In various embodiments, the present invention is directed to terpolymers of carbon monoxide (CO), olefins (alkenes), and epoxides, as well as related methods and catalysts for their making and use. These terpolymer chains are comprised of ketone repeat units, ester repeat units, and ether repeat units. The additional presence of the ester repeat units and ether repeat units have the effect of lowering terpolymer melt temperature relative to that of similar polyketone, thus separating melt temperature from decomposition temperature, making it suitable for melt processing. In a single reaction mixture, the same metal catalyst that polymerizes CO with olefins also incorporates epoxide monomers into the terpolymer in the form of ester or ester and ether linkages. As a part of the terpolymer chain, the ester groups can undergo hydrolysis, rendering these terpolymer compositions hydrolytically degradable.

The preparation of polyketones via the polymerization of carbon monoxide (CO) with olefins has been the subject of considerable interest. (See e.g., "Olefin-carbon monoxide copolymers", Sommazzi, A.; Garbassi, F. Prog. Polym. Sci. 1997, 22, 1547-1605, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). The raw materials are readily available whereas the product, polyketone, is useful for a variety of thermoplastic applications. The polymer exhibits several desirable mechanical properties including high strength, rigidity, and impact resistance. Additionally, it is known that carbonyl chromophores located in the backbone make the polymer capable of photodegradation.
The catalyst for CO-olefin copolymerization is often a cationic Pd compound of the structure (L2)Pd(L′)+, where L2 is a bidentate phosphine ligand, L′ is a labile ligand such as solvent, CO, or olefin (See, "Palladium-catalyzed alternating copolymerization of alkenes and carbon monoxide," Drent, E.; Budzelaar, P. Chem. Rev. 1996, 96, 663-665, the disclosure of which in incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). The Pd metal can be replaced by Ni, but the cationic Ni complexes are less productive than the Pd catalysts by several orders of magnitude (See, "Catalyst composition and process for the preparation of copolymers of carbon monoxide and an olefinically unsaturated compound," Drent, E.; De Kock, M. C. T. U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,909, 1997, the disclosure of which in incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).
Both the 4-coordinate and 5-coordinate Ni complexes, which are in equilibrium under a CO atmosphere as shown in Scheme 1 below, can be the active species for the CO-olefin copolymerization (See, Cationic four- and five-coordinate CO-insertion mechanisms in d8-nickel(II) complexes, Shultz, C. S.; DeSimone, J. M.; Brookhart, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 127, 9172-9173, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

Beneficial use of these polymers, however, has been limited by the narrow temperature window between the melting temperature of polyketones and the temperatures at which they degrade, particularly for copolymers of CO and ethylene. Although pure polyketones degrade at greater than 350° C., it has been found that residuals of the polymerization catalyst will lower the product's degradation temperature. Depending on the amount of catalyst residue remaining in the product, the polyketone will exhibit a degradation temperature close enough to its melt temperature such that the operational range in which the polymer may be processed becomes severely limited.
As shown in FIG. 1, the thermogravimetric analysis of a polyketone formed from carbon monoxide and ethylene reveals a decomposition occurring at about 250° C. caused by catalyst residues, prior to the inherent decomposition at about 360° C. The decomposition is also manifested in differential scanning calorimetry study as shown in FIG. 2. In the first heating cycle, the melting temperature of the polyketone is 254° C. In the second heating cycle, two melting temperatures are observed at 237 and 245° C. below the initial melting temperature, indicating decomposition of the polymer. Discoloration and decomposition involved with processing metal catalyzed polyketones at temperatures marginally higher than its reported melt temperature of 257° C. has been noted in the art. It is also reported that a sufficiently high catalyst productivity and hence low level of contamination by catalyst residues is necessary to render the product processable in the art. Past attempts to lower the melt temperature have involved adding α-olefins as a means to incorporate various side chains. The CO-olefin copolymerization in the commercial processes is usually catalyzed by a Pd not Ni catalyst possibly for the reason of the low productivity of the Ni catalysts. It should be noted that Pd is much more expensive than Ni.
Carbon monoxide has also been shown to copolymerize with epoxides to produce polyesters. See, e.g., Liu, G.; Jia, L. J., Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 14716-14717, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Polyesters are known to be hydrolytically degradable in the earth environments and hence are desirable as environmentally friendly plastics. The polymerization is catalyzed by a neutral cobalt catalyst of the structure shown below.
Charge neutrality of the cobalt catalyst is a critical feature because it allows the intermediate A to be an ion pair, which insures nucleophilic addition of the anionic cobaltate Co(CO)4— to the acyloxonium ion as shown in the Scheme 2 below.
However, the polymerization rate and productivity for these polyesters is so much slower than CO-olefin copolymerization as to be impractical to use in any commercial processes.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a composition having beneficial hydrolytic degradability of the polyesters described above, but can be produced efficiently both in terms of the rate and productivity. More specifically, what is needed in the art is a composition having the beneficial properties of the polyketones described above, but is melt processable and can be formed at a commercially reasonable rate.

Terpolymerization of carbon monoxide, an olefin, and an epoxide


A quadrant light detector that employs the concept of constructed occlusion to improve its accuracy and by incorporating baffles within the design to improve its detection response to incoming light having an incidence angle neat the horizon, and to divide a diffusely reflective cavity into quadrants. The quadrant detector is able to determine the direction, or azimuth and elevation, to the light source anywhere within a sector of a hemisphere or a sphere.

The present invention relates generally to devices or determining the incoming direction of incident light and, more particularly, to devices that determine the incoming direction of incident light over a sector using a relatively small number of optical elements.
In a number of situations, it is desirable to know the direction of incidence of light from a light source. One such situation arises in the entertainment arena. It is often desirable for a virtual reality simulator to include a light detector that determines the direction of incoming light. Current virtual reality systems typically involve the use of complicated positional detectors that follow relatively complex focusing or alignment procedures.
One such position detector employs a photodiode or charge-coupled device (CCD) array having multiple discrete sensing elements. Another such position detector uses a slit positioned to direct the incident light onto different optical elements depending on the angle of incidence of the light. In this system, Gray-coded multi-element arrays assess the angle of incidence of the laser light. While devices of this nature do provide positional information, they have a number of disadvantages. For one, they provide directional information or resolution about only one axis, which is aligned with the slit, and therefore, two such devices are necessary to provide dual axis resolution. Further, the detector's accuracy is dependent on the amount of optical elements in the arrays and, if CCD elements are used in the array, the detector's dynamic range is inherently limited. In light of the above, such devices are relatively expensive and complex.
Another positon detector employs a variety of separate discrete elements, each of which corresponds to a different angle of incidence of the light. The detector has a large number of elements, each of which is sensitive to a particular azimuth and elevation in the context of a polar coordinate system. Such a detector, if it is to provide high resolution, necessitates a relatively large number of optical elements, since its accuracy is directly proportional to the number of elements utilized. However, due to, among other things, the amount of detectors involved, and the electrical system that processes and analyzes the positional information furnished by the optical elements, such systems are relatively expensive and complex.
It should, therefore, be appreciated that there exists a definite need for a relatively simple and cost effective device that can determine incoming direction of incident light from virtually any direction within a hemisphere or sphere without a large number of optical elements or complex processing electronics. The present invention addresses this need.


A composite vehicle body panel includes a fiber reinforced plastic panel and a steel flange disposed in the fiber reinforced plastic panel and having an edge protruding outward from the fiber reinforced plastic panel beyond an outer edge of the fiber reinforced plastic panel. The composite vehicle body panel can be used in vehicle structures manufactured on standard vehicle productions lines, thereby easing vehicle manufacturing, improving productivity, and providing increased rigidity to the vehicle bodies. A method of manufacturing the composite vehicle body panel and a vehicle structure using the panel are also provided.

Panels made of steel have generally been used as body panels of vehicles. Recently, however, Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) is being used for making vehicle body panels having reduced weight.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 is used as a roof panel. The fiber reinforced plastic panel 10, however, cannot be attached to a side steel vehicle body 20 by welding, such as spot welding or arc welding, and therefore must be attached by other mechanical fastening methods.
That is, the fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 and the side steel vehicle body 20 are attached to each other by forming fastening holes at the flange of the side steel vehicle body 20 and at the flange of the fiber reinforced plastic panel 10, which are supposed to be attached. The fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 is then arranged such that the flange of the panel 10 is on top of the flange of the side steel vehicle body 20. The flanges are then bonded with an adhesive 30, and then by inserting a rivet through the fastening holes, as shown in FIG. 2.
Because vehicle bodies are generally assembled by welding on current vehicle manufacturing lines, the cost for manufacturing vehicle bodies requiring other assembly methods may increase manufacturing costs. For example, when a fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 and a side steel vehicle body 20 are attached together using mechanical methods such as the method described above, additional process steps for forming the fastening holes and applying and hardening the adhesive are required. The addition of such process steps increases the cost for manufacturing vehicle bodies.
Further, the forming of a fastening hole in the fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 commonly causes delamination of the fiber reinforced plastic. In order to avoid such defects, the size of the fastening hole may need to be increased and/or the time allotted for forming the fastening hole may need to be increased.
Further, the bonding strength provided by attaching the fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 to the side steel panel 20 with bolts and nuts is small in comparison with the strength provided by spot welding of the same diameter. Therefore, more attachment points (each including a bolt and nut) are required to fasten the fiber reinforced plastic panel 10 to the side steel panel 20 with bolts and nuts, as compared to when fastening methods using welding are used.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure and therefore it may contain information that is not prior art in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Composite vehicle body and manufacturing method thereof and vehicle body structure using the same


Methods and systems are provided for managing a system that includes at least one component. The one component is removed from the system. If it is determined that the one component was removed from the system for a reason that is not failure of the one component, then it is indicated that the one component is potentially serviceable.

The subject matter described herein relates generally to quality control and, more particularly, to methods and systems for use in identifying a potentially serviceable component that may be used to manage the performance of a system.
Known aircraft generally include a plurality of components that may be removed from the aircraft for a variety of reasons including, without limitation, component scarcity, component maintenance, and/or component failure. For example, at least some known aircraft components may be interchanged between aircraft, routinely inspected, refurbished, and/or even discarded. Cycling such components through assembly, operation, disassembly, and/or repair may facilitate increasing aircraft availability and/or improving overall system performance of the aircraft.
During cycling and during operation, health management data is gathered from at least some known components. However, transforming actionable information for at least some known aircraft from health management data may be a time-consuming and/or tedious task depending on the quantity of components monitored and/or the amount of health management data gathered. To reduce some of the health management requirements, at least some observed issues have been historically addressed using anecdotal methods. For example, one known health management system includes an ad-hoc investigation of observed issues.

Fleet performance optimization tool enhancement


A high-reliability electronic component without reduction in insulation resistance under high-temperature and high-humidity conditions has satisfactory solderability of external electrodes. The electronic component includes a main body and external electrodes disposed on surfaces of the main body, the external electrodes include underlying electrode layers each containing a metal, alloy layers each disposed on the corresponding underlying electrode layer, Ni plating layers each disposed on the corresponding alloy layer, Ni oxide layers each disposed on the corresponding Ni plating layers, and upper plating layers each disposed on the corresponding Ni oxide layer, each Ni oxide layer having a thickness of about 150 nm or less, and each Ni plating layer having an average particle size of Ni particles of about 2 μm or more. To form the Ni plating layers having reduced grain boundaries, heat treatment is performed at about 500° C. to about 900° C. inclusive in a reducing atmosphere having an oxygen concentration of about 100 ppm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component, a mounting structure of the electronic component, and a process for producing the electronic component. Specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic component having a structure in which external electrodes are disposed on surfaces of the electronic component, a mounting structure of the electronic component, and a process for producing the electronic component.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of ceramic electronic components each having a structure in which external electrodes are disposed on surfaces of a ceramic element is an electronic chip component, such as a multilayer ceramic capacitor, having a structure including a plurality of internal electrode layers 52a and 52b alternately disposed; ceramic layers 53, each internal electrode layer 52a being disposed opposite the corresponding internal electrode layer 52b with a corresponding one of the ceramic layers 53 provided therebetween; a ceramic laminate 51 having end surfaces 54a and 54b, the internal electrode layers 52a being connected to the end surface 54a, and the internal electrode layers 52b being connected to the end surface 54b; and a pair of external electrodes 55a and 55b, the external electrodes 55a and 55b being disposed on the end surfaces 54a and 54b, respectively, and being connected to the internal electrode layers 52a and 52b, respectively, as shown in FIG. 9. See, for example, JP 2001-210545.
In this multilayer ceramic capacitor, JP 2001-210545 discloses that the external electrode 55a includes a sintered electrode layer 56a, a Ni plating layer 57a disposed on the sintered electrode layer 56a, and a Sn plating layer 58a; and the external electrode 55b includes a sintered electrode layer 56b, a Ni plating layer 57b disposed on the sintered electrode layer 56b, and a Sn plating layer 58b. In general, the Ni plating layers 57a and 57b are arranged to prevent solder leaching of the sintered electrode layers 56a and 56b. The Sn plating layers 58a and 58bare arranged to improve solder wettability.
In view of the prevention of environmental pollution, lead-free solder has recently been used for mounting of electronic components. An example of the lead-free solder is Sn—Ag—Cu-based lead-free solder containing Zn.
In the case where a multilayer ceramic capacitor including external electrodes each having the above-described structure is mounted with the lead-free solder containing Zn, the diffusion of Zn into Ni plating layers constituting the external electrodes causes the formation of voids functioning as paths for the penetration of water and the like into the Ni plating layers. Furthermore, the elimination of Zn contained in the lead-free solder, i.e., the diffusion of Zn into the Ni plating layers, causes the formation of voids in soldered portions (lead-free solder) after soldering, the voids functioning as paths for the penetration of water.
As a result, the moisture resistance of the multilayer ceramic capacitor mounted on a mounting object, such as a circuit board, is reduced to disadvantageously degrade reliability.

Electronic component, mounting structure of electronic component


An electrophoresis apparatus includes a multi-capillary array having a liquid or solid disposed between the capillaries of the array. The liquid or solid exhibits a refractive index higher than that of air and less than that of water and reduces the amount of laser beams scattered by the capillaries. Also provided are methods of adjusting refracted and reflected excitation light beams passing through capillaries of a multi-capillary array, to reduce loss of intensity of the laser beams and increase irradiation of respective samples disposed in the capillaries.

To determine the DNA base sequence and base length, electrophoresis method using a capillary comprising a fused silica tube and its polymer covering is utilized. A sample including the DNA to be measured is put into the separation medium such as polyacrylamide in the fused silica capillary, and voltage is applied across the capillary.
The DNA compound in the sample migrates in the capillary and is separated according to the molecular weight to produce a DNA band in the capillary. Each DNA band is provided with fluorescence dye, which emits light in response to laser beam. This is read by the fluorescence measuring apparatus to determine the DNA sequence. The same technique is employed for separation and assaying of a protein to examine the configuration.
According to a laser-irradiated method, a laser beam is directed toward the capillary on the end of one or both sides of the capillary array. The capillary array can consist of multiple capillaries arranged on a plane substrate. The aforementioned laser beam is transmitted to the adjacent capillaries one after another across the capillary array. On or around the region of the capillary exposed to laser beam, protective coverings such as polyimide coverings on the surface of the capillary, can be removed. However, if laser beams pass through the boundary between surfaces having different refractive indices, e.g. the contact surface between the capillary and air, then the laser light will be damped by divergence and reflection of the laser light, for example, due to differences in refractive indices of the substances constituting the boundary. Consequently, in the process where laser light is transmitted through several capillaries, laser light decays exponentially, resulting in deterioration of precision in assaying.

Multi-capillary array electrophoresis device


A method for forming a hybrid-bonding structure is provided. The method includes forming a first dielectric layer over a first semiconductor substrate. The first semiconductor substrate includes a conductive structure. The method also includes partially removing the first dielectric layer to form a first dielectric dummy pattern, a second dielectric dummy pattern and a third dielectric dummy pattern and an opening through the first dielectric layer. The first dielectric dummy pattern, the second dielectric dummy pattern and the third dielectric dummy pattern are surrounded by the opening. In addition, the method includes forming a first conductive line in the opening. The first conductive line is in contact with the conductive structure.

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapid growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. However, these advances have increased the complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs and, for these advances to be realized, similar developments in IC processing and manufacturing are needed. In the course of IC evolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has generally increased while geometric size (i.e., the smallest component that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased.
Three dimensional integrated circuits (3DICs) are a recent development in semiconductor packaging in which multiple semiconductor dies are stacked upon one another, such as package-on-package (PoP) and system-in-package (SiP) packaging techniques. Some 3DICs are prepared by placing dies over dies on a wafer level. 3DICs provide improved integration density and other advantages, such as faster speeds and higher bandwidth, because of the decreased length of interconnects between the stacked dies, for example. However, there are many challenges related to 3DICs.

Method for forming hybrid-bonding structure

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


A composition useful as a powder coating comprises an epoxy resin and a novolak compound or resin having a structure obtained from the reaction of a substituted phenol such as cresol and an aldehyde to form a substituted bis(hydroxymethyl) phenol intermediate which is then reacted with a polyhydroxyphenol containing adjacent hydroxyl groups such as catechol to yield a polyhydroxyphenol-endcapped novolak compound or resin.

Certain novolak resins are known to those skilled in the art. These novolaks are conventionally prepared by condensing phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst. Typically these known novolak resins are prepared with less than one mole of formaldehyde per mole of phenol. Generally, the most common starting materials are phenol and aqueous formaldehyde. These starting materials are selected because of their good reactivity, availability and low cost. The acid catalyst is either an inorganic type such as sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, or other types known in the art. The acid may also be an organic acid such as p-toluenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid or oxalic acid. Certain catalysts are chosen for their reactivity or their influence on the properties, such as color.
These known novolak resins, upon heating, do not harden to an insoluble or infusible condition but remain organic solvent soluble and fusible. They can be hardened or cured by the addition of a curing agent, such as hexamethylenetetramine or trioxane, and further heating.
In a typical procedure to prepare a conventional novolak, the phenol and catalyst are intimately mixed. The formaldehyde is added either by initially mixing with the phenol and catalyst, portionwise, or continuously over a defined time. Because of practical considerations, the formaldehyde is usually added portionwise or continuously. The reaction generates heat, so cooling is often required. Once the initial exotherm is completed, the mixture is heated to complete the reaction of the two components. The novolak resin usually separates from the water layer and can be isolated at this point. Alternatively, the reaction mixture can be dehydrated under heat and vacuum to isolate the novolak resin. The novolak resin is a solid at room temperature.
The conditions of a typical procedure produce a novolak with various chain lengths, and the reaction of the formaldehyde with the phenol is usually random. This produces a novolak with varied substitution of the phenol ring. Depending on the reaction conditions and the type of phenol used, the molecular weight and softening temperature of the final resin may vary. Typically, the number average molecular weight, as determined by size exclusion chromatography, ranges from 300 to 2000 or higher.
Generally, the source of aldehyde used to prepare these known novolak resins is aqueous formaldehyde. Paraformaldehyde, trioxane and hexamethylenetetramine have also been used for this purpose.
Various phenols have been used to prepare these known novolaks. Such phenols include cresols, xylenols, biphenols, catechols, hydroquinones, naphthols and the like, including mixtures of the same. Certain phenols are chosen to impart specific properties, such as varying the softening temperature, water solubility or insolubility, color and melt viscosity.
Certain phenols used to prepare these known novolaks contain two or more adjacent hydroxyl groups. Such phenols include pyrogallol, catechol, tannic acid, gallic acid and the like. The phenols which have adjacent or vicinal hydroxyl groups, are known to be metal chelators. Metals such as iron, copper, manganese, vanadium, and others form complexes with these types of phenols (See: S. Yariv, W. Bodenheimer, and L. Heller, Israel J. Chem. 1964, 2(5), pp. 201-8; I. P. Mavani, C. R. Jejurkar, and P. K. Bhattacharya, J. Indian Chem. Soc. 1972, 49(5), pp. 469-74; R. Griesser and H. Sigel, Inorg. Chem. 1971, 10(10), pp. 2229-32; J. Zelinka and M. Bartusek, Collect. Czech Chem. Commun. 1971, 36(7), pp. 2628-37; G. F. Condike and A. E. Martell, J. Inorg. Nucl. Chem. 1969, 31(8), pp. 2455-66; H. Sigel, P. R. Huber, R. Griesser, and B. Prijs, Inorg. Chem. 1973, 12(5), pp. 1198-200; and M. A. Kessick, J. Polym. Sci., Part B, 1972, 10(7), pp. 527-30).
Uses of known novolak resins include coatings, adhesives, fiber bonding abrasives, laminates, foundry resins, friction materials, molding materials and wood composites. Certain known novolaks have been used as adhesion promoters for epoxy resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,276 (Faulkner and O'Neill) describes the preparation and use of metal-reactive polyhydric phenol-modified short oil and long oil alkyds that cure even at room temperature to form rust inhibiting, essentially non-blistering, durable finishes on unoxidized iron and steel surfaces. The polyhydric phenols include tannins, methyl gallate, propyl gallate, catechol and pyrogallol. These authors found that Fe/polyhydric phenolic chelate complexes are formed with the clean ferrous surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,716 (Hata et al.) and Japanese J5 6,149,716 teach that good coating compositions showing good adherence and good anticorrosive properties can be prepared by combining (A) a prepolymer of epoxy resin and polyhydroxyphenolic compound with (B) an organic hardener for epoxy resins. The prepolymer (A) is prepared by prereacting small amounts of polynuclear adjacent aromatic hydroxyl-containing compounds, including catechol and pyrogallol novolaks with epoxies. The reaction ratio of the epoxy resin and the polyhydric phenolic compound is 1.0/0.05 to 1.0/0.1 (mole/mole).
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,560,732 and 4,530,947 (Kojo et al.) teach a laquer-type coating composition for metals that forms chelate bonds with the metal to provide strong adhesion to the metal. This solvated coating composition comprises the reaction product of epoxy resins and polynuclear polyhydroxyphenols, including catechol and pyrogallol novolaks. These reaction products have M.sub.n values of 12,000 to 31,000 and are prepared at ratios insuring that unreacted adjacent aromatic hydroxyls are available. These coatings are applied as lacquers and are unsuitable for making powder coatings because the dried out resins will not melt flow adequately.

Novolak compounds useful as adhesion promoters for epoxy resins

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


A slip clutch has a first clutch element rotatable about a clutch axis and having a planar surface centered on the axis and formed with at least one axially backwardly open recess and a second clutch element also rotatable about the axis and formed with at least one axially forwardly open window alignable with the recess and having a pair of sides spaced angularly apart by a predetermined distance. A coupling body in the window is axially forwardly engageable in the recess and has an angular dimension substantially smaller than the distance. A pusher body in the window axially backward of the coupling body bears axially forwardly against the coupling body and angularly against one of the sides of the window. A spring unit bears axially forwardly on the pusher body, pressing the pusher body axially forward toward the first element and angularly against the one side of the window, and pressing the coupling body with the pusher body axially forward toward the first element. In other words the coupling and pusher bodies are angularly displaceable in the respective window.

German utility model 88 06 205 describes a slip clutch comprising a first clutch element rotatable about a clutch axis and having a planar surface centered on the axis and formed with at least one axially backwardly open recess and a second clutch element also rotatable about the axis and formed with at least one axially forwardly open window alignable with the recess and having a pair of sides spaced angularly apart by a predetermined distance A coupling ball in the window and of approximately the same diameter as the window width is axially forwardly engageable in the recess A pair of pusher balls in the window axially backward of the coupling body bear axially forward against the coupling body under axial pressure from a spring unit to press the coupling ball into the recess and rotationally couple the clutch elements. When torque between the two elements exceeds a predetermined level, the coupling ball is cammed out of the recess and the two elements can rotate relative to each other.
In this system the position of the coupling ball is defined by the position of the window engaging it and by the position of the pusher balls. This results in excessive friction and wear in the clutch. The transmission of torque between the coupling ball and the walls of the window engaging it creates considerable wear. When the windows wear somewhat, the coupling balls can slip under the pusher balls, at a lower torque level allowing the two clutch elements to rotate relative to each other in the sense of a backlash. It is further known to angle the sides of the windows, but this expedient requires a much stiffer spring unit to be employed, increasing the size and cost of the clutch.


Embodiments of the present invention provide a display panel, including a display region, wherein the display region includes an iris recognition region; the display panel further includes a light conversion layer disposed in the iris recognition region, the light conversion layer is configured to convert visible light incident on the light conversion layer into infrared light, and the infrared light is emitted from a display side of the display panel.

Iris recognition technology is a biometric-based identity authentication technology, which can confirm the identity by photographing the iris of human eyes. Because the security of iris recognition is much higher than fingerprint recognition and face recognition, it has become a major development trend of user identification.
At present, some display devices have iris recognition function. In order to realize the iris recognition function, the display device generally includes a display panel, an infrared light source which emits infrared light, a camera and a processor. The existing display device with iris recognition function needs to set an infrared light source independently, which leads to a complex structure of the display device and is not suitable for the requirements of lightweight and high integration of electronic devices.


A technique for partially offloading, from a main cache in a storage server, the storage of cache tags for data blocks in a victim cache of the storage server, is described. The technique includes storing, in the main cache, a first subset of the cache tag information for each of the data blocks, and storing, in a victim cache of the storage server, a second subset of the cache tag information for each of the data blocks. This technique avoids the need to store the second subset of the cache tag information in the main cache.

Various forms of network storage systems exist today, including network attached storage (NAS), storage area networks (SANs), and others. Network storage systems are commonly used for a variety of purposes, such as backing up critical data, data mirroring, providing multiple users with access to shared data, etc.
A network storage system includes at least one storage server, which is a processing system configured to store and retrieve data on behalf of one or more client processing systems ("clients") that are used by users of the network storage system. In the context of NAS, a storage server is commonly a file server, which is sometimes called a "filer". A filer operates on behalf of one or more clients to store and manage shared files. The files are stored in a non-volatile mass storage subsystem (which is typically external to the storage server, but does not have to be) which may include one or more arrays of non-volatile mass storage devices, such as magnetic or optical disks or tapes, by using RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks). Hence, the mass storage devices in each array may be organized into one or more separate RAID groups.
In a SAN context, a storage server provides clients with access to stored data at a sub-file level of granularity, such as block-level access, rather than file-level access. Some storage servers are capable of providing clients with both file-level access and block-level access, such as certain Filers made by Network Appliance, Inc. (NetApp®) of Sunnyvale, Calif.
Caching is a technique that is commonly used to reduce latency associated with accessing data in computer-related applications, including in network storage systems. For example, the main memory (i.e., random access memory (RAM)) of a storage server is often used as a cache logically between the storage server's main central processing unit (CPU) and the non-volatile mass storage (e.g., disk) subsystem, since the RAM which forms the main memory generally has a much smaller access latency than the disk subsystem. Accordingly, the main memory of a storage server is sometimes called the "buffer cache" or, simply, the "cache". Note that this kind of cache should not be confused with other forms of cache memory, known as level-1 ("L1") cache, level-2 ("L2") cache, etc., which are commonly used by a microprocessor (and typically implemented on the same chip or the same motherboard as the microprocessor) to reduce the number of accesses to main memory. In the context of this document, the buffer cache (or simply "cache") of a storage server is the main memory of the storage server.
Some network storage servers also employ an additional level of caching logically between the buffer cache (main memory) and the non-volatile mass storage subsystem; this additional cache is known as a "victim cache". In the context of this document, a "victim cache" is a cache that holds some of the data blocks ("victims") most recently evicted from a main or primary cache, i.e., from the main memory of the storage server. The main memory in a storage server (or at least a portion of the main memory) is in certain instances called the "main cache" in this document, to distinguish it from the victim cache.
A victim cache in a storage server is generally a medium-size auxiliary storage facility that is faster than normal RAID disk storage, but slower than main memory. Such a victim cache might be implemented on, for example, an external memory card, using solid state disks (SSDs) or other types of storage devices. The size of such a cache can range from, for example, a few GBytes up to hundreds of GBytes or more. When a data block, or "buffer", is needed but not found in main memory, the victim cache is consulted prior to loading the block from RAID disks. Note that the terms "buffer" and "block" (or "data block") are used herein interchangeably in this document.
As with most caches, a victim cache of a storage server normally has a cache tag store, which contains cache tag information used to locate blocks in the victim cache and to maintain state about the blocks. The tag store is maintained in main memory, not in the victim cache itself. Each block stored in the victim cache has a corresponding cache tag stored in main memory. The cache tag of a block contains multiple fields of metadata relating to the block, including the block identifier (ID) of the block, the address of the block in the victim cache, a file identifier (ID) of the block, a file offset and various flags. For a large victim cache, the cache tag store may consume a significant portion of main memory, which is not available for other purposes, such as for use as the main cache.

Partial tag offloading for storage server victim cache


This invention relates a method for the selective removal of alkali metal salts of sulphate (SO.sub.4.sup.2-), and thiosulphate (S.sub.2 O.sub.3.sup.2-) from hydrogen sulphide (H.sub.2 S) scrubber solutions of the liquid redox type using an electrodialysis system. In the process of this invention the H.sub.2 S scrubber solution is directed to the diluting compartments within an electrodialysis stack, while a collecting solution with a minimal initial salt content is directed to the concentrating compartments. With the application of a direct current a portion of the alkali metal salts of sulphate and thiosulphate present in the scrubber solution are transported through ion selective membranes into the collecting solution. Essentially all of the metal organic chelate reagents and carbonate ions initially present in the scrubber solution are retained in the desalted solution and can be recycled to the H.sub.2 S scrubbing process. Organic fouling of the anionic membranes is avoided by maintaining the organic weight fraction of the total dissolved solids in the diluting solution less than 0.15 and preferably less than 0.05. High current efficiency is obtained at salt concentrations above 5 normal in the diluting solution by maintaining the salt concentration of the collecting solution below that in the diluting solution.

The liquid reduction-oxidation or redox process is used to scrub hydrogen sulphide (H.sub.2 S) containing gas streams. In this process the gas containing H.sub.2 S is contacted with an alkaline liquid phase (usually at pH 7.0 to 11.0) containing a dissolved metal organic chelate reagent. While any polyvalent transition metal can be employed in this process, iron is most commonly used. The H.sub.2 S from the gas stream is absorbed into the alkaline solution forming sulphide ions: EQU H.sub.2 S.sub.(g) .fwdarw.H.sub.2 S.sub.(aq) .fwdarw.H.sup.+.sub.(aq) +HS.sup.-.sub.(aq) .fwdarw.2H.sup.+.sub.(aq) +S.sup.2-.sub.(aq)( 1)
The sulphide ions react with the polyvalent metal, oxidizing the sulphide to elemental sulphur and reducing the oxidation state of the metal: EQU 2(Fe.sup.3+.chelate).sub.(aq) +S.sup.2-.sub.(aq) =2(Fe.sup.2+.chelate).sub.(aq) +S.sup.0.sub.(s) ( 1)
The metal is then oxidized with dissolved oxygen in the same or a separate vessel: EQU 2(Fe.sup.2+. chelate).sub.(aq)+H.sub.2 O+O.sub.2(aq) =2(Fe.sup.3+. chelate).sub.(aq) +2OH.sup.-.sub.(aq) ( 3)
The overall sulphur producing reaction is: EQU H.sub.2 S.sub.(g) +O.sub.2(g) .fwdarw.H.sub.2 O.sub.(l) +S.sup.0.sub.(s)( 4)
Side reactions oxidize some dissolved sulphide ions to acidic sulphur compounds, primarily sulphate (SO.sub.4.sup.2-) and thiosulphate (S.sub.2 O.sub.3.sup.2-). Sulphite (SO.sub.3.sup.2-) and dithionate (S.sub.2 O.sub.6.sup.2-) are also formed, but are normally present in insignificant quantities. Walter, C. M., indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,251 that above pH 7.0 from 2 to 9% of the H.sub.2 S fed to a liquid redox scrubber was converted into acidic sulphur compounds. These sulphur compounds tend to lower the pH of the scrubber solution reducing its scrubbing effectiveness. It is normal practice in these processes to maintain the pH of the scrubber solution above 7.0 by the continuous or periodic addition of alkaline chemicals such as the ammonium or alkali metal salts of carbonate (CO.sub.3.sup.2-), bicarbonate (HCO.sub.3.sup.-), or hydroxide (OH.sup.-).
The neutralization of the acidic sulphur compounds results in a steady build up of the corresponding ammonium or alkali metal salts. The build up of salts is described by the overall chemical equations given below (for the two most common species formed): EQU 2H.sub.2 S.sub.(aq) +2O.sub.2(aq) +2MOH.sub.(aq) .fwdarw.M.sub.2 S.sub.2 O.sub.3(aq) +3H.sub.2 O (5) EQU M.sub.2 S.sub.2 O.sub.3(aq) +2MOH.sub.(aq) +2O.sub.2(aq) .fwdarw.2M.sub.2 SO.sub.4(aq) +H.sub.2 O (6)
The presence of excess dissolved salt in the scrubber solution can contaminate the elemental sulphur produced. In scrubbers where the sulphur is removed by settling, high concentrations of dissolved salts can lead to poor sulphur settling because of high solution specific gravity and/or viscosity. If no action is taken the concentration of these salts will increase until the solution becomes saturated. The salts will then precipitate out of solution potentially plugging the piping of the unit.
Several different approaches have been taken to solve the problem of salt build up in the liquid redox processes. Thompson, R. B. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,342 recommended withdrawing and disposing a portion of the scrubber solution, and replacing this "blowdown" with fresh, salt-free solution to undersaturate the system. When a blowdown is taken it eliminates all components of the solution, including those which are beneficial or necessary for the operation of the scrubber. Various organic chemicals (such as EDTA, NTA, IDA, sorbitol etc.) are added to the solution to complex the polyvalent metal reagent and increase its solubility at the pH of the system. Additional chemicals are added to the scrubber solution to promote sulphur settling (flocculants, surfactants, antifoam agents), to destroy bacteria (biocides), and to control pH (KOH, KHCO.sub.3, K.sub.2 CO.sub.3, NaOH, NaHCO.sub.3, Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3, etc.). In removing and replacing scrubber solution, all these beneficial chemicals are sacrificed to bleed the offending salts.
The preferred approach would be to withdraw only salts and recycle all of the active chemicals in the solution back to the scrubber. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,437 Grinstead, R. R., suggests that a polymeric chelating agent with molecular weight between 500 and 1,000,000 be used to complex the reactive metal (e.g. iron). Grinstead claims that it is then possible to remove water, and all dissolved species having a molecular weight less than 500 using ultrafiltration or diffusion dialysis. Any beneficial chemicals dissolved in the scrubber solution with molecular weight less than 500 (such as those which control pH) will be removed with the salts and degraded organics. Obviously this process restricts the practitioner to using only polymeric chelating agents with suitably high molecular weights.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a process utilizing an electrodialysis system which will:
i) selectively remove alkali metal salts of thiosulphate (S.sub.2 O.sub.3.sup.2-) and sulphate (SO.sub.4.sup.2-) from hydrogen sulphide (H.sub.2 S) scrubber solution of the liquid redox type; PA1 ii) retain in the scrubber solution for subsequent recycle:
a) the polyvalent metal reagent (e.g., iron), PA2 b) the organic chelating agent, without placing any restriction on the nature (i.e. molecular weight) of the chelating agent to be used in the H.sub.2 S scrubber, PA2 c) and pH adjusting chemicals.
The use of electrodialysis to remove inorganic ions from solutions containing chelated polyvalent transition metals has been reported. Walker, R. J., reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,391 the use of electrodialysis to regenerate SO.sub.2 -NO.sub.x scrubber solution containing Fe.sup.2+. EDTA (ferrous-ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid complex) by the removal of sulphite (SO.sub.3.sup.2-), bisulphite (HSO.sub.3.sup.-) and dithionate (S.sub.2 O.sub.6.sup.2-) ions. Ono and Watanabe described a process to remove silver (Ag.sup.+) and silver.thiosulphate complex ions from a solution containing both Fe.sup.2+.EDTA and Fe.sup.3+.EDTA in U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,559. In European Patent No. 0015737 A1, Grenda, D. W., revealed an electromembrane process to regenerate electroless copper plating baths by the removal of formate (HCO.sub.2.sup.-) and sulphate (SO.sub.4.sup.2-) ions through an anion selective membrane, from a solution containing Cu.sup.2+ chelated by a variety of different organic chemicals. However, the use of electrodialysis to remove alkali metal salts of sulphate (SO.sub.4.sup.2-), and thiosulphate (S.sub.2 O.sub.3.sup.2-) from hydrogen sulphide (H.sub.2 S) scrubber solutions of the liquid redox type has never been reported.
Natural gas containing significant quantities of H.sub.2 S ("sour gas") must be treated to prevent corrosion of pipelines during transport. This type of gas is often treated in a two step process. In the first step, H.sub.2 S and other acid gases such as SO.sub.2, CO.sub.2 and mercaptans are removed from the natural gas in an absorber containing an amine solution. This solution is thermally regenerated forming a concentrated gaseous product referred to as "acid gas". This acid gas is then treated in a Claus-type process for the removal of H.sub.2 S and SO.sub.2, a liquid redox scrubber for the removal of H.sub.2 S, or is incinerated. The amine solution used to separate the acid gas from the natural gas, can become contaminated with a variety of salts. In European Patent No. 0 286 143 A1 Gregory, R., reported the use of electrodialysis for the removal of inorganic salt species from alkanolamine absorber solution.

Process for salt extraction from hydrogen-sulphide scrubber solution using electrodialysis


The method of the present invention consists of generating a repetitious sound which is intended to be repeated by the user to focus mental concentration on an audible focal point and concurrently with the generation of the repeated sound, releasing a fragrance which over repeated use will become associated in the mind of the user with a relaxed state which is induced by the constant repetition of the sound. The apparatus of the present invention includes means for generating a sound at timed intervals to initiate the relaxation state and means for generating a fragrance which becomes associated in the mind of the user with the relaxed state induced by the sound. Means are also provided for amplifying the sound so that it is audible to the user of the device. The sound generating means, the fragrance diffusion means and the audible means are combined in a headset which further includes at least one ear piece which is fitted over the ear of the user. The fragrance diffusing means is incorporated into the headset for diffusion of the fragrance while the sound is being transmitted to the user. The fragrance is produced by essential oils derived from various plants which have a pleasing and relaxing fragrance or a blend of such oils.

Much has been written in recent years concerning the adverse effect that stress, induced by modern-day living, particularly in urban areas, has upon the health and welfare of a human being. It has now been established that stress caused by an upheaval in a person's life such as a divorce or the like, loss of a job, change of location and similar events, often will produce stress which precedes serious illness such as cancer, stroke or heart disease.
Numerous books have been written on ways to relieve stress and anxiety. In addition, exercise systems, biofeed back systems and the like have been developed to aid a person to obtain both physical and mental relaxation. Normally, such systems are employed in conjunction with physical devices which are designed to stimulate the senses, particularly the sense of sight and sound, of the individual seeking relaxation. Such devices are generally intended to provide an environment for the individual which shuts out outside interferences.
Some devices go as far as to provide an enclosure for the individual and to bombard the individual's senses while in the enclosure for the purpose of inducing relaxation, both physical and mental (U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,266). Other devices have been employed which are less elaborate but which generally involve a device which includes a headset for transmitting sound and means for providing a visual display in conjunction with the sound.
Of the prior art devices only one, an enclosure described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,266 discloses any means for stimulating the olfactory senses of the user. However, with such a device, the user must be within the enclosure during which he is also subjected to visual as well as auditory stimulation.
The prior art devices which aid in inducing a state of relaxation, can generally be classified as "passive", that is to say they require no participation by the user. Consequently, the prior art devices often will induce a state of hypnosis or sleep, which goes beyond stress relief and relaxation. In addition, all the prior art devices require a visual display and thus require means for making such a display such as a video screen or the like which can be bulky and inconvenient to transport.

Method and apparatus for auditory and olfactory relaxation


A fuel cell module includes a number of series-connected fuel cells forming a fuel cell stack. To reliably ensure that there is no risk of the fuel cell stack buckling, even where a comparatively large number of fuel cells are grouped to form a fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack is surrounded by a stabilizing casing, at least in a middle area as seen in the longitudinal direction.

Fuel cells can be used for the environmentally friendly generation of electricity. This is because a process which substantially represents a reversal of electrolysis takes place in a fuel cell. For this purpose, in a fuel cell, a fuel which includes hydrogen is fed to an anode and an auxiliary substance which includes oxygen is fed to a cathode. The anode and cathode are electrically separated from one another by an electrolyte layer; although the electrolyte layer does allow ion exchange between the fuel and the oxygen, it otherwise ensures gas-type separation of fuel and auxiliary material.
On account of the ion exchange, hydrogen contained in the fuel can react with the oxygen to form water, during which process electrons accumulate at the fuel-side electrode, i.e. the anode, and electrons are depleted at the electrode on the auxiliary substance side, i.e. the cathode. Therefore, when the fuel cell is operating, a potential difference or voltage is built up between the anode and cathode. The electrolyte layer, which in the case of a high-temperature fuel cell may be designed as a solid ceramic electrolyte or in the case of a low-temperature fuel cell may be designed as a polymer membrane, therefore has the function of separating the reactants from one other, of transferring the charge in the form of ions and of preventing an electron short circuit.
On account of the electrochemical potentials of the substances which are usually used, in a fuel cell of this type, under normal operating conditions, an electrode voltage of approximately 0.6 to 1.0 V can be built up and maintained during operation. For technical applications, in which a significantly higher overall voltage may be required depending on the intended use or the planned load. Therefore, it is usual for a plurality of fuel cells to be connected electrically in series, in the form of a fuel cell stack, in such a way that the sum of the electrode voltages which are in each case supplied by the fuel cells corresponds to or exceeds the required total voltage.
Each of the fuel cells which are combined to form a fuel cell stack of this type is assigned, in the region of its electrode, a volume region to which the media required in each case, such as for example the fuel or the auxiliary material, can be fed. This volume region may, for example, be delimited by boundary surfaces which are counted as part of the fuel cell itself, the boundary surfaces between two adjacent fuel cells, in order to form a closed volume region, being sealed off from the outside by means of a seal arranged between them. Depending on the total voltage required, the number of fuel cells in a fuel cell stack of this type may, for example, be 50 or more.
To produce the required seal between adjacent fuel cells in terms of the supply and discharge of the media, such as fuel and auxiliary substance, it may be necessary to subject the fuel cell stack to a certain clamping or pressing in its longitudinal direction. This corresponds to a long-term compressive load acting on the fuel cell stack in its longitudinal direction. This ensures that, firstly each fuel cell remains in mechanical contact with the fuel cells adjoining it, and, secondly, particularly when seals made from elastic material are used between the fuel cells, the required sealing action is indeed achieved as a result of the pressure applied in the longitudinal direction.
However, with elongate structures, such as bars, towers or struts, according to the Euler or Tetmajer buckling conditions, such a compressive load may result in a tendency to buckle. In this context, the term buckling is to be understood in particular as meaning yielding of a central region of the elongate structure in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This tendency to buckle is dependent to a considerable extent on the length of the structure in question.
Buckling of this nature which occurs in a fuel cell stack, as a result of some of the fuel cells being moved out of their desired position, would, however, have a highly adverse effect on or even completely negate the ability of the fuel cell stack to function. The number of fuel cells which can be connected to one another to form a fuel cell stack is therefore only limited, depending on the sealing system which is provided for the connection of adjacent fuel cells and the resulting clamping force required in the longitudinal direction of the fuel cell stack.
On the other hand, however, particularly when a fuel cell system is designed for applications with relatively high design voltages, it is possible to provide for a relatively high number of fuel cells, for example 70 or more, to be connected up. The possibility of combining any desired number of fuel cells to form a fuel cell stack therefore represents an important contribution to the flexibility available in designing a fuel cell module. In particular for flexibility reasons, it may be desirable for the fuel cells to be combined to form a fuel cell stack in a readily portable fuel cell module.


An air driven diaphragm pump includes two diaphragms affixed to a common shaft. The shaft extends through an air valve providing reciprocating pressurized air to the diaphragms through associated air chambers. A pump chamber with intake and exhaust valves is associated with one of the two diaphragms while a further air chamber replaces a pump chamber and is associated with the other of the diaphragms. A passage extends through the shaft and is in communication with the air chamber adjacent to the pump chamber and with the further air chamber converted from the pump chamber.

The field of the present invention is air driven double diaphragm pumps employed in high pressure configurations.
Air driven double diaphragm pumps employ a source of pressurized air for operation and are quite versatile in their ability to pump a wide variety of material. Pumps having double diaphragms driven by compressed air directed through an actuator valve are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,957,670; 5,169,296; 4,247,264; Des. 294,946; Des. 294,947; and Des. 275,858. Actuator valves used in such pumps are illustrated in U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0249612; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,467. The disclosures of the foregoing patents and published application are incorporated herein by reference.
Common to many air driven diaphragm pumps and as shown in the aforementioned patent publications relating to air driven diaphragm pumps is the presence of an actuator housing having air chambers facing outwardly to cooperate with two pump diaphragms. Pump chamber housings with inlet manifolds and outlet manifolds are also common and arranged outwardly of the pump diaphragms. Ball check valves are positioned in both the inlet passageways and the outlet passageways of the pump chamber housings. A shaft runs through the actuator and the air chambers and is coupled with the diaphragms. An air valve controls flow to alternate air pressure and exhaust to and from each of the air chambers, resulting in reciprocation of the pump. The air valve is controlled by a pilot system controlled in turn by the position of the pump diaphragms. Thus, a feedback control mechanism is provided to convert a constant air pressure into a reciprocating distribution of pressurized air to each air chamber for driving the diaphragms in alternating pumping and suction strokes. A vast range of materials are able to be pumped safely and efficiently using such systems.
The aforementioned systems provide a pumping capacity which is limited to the pressure of the supply air behind each diaphragm. Diaphragm pumps have also been developed which multiply that pressure through additional pistons or diaphragms affixed to the central shaft Such additional pistons or diaphragms contribute a boost in force on the shaft cooperative with the diaphragm defining the pump chamber. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,982.
An additional such mechanism used for increased pumping pressures employs the described double diaphragm pumps with a rerouting of the air about the pump from the air chamber on one side of the pump to the pump chamber on the other side of the pump. The pump chamber is sealed off at both the intake and exhaust. In this manner both diaphragms exert pumping pressure. The pressurized air in the air chamber adjacent to the pumping chamber provides pressure against the associated diaphragm while the pump chamber which has been converted into an air chamber exerts pressure on the other diaphragm resulting in a force on the shaft extending between diaphragms. In this way, an approximate 2:1 ratio of fluid outlet pressure to inlet air pressure is achieved. In the ducting for air flow to the converted pump chamber, fittings and tubing or hoses are employed from the air chamber to the converted pump chamber. Such apparatus are exposed and vulnerable.


A control system for wheel-slip prevention in a railway vehicle with a pneumatic brake is provided. The control system comprises an input interface configured to accept a deceleration reference for controlling the pneumatic brake, and a memory configured to store a reference governor providing executable instructions for modifying the deceleration reference upon its violation of a wheel-slip constraint, and configured to store a controller providing executable instructions for mapping the modified deceleration reference to a sequence of control commands for controlling pressure applied by the pneumatic brake. The control system further comprises a processor configured to execute the reference governor to modify the deceleration reference and configured to execute the controller to map the modified deceleration reference to the sequence of control commands. Further, an output interface of the control system is configured to output the sequence of control commands to control the pneumatic brake.

Railway vehicles utilize pneumatic-brakes to stop or decelerate the railway vehicles. A stopping force needed to stop the vehicle is generated by filling a brake-cylinder with compressed air and pressing on a piston to apply pressure to brake pad. The filling of the brake-cylinder is controlled by an integrated control system which adjusts brake-cylinder pressure and consequently braking-torque to achieve desired deceleration.
The stopping force produced is a non-linear function of the wheel-slip speed. For small slip-speeds, the stopping force increases with increase in the slip-speed. For large slip-speeds, the stopping force decreases with increase in the slip-speed. Therefore, regulating wheel-slip is important for preventing excessive wheel-slip and controlling speed of the railway vehicle. Two automotive examples of regulating wheel-slip are anti-lock brakes and traction control systems.
Due to slow dynamics and non-linear hysteresis behavior of the pneumatic-brakes, the automotive controllers, such as anti-lock brake and traction control systems, cannot be applied to the pneumatic-brakes. Some pneumatic-brakes employ a slip protection system to halt excessive slip. The slip protection system vents air from the brake-cylinder to rapidly reduce braking torque whenever excessive wheel-slip is detected and the wheel-slip is restored to stable-slip region. However, the air venting from the brake-cylinder to rapidly reduce the braking torque produces a limit cycle as the wheel-slip protection system repeatedly engages during a hard-stop. The limit cycle causes vibrations and excessive jerk that reduce passenger comfort and increase wear on brake mechanism of the pneumatic-brakes. Furthermore, in applications where precision stopping is desired such as stopping a subway train at a specific loading position, the limit cycle can degrade stopping accuracy.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a system and method for effectively preventing the excessive wheel-slip.

System and method for wheel-slip prevention in railway vehicles with pneumatic brakes

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


A feature of the present invention includes a device having a display controller for controlling a display position of the pointer on the display screen, a displacement detector for detecting a displacement of the device itself, and a pointer mover for moving the pointer on the display screen based on the detected displacement of the device itself.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device suitable for use with a portable information input device. More particularly, to a wristwatch type device and a method for moving a pointer.
2. Background Art
As is well known in the art, owing to recent miniaturization of information apparatuses, so-called palm-sized (palmtop type) information apparatuses have appeared as well as wristwatch type information apparatuses.
These information apparatuses do not provide for a keyboard for their miniaturization, instead some of them provide for a pointing device in the form of button, ball, lever, etc., which are operable in two, four or all directions for performing various operations, such as moving a pointer or a cursor on a display screen, scrolling a screen, and inputting characters. Alternatively, instead of these pointing devices, some of information apparatuses provide for a so-called touch panel, which is operated by touching the display screen.
However, when above-mentioned information apparatuses are provided with a pointing device, there is needed at least an operative member such as a button, ball and lever; a mechanism for moving this operative member; and a mechanism for detecting an operation of the operative member, all of which not only prohibit miniaturization and water proofing property, but also influence and restrain the design for an accessory, especially in the case of wristwatch type information apparatuses.
Assuming that the display itself of the device is of a touch panel type, an information apparatus with a certain degree of size is operable by touching with a touch pen or a finger, however, for a wristwatch type information apparatus, in particular, it is unrealistic to always carry a touch pen with a watch, thus it is to be touched by a finger. However, a wristwatch type information apparatus is hard to operate due to its small display screen (touch panel), which results in a big problem in operability, such as a portion that is touched by a finger is hard to see. Also, when providing for a touch panel on the display screen, not only does the transmittance of a display screen degrades, but also a fingerprint and stain are likely to be attached, which can further degrade the visibility.
In addition, for these small information apparatuses, there is always a need to restrain power consumption to extend the usable time.
The present invention solves the technical problems of the prior art. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that does not prohibit miniaturization and that allows for the adding of water proofing properties.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that restrain power consumption to extend the usable time.

Wristwatch type device and method for moving pointer

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for processing a 3D video signal and a digital broadcast receiver for performing the method are disclosed. The method for processing a 3D video signal includes receiving a digital broadcast signal including a multiple hierarchy descriptor, identifying at least one of a second dependent Elementary Stream (ES) based on a first field included in the multiple hierarchy descriptor, wherein the second dependent ES is to be accessed before decoding of a first dependent ES, identifying signaling information of the second dependent ES based on a second field included in the multiple hierarchy descriptor, decoding the first dependent ES and the second dependent ES, and outputting a three dimensional (3D) video signal by formatting the decoded first and second dependent ESs.

Generally, a three dimensional (3D) image (or a stereoscopic image) provides user's eyes with a stereoscopic effect using the stereoscopic visual principle. A human being feels both near and far through a binocular parallax caused by a distance between their eyes spaced apart from each other by about 65 mm, such that the 3D image enables both right and left eyes to respectively view their associated planar images, and a human brain merges two different images with each other, resulting in a sense of depth and a sense of presence in the 3D image.
The above-mentioned 3D image display method may be classified into a stereoscopic scheme, a volumetric scheme, a holographic scheme, etc. In addition, a 3D image display device adds depth information to two dimensional (2D) images or uses left view image information and right view image information, such that a user of the 3D image display device can feel a sense of vividness and a sense of reality in a 3D image.
In addition, a method for allowing the user to view the 3D image may be exemplarily classified into one method for providing the user with polarization glasses and another method for providing the user with no polarization glasses.
A television according to the related art has been designed to display only a 2D image. In contrast, many developers and companies have recently conducted intensive research into a 3D imaging technology for use in a digital broadcasting field. However, detailed protocols related to a 3D broadcast signal processing technology have not been defined yet, so that broadcast content providers, broadcast stations, and DTV manufacturers have been thrown into a great confusion of such 3D broadcast signal processing.

Method for processing three dimensional (3D) video signal and digital broadcast receiver for performing the method


A turbine housing of a turbocharger is formed by joining a scroll body with a base body. An exhaust passageway is formed between the scroll body and the base body. At the joint portion between the scroll body and the base body, an inside corner portion is formed by an inner peripheral surface of the scroll body that faces the exhaust passageway, and an outer peripheral surface of the base body that also faces the exhaust passageway. An inside fillet that is shaped to change the direction of exhaust gas along the inner peripheral surface of the scroll body to a direction along the outer peripheral surface of the base body is formed on the inside corner portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wheel housing for a turbocharger that is assembled by joining a first structural body to a second structural body that have been separately formed, and in which a gas passageway is formed between the first structural body and the second structural body. The invention also relates to a turbocharger that includes the wheel housing.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-106667 (JP-A-2008-106667) describes a wheel housing for a turbocharger which is made by separately forming a metal-sheet-made scroll body as a first structural body and a metal-sheet-made base body as a second structural body, and then welding the scroll body to the base body.
In the above-described turbine housing, a corner portion is formed by a surface of the scroll body and a surface of the base body, so that exhaust gas flow near the corner portion is disturbed.
As shown in FIG. 12, a corner portion E is formed by the inner peripheral surface 133A of a scroll body 130 that faces an exhaust passageway 160 and the outer peripheral surface of a base portion 150, which also faces the exhaust passageway 160. When exhaust gas in the exhaust passageway 160 strikes the corner portion E, the flow of exhaust gas is disturbed.


In a computer system, a peripheral graphics device (PGD) accesses a graphics buffer (GB) wherein the GB physical pages can be contiguous or discontiguous. A request is received to allocate memory for a GB of a predetermined size and handle. The number of pages within the size parameter is determined based on the page size used by the computer system and the buffer size needed. A first memory block is allocated for storing the GB and locked to prevent swapping. A starting virtual address of a CPU page table (CPU/PT) is accessed and mapped to a starting logical address to allow traversal of the CPU/PT by a user application. A second memory block is allocated for building a graphics device page table (GDPT) that can be accessed by a PGD. The logical address of each GB page is sequentially accessed and the corresponding physical address of each GB page is determined from the CPU/PT. The logical and physical addresses of each GB page are stored into the GDPT. If all physical pages of the GB are contiguous, the logical and physical addresses of the GB are stored into a database indexed by a user handle. Otherwise, the starting address of the GDPT is stored into the database indexed by a user handle. Provided that all of the GB physical pages are contiguous, the PGD accesses the GB by its starting physical address. Otherwise, the PGD uses the GDPT to access the discontiguous physical pages of the GB.

Generally, in computer systems having a peripheral device (e.g., a peripheral graphics device), the peripheral device is only allowed access to the physical memory portion of the system, not the virtual to physical memory mapping resources. Therefore, the peripheral device cannot readily access memory blocks in the computer system which are not contiguous in physical memory space. Typical peripheral devices are designed to access memory blocks, stored in a host computer system, by use of a base physical memory address. If a memory block sought to be accessed by a peripheral device is not contiguous in physical memory space, a mere base physical address of the memory block is not sufficient to access that memory block.
If a memory management system is active in a host computer system, then paging may be active in which case blocks of memory can be discontiguous in physical memory space. Paging is a storage allocation technique in which programs or data are divided into fixed length blocks called pages and main storage can be divided into blocks of the same length called page frames. A page frame is comprised of a fixed region of physical memory. Pages are stored in page frames, although not necessarily contiguously. In paging schemes, pages of data can be swapped between main and auxiliary storage if needed. Paging allows virtual memory because auxiliary storage can be addressed as though it were part of main storage. Portions of a users program and data are placed in auxiliary storage, and the operating system automatically swaps them in and out of main storage as needed. Memory management systems which feature paging also employ page tables. A page table is a memory map which provides a physical address for each logical page address. Peripheral devices generally do not have the capability of accessing memory maps, including page tables.
Memory management systems which feature paging include EMM386.EXE, DOS based protected mode extenders, and various other protected mode operating systems. The virtual memory system of the Intel 80386 microprocessor, for example, includes the presence of both paging and segmentation. Segmentation is a memory management technique that allocates main memory by segments. When a segment not currently residing in main memory is required, the entire segment is transferred from secondary memory. The physical addresses assigned to the segments are maintained in a memory map. If both segmentation and paging are used, every memory address generated by a program goes through the two-stage translation process defined in Relationship (1), below; EQU Virtual address L.fwdarw.Logical address N.fwdarw.Physical address P(1).
Without segmentation, L=N. Without paging, N=P. The segmentation and paging units both contain high-speed caches to store the active portions of the various memory maps needed for address translation. The page size used by an Intel 80386 microprocessor is 4 Kilobytes.
Typical peripheral graphics devices access memory blocks, which are contiguous in physical memory space, by use of a base physical memory address. This methodology has been sufficient in the past because peripheral graphics devices did not typically require access to memory buffers comprising more than one page because the size of blocks of graphics data did not typically exceed a page. However, state of the art computer graphics systems are now being used to process blocks of graphics data which exceed a single page in size. Therefore, a method is needed for providing a peripheral graphics device with access to a memory buffer which can exceed a single page in size. Because such a memory buffer can be discontiguous in physical memory space, a method is needed to provide the peripheral graphics device with access to the memory buffer.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for (1) determining whether a memory block is contiguous in physical memory space, and (2) providing a peripheral device with access to the memory block if it is not contiguous in physical memory space. These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent within discussions of the present invention herein.

Method of obtaining a buffer contiguous memory and building a page table that is accessible by a peripheral graphics device


A step structure for a saddle-ride vehicle includes a step that is turned in a freely derricking manner between a usage state raised in a vehicle width direction and a storage state falling along a lateral side of a vehicle. In the step structure for the saddle-ride vehicle, the step is turnably arranged with a shaft provided at an end of the step as the center. The step is also stored in such a manner wherein the shaft is positioned at the rear of the step in the storage state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a step structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle.
2. Description of Background Art
The existing step structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle is configured in such a manner that a pillion step as a footrest for a pillion passenger is made to be moved upwardly to a rear side for storage. See, for example, JP-A No. 2003-54465.
When the pillion step is made to be moved upwardly to the rear side for storage, the pillion step that is directed upwardly to the rear, when viewed from in a side view, is always visually recognized as a projection that is unnecessary from the standpoint of the appearance in the case of a single passenger vehicle. In this case, the presence of the projection that is directed upwardly to the rear in the side view that is unnecessary from the standpoint of appearance cannot be removed. Thus, it is possibility that the designability of the whole vehicle is decreased. As a result, there is a need for a structure that can improve the designability of the whole vehicle.

Step structure for saddle-ride type vehicle


A rocker chair has a table concealed in an arm thereof which is extendible into an operative horizontal position. A stop block member is slidably mounted on a side base member of the chair and is moved into an operative position wherein it is effective to prevent forward and backward rocking motion when the chair is in the upright position. An actuating cable is connected between the stop block and the table and is effective to automatically move the stop block into the operative position when the table is extended. The invention can be incorporated into a rocker/recliner chair or a simple rocker chair.

This invention relates generally to upholstered rocker and rocker/recliner chairs and, more particularly, to a blocking device for automatically preventing rocking motion of the chair when the chair is in the upright position.
There was disclosed in the above-identified co-pending application an upholstered chair having a table concealed in a side arm thereof. The table could be opened into a substantially horizontal position and utilized to hold a drink, food, or other objects. When incorporated in a recliner chair or a stationary lounge chair, the operationally extended table remained substantially horizontal at all times, and provided stable support for any container or object carried thereon. Obviously, however, the same conditions of stability would not apply to a rocker chair and objects carried by the table would be in danger of spilling or falling therefrom. The present invention provides a means for preventing such problems when the table is incorporated in a chair having rocker capability.
Upholstered rocker chairs may be simple, capable of only a simple rocking motion; or compound, comprising a rocker/recliner having the capability of rocking and reclining. In either type of rocker chair, rocking motion is permissible only when the rocker/recliner chair is in the upright position.
Rocker/recliner chairs have long been made with means for arresting or blocking rocking motion when the chair is in a reclined position. In general, those blocking means comprise front and rear attachments to the reclining mechanism sometimes known as landing gear members. A representative example of such arresting means is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,198 where it will be seen that front and rear arresting members are actuated by the reclining movement of the chair and moved into operational position where they bear against the base of the chair to prevent rocking motion. When the chair is returned to the upright position, the arresting members are moved into an inoperative position so that rocking motion of the chair is permitted.
In a rocker or rocker/recliner chair equipped with a fold-out table of the type disclosed in the aforesaid co-pending application, it would be desirable to prevent rocking when the table is extended even when the chair is in the upright position. Ideally, the means for blocking rocking motion will become operational automatically when the table is extended so that inadvertent loss of or injury to articles on the table which might result from rocking of the chair is not possible.


A super-power, high voltage klystron includes an output cavity operating in the TM.sub.01x mode, where x is greater than zero.

Super-power (e.g. 200 megawatts peak) klystrons operating with high voltage (e.g. 600 kV) linear electron beams are employed for various purposes, for example, as excitation sources for linear accelerators and output tubes for high power transmitters. Such klystrons require electrons having velocities in the relativistic regime.
Prior art super-power klystrons typically include an output resonant cavity structure operating in the TM.sub.010 mode and include re-entrant drift-tubes forming interaction gaps for strong coupling to an electron beam propagating in the tube. High electric fields at metal boundaries of the interaction gap are susceptible of producing arcing. The RF voltage which can be established across the interaction gaps is thereby limited by the arcing effects. To increase the overall voltage established across the output resonant cavity structure, such structure usually includes several resonators electrically coupled together by magnetic coupling slots; such a structure is often referred to as extended interaction resonators. The extent to which the several resonators can be coupled together to increase the resonator voltage to provide the required performance in a satisfactory manner depends on internal coupling required for adequate power flow to maintain a uniform voltage distribution among the individual gaps. The success of this structure also depends on the proximity of neighboring resonant modes that affect the tube bandwidth requirements.
The prior art structures require relatively large electron beam tunnel diameters to provide the beam optics necessary for proper klystron operation, i.e. the tunnel diameter is a relatively large percentage of the diameter of the side walls of the extended interaction resonators. The large tunnel diameter is a complication in high voltage super-power klystron tubes because it increases the amount of direct electric coupling between the interaction gaps and opposes magnetic coupling through the coupling slots. Recent analysis indicates it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to provide a super-power klystron output resonator if conventional design approaches are employed.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved cavity resonator particularly adapted for use as an output resonator structure in super-power klystrons.
It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved super-power klystron operating with high-beam voltage to produce electron velocities in the relativistic regime, wherein said klystron includes a new and improved output resonator structure.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved super-power, high voltage klystron having an output resonator with a relatively small peripheral volume and a low level electric field on surfaces of the resonator.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a new and improved super-power, high voltage klystron having an output cavity with a characteristic impedance compatible with the low beam impedance of such klystrons.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved super-power, high voltage klystron with an output cavity having a relatively short length for the tube operating frequency.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved super-power, high voltage klystron wherein the spacing between electric field peaks in the klystron resonant cavity output structure is maintained, to provide good interaction with the klystron electron beam.

Klystron resonant cavity operating in TM.sub.01X mode, where X is greater than zero


A vessel defining a variable interior volume has a wall with a first and second wall portion, and a flexure zone parallel to a longitudinal axis. In a volumetrically reduced configuration, the wall portions are brought together by flexing of the flexure zone. A fixing element attached to the wall releasably maintains the wall in the reduced configuration by maintaining proximity of the wall portions. A spray bottle system includes a housing forming a receptacle for receiving a soft refill liquid container and having at least one opening representing a reduction in material of the housing. A spray head includes an operable trigger for causing dispensation of liquid from the container. A pivoting junction connects the housing to the spray head permitting flexing of the spray head.

Conventional spray bottles for cleaning and other dispensation purposes typically have rigid bodies that are inflexible and bulky in use and represent needless material wastes. Many are not designed for refilling and reuse. Thus, bulky rigid plastic containers tend to be discarded after the use of cleaning solutions and other commercially available liquids that are distributed in amounts as small as 6 ounces. The material wastes in the current cleaning solution economy ultimately take up space in waste disposal trucks which make many trips to landfills where one-time use containers take up space for many years.
Where refill provisions are made by manufacturers, the provisions typically amount to super-sized rigid-body containers used to refill conventional hand-held spray bottles, in which case it is unclear whether one large container is beneficial over many small containers when full environmental impact is considered.
Even when the disposal of currently available spray bottles is set aside as a concern, rigid-body spray bottles with rigidly fixed spray heads are difficult to use in tight spaces such as refrigerators, cabinets, and other spaces in homes and businesses where cleaning is needed. Difficulty particularly arises as the liquid contained in a typical spray bottle is almost depleted, in which case dispensation can typically only continue with the entire bottle and spray head assembly held in a true vertical orientation, despite whether such orientation directs any dispensed solution as needed currently by a user. In such a scenario, it is all too likely that a spray bottle will be discarded containing a significant amount of solution. Thus, the environmental impacts of disposal of both the container and remaining liquid contained are heightened by the inflexible liquid product packaging examples currently on store shelves.

Spray bottles with flexible body portions and soft refill containers


An optical instrument for splitting optical spectrum, comprising a series of hollow core optical wave guides (12, 22, and so on) connected by optical couplers (16, 26, and so on) transporting broad band incident optical wave from one stage to another, a narrow band optical wave guide (14, 24, and so on) made of photonic crystal materials mounted inside each of said hollow core optical wave guide and along it, and specified for confining certain portion of the incident optical spectrum. Said inner narrow band optical wave guides bend out at the ends of said outer hollow core optical wave guides to extract and guide out the selected component of the incident optical spectrum. Said optical couplers couple the output optical waves of said outer hollow core wave guides of the previous stages into said inner optical wave guides of the next stages for further splitting.

1. Field of Invention
This invention generally relates to optical instruments, specifically to such instruments which are used for splitting optical spectrum.
2. Prior Art
Rainbow after raining often shows astonishing beauty in sky. The beautiful colors come from the broad band sunlight. When the individual components of the broad band spectrum of sunlight are separated through the refraction of the water drops in wetting air, a spectacular arch forms in sky. As in nature, in scientific fields, it is often necessary to split broad band optical spectrums and separate their individual components. The instruments used to separate or analyze light according to wavelength are known as spectroscopic instruments or spectrometers. The overall form of most current spectrometers is of an imaging system which consists of 3 principle components[1], collimating unit made of collimating lens, spectral unit, and camera or telescope unit made of focusing lens. The collimating unit collimates the input light into parallel beam light, the spectral unit separates the beam light and the camera or telescope unit output the separated components. In terms of image systems, by locating the spectral unit in the aperture stop of the system, the arrangement of the system is able to form a chromatically altered image of the entrance aperture or field stop. The field of view is defined by a field stop in the front focal plane of the collimating lens. The focusing lens completes the imaging of the field stop.
The spectral unit is the fundamental component of all spectrometers. In and near the visible region of the spectrum, this unit is usually a prism, a grating, a Fabry-Perot etalon, or a version of the Michelson interferometer[1]. These spectral units operate on plane waves. Prisms change the directions of these waves according to wavelength; gratings multiply and disperse them; etalons and Michelson interferometers change the irradiance of the waves according to their angle and wavelength. The collimating optics creates plane wave from the light emanating from each point in the entrance aperture. The focusing lens brings each plane wave leaving the spectral unit to a different point and makes the output ultimately analyzed spatially.
Therefore, all the spectrometers heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) The overall form of most of the current spectrometers is a imaging system, it can only process beam light and plane waves, there is nothing to do with diffusion light and other type waves.
(b) In the current spectrometers, the beam light propagates in free space, therefore it can not be guided and distributed desirably.
(c) The resolving power of the current spectrometers is limited by the spectral separation mechanism.
(d) Single spectrometer can not cover broad range of spectrum in the mean time.
(e) The power throughput is limited by the intuitive nature of the current spectrometers, they are not appropriate to be used as power process equipment.
(f) The structure of the current spectrometers is complicate.
(g) The whole system of the current spectrometers is not compact.
(h) The structure of the current spectrometers is precise, so the whole system is not robust.
(i) The current spectrometers are usually used as independent spectral analyzing instrument, it is not easy to be integrated into other systems.
(j) The spectrometers in present use consisting of precise optics are very expensive.
As can be seen, the intuitive nature of the currently existing spectrometers limit their application to processing beam light and plane waves, there is nothing to do with diffusion light and other type of waves. The collimation optics and output optics are usually necessary for spectrometers to carry out spectrum separation function, this makes the structure of these systems too complicate. The input beam and output of the spectrometers all propagate in free space without guidance, therefore it is not easy to realize energy separation and collection of elements of broad band optical spectrum. The current spectrometers are more eligible to analyze spectrum. From the point view of energy application, the mechanisms of the currently existing spectrometers are not efficient in separation and collection of elements of broad band optical spectrum. The currently existing spectrometers depend on the aids of input optics and output optics to realize effective separation of broad band spectrum, the systems perform very well in spectral analysis and information process. However, they are not effective in carrying out spectral energy separation of broad band spectrum. Due to the complicate structure of spectrometers, they are not compact. In terms of power transportation, the currently existing spectrometers are not effective.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Photonic crystal wave guide optical spectrometer


In a data output control apparatus, a data replacement unit performs replacement of information packets so as to reflect the contents of a partial TS after the transfer status thereof has changed, and outputs a replacement signal as information relating to the replaced packet data to a controller. Therefore, the controller for controlling the data replacement unit can continuously recognize the status of replacement of packet data, and becomes able to change the respective information tables according to the operation of the partial TS, thereby realizing dynamic change while maintaining the continuity of the respective tables in the partial TS.

Conventionally, transfer of streams based on MPEG has been carried out as follows. An input analog stream is digital-converted into a form of a partial transport stream (hereinafter referred to as a partial TS). Then, the MPEG partial TS is transferred directly (or after being digital-recorded in a DVHS tape or the like as required) through a digital interface. The partial TS is composed of packets of elementary streams (hereinafter referred to as ES packets) of video and audio analog streams, and packets of predetermined information tables (hereinafter referred to as information packets), and each packet is identified by a parameter such as "table id" that is present in a header of the packet.
Examples of typical data formats of information tables included in partial TS are as follows: a program association table (hereinafter referred to as PAT) and a program map table (hereinafter referred to as PMT) which are standardized by STD-B10 of Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB); and a discontinuity information table (hereinafter referred to as DIT) and a selection information table (hereinafter referred to as SIT) which are standardized by STD-B21 of ARIB.
FIGS. 4 to 7 illustrate the formats of the above-mentioned information table packets, i.e., PAT, PMT, DIT, and SIT, respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the information packets contain various kinds of information indicating the contents of the partial TS to be transferred. When the transfer status of the partial TS changes, the information in the information packets are altered so as to reflect the contents of the partial TS being transferred (refer to Japanese Published Patent Application No. Hei. 10-145755 (Page 9, FIG. 1), and Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2003-92738 (Page 18, FIG. 1)).
In the conventional data output control apparatus, however, it is difficult to recognize the transfer status of the partial TS, when the transfer status of the partial TS changes and thereby the information packets are altered. Therefore, it is difficult to judge when alteration of the information packets has been carried out.
Further, in the conventional data output control apparatus, when the transfer status of the partial TS changes, alteration of the corresponding information packet is carried out based on comparison with a specific packet ID. Therefore, for example, when the number of packets of the respective information tables changes, the process of altering the information packets cannot satisfactorily follow the change in the number of packets.