reverse and halt.

Apparatus for applying magnetic field and magneto-optical disk storage having such apparatus